17 Year-Old White Militia Member Arrested For Murder

From Vice.com:

A 17-year-old aspiring cop has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder for his alleged role in a shooting during a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday night that left two dead and one injured.

The suspect was identified as Kyle Rittenhouse, of Lake County, Illinois. Prosecutors in Lake County filed the charges at noon Wednesday, and labelled him a fugitive who “fled the state of Wisconsin with intent to avoid prosecution for that offense.”

Tuesday was the third consecutive night of angry protests in Kenosha since police shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, leaving him paralyzed.

Rittenhouse, clad in a green t-shirt, a cap emblazoned with an American flag, and carrying an assault rifle, was seen on video at various points of the night. In several graphic videos, he’s seen opening fire on protesters; one was shot in the head, another in the chest. The victim who survived was shot in the arm.

While it’s not immediately clear why Rittenhouse, a former police cadet, was at the protest, his social media indicates an affiliation with “Back the Blue,” a pro-police movement. In recent months, pro-cop vigilantes have been showing up heavily armed at protests across the country to defend public property, often warmly received by local law enforcement.

Police interacted with the alleged gunman at various locations in Kenosha throughout the night. In one video, Rittenhouse is seen chatting with police who gave him a bottle of water and thanked him for being there.

Coddling Of Traitors In Oregon Is Example Of White Privilege

By now, you've probably heard that a group of armed white militia-nuts have seized some government property in Oregon -- and they say they are willing to kill to keep it. They claim they did it to "defend" the Constitution. That's ridiculous. You don't defend the Constitution with an armed rebellion against it.

What they have done is to break federal law. They are traitors, and they have seized property that belongs to all citizens of this country. Most conspicuous is the complete absence of any kind of law enforcement officials. Some talking heads on TV have said the government doesn't want to provoke any violence. Evidently they think these nuts will just go away if they ignore them. I disagree. It will just encourage the right-wing extremists to do the same thing in other places.

When did ignoring lawbreakers become the optimum way to deal with criminals? Is it because they are right-wingers, white, and christian? Is this just another example of how some in our society have more privileges than other citizens have? It sure seems that way. Do you really think a group of armed muslims, or black activists, or immigrants (or any other minority group) would be ignored by law enforcement if they illegally seized a government facility and threatened to kill to defend it? Of course not -- and the public would be demanding action.

These men are criminals -- and traitors to their country. It is the job of law enforcement to deal with criminals and traitors. Law enforcement should surround that facility and starve the fools out. And when they do come out, they should be tried and given long prison sentences (and denied the right to own a firearm once they finish that sentence). And if any of them are stupid enough to actually shoot at law enforcement, they should be dealt with even more harshly.

That's my opinion. What do you think?

The Racist Right-Wing Militias

This graphic from the Southern Poverty Law Center is disturbing, and more than a little frightening. It shows the real danger this country is facing -- an armed and racist militia movement on the extreme right. The Republicans don't want to admit this, because they want all the right-wing votes -- even those from truly dangerous groups. And the Democrats are too timid to label these nuts for what they really are.

Why do I say they are racist? Just look at the chart (which shows the number of these dangerous groups between 1995 and 2012). Note that the number of these groups has ballooned since President Obama took office. That's not a coincidence. And it's not because the president is a socialist (or even a liberal). The truth is that he is a moderate, which is why he has disappointed so many progressives. The number of these groups are growing because they are attracting racists, who simply cannot stand the idea of an African-American being in the White House -- no matter how qualified he may be.

The frightening truth is that these racist right-wing extremists pose a much greater danger to this country. That's because they are already in this country, are armed to the teeth, are convinced that only they know what is best, and hate anyone who doesn't agree with them -- and too many of them are willing to kill their fellow citizens.

A Militia For Amarillo ?

Do you believe Amarillo needs an armed citizen's militia? Eric Dingus, a local business owner, thinks it does. He called a meeting Thursday evening at the city's Southwest library branch to try and get the organization off the ground. He's even written a set of by-laws for the organization.

Dingus says he wants to better the Amarillo community. I have to wonder though just how an armed militia can make a better community. When asked, he replied, "We were built on a lot of good principles - honesty, hard work, integrity, and I just hate to see those things leave this area, I really would hate to see that."

That sounds good in a general sort of way. I'm sure most of us would agree that honesty, hard work and integrity are good things. But again, just how is an armed citizen militia going to promote these things? Are they going to show up on your job with guns and demand you work harder or be more honest? That's just silly. It really sounds like he's just found some words that people can't argue with, and he's using them to establish his own little army.

Dingus went on to say the militia could help in natural disasters or in the event of an attack in this area. I really doubt that Amarillo is in any imminent danger of being attacked, and even if it were, I'm sure the police department, the state troopers and the National Guard are perfectly capable of dealing with it. The same goes for a natural disaster. I doubt that a bunch of armed civilians would help either situation.

The truth is that most modern militias are right-wing anti-government (and usually anti-immigrant and anti-minority) organizations. They see a country that is becoming more equal as being a threat to themselves. I have to wonder if that's the same kind of motivation behind Dingus' efforts.

The fact is that Amarillo is doing just fine without an armed militia. Frankly, the thought of a group of untrained and armed-to-the-teeth men and women creating their own little army in this area is very frightening.

I wish I could say that no one showed up at the meeting, but that wouldn't be true. About a dozen people showed up to hear what Dingus was proposing. That's not a lot, but it would make a start. I hope the police keep their eye on this group, because it looks like this may be the beginning of a very dangerous situation.