Well, here I am again, talking about Luigi Mangioni. I thought I was done with this idiot, but some sort of a controversy about him has popped up. Apparently a bunch of keyboard warriors, (along with his defense lawyer) are crying about how much of a security detail he’s had during his “perp walk”, as it’s called, as well as the fact that they had him in shackles as he was led to and from the courthouse.

The popular theory, especially among his (loser) fan base, is that he’s “being made an example of” by the industries and corporations. That they’re “sending a message”. Namely one of “don’t screw with us, or this is going to happen to you.” They point out that the illegal Guatemalan goon (no, I don’t remember his name. It’s not worth remembering) that burned an innocent woman to death on train in NYC (while the cops walked right by her) by setting her on fire while she slept didn’t get nearly the showy security detail as Mangioni did during his perp walk.

Now to them, this is proof of the power that the corporations and industries have to intimidate people. No one cares about someone who murders “the little guy”, but if it’s a big shot CEO of a company, disreputable or not, that’s when the hammer really comes down.

I think the truth of the matter is quite different.

First of all, I doubt these corporations actually have that kind of power. It’s possible that if they’re in cahoots with a government official, they might be able to influence a showy display, but I think there’s something different going on. Let me give you a hint.

What does Mangioni have in common with Donald Trump’s would-be assassin (again, don’t remember his name, don’t give a damn) who tried to take him out at his rally in Pennsylvania? Other than the fact that they’re both scumbags?

I’d tell you to take a minute to figure it out, but I know nobody is going to bother doing that, so here’s the answer.

Both of these knuckleheads are regarded as “heroes” by a large segment of the mindless masses. Now, one of their “heroes” is dead… shot in the head. The other is being worshiped by the dumb masses (say that last phrase quickly for a more accurate description).

So what does this have to do with Mangioni’s massive, showy perp walk? It’s simple.

They’re trying to prevent anyone from rescuing their “hero” from custody.

You see, the Guatemalan pyro isn’t regarded as a hero. His evil act is reviled by society at large. He is almost universally hated by all sides, regardless of affiliations. No one is going to stake their lives, reputations and freedom to rescue such a worthless shitbag.  That's why his security detail was so small.

But Mangioni? He’s worshiped by boys and adored by silly girls, as evidenced in social media. Who’s to say that some keyboard warrior couldn’t inspire someone, or a group of people, with delusions of grandeur and visions of glory into attempting his rescue? Here’s another crazy thought; what if a couple of his own security detail sympathized with him and chose to “look the other way” for just a moment, or turn on their fellow guards?

And that is why there’s so many guards… so many guns… so much ground and aerial surveillance. So many precautions. It’s not to keep him from running away. You can do that easily with just two or three armed guards and restraints. It’s to keep glory seeking nut jobs from attempting a rescue effort. Possibly to even keep an eye on each other to make sure that no sympathizers within the detail tried to pull something. I assure you that if the failed Trump assassin had lived, there would be the same huge security detail during his “perp walk”, given how many people were celebrating his attempt, or at least crying at his failure, as like Mangioni, their respective targets were both seen as “villains”.  But doubtless, these same dumb masses would claim that the Trump campaign was "sending a message" as well.

Yeah, I know my theory sounds crazy. But is it really any crazier than any other “conspiracy theory” you’ve heard, some of which have actually been proven to be true?

I’m no fan of the American healthcare system. Actually, I outright hate it. I consider myself lucky enough to have some coverage under the VA. Granted, it may be the bottom of the barrel compared to other healthcare plans, but it’s still better than nothing at all… which is a problem for the vast majority of Americans, who either simply can’t afford coverage, or are barely managing to do so at great expense to themselves.

But ambushing a CEO of a (admittedly disreputable) healthcare insurance company and murdering him in cold blood isn’t the right way to vent your frustrations with the system.

This reminds me of another killer who had a righteous cause, but chose the path of revenge over channeling his anger into a productive manner. That killer’s name was Theodore Kaczynski, aka, “The Unabomber”.

I know what you’re thinking. “Huh? Who’s the Unabomber?”

For you kids out there who have never heard of him, here’s a link to his Wikipedia page. Read it. I’ll wait.

Now that you’re caught up, let’s continue.

