routh-hearing-1

“A Texas jury has found Eddie Ray Routh guilty of murder in the killings of ‘American Sniper’ Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield. Routh, 27, admitted to killing both men at the shooting range of Rough Creek Lodge and Resort, southwest of Dallas, on Feb. 2, 2013.”, reports nbcnews.com. Routh had pleaded guilty by reason of insanity, but the Stephenville jury didn’t buy the argument presented by the defense that Routh was insane and suffered from psychosis. “Prosecutors said that Routh was drinking and smoking marijuana on the morning of the crime. They argue that he was paranoid because he was high, and that he was angry about living with his parents, relationship problems, money and his job — then finally exploded when Kyle and Littlefield snubbed him.” . . .

As for Routh’s sentence, azcentral.com reports,

Since prosecutors didn’t seek the death penalty in the capital murder case, the 27-year-old receives an automatic life sentence without parole in the deaths of Kyle and Kyle’s friend, Chad Littlefield.

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167 COMMENTS

        • Oh look Blaine Cooper cough libturd Michael Moore is back. You done crying after you got punched in the mouth after that ignorant fit you had about property rights in the other forum? Those dudes made you out to be a fool.

        • Ah, naturally a person who despises property rights would also worship a government-employed serial killer. It makes perfect sense.

        • @ Cooper

          Chris Kyle, and the rest of the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen who serve do what you would apparently *never* do so you can embarrass yourself like you just did.

          Until you stand up and put yourself at often great risk in service to your country and your fellow service men and women, you should just shut up and say…’Thank You’.

        • Thank you for what? Thank you for murdering people thousands of miles away so politicians in Washington DC can peddle their memoirs in the bargain bin and tour the lecture circuit?

          Thanks for absolutely nothing.

        • Blaine, you don’t know the first thing about property rights, or rights period. Now, say it with me, “I endorse Hiltery Clinton for 2016.” because let’s face it, your just an anti gun liberal troll.

        • Bwahahaha

          Anyone who believes in using the government to bludgeon business owners is not pro-liberty. Hillary Clinton is squarely on your side in that aspect, bro.

        • Clearly Cooper, you just don’t ‘get it’, and it doubt you ever will.

          Kyle and other servicemen follow the discipline of their profession, work as a team and together survive their time in country. They follow their orders with eyes wide open and faithfully fulfill their oath regardless of politics or other extraneous distractions. Kyle happened to be good at what he did no doubt with the help of his youthful experiences. If you actually *read* his book you would of course know that.

          Obviously you are on a different plane than people like Kyle, and likely many of us who visit this forum.

          How is the rarefied air up there?

          BTW, on page 79 of American Sniper is a discussion of the DPV’s used by SEAL teams to patrol the across Kuwait and how they were equipped. No mention of killing every male he saw.

          Maybe we have different versions or prints, but I don’t remember those words in his book.

          I think I’ll read Kyle’s “ghost written” book again, just for grins. It’s far more insightful than a movie could ever be, even for those who won’t get all the acronyms or relate to combat experience. I enjoyed and related the first time. I’m sure it will be even better the second.

        • Here’s the relevant quote

          “Our ROEs when the war kicked off were pretty simple: If you see anyone from about sixteen to sixty-five and they’re male, shoot ‘em. Kill every male you see.”

          Sounds like he was fighting for his life shooting every unarmed civilian he saw.

          It is clear-cut. He is either a liar or a war criminal. Actually he is most likely both, just in different situations. 🙂

        • And words taken out of situational context are called misleading and misrepresentative of the complete picture.

          Parameters such as those you describe Cooper are but one ROE hurdle to be met before acting to engage a deadly offensive threat against the team or the units for whom the teams were providing cover.

          You don’t get it, and until you wear the shoes, you never will.

        • There isn’t much of a hurdle in “shoot every male you see”, bro. 🙂

          More rational explanation: Kyle made up his own criminal set of RoE to ratchet up his kill count because he is an attention whore who revels in his own bloodlust. It makes sense considering how he also fantasized about committing murder on home soil, against “carjackers” and “looters”.

