Good morning from my Hunker-Bunker overlooking the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains from my perch in West Seattle. It is a Tuesday morning at Oh-Fucking-Five-Forty-Five, otherwise known as “Dark-Five-Forty-Five” for the cleaner minded set. I’ve been up for a couple of hours already gathering the material you are about to be subjected to.
Pretty close to how Stephen Colbert creates his “Meanwhile” segment..
“Folks, you know I spend most of my time right over there wandering the story market, picking out the finest, most topical KellyBronze news turkey, the brightest, most exquisite Yukon Gold potatoes, and the ripest McFarland cranberries, then preparing an assembling mall to the spectacular classic Thanksgiving spread that is my nightly monologue, but sometimes, just sometimes folks, I crash a stolen cable service van into a condemned middle-school cafeteria, script together some discarded fruit-by-the-foot, expired YoHoo and what is either an old slice of bread or a fallen ceiling tile and slap it all together to serve the assembled raccoons the demented outlaw picnic of news that is my segment, ‘Meanwhile.’”
– Stephen Colbert, The Late Show, Nov 23, 2022
Yep. Pretty much the same process, as you can see. LOL
You might be asking why I am in my Hunker-Bunker and not my office in one of the fifteen hotels I have offices in. Well, I am taking the next four days off to recover from the proton beaming session to my liver that I underwent yesterday afternoon. It was the first of six sessions and I was told to make the next four days available for possible/probable side effects. This isn’t my first time riding this mechanical bull — I’ve been beaming my prostate off and on for the past year, so I already had a basic idea of what to expect.
Except this is my liver, and I am feeling it this morning. Not quite as severe as a biopsy, but boy-howdy I can feel it if I shift around too much.
The alternative was a resection — and it still might be, if this doesn’t work. I have a tumor the size of a pencil eraser and if it can be reduced to nothing by proton beaming, then that is much less invasive than ripping me open and taking a section of my liver out.
FUN FACT: I have what is referred to as a “Cadillac” health insurance plan through UnitedHealthCare, and this treatment regimen was denied by my insurance company here. I had to go back up to Vancouver, BC to get the okay from my Canadian health insurance to pay for treatment here in Seattle. Thirty percent of the business that Fred Hutch/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance gets is from Canada, because it is the closest place that offers proton beaming. In Canada, it is recognized as a viable treatment. Here in the US, the insurance companies will routinely deny this treatment because they consider it “experimental”, even though it’s been around for forty fucking years. Sure, you can appeal the decision, but you are talking about a process than can take upwards of eight to ten months, which often is too late, once the appeal is successful.
So I am finding some of the news today to be somewhat ironic to me. But I will put THAT idiocy at the end of this post and spare whatever decency that remains in you.
The Middle East Political Shift
Assad’s Fall After 24-Year Rule Creates Power Vacuum in Middle East
(Bloomberg) — As Bashar Al-Assad fled to Moscow, the looters started raiding the presidential palace and people took to the streets of Damascus to celebrate his demise. The Syrian president had tried to hang on until the bitter end, still desperately sending an SOS to anyone who would listen, including Donald Trump. The despot had run out of road.
The world is still grasping the speed of events in recent days, and the collapse of a ruling dynasty that laid waste to the country during a catastrophic civil war. But the implications are also quickly sinking in — and not least the prospect of more upheaval and violence as groups tussle for control.
Assad had managed to endure the popular uprising against him for more than 13 years. But the message from his one-time allies and foes was clear: You’re on your own. Russia, which had saved his skin back in 2015, only offered him sanctuary this time. Iran turned its back on him by saying in not so many words that he had brought it all on himself.
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Multiple Arab and US officials told Bloomberg that a power vacuum could now be dangerous. Memories of Muammar Qaddafi’s Libya and Saddam Hussein in Iraq loom large in the region: In both countries, those entrenched rulers were swept aside in brief moments of euphoria, only for the countries to descend into deeper turmoil.