Like Luigi Mangione, Kaczynski also had a righteous anger. Like Mangione, Kaczynski had a manifesto as well. From the bits and quotes I’ve read from both of them, they had legitimate gripes and complaints about the state of “the system”. Mangione with the healthcare system and the shady practices of UnitedHealthcare, Kaczynski with society’s increasing dependence on technology and the increasing destruction of the environment.

Unfortunately, they also both chose the path of revenge and murder to advance their ideologies. In other words, they went from potentially righteous activists to murdering pieces of shit, who fully deserve the full wrath of the justice system, no matter how righteous their causes were, or perceived to be. While UnitedHealthcare deserves it’s horrible reputation, murdering the CEO (Brian Thompson) and depriving his family of a husband and father is not like one of those cases of a distraught father tracking down the rapist of his six-year old little girl and burying him in the woods after braining him with an axe. It just doesn’t compare. Don’t even try it.

Now, Kaczynski offed himself while serving time in a max security prison back in 2023, so his story is over. Mangione’s ordeal is just beginning. There’s a bit of a twist, though. A far more disturbing one. Mangione has a huge fan base out there. Sick people who are celebrating his murder of Brian Thompson. Guys virtually prostate themselves before him. Silly girls gush over his “curly hair, dreamy eyes and chiseled abs”. It’s not just leftists, either. People on both sides of the aisle are celebrating his death on social media.

I guess nothing unites groups like somebody both sides hate… even when they hate each other. At least some on the right, to some extent, are openly admonishing the celebrations.

To complicate matters further, “Wanted” posters of other healthcare company executives have been popping up in New York City, showing their pictures and the companies they work for, with captions like “Wall Street CEOs Should Not Feel Safe, Deny, Defend, Depose”. Police have warned other CEOs that they could be targeted next due to this.

I’m gonna pause for a sec and remind you kids that these “Wanted” posters are NOT covered under “freedom of speech”. Posting materials, physically or online, that advocate targeting people for injury or death doesn’t count as such. If you are caught and identified, the government can and will punish you. It’s the equivalent of “doxing” your neighbor by calling the police or the SWAT team on them because you have some sort of personal grudge against them.

The same goes for the death threats against the McDonald’s employee who called the police after he was alerted by a customer who recognized the murderer. A lot of people are pissed at him because he “ratted out” their so-called “hero”. He and his fellow employees have since been assigned a security detail.

In conclusion, it’s not simply a matter of what these two murderers did that’s distressing. It’s what they could have done if they had channeled their anger in a more productive manner. What could these two men have accomplished if they had taken a different approach? How much could they have changed the country? How much good could they have done?

One’s dead, the other will be rotting in prison. I guess we’ll never know.

Revenge... is a sucker’s game.

When I wrote a previous article “Taking Back Racism”, dummy me accidentally left out an important point that I meant to make. In fact, it was the main point that I wanted to make, but I got so caught up in other points that I completely forgot to mention it.

Kinda like when you go to the grocery store and get everything except what you went there for to begin with.

The point I wanted to make was this: Very few people are actually racists. To repeat the definition I gave, racism is the inherent belief in one’s own genetic superiority… or the inherent belief in everyone else’s genetic inferiority, however the hell you want to phrase it, whether physically, intellectually or both. Real racism is way more rare than you think it is.

Here’s the thing, though. Everybody is bigoted. Everybody is prejudiced. Everybody has stereotypes of other groups of people and all of us have said insensitive things about other groups. Most of these character flaws are practiced in private. Some of the ballsy ones say it in public.  Usually stage comics that get paid an assload of money.

Yes, everyone. That includes me. That’s why the title is “We’re All Bigots”, not “You’re All Bigots”. It implies that I’m included. English 101.

I know what you’re thinking. “Not me! I’m none of those! I don’t judge people!”

Bullshit. Yes you do. To deny that, you’re not just lying to everyone else, you’re lying to yourself. In my experience, people who claim that they’re “non-judgmental” or claim that “no one can judge them” are some of the most disingenuous people in existence. They’re actually more judgmental than the ones they criticize for judging people in the first place. You think they aren’t judging who they accuse? These people just scream to be judged themselves.

Hell, you’re probably judging me right now, aren’t you?

So there it is. That was the point I meant to make. Few of us are racists. All of us have bigoted, prejudiced views, are insensitive to select groups and have negative stereotypes of every demographic in existence.

I’m not saying it’s OK. But that’s just how it is.

Deal with it.