Mahanth S. Joishy is Editor

A lot has been said about the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, which held a bit of extra interest for me because I live in Wisconsin, less than a couple hours’ drive from the epicenter of the drama, Kenosha, and there was a great deal of discussion on the topic in my social circles.

But now the trial has finally ended, and the jury has ruled not guilty on all counts, Rittenhouse is a free man and is entertaining the entirely predictable offers for Congressional internships with several hard-right white male supremacist politicians like Matt Gaetz, the Human Dildo – quite possibly a limited time EXPLODING offer. That’s because Gaetz’s own indictments are quite likely coming soon if the underage sex trafficking thing did really happen. Ugh.

There is some good news in all of this for America: the judiciary branch seemed to work in this case. While Kyle Rittenhouse, 17 years old at the time, was definitely displaying infinitely poor judgment and intent by showing up with a loaded AR-15 to an emotional protest, the jury was still convinced that he acted in self-defense. The prosecution seemed particularly weak in this case, but I’m not sure it would have mattered. The judge enjoyed his moment in the spotlight a little too much by preening for the press, but that too might not have mattered. The jury deliberated and then spoke. The system worked as it was intended to in a seemingly fair court case. My thoughts on the matter, especially how I think this would have gone if Rittenhouse wasn’t white, have been rendered completely irrelevant.

Gun rights, as I explained after yet a different massacre in Wisconsin, of a large group of Sikhs worshipping at their temple, has never for a single damn moment in US history stoped marching forward, and this Rittenhouse case was another chapter which proves that.

Now all I hope for is when the judicial branch steps in inevitably once again to referee huge disagreements about who won elections between the two political parties, as we saw time and again with over 50 court cases in the 2020 Biden victory, that the same right-wing personalities celebrating their minds out because Kyle Rittenhouse has been acquitted on all counts, would respect the verdicts equally instead of everything being “heads I win, tails you lose” with this mob.

But don’t you dare hold your breath on that one.