There is just so much to this - thank you for writing it - and it took me a while in truth to settle myself before replying - because so much needs to be said. Intent plays an enormous part as we all know in the definition of murder and manslaughter ... the intent to kill ... but so many hide behind intent - in fact it is such a spiritual bypassing term it is ridiculous. Intent is irrelevant - when actions completely override intent. Actions matter. Actions are the experience of the true intent. To say I didnt intend something and to push away responsibility is so common -and even though we see and hear it day to day - it is played out demonstratively in these cases. We cant simply look at the intent of Luigi / Brad and Briana ... that is too simple. the intent is also behind the systems that we are all made to play into - that hold intent themselves. And their intent is hidden - behind the sheeps clothing of 'providing health care' 'providing insurance' .... because underneath both of these guises is simply - money. How to make it for their investors. And we see this playing out more and more - as those - many of US - caught up in any legal entanglement with them or in any need for health care ... get to hear - the 'not our intent' yet their actions are disgracefully violently destructive.... and we need the courts and systems to dig deeper into them to truly see this... well that would be great but the courts and social structured manufactured systems are again corrupt and paid for by the wealthy... it's infuriating and it is truly time there was more push back...
Social Murderers- this IS what they are. Americans have bought the lies and shame on the American voter for choosing only one Constitutional Amendment(2nd) to support when voting and allowing all are other rights to be taken by our “corporate citizens.” Outside of the grotesque lies surrounding oil/gas that the corporate citizens have sold us- the notion we can’t support healthcare for all is ridiculous. I work in healthcare and see the cost of human lives/ quality of life that our effed up healthcare system has caused. It’s just an absolutely sorrowful sin that we continue to allow corporate America to rule over us like this. This country started with rebellion against taxation without representation and look at what we allow now- taxation without representation.
A bold and unapologetic, scathing critique of America’s healthcare system, corporate greed, and the disparity in how justice and accountability are applied in our society.
Qasim's expansive definition of violence is not just thought-provoking—it is a damning indictment of the moral rot that underpins America’s for-profit healthcare system. This isn’t theoretical harm; it is the lived reality of tens of thousands of families who bury loved ones because their deaths were deemed unprofitable to prevent.
The CEOs and executives who design these policies do not have blood on their hands in a metaphorical sense—they are drenched in it, with each denial of care, each rejected claim, and each unreasonable price hike serving as another blow to the most vulnerable among us.
And yes, it is true that many CEOs and executives have worked tirelessly, innovating and strategizing to build companies that create jobs, drive economic growth, and fuel innovation. Their success is often rightfully attributed to their ingenuity, and relentless effort. But their accomplishments did not occur in a vacuum. The working class—those who may lack the specialized knowledge or experience to generate wealth on their own—are not merely beneficiaries of economic opportunity; they are the indispensable backbone of the system. Without their effort, no company, no economy, and no success story would be possible.
A system that rewards the wealthy while condemning the workers who make that wealth possible to needless suffering and death is immoral.
If we allow this violence to continue, if we accept that the lives of the working class are less valuable than the profits of the wealthy, then we are complicit in perpetuating a system that rewards greed and punishes vulnerability. Yes, the CEOs have worked smarter and harder—but their success is not theirs alone. It is a product of a collective effort, and that collective effort demands fairness, accountability, and humanity in return.
I had read about Briana Boston's case and didn't think much more about. It was so absurd I imagined that the first judge she encountered would recognize this and send her home.
Instead, I see that she is being called the Luigi Mangione "copycat" and is on house arrest.
This is fascism in action. The horrible things we are expecting under Trump are already happening. Where is the outrage? Where is the support for this woman, who could have been any of us? Her husband is running a GoFundMe. That is the only indication I could find of any organized action to help her.
Not long before he died , Johnny Cochran was asked what color is justice? His immediate response “The color of justice is GREEN. “ succinct and to the point.
A relative works in a major US hospital system. Despite a shortage of nurses & other technical staff, more cutbacks of staff have been recently instituted. Processes are often changed to rely on greater automation or additional steps by people who have never performed the tasks involved. This often results in more cumbersome processes that don’t work well, but input from those using the processes is not welcomed or considered. Knowing someone inside the hospital system & sees profit chosen over service makes me very fearful of being hospitalized.
