I get it.
I fully support the 2nd Amendment, although I choose not to own a gun. I understand why some people choose to keep a gun in their home for personal protection. I understand why some people want to have a concealed weapon permit. I understand the importance of hunting. I understand why our founding fathers incorporated the 2nd Amendment into the Bill of Rights. I get it.
I understand why the jury in the Rittenhouse case found him not guilty. I sat on a two week murder trial that ended in a hung jury. It was a case in which the father, stabbed his daughter’s boyfriend following an altercation between the father and the boyfriend in which the boyfriend beat the hell out of the father. The boyfriend left the house and the father chased him and another altercation occurred in which the father stabbed the boyfriend with a pocketknife one time in the perfect place to kill him. There was no question of the facts, it was all about the state of mind of the father at the time of the killing. We deliberated for over 3 days. I was advocating for letting the father off for temporary sanity. It was very complicated case in which we were instructed to make our decision based on the law and the evidence provided at the trial. Our personal values were not to enter into our verdict. I get it.
I don’t fault the jury in the Rittenhouse trial, they were doing what they were instructed to do according to the laws of Wisconsin and the instructions of the judge. I get it.
I understand that many people fault the demonstrators/rioters. If they hadn’t been rioting Rittenhouse would not have been there. I favor peaceful demonstrations and the demonstration in Wisconsin had crossed the line. I get it.
Yet here I am five days later with a sour taste in my mouth. No matter how I think about it, I cannot accept that it is morally right for an underage minor to cross state lines, to walk into a crowd with an automatic rifle and not be stopped by the authorities, to feel so threatened that he killed two people and wounded another, to be found not guilty by using a claim of self defense and to be allowed to walk away without be held accountable for his actions by our society. It may be legally OK but it is not morally OK. I don’t get it and I will never think it is OK
Nothing about today’s verdict in the Ahmaud Arbery eliminates that sour taste in my mouth. It is here to stay.
On a lighter note, while writing this blog tonight, I am watching/listening to the Michigan men’s basketball game. Juwan Howard has his toughest coaching challenge this season. This team is lacking cohesiveness, shooting and fundamentals. The only thing they seem to be good at is turnovers. It could be a very long season if things are not fixed soon.
I want to wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving. We are still not back to 2019, but it is better than 2020. For that I am thankful.
Stay Safe. Social Distance. Wear your mask when indoors in public places. Schedule your vaccine and booster.
Orchid of the Day: The jurors in the Ahmaud Arbery trial for sitting through a very complicated case with 27 different charges, working through each charge, taking each charge seriously and deciding each charge for its’ owns merit. It could not have been an easy thing to do.
Onion of the Day: To the Michigan redistricting commission for not sharing with the public the two memos from their attorneys that may have influenced their current recommendations.
Quote of the Day: “The Kyle Rittenhouse verdict is the America I expect — the Arbery verdict is the America I fight for,” said the Rev. Lenny Duncan, 43, a pastor in Portland, Ore.