        • Maybe you should have kept reading page 79:

          Our ROEs when the war kicked off were pretty simple: If you see anyone from about sixteen to sixty-five and they’re male, shoot ’em. Kill every male you see.
          That wasn’t the official language, but that was the idea.
          Now that we were watching Iran, however, we were under strict orders not to fire, at least not at Iran. Every night someone on the other side of the river would stand up and take a shot at us. We would dutifully call it in and ask for permission to return fire. The answer was always a very distinct, “NO!”Very loud and clear.

          He’s describing the ROEs tightening up from the very beginning.

          Pages 148-149 have a very clear discussion of the actual day-to-day ROE:

          You cannot be afraid to take your shot. When you see someone with an IED or a rifle maneuvering toward your men, you have clear reason to fire. (The fact that an Iraqi had a gun would not necessarily mean he could be shot.) The ROEs were specific, and in most cases the danger was obvious.

          But there were times when it wasn’t exactly clear, when a person almost surely was an insurgent, probably was doing evil, but there was still some doubt because of the circumstances or the surroundings—the way he moved, for example, wasn’t toward an area where troops were. A lot of times a guy seemed to be acting macho for friends, completely unaware that I was watching him, or that there were American troops nearby.

          Those shots I didn’t take.

          You couldn’t—you had to worry about your own ass. Make an unjustified shot and you could be charged with murder.

          I often would sit there and think, “I know this motherfucker is bad; I saw him doing such and such down the street the other day, but here he’s not doing anything, and if I shoot him, I won’t be able to justify it for the lawyers. I’ll fry.” Like I said, there is paperwork for everything. Every confirmed kill had documentation, supporting evidence, and a witness.

          So I wouldn’t shoot.

          There weren’t a lot of those, especially in Fallujah, but I was always extremely aware of the fact that every killing might have to be justified to the lawyers.

          My attitude was: if my justification is I thought my target would do something bad, then I wasn’t justified. He had to be doing something bad.

          There were operations where the ROEs were extremely aggressive, but it’s highly misleading to use that snippet from page 79 to suggest Chris Kyle routinely operated under orders to kill all males.

        • LOL. Don’t shoot at the Iranians is now an excuse for baiting little kids in Iraq.

          I like how Kyle rags on some Iraqi for being macho and waxes lyrical about not murdering him (when he himself is a walking example of cowboy machismo) and somehow that makes him a model of restraint. Look ma, I didn’t commit a war crime! In this one case!

        • Doesky, I mainly wanted to get the context of the references out there to the rest of the group. The troll is gonna troll, but it’s worth knowing what he’s pulling out of context to do it.

  5. If he’s not crazy, then why did he do it?

    This thing always had ‘the stink’ to me. I’d like to know the truth about what really happened, and why.

    • Defense attorneys noted that Kyle had described Routh as “straight-up nuts” in a text message to Littlefield as they drove to the luxury resort.

      and

      “Are you gonna shoot? Are you gonna shoot? It’s a shooting sport. You shoot,” Routh said in the phone call. “That’s what got me all riled up.”

      Of course, Routh is solely responsible for the murders but I have a difficult time understanding how Kyle and Littlefield still felt that it was wise to continue on to do some shooting with a man who, as far as they were aware, was suffering from severe PTSD and Kyle would describe to his friend as “straight up nuts.” If I remember correctly, Routh rode with Kyle to the location. I could imagine a situation where the “straight up nuts” Routh believed himself to be trapped and pushed around. None of it, of course, justifies murder or even mitigates one part of it. Still, that must have been an odd and tense day leading up to the incident.

      • a man who, as far as they were aware, was suffering from severe PTSD

        He didn’t have PTSD and never saw a single minute of combat. He was in the rear with the gear.

        • I understand that, Ralph. That’s why I wrote “as far as they were aware.” From the perspective of Kyle and Littlefield, he was suffering from debilitating PTSD and Kyle considered him “nuts.” I’ve been trying to guess at what would compel Kyle and Littlefield to continue on to the range under those circumstances, let alone have him on the firing line next to them.

        • John I hate to say it. It was simply arrogance that they turned their back to someone they thought was nuts. I personally would never, EVER, go to a shooting range with someone with mental problems.

        • You might be right, Steve. I figured that my hair would’ve been up on the back of my neck during that trip and at the range if I had someone along like Routh. I like to think that I would’ve ended that trip before it even started. Creepy dude and bad result.