I’m very disappointed that doctors and nurses don’t speak up publicly about the abuses perpetrated by the Health Exploitation LLCs. Their voices and testimony about the effects of insurance denials on the patients they treat and are supposed to care about would add so much credibility to the fight for universal health care.
I believe doctors, in particular, don’t speak up because they fear having to accept less remuneration in a universal health system. I’m not an expert on health care in other countries, but I do know a few doctors practicing in countries with universal care and they do very well. They are not obscenely wealthy, but they are well compensated & also well respected, whereas, I think American doctors are seen more as opportunists whose highest regards are their own.
Another way US doctors disappoint me is the trend toward joining so-called concierge organizations. Seeking shorter hours but no less pay, doctors are joining organizations which charge patients an annual fee, over and above the fees they already must pay for health care & insurance. These fees can range from $200 per year to….who knows how much. My former physician charges $2000 per year to patients who wish to continue to see her. The claim is that by seeing fewer patients, these doctors can provide better services to those who remain in their care. But the fact is that by seeing fewer patients, those who refuse to be extorted are forced to rely on the already overburdened doctors who refuse to ask their patients for even more money for care. Those unable to get timely appointments will end up in hospital emergency rooms which are also over burdened and under staffed. This is not sustainable. Doctors still take an oath to do no harm. Many are failing miserably at upholding that oath.
To see how the US system compares to countries with universal health care, I recommend the documentary, ‘Sicko’ by Michael Moore. Google it or rent it, but watch it. It is VERY informative; very eye opening.
In my town, whose main clinics & doctor's offices were recently taken over by United Healthcare, we used to get doctor's appointments within 2 weeks. Now it takes over 6 months. Many doctors have left town. They used to be lax about paying bills. I am being charged for things I've already paid for, & they've even threatened to take me to court over co-pays I already paid. I had wanted to pay a lump sum after a rash of appointments scheduled like I had always done.
They suddenly are demanding ID from me even though I've been seeing them for decades, at least 50 times altogether. What used to be a friendly streamlined service is now a mess. In my case, the insurance company that covers me personally (not the one that's taken over our medical institutions), which is Providence, has been about the only actor behaving reliably & reasonably recently.
Let’s talk about how the people who can afford healthcare get the best insurance. C suite members have different healthcare plans than the rest of the worker’s. I know a former fortune 500 CFO that talked about a janitorial type employee everyone liked that the insurance would not cover cancer treatment, so they quietly had him moved to the CSuite insurance plan. He seemed to think it ridiculous when I asked why didn’t the workers who could least afford it have the coverage for catastrophic treatment that he did from the beginning.
Ooooh. A guy after my own heart. This is a fact. From my perspective, our oligarchy will soon become an aristocracy. Many of us peasants are well read but we aren’t really interested as money worship for a god. However, money is pure power. My dear friend loves your articles. She’s brilliant, so she understands everything that you write. I forgot to add, evidently, we the underclass, haven’t any class. I’ve always known we are expendable. But, if enough people become angry enough, so are the very powerful, and Luigi made his case.
I've said this a million times. It is worship of the false god of mammon. Even all those Christians who should know better because Jesus taught many lessons on NOT putting money first, have succumbed to the lure of mammon and their infectious, endless greed. They will condemn others' sexual sins but not see that they have replaced Jesus with mammon and they regularly bow down to it happily. This is why Trump is now in office again. He promised them to give them more mammon, and mammon is all they want in this life. They do expect to go to heaven, I'm sure. The Bible says woe to you who are rich, you have already received your reward.
It's chilling if you think about it, but they never do. They really would rather kill human beings and lose human lives than have to give up a dime from their portfolio.
As a Christian I find it heartbreaking, sickening and abhorrent. And that's just the Christians. Everyone else is also out there worshipping money.
Luigi Mangione has the right to a fair trial, and saying he "killed one CEO" undermines this right.
For the rest, nice post.
Timothee Chalamet and Jonah Hill can do the movie.
