While you prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas, to enjoy the spirit of celebration and “feeling the love,” don’t lose sight of what the not guilty on all counts verdict of Kyle Rittenhouse means going forward. Stay informed, stay safe, and know the forces of cultural grievance, racism, and anarchy that are arrayed against our democracy and co-existence.

As a teenager of 17, Rittenhouse traveled from another state armed with an AR-15 in August 2020 to participate in so-called patrolling for security, protection of property, and rendering of “informal” medical aid. (This with the apparent approval of some police officers on duty who handed out water to groups of armed civilian men milling about.) With that as a backdrop, Rittenhouse is now free as a bird to enjoy the holiday season, while two of the three men he shot and killed that night in Kenosha, Wisconsin will be mourned by their families.

Keep in mind that Rittenhouse was responding to a Facebook call of the Kenosha Guard militia group for “patriots willing to take up arms and defend” Kenosha, which then was picked up and redistributed by InfoWars Alex Jones, the conveyor of conspiracy tropes. Who, in his own words, is an “entertainer” not to be taken seriously. Young Kyle took it all seriously and inserted himself dangerously toting a long gun illegally; shot three, killed two, and got off Scott free.

At the outset, the judge (if you want to call him that) dismissed the lesser charges, which were the very law breaking infractions that put Kyle there in Kenosha as some out-of-state vigilante to begin with: 

Possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18 (dismissed)

Failure to comply with an emergency order from state or local government (dismissed) 

For the judge to ignore that as a predicate to the tragedy that ensued – at least as a teaching moment – is a crime in itself, and tells you all you need to know about that judge and unequal justice in the history of this country.

Of the other charges:

First-degree reckless homicide

First-degree recklessly endangering safety

First-degree intentional homicide

Attempted first-degree intentional homicide

It is the First-degree recklessly endangering safety charge that stands out to me as an incontrovertible guilty count. For the jury to see otherwise demonstrates to me bias or ignorance. Either way, justice was not served. And we all have a target on our backs, whenever democracy subversive, xenophobic, white supremacy vigilantes insert themselves into gatherings they disagree with.

Update – November 23, 2021

Darrell Brooks, a black man accused of plowing his Ford Escape SUV through a Thanksgiving Day parade of cheerleaders, dancers and musicians this past weekend – resulting in injuries and death – has put an even larger target on the backs of authentic Americans defending our multifaceted, multiracial, multiethnic nation.