      • At the end of the day, Kyle was violating at least one of the “stupid things, stupid places, stupid people” paradigms. Now he’s dead, and his killer will go to prison for life….case closed…next subject.

    • Like you, I have trouble figuring out a motive besides him being outright nuts.

      I suspect that, in Texas, there is not really such a thing as “not guilty by reason of insanity” in practice.

      • Bug-house nuts and legally insane are two different things. To be legally insane you have to be incapable of recognizing that your actions are wrong due to a serious mental disease or defect.

    • A successful insanity plea takes some fairly specific circumstances involving the killer legitimately not being responsible for his actions. That he was under the influence added to his own direct culpability.

  6. He was convicted of capital murder. Why in the hell did he get life without parole and not death by lethal injection???

        • Dude, it’s part of the very section that you’re alluding to in which it mentions life without parole. It’s the first 7 words in the sentence ;-)…

          Since prosecutors didn’t seek the death penalty in the capital murder case, the 27-year-old receives an automatic life sentence without parole in the deaths of Kyle and Kyle’s friend, Chad Littlefield.

  8. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

    • 35And He said to them, “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.” 36And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one.

      • And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.” The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.” “That’s enough!” he replied.

        • Luke,

          I am not sure what point you are trying to make.

          Here are two very interesting and compelling observations about that situation. First of all, some of Jesus’ disciples had swords at the observance of Passover which is perhaps the most important and solemn religious event of the year for Jews. This would be equivalent to having a sword or firearm on your side while attending Easter Sunday services at church or having Easter Sunday dinner at home with family and friends. Second, Jesus did not instruct his disciples to rid themselves of their swords. And Jesus tacitly accepted their swords since Jesus had been with his disciples for at least two years — plenty of time to tell the disciples to stop carrying swords if that was important.

          These two facts alone put a huge gaping hole in the notion that God or Jesus wants everyone or anyone to be pacifists.

          More importantly, the pacifist notion is just plain counter to God’s obvious desires, plan, and instructions for us. God created parents to provide for their children, nurture them, and protect them. If a murderer announced their intention to kidnap and murder your child, would you stand down and let the murderer proceed? Of course not. Would you use your fists or feet or a club to try and stop the murderer? I certainly hope so. If you would use your fists or feet or club — all of which can inflict life-ending injuries — why would a firearm be a no-go?

    • “In righteousness he judges and.makes WAR”…now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword…Revelation 19…You’re not the only one who can quote scripture.

      • 1 Peter 2:18: Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the cruel.

        This is fun!

        • You didn’t show the prior statement and following statement for context. Peter wasn’t just referring to physical slavery, which was common in the Ancient Roman world at the time (as well as elsewhere).

          Peter 2:15 “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.”

          Some also translate “harsh”, not necessarily “cruel”.

          “19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.”

          Also if you are presuming that God or the Bible condones slavery, it wouldn’t explain the narrative that God supported the Jewish exodus from Egypt.

        • Makes it pretty clear that the words were written by slavemasters to facilitate controlling and getting the most possible profit from their slaves. Really fine book to hold out as “the answer” to every question.

          And somewhere in the bible you can find support for EVERY POSSIBLE view of every subject, slavery, incest, murder, bestiality (space alien rapes little girl), etc.

    • And Jesus said unto them, “…Dude, do you guys wanna stop at like, Starbucks or something?”

      …Oh wait, you guys were talking about Jesus Christ? That Jesus?

      • Awe, Blaine, are your feelings hurt knowing your a beta male? You didn’t happen to vote for a big D last election? Did ya?

        • Because masculinity is committing mass murder and voting for candidates with “R” after their name.

          LOL.

        • If anyone is getting cuckolded its American soldiers serving politicians overseas, leaving their wives and girlfriends all alone at home. 🙂

          You’re right about one thing though, soldiers are violent, mindless animals.

        • Whoa whoa whoa, Talk about self projection, Blaine, maybe a Freudian slip? No one said anything about “cuckolding”- except you.

        • You’re the one talking about stolen girlfriends, bro. Work on your English comprehension bro. 🙂

      • Hey DH, what is it with you? I bet you never was out of this country and you most likely have never did anything! Just another s.