MY TAKE:
It’s been long past the time for Assad’s regime to fall. The only reason it remained in place was from the help of Russia and Iran. Without the support of both, Assad would have fallen years ago.
But thanks to the war in Ukraine occupying Russia, and Iran seeing it’s proxies decimated by Israel, Assad no longer had the protection he needed to stay in power. His own military was quick to turn on him the moment he lost his Russian masters.
The question is, what becomes of Syria? The emerging leader is a former ISIS leader-turned-Al Qaeda-leader who has been said to have ‘moderated’ over the years of war.
• What becomes of the Russian port?
• What becomes of the Golan Heights issue, now that Syria will have a new government?
• Will Israel be forced to annex a “buffer zone”?
• What becomes of all the Syrian refugees stashed all over the globe?
These are just a couple of questions off the top of my head this morning. I can come up with a hundred more, but I need to move on…
Iran Suffers Blow of ‘Historic Proportions’ With Assad’s Fall
Tehran loses a pillar of its national-security strategy as it prepares for more confrontation with Trump
Iran spent decades and billions of dollars building a network of militias and governments that allowed it to exercise political and military influence across the Middle East, and deter foreign attacks on its soil.
In a matter of weeks, the pillars of that alliance came crashing down.
The departure of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad is the latest strategic catastrophe that will force Iran to rethink decades-old security policies, just as it is confronting the election of President-elect Donald Trump and his promises of new pressure on Tehran.
Assad’s removal is also the climax so far in a cascade of events catalyzed by the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, which resulted in the most fundamental change in Iran’s security landscape since the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. But, while the toppling of Saddam Hussein ultimately provided Iran with opportunity, this time Tehran is at a disadvantage.
MY TAKE:
First of all, I doubt these are ‘historic proportions’ in terms of Iran. I’m sure if you go back through history, Iran, or Persia, or whatever it was called throughout history has suffered through much, much worse. You could easily argue that Iran suffered a much greater blow in 1979 when they deposed the Shah and started their great revolution. And that is just a recent event. They’ve gone through even worse.
Besides, they haven’t had much going for them since 1979. They’ve been under a self-imposed pariahship with the rest of the planet for a while now. Some of it well-deserved, some notsomuch. I could argue that we’ve been some of the problem. This isn’t a game of solitaire, you know. I know that is uncomfortable for some of you to accept, but facts are the facts.
But we aren’t talking about their benevolent activities. We are talking about their use of proxies to fight a war with Israel and “The West”, aka America, “The Great Satan”. (Never mind that Britain had been really fucking them raw for a much longer period of time…)
For all of its hatred towards Israel, Iran does not want a direct confrontation with them. They find it convenient to fund other militant groups to fight against Israel. They are not in direct control of these militia groups, but as long as they are taking the fight to Israel, that’s all that matters to Iran. It gives them some thin sort of deniability. Similar to what we are doing in Ukraine. We’re just supplying the weapons and ammo, if you want to boil it down to simplistic terms.
We hate Iran doing the same thing because it goes against our interests, that’s all. And there’s probably nothing wrong with that.
But it is, what it is, right?
Israel got it’s dick stuck in the wrong hole this time around. It got a bit more than a circumcision. Their proxies got decimated. Their stockpiles in Syria are being destroyed as I write this. It is also being stretched out on supplying Russia on its other front.
Oh, and Trump hasn’t even gotten sworn in yet…
Moving on to some different depravity…
Jay-Z accused in a civil lawsuit of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 along with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
Jay-Z responded with a lengthy statement calling the allegations “idiotic.” The accuser is anonymous.
Jay-Z, the star rapper and entrepreneur whose real name is Shawn Carter, was accused in a lawsuit Sunday of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 allegedly along with Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The anonymous accuser, identified only as “Jane Doe,” said the assault happened after she was driven to an MTV Video Music Awards after-party.
The federal lawsuit was originally filed in October in the Southern District of New York, listing Combs as a defendant. It was refiled Sunday to include Carter.
Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee, who filed the suit, did not comment.
Carter called the allegations “idiotic” in a lengthy statement Sunday evening and alleged that Buzbee was engaged in unprofessional behavior.
