Kill a CEO and we will move heaven and earth to find you. Stab a teenager who doesn't speak English and we will not bother to publicize it.

If you are a white guy who kills in "self-defense" (particularly if is someone who is inconvenient to deal with- homeless, mentally ill, or a protestor), you'll be treated as a hero.

Playing by the rules get you nowhere these days. We vote and nothing ever changes. Corporate scum have the ear of every single politician.

LOWER MANHATTAN (WABC) -- ]Police have released video and photos of the three men they say stabbed a migrant teen to death and wounded another in Lower Manhattan. Authorities now believe the deadly stabbing stemmed from a dispute between two rival gangs.

Tuesday morning, police were still searching for three people they say were behind the incident that left 17-year-old Yeremi Colino dead and an 18-year-old injured. The injured man is expected to recover. A video captured the trio on camera following the attack on John Street near Broadway before 8 p.m. Thursday.

Police have on video a larger group displaying gang signs when confronted by the victims and asked, "Why are you flashing gang signs?" It quickly turned into to a street brawl.

That's when the 17-year-old was stabbed fatally in the chest and pulled into a drug store by a worker who called 911. Police believe the victims are members of Venezuelan migrant gangs taking hold in New York City-run hotels around 42nd Street. The suspects in the video are believed to be migrant gang members from the Caribbean community. Detectives have been hard at work from the time the crime occurred, narrowing in on evidence left behind at the scene.

https://abc7ny.com/post/nyc-crime-stabbing-migrant-teens-lower-manhattan-stemmed-dispute-between-rival-gangs-police/15634958/

How it was characterized and what it turned out to actually be were very far apart.

And once everyone realized what actually happened, they shut up about it.

Which is odd, because the actual story is plenty interesting, too.

with the stroke of a pen?

i don't condone what either man did, but I can't be bothered care all that much either. It's as if a member of a Mexican drug cartel killed a U.S. gang member.

This is the world the oligarchs are builiding. If they don't like it, they have no one but themselves to blame.

You must think I'm very stupid. I'm not.

while guys like Kyle Rittenhouse are going around doing paid speaking engagements.

What he did was wrong, and he should face the consequences. But the "law" is becoming an increasinlgy one-sided bludgeon these days. At some point, people will stop giving one little shit for what the "law" says, seeing as it only applies to some and not others.

that I've notice is becoming more prevalent.

It's interesting, too, to see the responses to my comments.

(which is probably aspirational for insurance companies, but they are working toward it!) if it means larger profits.

we know the military kills people. It is their function. It is unfortunate and often utterly wrong, but it is a military.

Health insurance companies' stated function is to aid people in accessing health care, by providing, well, insurance. They collect massive premiums and people used to believe that this would eventually allow for them to receive care when needed.

But that isn't what happens. They will do anything to avoid paying for care, even after decades of collecting premiums from someone. They choose to allow people to die for a little more cash in the pockets of people, many of whom already have more than they could spend in 20 lifetimes.

Will murdering the politicians who make the laws that allow them to make the profits stop the surviving the slaughter pass laws and set up a socialist medical system? I think not. But, the way of saving lives by providing a workable medical system can be done without violence.

is not about keeping people healthy, it's about reaping profits and denying care to as many people as they can.

And no, it probably won't ever change. Our nation has been a de facto oligarchy for a long time.

Come January 20th, it will be a literal oligarchy.

So, enjoy that.

Obama care came to be through legislation not violence. Trump is almost certainly going to try to throw it out. The way to stop that is to have the votes in congress to keep it.

I think it's embedded strongly enough that even Republican assholes will stick with it.

or ever will.

This country is going to turn into a hellscape by this time next year.

But, the oligarchs will still be raking in the cash, so they'll be happy.

I vote, but I also know it is futile. I had hope this year, but I've accepted that people will always choose hate. I thought there were more good people than not....well, I was VERY wrong. There are many more people who get joy from harming others than I ever imagined.

I also didn't think you'd find most of them at a church.