      • You coward! Easy to speak ill of the dead from the safety paid for by his blood and thousands like him.

      • Blain… Why don’t you go back to advocating feudalism? You were doing so much better at that. After all, in a feudal system property rights are absolute.

        • In the feudal world, the lords owned the lives of the peasants. Much like your desire to see the modern State run the lives of the plebs.

          Why do you support modern slavery?

      • Anyone who dislikes a lying psychopath, convicted libeler and self-admitted war criminal is a jihadist.

        This is what Ralph really believes. 😉

        • You seem to really get offended by people here. Glad they make you so angry. Perhaps you’ve been banned under a different name. U mad bro?

        • Sorry, dumdum, his name has gone down in history. He was buried in the Texas State Cemetery after a 200 mile long funeral procession and a huge memorial service. Despite ankle biters like you, he was widely respected in the Navy, in his hometown, in Texas and across the country. Say what you want, but no one’s buying it.

        • You are an idiot. That was a split jury in a civil suit against a dead man. Ventura’s name isn’t even Ventura. He is just a punk fake wrestler.

        • Juliesa, Stalin and Mao were embalmed and worshiped by millions. What’s your point? 🙂

          Big surprise, aspiring murderers in the Navy and in Texas worship a master mass-murderer. Truly shocking.

        • Oh, so now you have something against Texas…. Could that be because your truly an anti here trolling?

        • It’s not my fault Texas is full of vile people who worship Chris Kyle.

          I didn’t know hero-worshiping war criminals is a pre-requisite for advocating private gun ownership. Must be a Texan thing.

        • Only a Kyle fellater would compare that war criminal to the heroic Simo Hayha who defended his homeland against Bolshevik invaders. There is literally nothing in common between the two.

  11. Link convincing evidence or shut up. As far as I know, Chris Kyle followed the rules of engagement. If he shot children, they were armed enemy combatants ready to kill and he did the right thing. Prove that I’m wrong and that he made multiple clearly immoral decisions to kill people. There’s nothing wrong with killing the enemy that’s trying to kill you.

    • Read his book. Page 79. He said he shot every male he saw. Straight from the horse’s mouth. Well, ghostwriter horse. 🙂

      And in interviews he admitted to using baiting tactics. Because little kids picking up copper wires you left as bait are deadly threats. Heh.

      • Really? Are you sure about that? Please cite the videos and passages verbatim. Because it sounds like your overrexaggerating quite a few facts. “In interviews he’s said-” did he now? Or did you just paint that picture in your own head?

        • Whatever else he may have been, there’s no doubt Chris Kyle was at the very least a malicious self-aggrandizing bullshitter. This has been proven. Trying to ruin the reputation of someone whose political views he didn’t like to sell a book? Going around telling everyone all of the proceeds of said book – which he didn’t even write – would go to charity, then keeping it for himself? Not to mention the insane nonsense about gunning down carjackers and looters in New Orleans with impunity, which even the most rabid fanboys can’t delude themselves into believing.

          This is the guy you people are deifying?

        • Funny, the only evidence I’ve found of Kyle saying he killed people in New Orleans and Texas are articles and videos talking about him saying it. Never have I seen video or read a statement from him when he was alive about those things. So until someone can show me actual evidence he said it, and not a NYT article talking about him saying it that’s quoting another article, I’ll continue to believe that he never actually said those things.

        • “I’ll continue to believe that he never actually said those things.”

          Spoken like a true cultist 🙂

          The reporter went through due diligence of collaborating Kyle’s claims with Marcus Luttrell, then double-checked with Kyle before publishing the story. If Kyle issued a denial, professionalism demands the reporter append the story. But Kyle preferred to use lies to promote the mythos he created for himself.

          Why do you continue to believe a person who was proven in court to be a libeler and liar?

        • Cultist. Funny. Personally I find nothing very remarkable about his military career. I have many friends who were in the same places and at the same time, all with similar stories. However he was a serviceman who did his duty and was murdered by a psycho.

          What I’m doing is pointing out these allegations are baseless.

          “Professionalism demands he amend” the article if he’s wrong? Just like professionalism demanded the NYT retract their story about WMDs in Iraq right? Just like professionalism demands everyone who reported false information about George Zimmerman and Darren Wilson issue retractions?

