Rittenhouse's Prosecutors Banned from Playing the Victim Card

Rittenhouse's Prosecutors Banned from Playing the Victim Card

The Kyle Rittenhouse trial may not begin until next week, but a pre-trial ruling on Tuesday from Kenosha County Circuit Judge Brice Schroeder has already sent anti-Second Amendment media into a tizzy. Judge Schroeder's offense was to declare that the three men shot by Rittenhouse cannot be referred to as "victims", but can be described as "looters", "rioters", or "arsonists".

This "outrageous" ruling came with the provision that the defense should present evidence if they choose to use such terms in their case. He also said that the prosecutors were free to use harsh terms to describe Rittenhouse, as long as they too backed them up with evidence. Schroeder, the longest-serving current judge in Wisconsin, seems determined to make this a fair trial.

Banning the use of the word "victim" is a fairly common policy but it has inspired anti-2A media to attack Judge Schroeder in several ways, including, not surprisingly, playing the race card. In this instance, the race angle wasn't easy to squeeze in, so determined "journalists" resorted to gimmicks like citing Judge Schroeder's quoting of a statement by Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest that included a racial slur. That's it. That's the best they could come up with for now. But we know that they'll keep trying and digging and doing whatever they can to distract from the central point in the case: Did Kyle Rittenhouse have reason to fear that his life was in danger?

Thankfully, that question will be asked and explored in a courtroom run by Judge Schroeder and not CNN.

Hollywood's Schizophrenic Relationship with Firearms

As the Rittenhouse trial was ramping up in Wisconsin, another shooting made big news on a New Mexico movie set for Rust, a low-budget western film. Hollywood has always offered a peculiar blend of hypocrisy and propaganda where guns are concerned. The entertainment industry routinely cranks out blockbusters drenched in gun violence. And yet, nearly all of the producers, directors, and actors that profit from these films tend to be heavily inclined toward the Left when it comes to gun control and other Second Amendment issues.

A perfect example of this is Alec Baldwin, who has spent decades wielding firearms in action movies while simultaneously speaking out against the right to keep and bear arms. Baldwin has continued this inconsistent stance up until last Thursday, when he accidentally fired a live round out of a single-action revolver, fatally wounding Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.

As with any high-profile shooting incident, spin from the mainstream media was immediate, and it predictably focused on making the gun the problem rather than acknowledging irresponsible use of the weapon in question. One familiar theme that quickly found its way into the narrative was how Hollywood's "love of guns" increases the risk of shootings both on and off of movie sets, even though the last fatal firearm accident on a film set was over 28 years ago.

Guns Are Not Toys (Even on a Movie Set)

One of the most heartbreaking aspects of the shooting is that it would have been prevented by any firearm safety protocols being followed on the set, including protocols required by multiple guild and insurance rules. As even the Washington Times noted: "If Mr. Baldwin had taken an NRA safety course, he might have never stopped throwing up, but he'd have learned the No. 1 rule: Never point a gun at anyone."

Almost the entire camera department walked off the set to protest the working conditions and lax safety standards only hours before the fatal shooting. The media is trying to shield Baldwin and the inexperienced armorer who allowed live ammunition on the set, but Baldwin's role as a producer of the film makes him ultimately responsible for the events leading up to when he pulled the trigger.

Interestingly, some of the best coverage and commentary on this event has come from actor Adam Baldwin on Twitter. Isaac Botkin also discussed his experiences on film sets and lessons from this on this week's T.REX podcast.

Escape from New York (and Any Other City Run by "Enlightened" Leftists)

Between its relentless promotion of violent Marxist movements like BLM and its equally relentless attacks on the rights of law-abiding people to keep and bear arms (which might affect outcomes when BLM-style mobs decide to burn down their neighborhoods), Hollywood has been charting a very dark path for what's left of our culture. While serious carnage and destruction make interesting movie scenes, it's the last thing we want to experience in the real world.

Yet that is exactly what we're getting as policies to "defund the police" are combined with moves to effectively decriminalize the theft of item(s) valued at under $950 in places like San Francisco. While these approaches tend to find favor among Leftist elites, especially in Hollywood, they are beginning to grate on working-class citizens who are being forced to hire private security to keep their neighborhoods safe.

Hunger Games Coming to a Country (or Town) Near You?

Another Hollywood-esque apocalyptic scenario looming overhead, thanks to Big Government economic policies, is the increasing likelihood of civil unrest due to rising food prices. While most economic experts within the mainstream media have spent the year trying to downplay any economic issues as mere "transitory" hiccups, many are now acknowledging that significant inflation will be here for a while. As a frame of reference for just how crazy our monetary policy has become, over 40% of U.S. dollars in existence were printed in the last 16 months, and that probably doesn't reflect the ongoing effects of the most recent stimulus bills or the impending $5 trillion dollar infrastructure bill. We should not be surprised to see prices rising at an alarming rate after we've created new currency at an alarming rate... and this administration seems determined to keep the money printers going brrrr.

The Relationship between Revolution and Rising Food Prices

According to several reports on the relationship between rising food prices and civil unrest, there seems to be a tipping point at or near the 40% mark. When the average working-class family has to spend at least 40% of its income on food, that's when the likelihood of serious civil unrest and even outright revolution becomes substantial. This is where the practical impact of Big Government fiscal and monetary policies intersects with reality in a big way.

This unfolding scenario highlights the need for citizens to keep and bear arms, which brings us back to the example of Kyle Rittenhouse. At the moment his actions, competence, and court case are unique. His uncommon response to his uncommon circumstances has made him an inspiration to some and a high-priority target to others. However, it is likely that his uncommon circumstances will be more common in the future.