Political So now what

[ID Bronco]

thank God that the mob rule did not prevail.

 

[N-Smooth]

I'm glad he was not charged but also saddened and concerned that he was ever in that situation in the first place. I will not consider him a hero and not praise him for taking lives, regardless of my many disagreements with the people that were rioting.

Not popular opinion on RME? Oh well...

 

[johngottfredson]

I’m cool with the verdict, but not sure why people seem to be thinking that Kyle is some kind of hero. Do we want 17 yr olds taking assault weapons that don’t belong to them into explosive situations like protests? That’s not the sort of local militia I’m in favor of. I’d rather round up the fellas on this forum, for example, and send them out to help protect local businesses. Less likelihood of a bunch of folks getting shot, or dumb-ass protestors getting confused about someone being a rogue active shooter.

Rittenhouse seems like a kid that was over his head, acting with the wisdom of a 17 yr old. I suppose because this whole thing became a political game of chess, with the prosecution and the media acting as the opposing team, that the proponents of gun and property rights might be transferring some of their zeal into this kid and holding him aloft as the standard bearer of their principles that he becomes a folk hero in their eyes. But I don’t really understand it.

 

[Cody]

I'm more in line with @xj_nate and @johngottfredson. I think he probably was using self defense in these situations and I'm not upset with the verdict, but he wasn't without fault. He had no reason to be there, and hopefully having to live with the results of what happened will be enough punishment for being a dumbass kid. Rittenhouse is lucky he didn't get hurt and it's a shame what happened to him that night and since then, but he shouldn't have been there in the first place.

I also hope this doesn't make a lot of open carry folks think that it's totally ok to walk on down the local protest with their weapons and make matters worse. The last thing stupid, pointless, protests (the ones that destroy shit) need are more weapons.

 

[johngottfredson]

Posting for likes/agreement is lame anyway.

Not sure if I’m supposed to ‘like’ this comment

 

[Spork]

Do I get to jump on the none of them should have been there, Pedophile should have been stuck in a woodchipper long before he met Kyle bandwagon? or is this a different bandwagon?

 

[DAA]

Rioters getting shot is okay with me.

- DAA

 

[Hickey]

Now let's focus on the Ghislaine Maxwell trial.

 

[Tebbsjeep]

I have a genuine question that is not meant as a smart-Alec remark. In reading comments everywhere, the most popular "guilty" comments were "well he shouldn't have been there, so he's guilty." I'm not sure he's a hero, but I do think his intentions were purer than most gave him credit for.

In the last couple years we've seen mobs take advantage of a movement that was intended to make a change for the better, but instead have used it for revenge, reparations, evening the score, etc. Whatever you want to call it. They've destroyed city property, homes, businesses, taken innocent lives, and created a divide that's the most extreme that I've experienced in my relatively short life. The government's response has widely been to just let it happen, don't resist, tell the police not to intervene, or even sympathize and encourage these actions, call them peaceful protests instead of riots.

So here you have a kid that has seen people show up (also from out of town) to trash and burn down the place he might as well call his home. He sees the government tell the police to stand down and not do anything. So he knows that no one is going to help his community, friends and family. No one is going to stop criminals from taking away livelihoods, and destroy what many have worked to build. These aren't just things to be easily replaced. So he decides the he take up that responsibility to protect his community, and to help those that are injured, on both sides. As I would hope any of us would help protect our own neighbors. He's then thrown under bus and called everything in the book.

So with that long winded preface, and my obvious feelings to what happened, here's my question to those who say he shouldn't have been there. To what level or degree of threats/acts of violence that are encroaching on your community, would you say warrant taking up arms with members of your community to protect what's yours? Not antagonize, but proactively protect. Do you follow what the government says and just lay down and take it? Or is there a line not to be crossed for you? I really want to know your reasoning, because I can't understand the sentiment that you are at fault for wanting to protect your community.

 

[N-Smooth]

It depends on what you're protecting. If it's people, I get it- protect yourselves. If it's stuff... that's silly to risk your life for stuff. I have kids to watch grow up. If my choice is to watch my home burn down or risk my life or take somebody else's life... I'll bring the matches.

 

[Hickey]

It depends on what you're protecting. If it's people, I get it- protect yourselves. If it's stuff... that's silly to risk your life for stuff. I have kids to watch grow up. If my choice is to watch my home burn down or risk my life or take somebody else's life... I'll bring the matches.

I totally support you making that choice, and The law also supports you making that choice. The law also supports Kyle's choices.

 

[Cody]

Do you guys think the rioters that were attacking security at the the capitol should have been shot?

 

[Hickey]

Do you guys think the rioters that were attacking security at the the capitol should have been shot?

I can't say without a doubt that they should have. I haven't seen even video of it to make that call. I would certainly entertain the idea, just haven't studied it enough.

 

[N-Smooth]

Would any of you be just thrilled if your 17 y/o son grabbed an AR from his buddy and went into a city to defend it from rioters? I mean it is the honorable thing to do, right?

That’s the part I struggle with the most, his age. And again, I’m glad he wasn’t convicted but where were his parents?

 

[Hickey]

Would any of you be just thrilled if your 17 y/o son grabbed an AR from his buddy and went into a city to defend it from rioters? I mean it is the honorable thing to do, right?

That’s the part I struggle with the most, his age. And again, I’m glad he wasn’t convicted but where were his parents?

I would not be thrilled at all, but I'd be pretty damn impressed with the way he handled himself.

 

[DAA]

Do you guys think the rioters that were attacking security at the the capitol should have been shot?

One was. Wrong one, maybe. But probably should have been more than one.