“These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree?” Carter said in a statement to NBC News. “These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case.”
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment on whether the office is pursuing the case when shown NBC News’ report on the lawsuit.
MY TAKE:
It has been my intention of staying out of the “Diddy” stuff, but I somehow knew that this was only the tip of the giant sea of ice bergs floating around out there.
I’ve worked in and around the entertainment industry for decades. I’ve worked in the recording industry in particular for most of that time. I’ve seen and heard a LOT of things over the years, but nothing quite as depraved as this Diddy shit.
Diddly was probably more epic of a fucknozzle than Jeffry Epstein could ever dream of being. He was one of the ‘king makers’ of hip-hop, and in order for some of these kids to make it ‘big’ they had to go through people like Puff “Daddy” (my emphasis). I suspect that before long, we are going to be ‘treated’ ALL the ugly particulars that kids like Justin Bieber and others went through at the hands of “Diddly” and company.
There are going to be a LOT of victims start coming forward, either to sue, and/or get ahead of the stories as they come out. Some will be real, but I’m afraid that a lot will just be opportunists looking for a payday.
Right now, this is just a CIVIL SUIT where Jay-Z has been added as a defendant in a case involving a child.
It is NOT a criminal case. At least not one that has been officially announced. It is only the un-reported allegations of an anonymous person who claims to have been raped by both Jay-Z and Diddly when this person was 13-years-old. Why wasn’t this incident reported to the police when it happened? HOW did this kid wind up in the orbit of Diddly and/or Jay-Z in the first place?
I’m tending not to believe this one…
Returning to where we left off in time…
Welcome back to 2020!
(Just sayin’)
- One in three consumers plans to spend more money this holiday season, and the top motivation is fear of higher tariffs under Trump, according to a survey by CreditCards.com. Nearly a third also expect to take on more debt to make their purchases.
Americans are bracing for higher prices when President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House as he has pledged to impose sweeping tariffs.
But consumers aren’t waiting for products to get more expensive. Instead, they’re loading up on items this holiday-shopping season, according to a recent survey from CreditCards.com.
One in three Americans plans to buy more, and fear of higher tariffs is the leading motivator, with 39% citing them for stepped-up purchases. Other reasons include worries about potential supply-chain disruptions, “societal instability,” recession, and another pandemic. Meanwhile, 22% plan to make a large purchase, such as electronics or home appliances.
“With the possibility of tariffs hanging over cheap goods from countries like China and Mexico, it’s no surprise that some consumers are pondering big-ticket purchases before President-elect Trump takes office,” John Egan, expert contributor at CreditCards.com focusing on credit cards, insurance, and personal finance, said in a statement last week. “Although manufacturers pay the tariffs, these extra costs often get passed along to shoppers in the form of higher prices.”
Americans are also buying everyday items, and the survey found 34% are stockpiling essentials. Toilet paper is at the top of the shopping list with 77% saying they are stocking up on it. That’s followed by nonperishable food (76%), medical supplies (58%), and over-the-counter medications (54%).
MY TAKE:
I’m one of those people who have been starting to stockpile a few things that I know will be going up in price starting in February. Electronics especially. Anything that we’ve planned in capital spending over the next year we are buying up right now. We are going to order as much as we can now, so we aren’t stuck.
America’s economy ‘risks massive Trump slump’
US GDP could contract by as much as two to three percentage points, according to NIESR
Donald Trump risks tipping the US into recession if he follows through with the promises made on the campaign trail, a top economist has warned.
Paul Mortimer-Lee of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said the “ill-considered, rushed and damaging” combination of tariffs, the mass expulsion of illegal immigrants, tax cuts and spending efficiencies was “likely to tip the US economy into recession.”
Mr Mortimer-Lee said: “In a worst-case scenario, where immigrant expulsions are massive, tariff increases hit straight away and retaliation is swift and effective, GDP could contract by two to three percentage points.”
Such an outcome would mark a massive slump when compared to the strong growth enjoyed by the US this year. NIESR estimates America’s economy will expand by 2.8pc in 2024.
