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    Home»Editorials/Opinion»Guilty Until Found Innocent
    Editorials/Opinion

    Guilty Until Found Innocent

    November 21, 202118 Comments
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    By Tommy Acosta

    AR 15 1

    Sedona, AZ – One could say that Kyle Rittenhouse should never have gone to Kenosha, Wisconsin with a Smith & Wesson, AR-style, semi-automatic rifle slung around his neck. That he had no business being there. That in bringing the weapon to the streets, he, and his mother who drove him there should have known that in trying to protect the community against the rioters, that he might have actually had to discharge the weapon in defending what he said he went there to defend.

    Somewhere in the back of his mind did he realize that he might have had to shoot someone, but went ahead and went there, fully armed and ready for conflict, anyway?

    Were the people he shot criminals or sex offenders that deserved what they got? Did Rittenhouse see himself as a vigilante? Was he white supremist? Did he go there with murderous intent?

    Was he truly there to protect the community?

    These questions could be debated forever but none of them mean anything when you whittle it down to the final question. Did he shoot them in self-defense, or not?

    The answer is yes. He fired his weapon in self-defense, plain and simple. That’s what the jury saw. The videos proved it. And he was acquitted.

    He was chased. He was attacked. He was threatened. He was knocked down. He was kicked in the head. A gun was pointed at him. He was smacked with a skateboard and he was surrounded by people who would have torn him to pieces had he not fired his weapon.

    He was a kid with a skewered perception that an individual could do something to stop the chaos that was erupting in a community he naively thought he could defend.

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    Did he go there to go on a shooting rampage? It appears not. Although some would say yes.

    Was his shooting of the three protestors, racial?

    Again, who knows what was going on in the teen’s head.

    Regardless, he was cornered. He believed his life was in jeopardy, and he fired his gun to survive.

    No matter how you cut the cake. No matter how you spin that bottle. The videos exonerated him of murder. 

    Had there been no videos, then perhaps he could have been convicted. But in today’s world where cameras are everywhere and citizens can video just about everything that happens, the vigilance was on his side.

    When the jury saw these videos, they could not decide on anything else but self-defense, no matter what the killer’s intent in going to Kenosha was.

    He will have to live the rest of his life with the blood of those he killed on his hands. His dreams will be haunted.  He will be hated. And he could never rest or go anywhere without having to look over his shoulder.

    Those who were shot and killed did not deserve to die, but they took the chance of attacking someone brandishing a military-style, semi-automatic hunting rifle in their hands. Stupid. They misjudged the baby-faced shooter and they paid the ultimate price.

    Let us hope that the chaos that could erupt because of this verdict, does not take any more lives along with those who perished that night.

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    18 Comments

    1. Jesus on November 21, 2021 1:58 pm

      Spoken like a true white male

      • Sandy C. Schorr on November 21, 2021 2:14 pm

        Coming from the son of God, those are mighty powerful words. Enlighten us Chosen One. Did the rifle toting kid kill those guys in self defense or not? if not, then explain to us why. Usually I disagree with Tommy on most things but this time maybe Mr. Thinks He”s So Smart may have actually gotten something right.

        • Michael J Young on November 28, 2021 11:03 am

          Hero’s ??? A child molester you call a hero? Lay off the juice !

    2. JJSedona on November 21, 2021 3:04 pm

      I am SO HAPPY that the 2nd amendment is alive and well and that yes, you DO have a right to defend yourself.

      Looks like a few people here have skipped over the facts in the case, but THANK GOD the jury were not as blind as some of the comments here.

      FACT: Kyle Rittenhouse’s dad lives in the area of the riots. He did not cross state lines willy-nilly, but rather to protect his Dad’s home & neighborhood and the freedom of others. Kyle Rittenhouse wasn’t a militia member. He was a lifeguard. Kyle Rittenhouse did not fire 60 rounds, not even close to that. He was not under age. And he was in legal possession of his gun.

      Kyle Rittenhouse was carrying a weapon that is LEGAL. Wisconsin law, which apparently no one in any newsroom in America had even bothered to check, 17-year-olds are allowed to carry rifles as long as their barrels meet a minimum length requirement and Kyle Rittenhouse’s rifle met that requirement, so no, Kyle Rittenhouse did not violate Wisconsin’s gun laws.

