WTF is Going on in This Country?: Kyle Rittenhouse & Paul Gosar

The purpose of the news is to share the events of the day. It’s not supposed to induce a WTF moment.

On Friday, Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty of all charges. While two men are dead and a third must live with the trauma of being shot, Mr. Rittenhouse will be returning to his family. This is the problem with the justice system in America. Jacob Blake was assumed to be guilty simply because of his skin color and not even given the opportunity of a fair trial.

Last week, Arizona Representative Paul Gosar published what can only be described as a heinous video on his Twitter account of killing AOC and then attempting to do the same to the President. After he was censured by the House, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy defended Gosar.

If the Representative from Arizona had any other job, not only would he have been fired immeditately, but he might have also been sued. But because he is in Congress and a very right-leaning Republican who still stands with you know who, he gets away with it.

We don’t have to always agree with one another. That is the beauty of the nation and what she stands for. But when we threaten to hurt or kill one another, either on the internet or in person, there MUST be consequences.

That is, unless you align politically in a certain direction, where violence and destruction are the norm when you don’t get your way.

P.S. If the men who are accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery are acquitted, the response may likely be ten times more than the response to George Floyd‘s murder last year.

Advertisement

The NBA Strike is More Than a Night Off

Whether we know it or not, we often look to celebrities as examples of how to behave or not behave.

Since May, when George Floyd was murdered, protests have exploded all over the country. Across Hollywood and the sports world, celebrities have stepped up in the name of justice and equality.

With the shooting of Jacob Blake last weekend, America was again reminded that police still single out Americans of color. In response, several NBA teams have chosen to strike. Jared Kusher, sticking his nose in where it did not belong, claimed that they were “taking the night off“.

The full quote is as follows:

“The NBA players are very fortunate that they have the financial position where they’re able to take a night off from work without having to have the consequences to themselves financially.”

While it is true that they will still earn their salaries, this strike is not about money. It is about racial inequity and violence that still exists in the United States. These players are using their platform to take a stand and send a message.

Not that Kushner or anyone around him would be able to understand that message.

Kyle Rittenhouse is Everything That is Wrong with America

In 2020, we may believe that we have come a long way. Women and minorities are no longer second class citizens. True equality is not yet achieved, but we are on the way.

Then a kid with an AR-15 shoots into a crowd protesting against police violence. Two people were killed and one was injured.

The kid’s name is Kyle Rittenhouse. Somehow, he was able to get his hands on one of the deadliest weapons one can use. Instead of arresting him, local police defended him. Upon further research, it was discovered that his now deleted social media accounts history were chock full of white supremacy related information.

This kid is everything that is wrong with America. A white person (i.e. male) shoots into a crowd with an AR-15 who has extreme right views is given a free pass to get away with whatever he wishes to. But an innocent black man like Jacob Blake is shot in the back point blank by white police officers. According to news reports from earlier today, Mr. Blake is paralyzed.

We need to do better. We must do better. If we don’t, our children and grandchildren will continue on the same hamster wheel that we are on now.

My Heart Breaks For Jacob Blake’s Children

When it comes to our children, we are taught that we should model the behavior that we want them to emulate.

If that is the case, then I wonder what the children of the Jacob Blake have learned. On Sunday afternoon, Mr. Blake, an unarmed African-American man, was shot by police. They shot him in front of his three children as they sat in the family car. The children are all under the age of ten.

As of yesterday, Mr. Blake was still in intensive care.

I have to wonder what message this sends not only to his children, but to everyone’s children? That people of color, especially African-American men and women, are automatically suspicious because of their skin color?

This summer has been one of upheaval, to say the least. Between the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, protests have been happening non stop. The message should be loud and clear. Law enforcement does not have the carte blanche right to arrest and kill simply because the assumed perpetrator has dark skin.

My prayer is two fold. The first half is that Mr. Blake wakes up and returns home as physically and emotionally whole as possible. The second half is that his children are do not grow up with the emotional scars that come with what they witnessed.

Happy Tuesday.