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The latest chapter in the shit-show of US society and politics that has the people dividing against each other, rather than against their common enemy (the state), would be that of the shooting incident where 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse shot and killed two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin. As a preface to my thoughts on the Kyle Rittenhouse incident in Kenosha, I must first tell you about some things that I experienced in the mid-'90s.

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Around 1994-1996, I participated in a shooting club, called the Southern California Marksman’s Association, where we learned all sorts of more advanced firearms training. The club had several rules outside of the standard gun safety stuff. Number one was that they were non-political. With the election of Bill Clinton as president, the US was experiencing massive growth in what was termed the "militia movement". Our group, while not opposed to anything like that, did not want to be mistaken to be one of those groups or affiliated with one, knowing that it would bring unwanted attention and trouble our way. During all our events and classes, the discussion of politics was highly discouraged, if not forbidden. Our instructors consisted of current and former police and military officers, who were all very much pro-gun rights, and more or less libertarian. We did discuss politics and such a bit outside of official events. One of the members, who I remember going by the name of "Mike Ralph"(1), befriended me. He was interested in my thoughts on liberty and seemed to agree with most them. He invited me to be a guest on a talk radio show (Gun Talk with Tom Gresham) on AM870 KIEV News Radio. Mike picked me up at my house to drive me to the studio. I remember that he was running late, so he drove recklessly to get to the studio to make it on to the show on time.

![download (9).jfif](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmUHRU1vS54NsXGxfT2F9hqbZdjGq85qua8NnP8eVFckMa/download%20(9).jfif) _*Peymon Mottahedeh of Freedom Law School*_

I was under the impression that I was going on the show to discuss my views on gun rights and general liberty. Along with the radio host was another guest (Peymon Mottahedeh of Freedom Law School). They grilled me on-air regarding right-to-travel, which I was an advocate and practitioner of, having driven with no license or plates on my car for about 18 months. On the air, Mike took my side, stating that he understood my arguments regarding the California Vehicle Code to be factual. I would later be contacted several times by Mike, once because he claimed to have received a call from the University of California Regents who wished for us to provide private security for them because they were expecting race riots and threats on their lives after they vote to end affirmative action in the UC system. When I told him that I no longer had any guns so I couldn't really provide armed security, he said that I could borrow one of his. I went, and he loaned me a handgun (I can't remember what it was). We stood outside some admin building at UCLA, doing absolutely nothing. It was clear to me that we were not really requested to provide any security. Mike and I were the only two there, and no one allowed us access to any of the buildings. I never even saw any of the UC regents. Later, at one of the shooting events, Mike casually said that we (the SCMA group) should go into South Central L.A. and hand out guns to all the gang bangers so that they would eliminate each other. Someone else said, "I'm pretty sure that they already have all the guns they need." I then received a call from one of the instructors telling me that I should avoid any contact with Mike because he is nuts and is looking to do something stupid. What prompted this call was that Mike had called this instructor and said something along the lines of "I'm sick of all these illegals sneaking into California. We should go set up in the desert with our rifles and pick them off as they cross the border!" The instructor laughed it off as ridiculous and stupid, to which Mike replied "Can I borrow your gun?". The instructor's response was something like "If you're gonna go murder people, use your own gun!"

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Well as it all turns out this guy's real name wasn't Mike, it was Officer David Ralph and he was working for the Los Angeles Police Department as an agent provocateur. In learning about firearms and firearms safety, one of the most fundamental teachings is to always stay in control of your weapon. This means that you do not loan your weapon to other people. Conversely, you don't ask to borrow someone else's weapon either since that would necessitate that the other person gives up control of their weapon. In hindsight, after speaking with many of the other members of the SCMA, we found that "Mike" was loaning out guns and asking to borrow guns on a regular basis. *_What does this have to do with Kenosha?_* When I compare the events that took place in Los Angeles, during my time with the SCMA, I see some striking patterns. I believe that Officer Dave Ralph "befriended" (targeted) me because I was one of the younger ones in the group, and I think that Kyle Rittenhouse, being the young and idealistic type he is, would have made a great victim for an agent provocateur. Kyle was a member of a Police Explorer Scout group, so he had plenty of interactions with police operatives while a member of that group.

