So, like many others, I’ve been trying to avoid the news, mostly because A) I feel like I can’t change anything going on right now, and B) Because seeing various stories makes my Blood Pressure get into that uncomfortable area.
Everyone’s talking about the Rittenhouse case, I can understand that. I’m afraid of the result, but given the circumstances (where the Judge seems to be basically giving the jury the instructions to consider it in a way that, to put it mildly, is slanted towards a decision of Rittenhouse being found not guilty (or at best, guilty of lesser charges)
But this Ahmaud Arbery trial. I just can’t wrap my head around it.
I cannot fathom the defense's strategy. The only thing I can guess is "Try to piss off the judge enough that you get a mistrial" or "Hope you have a secret-KKK member on the jury to hang a verdict." delaying enough that Trump or someone of his ilk is elected in 2024 and pardons him.
I mean, complaining that there are different black pastors in the audience on different days with the family going through a very rough time? Saying "How'd you like it if a bunch of folks in Colonel Sanders's masks were in the gallery"? (I'm pretty sure that wasn't his first thought, but saying "KKK Uniforms" would give the game away.)
Not to mention "one of the defense lawyers has concerns there aren’t enough “Bubbas or Joe six-packs” in the group of more than 60 potential jurors." (a jury that has 11 whites and one african-american in a county that's minority-white.)
What we’re seeing is the Southern Strategy, but adapted to “win” trials instead of elections. The jury part I find distasteful, but maybe that’s just being the best defense attorney you can be (something which is necessary for a healthy functioning democracy). But the comments.. I’m just.. the jury isn’t in to see most of these performances, so he’s not playing to the jury. He’s playing to the mob (and I’m NOT referring to La Costa Nostra by saying mob).
Things can devolve very quickly when it comes to highly charged areas. We’ve seen that in Charlottesvile. With the Rittenhouse trial. With last year’s protests. And I’m concerned that there’s too many folks willing to throw a match into the gasoline, in hopes that they will rule the ashes after the flames die.