There is just so much to this - thank you for writing it - and it took me a while in truth to settle myself before replying - because so much needs to be said. Intent plays an enormous part as we all know in the definition of murder and manslaughter ... the intent to kill ... but so many hide behind intent - in fact it is such a spiritual bypassing term it is ridiculous. Intent is irrelevant - when actions completely override intent. Actions matter. Actions are the experience of the true intent. To say I didnt intend something and to push away responsibility is so common -and even though we see and hear it day to day - it is played out demonstratively in these cases. We cant simply look at the intent of Luigi / Brad and Briana ... that is too simple. the intent is also behind the systems that we are all made to play into - that hold intent themselves. And their intent is hidden - behind the sheeps clothing of 'providing health care' 'providing insurance' .... because underneath both of these guises is simply - money. How to make it for their investors. And we see this playing out more and more - as those - many of US - caught up in any legal entanglement with them or in any need for health care ... get to hear - the 'not our intent' yet their actions are disgracefully violently destructive.... and we need the courts and systems to dig deeper into them to truly see this... well that would be great but the courts and social structured manufactured systems are again corrupt and paid for by the wealthy... it's infuriating and it is truly time there was more push back...
Social Murderers- this IS what they are. Americans have bought the lies and shame on the American voter for choosing only one Constitutional Amendment(2nd) to support when voting and allowing all are other rights to be taken by our “corporate citizens.” Outside of the grotesque lies surrounding oil/gas that the corporate citizens have sold us- the notion we can’t support healthcare for all is ridiculous. I work in healthcare and see the cost of human lives/ quality of life that our effed up healthcare system has caused. It’s just an absolutely sorrowful sin that we continue to allow corporate America to rule over us like this. This country started with rebellion against taxation without representation and look at what we allow now- taxation without representation.
A bold and unapologetic, scathing critique of America’s healthcare system, corporate greed, and the disparity in how justice and accountability are applied in our society.
Qasim's expansive definition of violence is not just thought-provoking—it is a damning indictment of the moral rot that underpins America’s for-profit healthcare system. This isn’t theoretical harm; it is the lived reality of tens of thousands of families who bury loved ones because their deaths were deemed unprofitable to prevent.
The CEOs and executives who design these policies do not have blood on their hands in a metaphorical sense—they are drenched in it, with each denial of care, each rejected claim, and each unreasonable price hike serving as another blow to the most vulnerable among us.
And yes, it is true that many CEOs and executives have worked tirelessly, innovating and strategizing to build companies that create jobs, drive economic growth, and fuel innovation. Their success is often rightfully attributed to their ingenuity, and relentless effort. But their accomplishments did not occur in a vacuum. The working class—those who may lack the specialized knowledge or experience to generate wealth on their own—are not merely beneficiaries of economic opportunity; they are the indispensable backbone of the system. Without their effort, no company, no economy, and no success story would be possible.
A system that rewards the wealthy while condemning the workers who make that wealth possible to needless suffering and death is immoral.
If we allow this violence to continue, if we accept that the lives of the working class are less valuable than the profits of the wealthy, then we are complicit in perpetuating a system that rewards greed and punishes vulnerability. Yes, the CEOs have worked smarter and harder—but their success is not theirs alone. It is a product of a collective effort, and that collective effort demands fairness, accountability, and humanity in return.
I had read about Briana Boston's case and didn't think much more about. It was so absurd I imagined that the first judge she encountered would recognize this and send her home.
Instead, I see that she is being called the Luigi Mangione "copycat" and is on house arrest.
This is fascism in action. The horrible things we are expecting under Trump are already happening. Where is the outrage? Where is the support for this woman, who could have been any of us? Her husband is running a GoFundMe. That is the only indication I could find of any organized action to help her.
Where are the helpers?
Thank you for this very thoughtful post. There is so much for us to change as Americans.
70,000 preventable deaths every year is just a staggering number.
And that is a conservative estimate. The real number is much worse.
Not long before he died , Johnny Cochran was asked what color is justice? His immediate response “The color of justice is GREEN. “ succinct and to the point.
A relative works in a major US hospital system. Despite a shortage of nurses & other technical staff, more cutbacks of staff have been recently instituted. Processes are often changed to rely on greater automation or additional steps by people who have never performed the tasks involved. This often results in more cumbersome processes that don’t work well, but input from those using the processes is not welcomed or considered. Knowing someone inside the hospital system & sees profit chosen over service makes me very fearful of being hospitalized.
I’m very disappointed that doctors and nurses don’t speak up publicly about the abuses perpetrated by the Health Exploitation LLCs. Their voices and testimony about the effects of insurance denials on the patients they treat and are supposed to care about would add so much credibility to the fight for universal health care.