- DAA

 

[jeeper]

The 'shouldn't have been there' argument goes both ways. Anyone who was there was dumb for being there.. which means it was acceptable for Kyle to be there also. Make sense?

I think every person has to decide where they draw their line. I fully support the men who are first to pick up their weapons and defend others/property/etc. My line is at my front door... but I like that others lines are where they see any injustices happening.

I disagree with the Bundy's that had all those issues. However, there is a photo of armed citizens on one side of a bridge, and government on the other side of the bridge. The citizens stopped an overreaching government. This is exactly why we need people who stand up. It's an impressive photo.

In Utah, the BLM was creating havoc in our cities. Armed people started showing up, and the BLM stopped showing up. Again, I wouldn't have been there.. but I am glad some people were.

 

[Cody]

No because if you watch the video footage the security just let them in and showed them the way. Turns out most of those were antifa losers dressed as trump supporters anyways so it's pretty a pretty stupid sitation all around. Somehow maga granny got involved and the rest is history.

Edit: not to mention, I don't recall seeing any armed rioters or people throwing molotov cocktails that day. Not really an apples to apples comparison to make any judgement. But according to many politicians and media pundits it was the worst day in US history. Hilarious.

I've seen video footage where they are reaching over each other to pummel guards trying to hold a temporary fence line.

Regardless, you don't know that they were Antifa losers dressed as Trump supporters. Out of those thousands of people I bet they made up less than 1%. Probably another few 10-20% of assholes with nothing else to do just looking to have some lawless fun, just like the homeless people in Portland that rioted for months because they had nothing better to do. Even the guy you posted on this forum with the supposed Antifa profile, if you actually go to his socials, was absolutely a MAGA and it was a complete and obvious chop. When those conspiracies break down, somehow they just get brushed under the rug because they are damaging to the greater narrative. Antifa didn't infiltrate thousands of profiles to plant months/years worth of photos and rhetoric for those people. Besides, if what you say was true and that was an Antifa or Antifa controlled mob, then Trump, who is all the best intel surely knew that, but then let the Antifa group go unchecked? They were very special to him? What's the "real" backstory there for everyone in the know?

I agree, it was a stupid situation all around, but my point is that if Rittenhouse was justified in shooting in self defense at a BLM riot, then those security guards, or anyone for that matter, that were being attacked or were having their lives threatened (what about the threats on the lives of members of Congress?), had the same right to defend themselves with deadly force. That's my only problem is that it feels like in a reverse situation, when it's someone you align with, people don't think the same rules should apply. It's always some other excuse for why they don't.

Also, I never said he was more or less guilty because he shouldn't have been there. I just said he shouldn't have been there. Of course the other rioters shouldn't have been there either. I'm also firmly on the side of my stuff isn't worth taking anyone's life over. My shit, is not more valuable, than your life.

 

[Spork]

Do you guys think the rioters that were attacking security at the the capitol should have been shot?

I thought they were. The only person that died because of an interaction between protestors and security was Ashli Babbitt. If you're talking about the protesters wandering through staying within the red ropes being directed by security then I would say no they don't deserve to be shot just because they scared AOC that wasn't even in the same building.

 

[glockman]

I've seen video footage where they are reaching over each other to pummel guards trying to hold a temporary fence line.

Regardless, you don't know that they were Antifa losers dressed as Trump supporters. Out of those thousands of people I bet they made up less than 1%. Probably another few 10-20% of assholes with nothing else to do just looking to have some lawless fun, just like the homeless people in Portland that rioted for months because they had nothing better to do. Even the guy you posted on this forum with the supposed Antifa profile, if you actually go to his socials, was absolutely a MAGA and it was a complete and obvious chop. When those conspiracies break down, somehow they just get brushed under the rug because they are damaging to the greater narrative. Antifa didn't infiltrate thousands of profiles to plant months/years worth of photos and rhetoric for those people. Besides, if what you say was true and that was an Antifa or Antifa controlled mob, then Trump, who is all the best intel surely knew that, but then let the Antifa group go unchecked? They were very special to him? What's the "real" backstory there for everyone in the know?

I agree, it was a stupid situation all around, but my point is that if Rittenhouse was justified in shooting in self defense at a BLM riot, then those security guards, or anyone for that matter, that were being attacked or were having their lives threatened (what about the threats on the lives of members of Congress?), had the same right to defend themselves with deadly force. That's my only problem is that it feels like in a reverse situation, when it's someone you align with, people don't think the same rules should apply. It's always some other excuse for why they don't.

Also, I never said he was more or less guilty because he shouldn't have been there. I just said he shouldn't have been there. Of course the other rioters shouldn't have been there either. I'm also firmly on the side of my stuff isn't worth taking anyone's life over. My shit, is not more valuable, than your life.

I'm pretty proficient with a gun but I would never have gone there and if I did, I would not have been openly carrying. The reason I would not has been on clear display for a year. You can justifiably shoot a man pointing a gun at you and half the population who has never even been punched in the face as an adult will say you murdered the man and it was in no way self defense. I don't think most people understand violence and how fast a situation changes. I am shocked at how Kyle handled the weapon and himself in the video. I'm 100% sure I would not have been able to keep that level of a head and not get tunnel vision. Most police struggle with that level of accuracy in a one on one shooting, not being chased by a mob.

I also whole heartedly support anyone, including police or Biden supporters shooting people who are actively assaulting them. I don't think your right to self defense is tied to your political ideology. It is a basic human right.

Jeeper and I have war gamed this a bit. If rioters were in my front yard, I'd try and get out the back door to my cars and leave. If they enter my house and I'm in there with my family, I'm piling bodies at the door to protect my family.