Ea-nāṣir shops at Safeway.

The state of New York is about to get a firsthand lesson in the Streisand Effect. They should have just charged him the same charge any normal killer would get - Second Degree Murder, which is the normal charge for premeditated murder in NY. First degree requires rare special circumstances, and the prosecutor chose to use a dubious “terrorism” modifier to up the charge to Murder 1. They just couldn’t help themselves, and they shot themselves in the foot.

The advantage to the prosecution to a simple Murder 2 charge is that motive really doesn’t matter much. They just have to prove that Luigi pulled the trigger. But with the terrorism modifier, the trial will no devolve into lengthy discussions about his motives and message. Not only have they now given him the world’s largest soapbox, but this will also give the defense an opportunity to make him much more sympathetic to the jury. With only a Murder 2 charge, the defense lawyer would have had to fight hard to sneak subtle hints into trial about Luigi’s motives. Now his motives will be a core part of the prosecution’s case.

With a simple Murder 2 trial, even jurors who thought Thompson got what he deserved could vote to convict based simply on the letter of the law. Luigi killed an evil man, but he still has to face the consequences like any other criminal. Now the jury will clearly see that the system isn’t treating him like any other criminal. The prosecutors, through their own actions, are making Luigi’s case for him - the justice system is completely rigged in favor of the rich and powerful, and the only way they can ever be held accountable is through violence.

All it takes is one juror of twelve to look around at the situation and say, “this is bullshit. I’m not going to convict.” Sure, they can try him again with a new jury if he’s not found unanimously not-guilty, but that jury will have an even greater risk of jury nullification. The longer this goes on, the more likely the prosecutor just has to offer him some sweetheart plea deal just to get him convicted of something. And each trial just elevates Mangione that much closer to literal Sainthood in the popular imagination.

The feds also indicted him. There’s zero chance a Trump AG isn’t going to be pushing for the death penalty. What they cannot seem to understand is that this will only make him a martyr. They should have just given him the standard NY Murder II conviction any other killer would get, but they just couldn’t help themselves. They had to really send a message to the proles.

All they will succeed in doing is elevating him to outright sainthood.

Then we need to make him a saint.

St. Luigi of Baltimore, forgive us our debts, deliver us from the greed of the wicked…

Inheritance is weird. My partner and I stand to inherit a good bit when the parents on either side pass. Both sides of the family had successful middle class careers saved and invested well. Even considering the siblings on both sides, we could inherit an amount around $1M from either side.

But it’s weird in two ways. First, it’s not something that can be counted on. On either side it could be completely eaten up by nursing home care and medical costs for our parents. So we’re not planning our own retirement assuming a windfall from inheritance. Second, on either side, unless they’re unlucky, at least one of the parents is likely to live into their late 80s or 90s. So we’ll already be in our 60s or 70s.

In other words, while we stand to likely inherit a good chunk of change, it will come so late in life that we won’t really need it. Unless our parents die younger than expected, we will already be well into a fully funded retirement by the time they pass.

I feel inheritance made a lot more sense in the past. A farmer or a craftsman would will their farm or business to their children. And that child would take over that business while the parent was still alive, but too old to work it anymore. The child got the business or farm, but in turn had to support the parent in their later years.

But now? You’re basically just inheriting your parent’s house and whatever is left over of their retirement accounts. And you’re doing so at an age where it really doesn’t necessarily help you. Sure, if you yourself are unable to retire, then that windfall will be a godsend. But considering how wealth reproduces through generations, if you’re in a position to inherit substantial funds from your parents, odds are you probably have a pretty big nest egg yourself built up by then. The people who could really use an inheritance to fund their retirement are unlikely to have parents wealthy enough to give them one.

But yeah, this is why I support strong inheritance taxes. For most people who inherit anything substantial, by the time you actually inherit something, you don’t really need it anymore.

Yes, a true classic!

Eh, just do your best, and accept imperfection. You’re Hercules, not God. Try to do what good you can, when you can. Trying to perfectly optimize things simply leads to madness.

I mean, even Hercules is allowed to take a break. In fact, self-care is a vital part of the work of any true hero! You can’t be effectively battling evil if you’re unhealthy, depressed, or sleep deprived. Take care of yourself, superfam!

Nah, I’m just saying that if you’re a health insurance CEO, you deserve to be tied to a boulder and thrown into the Sea.

There’s no shortage of rocks at our disposal. If it’s the labor costs you’re worried about, I suppose we could force the CEOs to quarry and carry their own rock.

Bring justice to the wicked AND get swole? Sounds like positives all around. You’ll basically be Hercules at that point!

Exactly. Let’s be honest, if wishes alone could kill, there wouldn’t be a single US health insurance executive alive within 24 hours. The only reason we all don’t become a Luigi is we’re not prepared to throw our lives away for it. Fear of the law is the only thing keeping those bastards above dirt.

Yes, I suppose the boulder has some value as well.

Well, I suppose it’s PTSD-inducing if someone is a health insurance CEO. But if that’s the case…TO THE SEA WITH YOU!!

Well, that’s something I’ll actually apologize for. This is meant to be a humorous vent, not PTSD inducing.

It’s all explained in this video.

Well, you want to know a cold, hard, undeniable fact, grounded in the very fabric of reality?

Brian Robert Thompson will never kill again.

40,000 victims. But not one more.

Are you a CEO? If so…the Sea…it calls for you!

Now I’m morbidly curious what joke you were thinking…

They’re mostly paid in stock options.