The district I live in is purple and had a Republican congresswoman who always won and usually followed the party line in her voting. In 2016 she supported Romney and said Donnie was "unfit for any office". She had held the seat for 12 years and was considered unbeatable. But the local MAGAshits dumped her in 2020. We now have a slightly left-of-center female Democratic rep who is solidly behind abortion rights and is pro-environment was elected in 2020 and re-elected against a flag waving vet MAGA. who is loudly pro-preggers and wants to abolish those commie regulations about water, air, and the laws that protect the National Forests In order for her to win she had to have received some Republican (and Independent) votes.

No violence was involved.

It is legal because the industry's lobbyists throw enough money at legislators to make sure they don't impose regulations that would restrict them. This does not justify extrajudicial killing.

in latest Opensecrets report.

It would be easy to audit denials, appeal results, untoward outcomes from waiting, etc., and report results to people. Yet, nothing.

Murder is defined as the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another.

We're a nation of laws (for 39 more days, at least), and what he did was unlawful.

You just don't get to kill people you don't like. You can fantasize about it, but that's not necessarily healthy, either.

And those laws are not always equally applied!

equally applied.

Casey,.. please pass the cocaine, the fentanyl, and the Adderall. Things are about to get real crazy.

■○■○■○■○

A House GOP lawmaker wants to award a U.S. Marine veteran, accused of killing a homeless man in what he argued was the defense of himself and others, with Congress’ highest civilian honor.

Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., is planning to introduce a resolution to give Daniel Penny the Congressional Gold Medal, Fox News Digital was told on Friday.

[Don't bother to click below,...]

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/daniel-penny-tapped-congressional-gold-medal-house-gop-lawmaker

Courtesy of Whitfield family

Almost one year ago, a mother made a 911 call in the middle of the night. She needed mental health help for a 39-year-old Black man, an accomplished Indianapolis musician, and a beloved son.

Gladys Whitfield and her husband, Herman Whitfield II, wanted an ambulance. They did not know their child – Herman Whitfield III – would be declared dead about an hour later, after six Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were dispatched to their home and tased him.
[SKIP
Last June, when IMPD released an edited video version of police responding to the Whitfield home, Chief Randall Taylor said he thought Herman Whitfield III’s cause of death was unclear.

“Nobody knows why this man is dead,” Taylor said.

https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/an-indianapolis-man-was-killed-in-police-custody-nearly-one-year-ago-experts-and-advocates-say-it-was-preventable

The social contract is unraveling. We used to hold those at the top to a higher standard of conduct. Sure alot of crooks & creeps slipped by, but we still mostly held those with authority, those with influence, to a higher standard. Now it's the exact opposite. If you're famous or wealthy or well-connected, the system cuts you an incredible amount of slack. The resentment at the bottom has been simmering & is coming to a boil. This kind of economic inequality isn't sustainable. The peasants are going to revolt. FDR knew this that's how we got the New Deal.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5034574-elizabeth-warren-unitedhealthcare-ceo-shooting-response-warning/

snip...

“The visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the health care system,” Senator Warren told HuffPost.

“Violence is never the answer, but people can be pushed only so far. This is a warning that if you push people hard enough, they lose faith in the ability of their government to make change, lose faith in the ability of the people who are providing the health care to make change, and start to take matters into their own hands in ways that will ultimately be a threat to everyone,” added Warren, a vocal critic of the U.S. health care system.

Sadly, I can only watch and comment.

We being all of humanity, since it plays out at various stages across the globe. Climate change could be the first time all societies around the globe experience a downturn, an unraveling, a turning back, at the same time. Personally, I think we're seeing that play out.

Last edited Thu Dec 12, 2024, 12:43 PM - Edit history (1)

even the outright glee over it- on the ground that health insurers, and that one in particular, cruelly and unjustifiably prevent many people from receiving the health care they need, effectively killing them; therefore Brian Thompson had it coming. I'm not about to sing the praises of the late Mr. Thompson, UHC or the health insurance industry in general. All of them suck. We have a horrible health care financing system (the health care itself is usually good, if you can get it) that focuses on profit to the detriment of actual health care. But does anyone actually think murdering a CEO will change that situation in the slightest? It will not. Security will be increased (likely causing premiums to be raised and more claims to be denied), but nothing else will happen because the health insurance industry is rich enough to buy the agreement of our legislators, both federal and state, not to regulate its practices. Killing a CEO will do nothing to improve the situation, and celebrating his cold-blooded murder is only a stain on the soul of those who celebrate.