It would also represent a significant challenge to Mr Trump who ran much of his campaign on a promise to boost the economy and tackle the cost of living crisis that many citizens blamed on President Joe Biden.
A recession in the world’s largest economy would send shockwaves across the globe, with China, Mexico, Canada and Germany all likely to struggle given their deep economic links to the US.
Mr Trump campaigned on a promise to impose steep tariffs on imports, including of up to 60pc on China, to tighten the US’s borders and cut taxes while slashing government spending. He has stepped up his rhetoric around tariffs since his election victory last month and appointed Elon Musk to the newly created Department of Government Efficiency. The billionaire has said he hopes to cut $2 trillion of spending.
Mr Mortimer-Lee said Mr Trump’s immigration policies would be the most damaging, given the important role this group plays in the US economy.
He said: “Expelling five million workers could reduce GDP by close to 2.5pc. Since expulsions would continue for years, the reduced rate of growth in GDP would be persistent – not a one-off shock like tariffs.”
Shortages of workers, particularly in migrant-heavy industries such as agriculture, retail and construction, are likely to send wages spiralling and stoke inflation. Mr Mortimer-Lee also warned that tariffs would also stoke inflation.
MY TAKE:
The “Trump Slump”
I’m going to love referring to the upcoming — and expected — recession we are doomed to experience starting sometime in February of 2025 as the “Trump Slump”. It has a ring to it, doesn’t it? The Trump Slump. It’s catchy, and easy to connect.
Whether this will be a “Great Recession” such as the 2007 crash of the banking and housing markets — that will have to be seen. History tells us that much of what Trump is proposing will cause SERIOUS problems socially and economically. If the Soviet Union ever had an ongoing wet dream, it would have been to have a president like Donald J. Trump and is proposed cabinet and ‘advisors’.
But here’s the dealio:
I know that most, if not almost all Democrats won’t admit to it, but we have been heading towards a recession for a while now. We are actually overdue for one. It’s the nature of the beast of Capitalism. If the economy was an engine, consider a ‘recession’ to be the “exhaust stroke”. The engine won’t run without a proper exhaust. (try clogging the exhaust pipe on your car)
So, like it or not, a recession is coming regardless of who won the election last month.
• Whoever is sitting in the Oval Office in 2025 was always going to preside over a recession during their term. You don’t have to be a soothsayer to understand this. You only need to look up a bit of economic history and notice the patterns and triggers. Oh and look at what investment houses are doing.
The bigger question is how soon and how bad will this get? Are we exacerbating a forthcoming recession and making it much worse?
I know one thing: Trump will be blamed for it.
It’s time to sell the U.S. dollar, Morgan Stanley says
Investors are overwhelmingly bullish on the U.S. dollar. In the view of Morgan Stanley’s analysts, that means it’s time to sell.
Morgan Stanley’s analysts, led by David Adams, explained that investors are broadly expecting to see a rise in the value of the U.S. dollar in the foreseeable future, compared to rival currencies including the Euro, the Australian dollar and Britain’s pound.
“Based on our conversations, it seems that consensus has firmly shifted towards a higher DXY
DXY +0.28% for the foreseeable future,” the analysts said in a note called “Time to Sell.”
U.S. dominance over global financial markets has reached extreme levels, pointing to a bubble of epic proportions, according to Ruchir Sharma, chair of Rockefeller International.
In a column in the Financial Times last week, the market expert said investors around the world are putting more money in a single country than ever before.
“Awe of ‘American exceptionalism’ in markets has now gone too far,” warned Sharma, who authored the recent book What Went Wrong With Capitalism.
For example, U.S. companies now account for 70% of the leading global stock index, up from 30% in the 1980s, while the U.S. economy’s share of global GDP is just 27%, he noted.
To be sure, U.S. growth has been more robust than elsewhere lately, and American companies are among the most profitable. But Sharma pointed to other metrics that indicate how out of whack markets have become, even after factoring out the AI boom that has sent a handful of U.S. tech stocks to stratospheric levels.
