I’ve purposely waited to write this. From the moment this story hit the news I knew it was going to be met with outrage on both sides of the political spectrum. Lot’s of emotion behind this one. Understandable.

On August 25th, 2020 armed with a AR-15, Kyle Rittenhouse killed two people and wounded another.

I’ve seen all the videos. Read the news reports. Watched the threads of people on both sides of the argument; some claiming self defense, others claiming premeditated murder. Shortly after he turned himself in the accusations of how he was treated by the police, due to the color of his skin, hit the threads. Then came the meme’s. Hard not to laugh at some of them. Ominous reminders of what happens when two opposing ideologies clash.

I get it. I can understand the frustration. The anger. Bitterness. I’m well versed in all of those things.

But two things stood out to me while watching this all unfold. That have felt like a nagging in my brain, subtle nudging asking me, “Are you going to say something?” Two things that aren’t going to make me popular in some circles. Things that I know some people aren’t going to want to hear.

Did Kyle’s mother drive him across the border to the heart of those riots? I’m asking because early on when the story hit I read that she did, but those reports quickly went away and have been lost in the noise of it all. Now it’s being listed as “Unclear“, if she drove her son to the location of the riots. But when I read that it really hit me hard. I simply, could. Not. Imagine. That. I could not imagine driving one of my kids to something like that and dropping them off.

Shortly after news of the riots hit I started getting calls from various people I know asking if, “It’s time”.

All gearing up for a fight. My answer was repeatedly an emphatically: NO. But after getting multiple calls in such a short amount of time, coupled with the reports on the news, I pulled my son (Who’s 23) into the living room and we put together a couple of “go bags”. Set aside the “basics”. Swapped our hunting gear out for a bit different of an encounter.

I was very specific: “We are not going to stand on some line. We are not going to defend some brick and mortar building. If it comes to “our door” then we are going to be prepared and we’re going to deal with it. But we are not going to any “protest” and standing a line. Not. Happening. WE ARE STAYING OUT OF IT”. Then we came up with a game plan of where to go, who to get, how to communicate and where to meet.

Kyle is 17. WHY would his mother drive him to something like that?

Did she not know or understand the risk? Where was Kyle’s father? This kid clearly looked up to strong male figures. Did he have one growing up? Wasn’t there someone in his life that would speak to the fire in his youth and pull him back? Anyone? I’m not supporting or condemning his actions during the events of August 25th; I’m simply posing the questions. ‘Cause for me, if my son asked me for a ride to an event like that, my answer would have been: No. F@*king no.

Seventeen and that kids life is never going to be the same. The people who died that night…what a complete waste of life.

Now we got some calling him a hero. And, maybe on some level he is? But at 17…why are you using him and what happened as your political pawn? Why are you using him and what happened to promote your political agenda? Why?

HOW MUCH SHIT did Republicans give Democrats over using Greta Thunberg as a political pawn? You remember that? I do. It was a total joke. A spit past 17 and she’s lecturing the U.N. on Climate Change. Mental midgets everywhere rally to support her and this kid doesn’t have the slightest clue about life. She has the life experience of a fart. But that didn’t stop the Democrat Party from using her for their agenda. Now she’s a funny meme. She’s an epic joke on the internet. Bet she didn’t imagine that.

And here we are, now we got Republicans doing the same thing with Rittenhouse.

Total joke. This kid didn’t have the slightest clue what he was getting himself into when he took that drive to Kenosha. Look at the before pictures of him. He’s like a frickin puppy, all smiles, scrubbing shit off a wall and loving it, ’cause he’s finally being played with. He sure didn’t grasp the depth of what could take place or the aftermath of hell that would ensue. No way.

So here he’s 17, his parents failed to protect him, look out for him, and what, now he’s being offered up on the political platter for the wolves to devour all in the name of a political agenda. He getting death threats. For a political agenda.

As much as I fervently despise the rioting, looting and burning that has been taking place…I would never offer one of my kids for a political agenda. Never. And I take issue with parents, on BOTH sides of the political spectrum, that would.

…anyway, that’s what I think.

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