TO THE EDITOR:
Lady Justice climbed down from her stripper pole, threw her purple boa and matching garter belt and sequined thong into the cheering throng and bared her bare buttocks to the entire world.
It is official: Vigilantes in open carry states with the instincts and empathy of feral wolverines can go hunting for trouble... and find it readily. They can walk around an area filled with people, kill two of them and wound another, get arrested and at trial, get exonerated by a jury.
That's America 2021.
Kyle Rittenhouse was 17 when he loaded up his AR-15, crossed a state line to "help" folks caught up in the protest that was staged to protest the killing of a black man by a white policeman.
What you have is yet another example of justice denied: An inept prosecutor and bumbling case presentation; an ultra-aggressive defense, and; a judge who got caught up in the drama of a nationally televised trial and appeared to be auditioning for Judge Judy's replacement.
Mark this down: This verdict ensures that others will die at the hands of Wild, Wild West bit actor rejects who are hailing Rittenhouse's actions and will emulate him so they, too, can be seen as a heroic patriot.
He is not that. He is now officially a symbol of a society out of control, a newly minted linatic icon for gun fanatics and armed haters.
Open carry. Shoot to kill. Claim of self-defense.
Open and shut case of a judicial system gone south. And, the sad part is, there is no relief in sight.
George S. Smith
Emmet, Arkansas