        • Deuce, Marcus Luttrell reported the carjacking incident as relayed to him by Kyle in his second book and Kyle later confirmed this to Michael J. Mooney, a reporter. Brandon Webb of SOFREP reported the New Orleans incident as relayed to him by Kyle. Those sources are cited in the various articles you disparage, such as “In the Crosshairs” or “The unverifiable legacy of Chris Kyle.” These are only two of the most eyebrow-raising incidents Kyle has reported, if only because they’re the simplest to see as to why they never actually occurred.

          I’d also mention how difficult it is to win defamation lawsuits in general, especially against an individual who is seen as an All-American hero in the eyes of the public. That Ventura was able to win THAT lawsuit of all things should give you pause as to the veracity of Kyle’s claims.

          I confess that I don’t understand why Kyle would go to such lengths to create clearly tall tales. We should avoid blind hero worship. Regardless of the tragic nature of Kyle’s death, we do the truth a disservice to ignore the ALL facets of Kyle’s character that have seem to come to light.

        • But Deuce, reporters and editors retract stories *all the time*. It’s part of journalism. Sometimes entire careers are tossed out. See Jayson Blair and Stephen Glass.

          And alas, there really were no WMD in Iraq (and I have yet to see a correction from the war cheerleaders in the media, heh). And feel free to point out where false facts (not opinion, that’s different) about Zimmerman or Wilson were not retracted, corrected or noted in any legitimate news outlet (i.e. not cable news).

        • I haven’t read Luttrell’s books so I never saw that reference.
          Although I do consider him credible. If
          that’s the case then that’s very unfortunate. I searched SOFREP
          and the internet during downtime at work today and was unable
          to find anything from Brandon Webb about Kyle’s alleged claim
          about the New Orleans incident. If you’d like to provide direct
          links I’d be happy to read them.

          As far as the sources I disparage, I do so for good reason.
          The New Yorker is as far left as you can get. Their article is full
          of the “soldiers are unwilling and simple pawns of money hungry
          capitalists running this country” narrative. The issues Kyle had
          with PTSD Schmidle goes to lengths to make apparent are common
          enough (unfortunately) among people who suffer from PTSD related
          to combat.

          As I said in my previous post, I’m not defending Kyle, I’m pointing
          out that there doesn’t seem to be substantial evidence that he made
          those claims about New Orleans or the carjacking. All I find is people
          talking about what he said and not him actually saying it. If you’d
          like to provide links I’d be happy to read them and take in new
          information if I trust the source.

          As for his trial, I never mentioned it. You brought it up. His
          estate was sued and Ventura won. End of story.

          As for you Blain, you despicable fucking troll. Journalists
          retract mistakes when enough people of influence make a stink
          about it. Otherwise they don’t bother. So don’t go on about
          “journalistic integrity” like it means anything anymore. Your
          journalistic integrity applies the same to cable news the same
          as any other news source.

          You and I both know I’m not going to dig through the internet
          to quote you specifics, you know exactly what I’m talking about,
          releasing cherry picked photos of both Zimmerman and Martin, lying
          about order of events, reporting false information.

          As for WMD’s, try again. I know guys who personally handled chemical
          weapons recovered from the Iraqi’s while they were deployed. Also, this:
          http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/14/isis-chemical-weapons-_n_5987106.html

          Hint: 4th paragraph. Friend of mine was route clearance in 2010 and
          his unit found and disarmed a checmical IED. It’s an open secret among
          soldiers that there were, in fact, WMD’s in Iraq.

  12. Chris Kyle is dead, wrongly. His murderer will spend his life living at the states expense in a gated community with 24 hour armed security, 3 hots and a cot. I feel justice has not been served.

    • Remember the justice system does not run on feelings, it didn’t fr mike brown, it won’t now. That is how it should be.

      • Damn straight. Making decisions through our emotions is how the antis operate, definitely not the Jedi way.

    • 3 hots and a cot… is that all life is to you? Would you be okay with being penned behind walls?

      I value freedom enough that I’m not so sure it’s better than a quick death…

    • He is already sentenced to life without parole because the prosecutors didn’t go for the death penalty.

  15. Well the thought of killing one of your own is fvcked, this guy is a CS and doesn’t deserve to have a name. He is the type to watch your six is all about. I sure would like to to give him a car ride! His last! Be careful out there and keep alert!