I believe doctors, in particular, don’t speak up because they fear having to accept less remuneration in a universal health system. I’m not an expert on health care in other countries, but I do know a few doctors practicing in countries with universal care and they do very well. They are not obscenely wealthy, but they are well compensated & also well respected, whereas, I think American doctors are seen more as opportunists whose highest regards are their own.
Another way US doctors disappoint me is the trend toward joining so-called concierge organizations. Seeking shorter hours but no less pay, doctors are joining organizations which charge patients an annual fee, over and above the fees they already must pay for health care & insurance. These fees can range from $200 per year to….who knows how much. My former physician charges $2000 per year to patients who wish to continue to see her. The claim is that by seeing fewer patients, these doctors can provide better services to those who remain in their care. But the fact is that by seeing fewer patients, those who refuse to be extorted are forced to rely on the already overburdened doctors who refuse to ask their patients for even more money for care. Those unable to get timely appointments will end up in hospital emergency rooms which are also over burdened and under staffed. This is not sustainable. Doctors still take an oath to do no harm. Many are failing miserably at upholding that oath.
To see how the US system compares to countries with universal health care, I recommend the documentary, ‘Sicko’ by Michael Moore. Google it or rent it, but watch it. It is VERY informative; very eye opening.
In my town, whose main clinics & doctor's offices were recently taken over by United Healthcare, we used to get doctor's appointments within 2 weeks. Now it takes over 6 months. Many doctors have left town. They used to be lax about paying bills. I am being charged for things I've already paid for, & they've even threatened to take me to court over co-pays I already paid. I had wanted to pay a lump sum after a rash of appointments scheduled like I had always done.
They suddenly are demanding ID from me even though I've been seeing them for decades, at least 50 times altogether. What used to be a friendly streamlined service is now a mess. In my case, the insurance company that covers me personally (not the one that's taken over our medical institutions), which is Providence, has been about the only actor behaving reliably & reasonably recently.
Hmmmmmmm. Now why do I understand the man on the left and detest the man on the right?
Let’s talk about how the people who can afford healthcare get the best insurance. C suite members have different healthcare plans than the rest of the worker’s. I know a former fortune 500 CFO that talked about a janitorial type employee everyone liked that the insurance would not cover cancer treatment, so they quietly had him moved to the CSuite insurance plan. He seemed to think it ridiculous when I asked why didn’t the workers who could least afford it have the coverage for catastrophic treatment that he did from the beginning.
You are one of the "Wise Men" of our times. Your message is the voice of reason.
❤️✊🏽
And morality
Ooooh. A guy after my own heart. This is a fact. From my perspective, our oligarchy will soon become an aristocracy. Many of us peasants are well read but we aren’t really interested as money worship for a god. However, money is pure power. My dear friend loves your articles. She’s brilliant, so she understands everything that you write. I forgot to add, evidently, we the underclass, haven’t any class. I’ve always known we are expendable. But, if enough people become angry enough, so are the very powerful, and Luigi made his case.
I've said this a million times. It is worship of the false god of mammon. Even all those Christians who should know better because Jesus taught many lessons on NOT putting money first, have succumbed to the lure of mammon and their infectious, endless greed. They will condemn others' sexual sins but not see that they have replaced Jesus with mammon and they regularly bow down to it happily. This is why Trump is now in office again. He promised them to give them more mammon, and mammon is all they want in this life. They do expect to go to heaven, I'm sure. The Bible says woe to you who are rich, you have already received your reward.
It's chilling if you think about it, but they never do. They really would rather kill human beings and lose human lives than have to give up a dime from their portfolio.
As a Christian I find it heartbreaking, sickening and abhorrent. And that's just the Christians. Everyone else is also out there worshipping money.
Well stated. Greed is destroying everything.
Thank you. Yeah it feels increasingly closer to aristocracy than even oligarchy at this point.
Once Trump gets in it will also turn into a full-blown kleptocracy. Also mafiocracy, idiocracy & kakistocracy.
So, Luigi Mangione saved lives. Doesn't then the Alter Ego Rule of Self Defense apply? Therefore 'not guilty'?
I'm interested to see what arguments he makes at trial.
Thank you! I love you! 💕
No war but the class war ✊Gentle reminder, self defense is not violence. Read that again.