![download (7).jfif](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQZYUoatZiBfrvwgwFZF5mnbvHyPujHTVmo1wbL47KwVT/download%20(7).jfif) *_Kyle Rittenhouse cleaning graffiti with a group of volunteers just a few hours before he killed two people Note the lack of AR-15 in his possession._*

His mother drove him to Kenosha. I doubt that any mom would drive their 17-year-old son to a riot knowing that he was carrying an AR-15. Since he was photographed participating in a volunteer graffiti cleanup with members of his high school, I don't think that his school would have approved of his carrying of an AR-15 to help. Many people have stated that he did not carry the rifle across state lines, but that it was given to him in Wisconsin by someone wanting him to provide security. Why is it that no one in the media is asking who gave him the rifle?

Also prior to the shooting, Kyle is seen working with police, taking orders from them, providing intelligence to them, and patrolling with them while carrying the AR-15 of mysterious origin. In the following video, you can see that Kyle is part of a larger group and is not acting alone. https://youtu.be/TahqW0suMbc?t=621 In this video, police collaborate Kyle's group, offer them water, and thank them profusely. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnNV9y7Atk4&bpctr=1599016629 Neither side of this controversy is discussing that the other armed "militia" members who admitted that the police were using them strategically to do things to the protesters that they themselves were not allowed to do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRu49bexINQ Kyle was clearly working with the police as seen in this photo taken shortly before the shooting. Notice that when the shooting occurred, there were no police around. After the shooting, Kyle ran to the police (clearly he knew where they were staged) with his AR-15 yelling that he just killed a person. The police do not perceive him to be a threat whatsoever because they already knew who he was and why he was there. Judging from the available photos and videos, one could argue that the police actually executed the plan of funneling protesters to the armed militias so they can be dealt with, then pulling back so they can escape accountability for whatever may occur. ![screenshot-www.dailyherald.com-2020.09.01-14_21_55.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmdrNJA8skyBhWVDckwzPAdERsAbc54KEf5V2u7AUfoufZ/screenshot-www.dailyherald.com-2020.09.01-14_21_55.png) _*Kyle Rittenhouse was seen, photographed, and caught on video working with the police prior to the shooting.*_ _My personal opinion as to what happened_ * An officer acting as a provocateur and handler for Kyle had been in contact with him before any of this occurred. He was chosen from his Explorer Scout group because of his age and devotion to the state and police. * Kyle and the officer planned for Kyle to attend a graffiti clean-up party as cover for his assignment of providing "armed security" for some business that never actually requested it. * Kyle's mother was unaware of the real reason why Kyle needed to go to Kenosha and happily drove him to his community service outing. * The police loaned Kyle a weapon and medic bag after making sure photos of him cleaning graffiti at the courthouse were taken. * The police stationed Kyle in a location then fell back. They then pushed protesters towards him as in their stated plan. These are just my thoughts based on my experiences and the evidence that I have seen. This is by no means definitive and my opinion is subject to change based on the evidence I happen to see. Feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments or ask any questions you may have. _*Footnotes*_ (1) It's been a long time, and I am not 100% sure "Mike Ralph" is the name that Officer Dave Ralph made himself known as, but I will use it for the purpose of this article since that's how I remember it. _*Further Reading*_ [The Shootist](https://www.laweekly.com/the-shootist/) LA Weekly article from 1998 after the LAPD Anti Terror Division made their arrests of SCMA members. The LA Weekly was the only news organization that had a reporter present for the trial of SCMA members. [LAPD Zealots Cost City A Cool Million](https://www.laweekly.com/lapd-zealots-cost-city-a-cool-million/) This story, also by the LA Weekly, covers the lawsuit against the city that was filed by the members of the SCMA who were wrongfully arrested and imprisoned.