I don't recall anyone expressing joy over the murders committed by the Unabomber, Ted Kaczinski, who was motivated by his opposition to industrialization that was causing the destruction of the natural environment and eroding human freedom; he argued that his bombings were extreme but necessary in attracting attention to these issues. Many of us have been advocating for exactly these ideas, and even more now that climate change has become such a serious concern. But who was applauding for ol' Ted when he was planting bombs that killed people? I don't recall even the most ardent environmentalists claimed his acts were justified, and of course those acts didn't change anything at all. What's different now? Someone please explain to me how Luigi Mangione - who, it turns out, is a fan of the Unabomber - is qualitatively any different from him. Like the Unabomber he decided he needed to kill in order to draw attention to some flaw in society, and likewise appointed himself judge, jury and executioner. Nobody (except Luigi) loved Ted, but Luigi is getting a lot of love. Have we become so hardened to political violence that we applaud it, or at least try to concoct a justification for it, when the target is someone or something we hate?

Your last sentence sums it up well, as a question. I'm afraid that the answer is "yes."

It is not well with our souls right now. Not at all, I'm afraid.

shifted at all.

Maybe their morals are: "I believe most murders are heinous crimes that I object to strenuously; however, I'm less troubled or completely indifferent to the murder of a sociopath or someone who has done evil."

And one example might be the murder of Jeffrey Dahmer in prison by some other inmate. The general reaction to that was either total indifference or mild relief and perhaps some people did celebrate (I didn't).

But I'd promised myself I wouldn't get sucked into this debate.

I suspect that we're in for some hard times. It's worrisome.

We are against murder- until we sympathize with a perceived motive.

We are against rape- unless it happens in prison to someone we think deserves it.

We think prisons need reformation- but we want Rikers to remain a hellhole so we can send the bad people there.

I could go on.

Whenever there is a death of a famous, wealthy or powerful person, whether it's through murder, accident, illness or natural causes you will read things you find unpleasant about it on the internet. The sheer volume of it in this case was because of how many people have been negatively impacted by the health care/insurance industry. But most were just expressing lack of sympathy. And that's where the focus should be. Let's talk about why so many people are hurting and have been harmed by this industry. I have not made any comments on Brian Thompson. I do feel empathy for his children. But there are thousands of people expressing that something needs to be done because too many people are being harmed.

If the CEO shooter is acquitted and found not guilty of murder, like the hundreds of white vigilante cops and "concerned neighborhood watch" Dudley Dewrights have been, I will concede that "ethics and moral values depend on whose side you are on.

Because, it appears that "ethics and moral values" ONLY CURRENTLY APPLY TO ONE SIDE!!!!!!

I notice that people complain about them, too. We humans apparently want to live forever, and in robust good health. Sadly, that is not possible.

I recently reviewed my healthcare directive. I was updating my will along with my wife. It now makes it very clear that I do not want any heroic measures taken if it is unclear that I will regain good health. The very last thing I want is to be old and sick and dying for an extended period. No, thank you very much.

I will be 80 years old this Summer. So far, my health has been pretty good, and I have no debilitating disorders. I recognize that I have gone past my "best before" date at this point.

But even in countries that have something like Medicare for everybody, private insurance can still be purchased to take care of what the government program doesn't cover. The difference is that the basic coverage will at least keep you alive.

Insurance as a concept isn't a bad idea, and there was once a time when it was just a way of creating a pool of funds contributed by policy holders to cover whatever loss occurred (health, liability, etc.) plus administrative expenses. Inevitably, though, somebody figured out the same basic structure could make a profit beyond just covering losses. Then they figured out that the most efficient way of doing it was by denying claims, since if they just raised premiums they'd lose business. And here we are.