I just finished your article, and I largely agree with your overall premise, but ... I completely disagree with your application of double standards.

I assumed Kyle would be found not guilty based on the optics after the fact. In the moment, it would have been understandable for the pitchforks to come out, but it's hard to argue that to some degree, Kyle was defending himself, whether he was right or wrong.

But that's where you and I completely diverge, I guess.

Kyle IS responsible for those two deaths, whether you want to overtly admit it or not. Kyle created that situation and he IS liable for those deaths.

Kyle chose to travel to a town he didn't live in. Kyle chose to place himself in the middle of a group of people who were clearly upset with the way the world treats them, especially police.

Kyle created a dangerous situation and people were killed as a result.

Kyle is no hero. He was a kid playing GI Joe and we shouldn't be praising that at all. Praising that will indirectly authorize that type of idiocy again. Kyle was an idiot kid who shouldn't have been there, or at the very least, shouldn't have been there with a gun.

I find it amazing how mental gymnastics allows people to twist things to fit their own view of the world, rather than just facts being facts.

An example of that is how you've dismissed anyone else's ability to defend themselves because Kyle defended himself from someone who we would only later learn was a felon.

At that point, Kyle didn't know who he was and the "felon" didn't know who Kyle was. All he knew was that Kyle had a rifle strapped to his chest, running into a crowd of people and had just offed someone else.

But according to you, only Kyle was allowed to defend himself, no one else.

Had the guy with the pistol killed Kyle, I'm certain that your political views would demand you call the pistol carrier a murderer with no right to defend himself.

Maybe you would. Who knows.

"Don't be a hero, unless you're a kid and have a bag thrown at you, then kill people."

There are real problems in this country. We should probably stop applying different standards to everyone.

And I'd be curious to know how you felt about Matthew Dolloff. He was being attacked, and defended himself from a much larger attacker.

I have a feeling I already know how you feel about that one, but it has nothing to do with the fair application of self defense.