      Kyle Rittenhouse was hired to protect the neighborhood. After spending the day removing graffiti, he took to watching the store. ANTIFA would like everyone to think it’s some kind of moral offense for an American citizen to enter a contiguous state. They are making it sound like Kyle Rittenhouse snuck into a foreign land under cover of darkness to murder people. But he traveled less miles than those who live in Cottonwood and commute to work in Sedona to be in his father’s neighborhood. As Kyle Rittenhouse explained on the stand last week, when mobs set fire to Kenosha, he had every reason to want to defend the city because his father lives there. Why is it OK for the BLM rioters and the Antifa creeps to come from around the country to burn Kenosha down as many of them did, but not OK for Kyle to defend his father’s neighborhood?

      Kyle Rittenhouse was separated from his security guard co-workers and attacked by someone who hit him on the head with a skateboard.

      A gun was pulled and pointed at him when he began shooting IN DEFENSE OF HIS LIFE.

      The two ANTIFA members shot and two others were recently released from jail.

      22 witnesses over 6 days testified that Rittenhouse acted in self-defense.

      The FBI withheld a video showing that Rittenhouse was being chased by a mob, that one person lunged for him and threw a lit bag at him. Why did the prosecution withhold this evidence? Because it clearly showed Rittenhouse’s innocence.

      But if there’s one thing this trial has taught us, it is how completely dishonest and totally misleading so many of the news accounts of what Kyle Rittenhouse did have been.

      We’ve known for more than a year for example how Rittenhouse first encountered convicted child rapist Joseph Rosenbaum, the first man he shot. There are multiple witnesses to that. Rosenbaum had just been released from a mental hospital, and for some reason decided to join the riot. So first, he lit a fire, then he began to swing a chain like a weapon. When he saw Kyle Rittenhouse, he threatened to kill Kyle Rittenhouse, then he chased Rittenhouse in a full sprint, cornered him and then tried to snatch his gun from his hands. It was at that point that Rittenhouse fired, who wouldn’t fire at that point? it was SELF DEFENSE

      After shooting Rosenbaum, Rittenhouse tried to turn himself into police, but he couldn’t because a mob howling for his death chased him down a city street. One rioter then knocked Kyle Rittenhouse to the ground, another smashed him in the head with a skateboard, and a third rioter drew a loaded pistol, which he was not allowed to have unlike Kyle Rittenhouse and pointed it in Kyle Rittenhouse’s face.

      So, at no point was Kyle Rittenhouse the aggressor in the sequence of events. Every move he made was defensive. It’s not our interpretation of it, that’s what came out from prosecutors and witnesses in court. None of these facts are disputed. They all happened. So that’s a very tough problem for the prosecution. With facts like those, what exactly do you say? NOT GUILTY

      The jury clearly got it right. God Bless America

      • JJSedona on November 23, 2021 12:29 am

        So many people cannot admit they’ve been lied to because they’ve self-identified with the lie they cling onto.

        Their whole house-of-cards perception of reality would have to crumble, and they cannot face it.

        • Stretch on November 27, 2021 10:06 am

          “You got a gun, I got a gun, we all got guns.” Gotta protect ourselves from Fascists, Anti-Fascists, the Government, the Police, the BLM, the White Supremacists, Dirty Democrats, Repugnant Republicans. If you gonna point your “legal carry” gun at me, I’m gonna shoot you first! Whoopee! Ain’t this fun? The way things oughta be. The Constitution says so. We’re just not totally there yet- but getting closer.

    3. JJSedona on November 21, 2021 4:29 pm

      PS Don’t forget that our country’s largest tech & social media platforms would NOT allow Rittenhouse to fundraise nor defend himself — because THEY decided he was guilty… yet, a JUDGE AND JURY did not.

      BREAK BIG TECH UP *NOW.* It’s critical to the preservation of our nation.

      Next up: Biden gets his pants sued off by Rittenhouse. Let’s also not forget that Biden was a private citizen when he condemned Rittenhouse. Before he knew the facts, Biden prejudged the Rittenhouse case. He smeared a teenager to score political points and spread lies about this case. What Biden did was dangerous and inflammatory. Biden needs to apologize and ACT NOW before the left uses his lies to fuel violence.

