I haven't written anything in a while but I'm compelled to write today. This is my opinion only - no one has to agree with me.
Some people are calling Kyle Rittenhouse a hero. I have to disagree with that. He defended himself, successfully, from violent offenders and that's a good thing. He had every right to do it and the jury agreed. And I support him 100%. But a hero? Why - because he killed two men and maimed another in self-defense? How does that make one a hero?
I am still of the mindset that a 17 year old kid shouldn't have been allowed to go to a riot situation. Which one of his parents thought that was a good idea? My 17 year old son would not have been there if I had anything to say about it. A minor does not have the right to do whatever he/she wishes. That's a simple fact. That's why they're called minors - they're not old enough, according to the law (or to reasonable, thinking parents), to make all of their own decisions.
Kyle Rittenhouse is a good kid, a helpful and conscientious kid, who had to shoot three grown men in order to survive. Two of them are dead. It moves my heart every time i see the video of his emotional breakdown as the verdict was read. He has to live with what happened for the rest of his life. I actually admire him for his poise and mature demeanor on the stand. He made the prosecutors look foolish more than once.
My opinion of his being there in the first place aside - he did what was necessary at the time when he was attacked. He was legally in possession of the gun that saved his life and probably would be dead, at the hands of violent protesters, if he hadn't had it. I'm glad he's alive, well, and free. But I won't call him a hero.
Again - this is my opinion only. No one has to agree. But I think there are only rare occasions where killing people makes one a hero. And this incident, in my opinion, is not one of them.