My Take (Continued):
Not to be beating a dying horse, but when we get an economic sniffle, the rest of the world tends to get a cold. Just like the pandemic by its very definition was global, so too is any recession we experience here in the US is felt all over the planet. When we fart they are certainly going to smell it.
And we have some shartin’ coming up…
The NEW Media
The Rise of Theo Von, the Resident Quipster of Podcasting’s ‘Manosphere’
Comedian Theo Von’s popular podcast brings listeners inside the workings of his mullet-topped head.
Bees are Satan’s little German shepherds.
Spring is that time you can hear flowers start to put deodorant on.
A bridge is just a road that’s…brave as f——.
On “This Past Weekend,” Von has traded laid-back musings with fellow comedians and stars like Rainn Wilson and Post Malone. He has turned some episodes into hourslong therapy sessions, hinting at childhood wounds, addiction and problems with intimacy. His mix of laughter and pain has drawn an audience of 3.4 million on YouTube and made him one of Spotify’s top podcasters.
In August, he talked about drug addiction with Donald Trump—telling the then-presidential candidate “cocaine will turn you into a damn owl homie”—and in an instant, he became the bro heard around the world. Weeks later, Trump ally and Ultimate Fighting Championship Chief Executive Dana White thanked Von among other podcasters on the stage of Trump’s election-night victory celebration.
How a 44-year-old comedian with a thick Louisiana accent came to be an influencer in the U.S. presidential election has no easy answer, in part because Von himself defies a simple explanation.
He is the resident quipster in the so-called manosphere of podcasters who have been central in America’s postelection examination of what led to Trump’s gains among young male voters.
MY TAKE:
Apparently, podcasts are taking over the main source of ‘news’ for the younger generations. I grew up with Walter Cronkite, the splitscreen of Chet Huntley, and David Brinkley, Peter Jennings, etc. I pretty much gave up on TV news sometime around 1980. I’ve given up on cable news for about four years now — and I feel SO much better for it.
The problem is, the more traditional media, such as radio and print are dying out, and in a decade or so, television as we know it will be history. If you can’t get your information on your telephone, you will be out of touch.
Now anyone with a microphone, a camera, and an internet connection can be a ‘podcaster’. In today’s TikTok world, kids are rapidly becoming ‘influencers’ ready to be the source of all the information their audiences eat up.
Get a YouTube Channel and set up your own content. The sky is the limit. There are some VERY GOOD channels out there that are quite entertaining. But I can’t think of any of them that are good NEWS channels. Or even current events channels. Much of that kind of stuff comes from the Russian State (not to be confused with the Russian people) It was interesting to see a lot of that disinformation stuff show up here back when a lot of people were still commenting.
Back when there was someone who wanted to create content here, and not the caretaker of the domain who doesn’t really want to be doing this…
(Hint hint).
I’m getting MY news from comedians myself. That way, I can at least laugh…
Humans may adapt to nuclear fallout someday soon…
The stray dogs have evolved to withstand the intense radiation or Chernobyl, and have taken to their independent lifestyles
CHERNOBYL has transformed wild dogs into radiation hounds who can survive the deadly nuclear fallout, scientists have revealed.
Two stray canine populations have managed to adapt to the uninhabitable conditions in Ukraine for nearly 40 years, transforming man’s best friend into a mutant mongrel.
The study used 500 dogs living around Chernobyl, Ukraine, who have managed to live in the harsh landscape through miraculous generational adaptation.
It is believed that understanding how they survived will help scientists learn more about the health risks involved with radiation.
Experts found there were two main groups of dogs – one living around the power plant and another within Chernobyl city.
Researchers identified 52 genes that could be associated with exposure to the contamination of the nuclear power plant.
All 61 of the nuclear power plant dogs and 52 out of 55 of the Chernobyl city dogs were identified as being at least 10 per cent German Shepherd, according to the study.
Head researcher Dr. Norman J. Kleiman said: “In addition to classifying the population dynamics within these dogs at both locations, we took the first steps towards understanding how chronic exposure to multiple environmental hazards may have impacted these populations.
