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Culture War Roundup for the week of January 12, 2026

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Typically speaking, there is a Grand Jury to assess if there is enough evidence to prosecute. Prosecutors do not want to take on cases where there is insufficient evidence to convict, because they cherish their conviction rate.

In cases of a government agency being involved with the self-defense, there is an internal review. If the internal review finds nothing wrong, it is unlikely to make it to a Grand Jury in the first place.

A murder trial is expensive for the government. It isn't a thing to undertake lightly. You have to rip away 12 random people (the jury) from their lives for weeks. The level of evidence gathering, expert testimony to be paid out, etc. is very high. I would recommend watching the Rittenhouse trial to see what it looks like for an innocent man to go through all that. Then watch Daryll Brooks trial to see how hard it is on everyone else in the courthouse to go through all that even when the man is guilty as sin.

Edit: something else is that we are innocent until proven guilty. The assumption that someone acting in self defense needs to prove their innocence is wrong. They are not in a nebulous "not sure if guilty" state. It is on the courts to prove guilt, and if they do not think they can they should not make the attempt.