    4. Jesus on November 21, 2021 8:56 pm

      thou shall not kill

    5. Jesus on November 21, 2021 8:59 pm

      find peace in your heart not hate

    6. JJSedona on November 21, 2021 11:59 pm

      “Arms in the hands of citizens may be used at individual discretion for the defense of the country, the overthrow of tyranny, or private self-defense.” John Adams

      Psalm 144:1 “Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle.”

      Psalm 18:34 “He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.”

      You are in a war, a war for your peace. Fight the good fight of faith.

      • Jesus on November 22, 2021 10:41 pm

        I’m not fighting any war, my son. The war you fight is in your own mind. And it’s toxic. It’s also making you ill. Find the love that I know is in your heart to heal yourself of this hatred you have for others. Good luck to you my child. You won’t hear from me again. You’ve taken enough of my time.

        • JJSedona on November 23, 2021 12:25 am

          good.
          Maybe someday you’ll wake up, but obviously it’s not today.
          You point at me and my heart, but it you that is projecting and putting words in my mouth.
          If you have the love you claim, you’d stand up for America.
          Good luck to you.

    7. John Roberts on November 22, 2021 10:04 am

      As an expert witness you pay attention to facts such as the filming of this incident. Claims are useless without believable facts. Looks to me the facts influenced the decision. let the arm chair experts blab away so they feel happy.

      • carl jackson on November 22, 2021 10:23 am

        good one, tommy

    8. Michael on November 22, 2021 1:38 pm

      Tommy, first of all, the weapon Kyle carried wasn’t “military grade,” it is a semi-automatic consumer-grade hunting rifle modelled to LOOK like the military version. The picture you supply with your article looks NOTHING like Kyle’s weapon and shows either an intentional level of drama or extreme naiveite. And consumer grade hunting ammunition is generally a copper jacket over a lead bullet. Sorry to ruin the dramatic illusion. And the fact that this trial was simply political theater is abundantly obvious. A black man was acquitted of shooting in self-defense the very same day, and nobody says a peep. Also, there was NOTHING “peaceful” about the protests, nor the billions of dollars of damage to businesses and neighborhoods that summer. This “peaceful” claim is just more political drama and media propaganda. When MLK did actual peaceful protests, they barely even left litter behind. The 2020 protesters left behind smoking, charred destruction and many damaged lives across America. The media lies to cover this up and convict Kyle Rittenhouse instead is pure political drama designed to help destroy America, which is where the true hatred lives.

      • Tommy Acosta on November 22, 2021 2:15 pm

        Hi Michael:

        I stand corrected and made the correction. Thanks for your observation. Call me naive. And I am only slightly upset you ruined my dramatic prose.

    9. JJ is a child on November 23, 2021 10:46 am

      We all can see your just a young pup who has no clue, hate in your heart…Politics is not a sport its to help Us We The People!…..

      So here is just a touch of hypocrisy for you to chew on!
      ——————————————————————————————————

      In His Own Words: The President’s Attacks on the Courts

      Donald Trump has displayed a troubling pattern of attacking judges and the courts for rulings he disagrees with.
      https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/his-own-words-presidents-attacks-courts
      ———————————————————————————————————————————————————-
      Legal threats to Donald Trump ‘more serious than ever before’, experts say
      https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/13/trump-organization-tax-crimes-charges
      ————————————————————————————————————————————–
      Should we talk about a president that lies about the 2020 election?
      Should we talk about his phone calls to Georgia to get extra votes to overturn an election?
      Or would it be more fun to look at all 33,000 lies one man did in less than 5 years?
      ———————————————————————————————————
      There is a old saying people in glass houses shouldn’t throw rocks…..?

      You enjoy your conspiracy theories, lies, twisted truth, but please remember many of us are very old and have watched how many times the GOP took it to the masses while helping only the rich!
      Best of luck on the truth, and your blood pressure!………LOL!

    10. JJSedona on November 24, 2021 1:22 pm

      John – you can call me all the names in the book, but that won’t change FACTS about the Rittenhouse case. It’s over. He was found innocent by jury and judge. Get over it.


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