I'll bet you've heard the claim that "you only have those rights you defend", or similarly that you don't have the right to do "X" because government prevents you from exercising it.
This is wrong.
That's because rights mostly revolve around what others have no right to do.
Even if others enslave you-- which no one has a right to do-- it doesn't mean you have no right to not be enslaved. You have this right, but others chose to violate it.
You have the right to fight off slavers. You might win and you might lose, but your rights don't change, only your situation does.
Mostly, of course, I see this argument used to explain, in a statist way ("statesplaining"?), why your rights are routinely violated by political criminals. "It's your fault because you didn't defend your rights hard enough." Nice victim-blaming there. No, it's the violator's fault. Every time, without exception.
You have rights because no one has the right to violate you. That's all you need to know. I hope you'll do whatever it takes to defend your rights, and if you need my help, let me know. But you can't "lose" a right just because some thug chooses to violate it.
Rittenhouse handled himself pretty well. If the situation presents, I hope I can do as well.
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