The Overton Window Problem

The world, and especially the U.S., has taken a hard turn to the right in recent years, there’s no denying. The Overton Window, which Bernie had moved significantly to the left, has suddenly slammed shut and no light is getting in. It’s a tragic reality, but one there is no point in denying.
Things have moved so far to the right that even the arguments the left makes are entangled in the right wing frame.
When people, good, kind-hearted, left wingers say “Kyle Rittenhouse was breaking the law because 17 year olds are not allowed to own ‘long guns’ (which is, in this instance, a euphemism for an AR-15) in Wisconsin, it leads to all sorts of discussions about the differences in gun laws between Wisconsin and Illinois, because Rittenhouse is from Illinois, where 21 is the minimum age, and the crime was committed in Wisconsin, and so on.
It is a good point to make because it adds to the legal argument against the young murderer Kyle Rittenhouse, but it implies that it would have been O.K. if he’d used a pistol instead, and that maybe it would have been cool if he had waited for his 18th birthday before embarking on a shooting rampage. Or maybe if he’d been a Wisconsin native and not crossed any state lines, then it could be forgiven.
Which is all bullshit. He murdered two people and he did so with the willing assistance of his mother and the encouragement of the Kenosha, Wisconsin, Police department. Everybody involved needs to be tried.