Bill de Blasio has a beef with the Kyle Rittenhouse jury: “This verdict is disgusting,” said his-soon-to-be-ex-honor Friday afternoon.
Imagine that. The fellow who stood dumb as a lamppost as his city descended into blood-spattered street chaos is capable of disgust after all. Little steps for little feet.
But really. Nothing says contempt for the rule of law quite like the knee-jerk rejection of a well-considered jury verdict in a highly politicized criminal case by people who not only should know better, but who have an absolute obligation to do better.
Yes, President Biden conceded that the Kenosha “jury has spoken” — though only after having declared the defendant to be a “white supremacist” and helping to set the tone for Friday’s more extreme reactions.
Mayor Bill de Blasio was disgusted at the acquittal of Kyle
Rittenhouse -- but never shows an ounce of emotion to New York City's
senseless violence
Back to Blas: The verdict “sends a horrible message to this country,” he continued Friday. “Where is the justice? We can’t let this go.”
Which means what, exactly? Another round of rioting in Kenosha? More looting in New York?
Eric Adams, who’s been talking for some time like he knows better, was — to put it mildly — disappointing: “This decision” said the mayor-elect, “is an indictment of irresponsible laws that make our society far more violent and unsafe under the guise of personal freedom and so-called self-defense.”
Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges.But the verdict said precisely the opposite. It was an affirmation of arguably the most fundamental human right of all, the right to self-defense; there’s nothing “so-called” about that.
Gov. Hochul, who is brand new on the scene, showed it: “Kyle Rittenhouse used an assault weapon to kill two people,” she said, which was not exactly news — and which added nothing to the conversation.
Predictably, there was New York City’s politically restless public advocate, Jumaane Williams, who asked “What’s the value of white tears (not even that many) in this country? Clearly more than black lives.”
Rittenhouse, of course, was accused of murdering two white men, and seriously wounding a third, so it’s certainly not “clear” what black lives Williams is talking about. But he’s another one who has had bupkis to say about New York’s murder surge, which almost exclusively generates black bodies — so it’s reasonable to question, shall we say, his sincerity.
And to chalk his burblings up to politics. Which, of course, helps explain everything about the case — including the patently politicized indictments brought against Rittenhouse; the amateurish prosecution itself; and, indeed, even the refusal of state and local officials to put down the rioting that led to the shootings in the first place.
And it explains the word salad from Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers Friday: “No ruling today changes our reality in Wisconsin that we have work to do toward equity, accountability, and justice that communities across our state are demanding and deserve.”
Except, of course, that is precisely what Friday’s verdict did: It struck a blow for equity, accountability and justice before the law — demonstrating that it’s still possible for 12 citizens to resist enormous pressure and do the right thing before the law. Good for them.
And shame on those who elevate politics and prejudice above the Constitution, and justice itself. They do America no favors.
1 comment:
Who gives a shit what the people from either Coast thinks or our Dimwitted President for that matter. The jury has spoken. Live with it.
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