You really think Ventura waited for this guy to die before suing? IIRC, the suit was already in place. If you look into defamation suits, there is an extremely high legal bar set for the case to even be heard, the vast majority fail to meet that bar. Ventura's met that bar and has exceeded it. I have looked into the case, and the legal opinions regarding it, and they are all fairly firm in their belief that Ventura will be winning the case.
What you read in the book was filtered through this guy's eyes. What you saw in the movie was further corrupted by Hollywood (a place I have direct and personal experience with, the truth absolutely does *not* matter, especially in the light of dollars). I understand that it left you with a very strong feeling, a feeling that you don't want to go away. But a liar has glorified himself, and others have used his self-glorification to further their own financial interests, those being HarperCollins and the film producers.
ALL threads that become or start out political that are not addressing cannabis laws directly are to be shut down here. This is logic's decree, not mine. But you've GOT to know that once anyone starts bouncing around certain phrases that someone is going to take that political bait, right?
No, the courts aren't perfect, but they are the best we've got and they operate ostensibly under the rule of law. Based on the court docs I read, which came attached to the multiple stories I read, there are no 11 witnesses to that punching out of Ventura. If there were, he wouldn't have a case heading to appeal, his case would have been tossed from the get-go. The only reason it's on appeal is because Kyle's widow has enough money to spend on continuing to drag it out, as does HarperCollins.
Real heroes are the humblest kind and don't spend a moment making up stories or putting themselves up onto that pedestal. ;) Heroes have no need to embellish as Kyle did, or lie, as Kyle did.