  16. Wow, blaming any of this whatsoever on weed is pretty specious. Pretty much like blaming any of it on guns. Personally, I’d blame his terrible “paranoid schizophrenic” method acting skills. Whatever or whoever was blamed, I think he got off lightly considering the locale and atmosphere surrounding the trial. Anyway, I won’t pretend to judge anything about this going solely by what I hear in media but if even if half of it was true, this guy is a despicable pile of crap and Chris and Chad were awesome dudes who stood tall in Hell and back and got a big shaft trying to help this bastard.

    • Yeah, the guy had a history of very violent behavior and schizophrenic delusions dating back over a decade. But it was totally the marijuana that did it.

      • It all comes down to the person (patsy?), but if you give marijuana to the wrong individual, they will freak the f#ck out. Its not all sunshine and doritos like the leftists will tell you.

        • Pharmaceutical companies and their near lethal side affects prescribed by doctors are more dangerous than marijuana. Don’t be fooled by the paper industry and big pharma.

        • @Anynonymous

          Except that those pharmaceuticals are administered under the close supervision of a doctor. If you start having side-effects, the doctor will adjust your treatment. Recreational marijuana… not so much.

        • Hey Anonymous, I have smoked marijuana for years, and still do – I live in Washington so I can even buy it legally now. No, I do not care about the marijuana question on the 4473, either.

          In all those years, I have seen some people with preexisting mental illnesses react in very strange ways to it. One friend in particular who was bipolar would often have anxiety attacks after smoking a large amount, and was the textbook example of a paranoid stoner – believing that there was a cop around every corner waiting to bust him if we were out in public, even to the point that he once thought a lifeline helicopter was looking for us when we were out in a park at night.

          Marijuana is comparitively harmless when put up against alcohol, but that doesn’t mean it never reacts poorly with anyone. It can and it occasionally does.

  17. there was a $80,000 reward to kill Chris Kyle, and I read the killer used 2 pistols a 45 and a 9MM shot both in the back and the head … How did this guy shoot two pistols at the same time ???? (sounds like a PRO HIT ) this whole story stinks bad ….VERY BAD … facts reported do not fit well at all !

    • I agree.

      and Blain Cooper, you are a steaming pile. I equate you with the likes of Hanoi Jane and John Frankenkerry.

      I just don’t get why pussies like you just don’t admit you’re pussies, and be thankful there are men like Chris Kyle who will go and do the necessary things, however distasteful, to save your timid ass. Without men like this, we would never have achieved our independence, and would all be speaking Japanese or German today, and you would likely be drawn and quartered for spouting off at the mouth as you do here.

      Sometimes I question whether the human race is worthy of salvation at all…..

      • He’s just an anti gun liberal troll, probably an MDA member, note he only flames, nothing else. Everything he says is revisionist history- much like the anti’s do.

      • Heh. The height of irony is calling other people “pussies” when you obviously want to commit mass murder but is too cowardly to do it, so you hero-worship people like Chris Kyle who actually did the deed.

        Please explain the corollary between the War of Independence and Iraq 2.0, aka, how Chris Kyle’s murder spree in the desert freed the American people.

  18. Fun fact: it cost more to execute someone then allow them to live out their days behind bars. Look it up.

    • Needlessly.
      Bullets and rope are cheap. It’s the endless legal appeal process, and expensive injections that cost so much. In cases like this, where there is no doubt, they should just take ’em out behind the courthouse and end it. $100 max.

      • I’m sure there would be a line of people miles long who would offer to do it for free, you can keep your $100

      • When I was in school in the ’60s, if you were sentenced to death, you were dead within a year at the outside. The conversion to now was caused by those opposed to the death penalty deliberately developing tactics to delay and delay and delay until they could point out that it was more expensive to execute than to sentence life in prison without parole, which will never mean what it says, those people will be released when it gets too expensive. It is silly for the death penalty to take 20+years to execute, there should be a limit on opportunities to prove your innocence or whatever, maybe 18 months, even if it requires an amendment to the constitution to achieve that.

  19. Chris Kyle is certainly not on my hero list. My support for military operations ends when they are shipping our guys to the other side of the planet, invading other sovereign nations, shooting them with sniper fire, and publicly criticizing them when they are not satisfied with the new leader we have installed for them.