“Understanding the genetic and health impacts of these chronic exposures in the dogs will strengthen our broader understanding of how these types of environmental hazards can impact humans and how best to mitigate health risks.”
Now for the health care related news everyone is talking about…
For me, this is the ironic part of the news today. UnitedHealthCare turning down my treatment as being ‘experimental’ in favor of something far more expensive and extremely invasive with a worse projected outcome.
Suspect in UnitedHealth Killing Was Ivy Leaguer With Anticapitalist Leanings
Clues emerged that Luigi Mangione had become estranged from some friends—and suffered from chronic pain
ALTOONA, Pa.—The all-out pursuit of the criminal suspect who gripped the public’s imagination for nearly a week ended on Monday at a McDonald’s in central Pennsylvania, not far from the Greyhound bus station in a nondescript part of this town.
A worker there noticed something familiar about a lone customer on Monday morning and called the local police. Soon 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, the subject of a massive manhunt and the man police suspect murdered UnitedHealthcare Chief Executive Brian Thompson in Manhattan last week in a targeted killing, was in custody.
When, at last, he was unmasked—and unhooded—the mystery man at the heart of the brazen and apparently carefully plotted attack was even more of a riddle than expected. Held up as folk hero by some for striking a blow against America’s health insurers, he turned out to be a high-achieving product of elite schools, an affluent Ivy Leaguer who harbored anticapitalist leanings that may have played a role.
A review of his reading diet suggested that, at some point, his ideas about activism had crossed into an interest in violence. In January, he wrote a chilling review on the Goodreads book-review site of Theodore Kaczynski’s “Industrial Society and Its Future,” also known as “The Unabomber Manifesto.” He gave it four stars.
In Mangione’s review, he wrote: “A take I found online that I think is interesting”:
“Had the balls to recognize that peaceful protest has gotten us absolutely nowhere and at the end of the day, he’s probably right…. When all other forms of communication fail, violence is necessary to survive. You may not like his methods, but to see things from his perspective, it’s not terrorism, it’s war and revolution.”
Reviewers slam Pa. McDonald’s after worker tip leads to arrest in CEO killing
Negative online reviews for McDonald’s restaurants in Altoona, Pa. started piling up Monday after an employee called police, leading to the arrest of a customer in connection with the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO.
Negative comments rolled in for at least five different McDonald’s locations listed in Altoona on the Yelp website.
One restaurant that normally received one Yelp review every month or two, received about 100 one-star reviews, the lowest ranking possible, on Monday. Many reviews featured outlandish stories or jokes with political commentary about the killing, which has sparked a nationwide discussion about health insurance companies denying claims.
“This fast food restaurant houses a traitor among its employees,” the first review posted Monday said. “The working class has betrayed humanity.”
Other reviews mentioned finding “rats,” a reference to someone who deserts one’s side or cause.
The person of interest in the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing was carrying a note that said “these parasites had it coming” when he was nabbed, a bombshell report said Monday.
Ivy League graduate Luigi Mangione, 26, was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a McDonald’s worker spotted him eating. When cops searched him they found a ghost gun made on a 3-D printer and a manifesto railing against “corporate America.”
CNN reported that he was carrying a note that said, “I do apologize for any strife or trauma but it had to be done. These parasites had it coming. I acted alone. I’m self-funded.”
The letter said that protest was ineffective and only violence would work, CNN’s chief law enforcement analyst John Miller reported on air.
THE college graduate charged with the murder of a top CEO may have turned “absolutely crazy” after an agonising back surgery, claim pals.
X-ray pictures posted by suspected assassin Luigi Mangione on social media show he suffered with a misaligned spine which was reportedly made severely worse following a surfing accident.
Those looking into the 26-year-old murder suspect have now claimed this serious back injury, that saw screws put into his spine, led to a worrying spiral in the last 12 months.
Former classmates of Mangione have appeared to tell reporters that the surgery went wrong and that this could have driven the Maryland man to the brink.
