The jury acquittal of self-appointed vigilante Kyle Rittenhouse left far-right militias and Republican Trumpers chortling. Seemingly, this win was a trifecta. It vindicates the strategy of enacting self-defense, open-carry, and stand-your-ground laws. It makes a hero of Rittenhouse. It intensifies the racist maneuver of leaving Blacks at the mercy of rogue cops and private militiamen, making it harder for Biden to keep faith with African American demands for justice without scaring off whites.
The right has gone to town with its dog-whistle messages caricaturing AP English classes that assign Toni Morrison as anti-parent; contending that the Democrat Party favors defunding the police; and claiming that the abstruse body of Critical Race Theory is being used to brainwash public school students. Now the Rittenhouse verdict seemingly adds another arrow to the quiver.
Read Full Article »