    It’s very debatable Routh got a fair trial at all – since likely everyone in that courtroom had already seen “American Sniper” and had wiped away their tears with the amazing nationalistic pride and heroism depicted by Chris Kyle as portrayed by events in his “AUTO”-biography.

    That said I have no remorse for Routh. There is no doubt Routh killed them. Either way – life in prison or life in a mental ward is probably the best location for him. Behavior such as this requires a penalty.

    • Given your expressed objections, your misgivings should not be with Chris Kyle or any other member of the military who performed their duties to the USA honorably and at great personal risk. They were SENT to other countries by you, and me, and everyone else who has allowed or encouraged American adventurism overseas for over 100 years. Holding individual enlisted men, in particular, responsible for national policy is beyond unfair.

      I went to Vietnam enthusiastically, thinking my country wouldn’t send me unless it was necessary. It was 15-20 years before I discovered the entire action was an “onward christian soldiers” operation, where America’s armed forces were volunteered into a war of catholic aggression against a Buddhist country, convert or die, just like sharia law.

      • where America’s armed forces were volunteered into a war of catholic aggression against a Buddhist country, convert or die, just like sharia law

        I’m guessing you learned that piece of stupidity at one of our 4-year accredited indoctrination centers (university) or spent too much time sitting in front of MSNBC

        • It’s funny when a product of government daycare ignores clear-cut history.

          Did they also forget to tell you the US sided with the French colonialists against Ho Chi Minh, who then pledged allegiance to communism to fight for an independent Vietnam?

      • “They were SENT to other countries by you, and me, and everyone else who has allowed or encouraged American adventurism overseas for over 100 years. Holding individual enlisted men, in particular, responsible for national policy is beyond unfair.”

        1. Speak for yourself, I had nothing to do with that 10-year disaster.
        2. They volunteered to serve politicians, as such, they deserve the blame. Chris Kyle went back time and again.

  20. I think the jury got it right…this was not premeditated, and many people drink/smoke pot, and don’t hurt others. The testimony reveals the guy had a bad temper since a teenager, and now must take responsibility for his actions. Now, we need to ask the same of Mr. Bush, and that weasel Cheney for sending us/mr. Kyle, to war in Iraq and incurring massive national debt under false pretenses and lies, which is the greatest injustice in this whole sad story. This country (and Iraqi people) would be in a much better position, and Mr. Kyle not murdered, and many good american troops and 100k’s Iraqi civilians still alive, had we not entered Iraq under that spoiled little Phillips/Andover Academy boy’s orders – just crazy this happened and we got duped.

    • But if we don’t fabricate a war every now and then how would we create all these heroes to worship?
      Ooh rah sis boom bah and all that crap.

      Funny how nothing changes in thousand of years. Elites like politicians/priests pump up a bunch of peasants and mental patients to kill and be killed to inspire the commoners to patriotism and secure the comfy seats of the elite within the state.

      The warrior/samurai class were never brave heroes. They were suckers and fools then and they’re suckers and fools now.

      • This is the sad truth that many here are blind to (willingly or not). “Support our troops, but keep an eye on their handlers” doesn’t cut it. Our troops are only human, and are just as easily mislead to blindly follow immoral orders as anyone force fed an agenda in the guise of freedom, security, honor…take your pick. Not only that, they either follow those orders without question, or they lose their income and freedom, thus their families are hostage to their capitulation (indirectly) to corrupt politicians. Our military is not a defense force, it is a hammer to pound the nails that refuse to get in line with the rest of the globalist community and it’s agenda.

        Blind nationalism and faux patriotism is very dangerous. All things deserve to be scrutinized intensely and judged without bias. The faster we wake up to this, the better off we as a nation are.

      • @Shire-man: Considering that’s more or less how the American Revolution started, that’s not entirely a bad thing.

        As problematic as people may find our military engagements to be in the course of this nation’s history, sadly the rest of the world doesn’t have a better track record. So the United States finds itself with the problem of either pulling back from the world, allow the world to fall apart and risk getting dragged down with it, or engage in bits of “controlled chaos” as I call it. Those days of distance buffering us from world events has long passed, especially when we don’t enforce our borders and immigration effectively. Hence the resulting “Reluctant Empire” syndrome.