He was arrested on Monday and charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Chilling footage captured the moment a man believed to be Mangione gunned down Thompson in New York.
THE suspect in the brazen killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was a well-educated, popular student-athlete who finished at the top of his high school class, a former classmate told The U.S. Sun.
Luigi Mangione, 26, was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 280 miles west of the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan where healthcare exec Brian Thompson was gunned down on December 4.
FreeLuigi Trends as Support Surges for CEO Murder Suspect Luigi Mangione
Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man detained in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is garnering a surge of online support following his arrest.
As news spread online Monday that police had arrested a person of interest in the case, thousands of users on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, and Reddit voiced their backing for Mangione. Some have even hailed him as a hero, while others have called for his release.
Police detained Mangione on Monday morning in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a McDonald’s employee recognized him from widely circulated images. Authorities charged him with firearms possession but noted that he remains a “strong person of interest” in Thompson’s murder. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said Mangione was found with a ghost gun, a suppressor, and a manifesto critical of the American healthcare system.
Despite the seriousness of the charges, many on social media users have taken a strikingly flippant stance on the cold-blooded public execution of an American insurance executive, highlighting a consensus among people of all political stripes that the country’s healthcare industry is deeply broken.
After Mangione’s name was released by police, thousands flocked to Mangione’s alleged accounts — @PepMangione on X and @luigi.from.fiji on Instagram — boosting his follower count into the tens of thousands. Supporters have flooded his old posts with messages of encouragement.
MY TAKE:
OMG, as the kids would say. O.M.GEE
This has been a weird story from the get-go. It’s almost as if we were watching the filming of a limited series on Netflix.
We have the twink boy-toy as the main character. He looks like a pin-up centerfold you would find in a teen-girl magazine, not the regular-looking schlub that normally perpetrates such crimes.
In today’s world, this guy has become ‘likeable’, and in some cases, even ‘loveable’.
Look, this guy has a body I’d kill for (figuratively) if I were twenty-something. He had EVERYTHING going for him: wealth, education, security, good looks. He ended up throwing it all away by planning and murdering with intent and purpose another human being by ambush. Any and everything else about the guy is now forever immaterial.
Does he have mitigating factors?
Well there IS that ugly x-ray of those massive screws in his spine, but I can’t see this as an excuse for what this guy did.
I have to say that there have been a couple of times recently when I may have wished UnitedHealthCare would just blow up and go away — but that isn’t any more serious than something you’d see in a cartoon thought bubble. We all secretly wish anvils and pianos might fall on someone that angers us. But up until now, I would assume that most people would be appalled if something like that happened in real life.
BUT I GUESS NOT
There are actually people who are cheering this guy. He has a fan club. Or a few of them. There are #FREEFUCKNOZZLE hashtags for this guy (no, I am not going to put those hashes here — I don’t want to even mention his name.)
He killed a person in premeditation and wait. He took elaborate steps that took time and planning. He might have thought he had an excusing reason for killing the CEO of UnitedHealthCare, but that doesn’t change the BASIC fact: There was no excuse.
Maybe his pain drove him crazy? I know some crazy people who don’t have such a reason, yet they are crazy nonetheless.
It’s sad that he killed someone. It’s sad that he threw his very promising life away. I can say that I’m sad to see him going through all of this — I do have empathy for ‘monsters’ too — but that empathy does not translate to a sense of forgiveness or excuse for what they did. Nor does it grant any kind of clemency.
I said that this whole thing is like the filming of some limited series on Netflix, not real life.
It almost writes itself. I’m waiting for the major plot twist, and we find out that the protagonist had been unwittingly drugged and hypnotized, and sent out to mindlessly shoot his target and escape back to *looking up notes* Pennsylvania, where the police catch up to him due to the keen eye of some random citizen who is SURE this is the guy.
Once in jail, the effects of the drug and/or hypnotism wears off and he starts claiming he doesn’t remember a thing. From there… Well you will have to watch the rest of the series, won’t you?
Okay, the pain is causing me to lay down now…
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