        Personally, as a Vet myself, I rather have people not “thank me for my service”, not because I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but because I just viewed military service as (voluntary) duty to the nation. This was regardless of whether I agreed or disagree with everything the nation does in peace or war. As for the accusations I am starting to see regarding Chris Kyle and his “cult of personality”. I quite frankly don’t understand where this coming from. A cult requires individuals to blindly adhere or follow an individual’s call to action. Kyle never, to my knowledge, asked for the unbinding loyalty of people to follow him and to whatever he commanded. You may disagree with people who respect and honor him, but to say it’s a cult of personality thing is well stupid. I think people in this nation do at times over-admire (is that a word?) the Service Members in this nation, but I think it’s because we live in a society that had largely lost its virtue and respect in just about everything else. Year after year, when polls are conducted regarding various institutions in America, the military branches always fair the best by a large margin. In some ways I wish it wasn’t like this, but it’s the times we live in.

        Then again, it beats the 60s and 70s when many Service Members were cussed at, spitted on and abused by the populace at home after coming back from Vietnam. But I’m guessing some commenters prefer that, I don’t know.

  22. Blaine Cooper. Thank you for your support of an American Hero and his family. Thanks to your constant bleating about pg. 79 in his book you’ve no doubt made his estate and his publisher very happy with the books being sold to pissed off TTAG’ers.

    And thank you for supporting American gun rights. I know you meant otherwise and your handlers at MDA are no doubt dissapointed in you. But every comment and counter comment you make and generate on a pro gun site are raw numbers that when shown to politicians trying to debate or decide on gun control swings the efforts to our favor.

    Look forward to your continued support of Kyle, his family and our cause.

    • Since when did supporting 2A and French-kissing the corpse of Chris Kyle become one and the same? 🙂

      • “French kissing a corpse”, “Fellating a corpse”, 2 comments you’ve made concerning kyle’s supporters. Those comments give a great insight into your character. You’re every bit as twisted and sick as you claim Kyle was.

        Get a life, brah.

  23. This also reminds me. When I goto the range I keep a chambered/holstered pistol on my hip at all times because you never know who the other people are. I don’t know about you guys but I have seen some real doosies while shooting.

    • Agreed, and I wont shoot at any range that doesn’t let you. Yeah, unfortunately there seriously are FUDD ranges like that. This same range had a drunk wandering around within the covered area. I let the staff know what I thought about their business and never went back.

    • Indeed. I had one instance of a guy walking up to my table when I had some of my more expensive toys laid out, unloaded, and actions locked open. He immediately reached for my Tavor with it’s MOR optic installed while I was getting targets prepped to take down range. The gentleman on the next table nodded toward him, I spun around, caught him off guard, loudly inquired where he was going with my rifle (he had it in hand and was turning away from me), and caught the smirk on his face that turned into pale fear when he realized I had my hand on my 1911 (left hip out of his view prior) and was not too pleased with him. He said nothing, laid my rifle back on the table, collected 2 other guys at a far table, and left the range.

      I have no idea what he was thinking, but was glad that he didn’t escalate things. Had his friends gotten involved, I’m not sure I would have been able to go home that day.

      From then on, I never step foot on any range without a loaded, chambered pistol on my hip, and when I can, a friend watching the table when I am occupied.

    • Years ago friends and I were walking to the targets on an unsupervised outdoor range. They commented on the fact that I was armed walking downrange. I told them to turn around and look. “All of your shit is there. What a perfect opportunity for someone to shoot you.” None of them went downrange unarmed after that. I don’t shoot at ranges where I cannot also have a loaded, holstered sidearm.

  26. I don’t understand how people can idolize or despise someone or something they have never known personally, or even met. Another day in paradise..

  27. how do I say this the FIX is in. the news reporting on this is SAD. one picture of Kyle’s killer he is thin with dark hair , the next pictures showed he is fat ,with balding hair, and at the same time Kyle was killed was a attack on two Texas National Guard troops and it was reported this is not a terror attack (how do we know that ) , even the news interviews the Wife does not seem altogether… FOLKS we been had and lied too again ….WAKE UP AMERIKA …no truth from the MEDIA………

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