Not everyone who plays with fire is going to be burned. At least not right away. With a little luck, you can play with fire for months at a time without injury.
But eventually? Yeah, you’re gonna be burned.
We’re in a post-legal phase of American life. It used to be that our legal statutes were bright lines in a coloring book: Everyone agreed that you’re not allowed to color outside of these exact lines!
Not anymore.
Because of the hypocrisy and overreach of the left, Republicans in 2024 are utterly unfazed by legal pushback. Just a few years ago, the mere stench of a criminal charge was more than enough to deep-six a politician’s career. Now, an indictment is a badge of honor: it means you pissed off the right people.
In 2024, enough Americans agreed with Republicans that a candidate with 34 felony convictions was elected president via an electoral landslide.
Ironically, the “law and order” holdouts were briefly the ultra-liberal Democrats. The same people who sent money to Antifa, protested cops, and fought to defund the police were the last group in America to insist that crossing this criminal Rubicon was a bridge too far.
Alas, since the days of Teddy Kennedy, the Democrats have had poor luck with bridges.
The killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson had no idea that Joe Biden was planning on pardoning his son, Hunter Biden. According to media reports, the alleged assassin had traveled to New York City and stayed at a hostel for several days. He was always mindful to wear his mask and had a fake New Jersey identification card.
So in some ways, the December 1 pardon of Hunter Biden and the December 4 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson were unrelated. It’s entirely coincidental that he was killed only three days later.
But the reaction from the left is directly tied to this post-legal reality, where nobody believes in the law, trusts the law, or respects the law.
And why follow what you don’t believe, trust, or respect?
Just beneath the periphery of the frontpage, there’s an active campaign on the left to mythologize the grinning assassin — and to transform this cold-blooded murderer into a modern-day Robin Hood. Consider these headlines:
CBS News: UnitedHealthcare CEO death reveals wider outrage over health care system
USA Today: Health insurance CEO murder unleashes Internet vitriol aimed at industry
USA Today (again): The UnitedHealthcare CEO was killed and many had little sympathy. Why?
The Wahington Post: The UnitedHealthcare CEO was killed. Why did some people celebrate?
NPR: After a shocking shooting, Americans vent feelings about health insurance
Daily Mail: UnitedHealthcare CEO’s assassination triggers outpouring of hate directed at health insurance industry
The New York Times: Torrent of Hate for Health Insurance Industry
“And people wonder why we want these executives dead,” posted liberal journalist Taylor Lorenz. Other liberals in academia agreed with her:
Today, we mourn the death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, gunned down.... wait, I'm sorry - today we mourn the deaths of the 68,000 Americans who needlessly die each year so that insurance company execs like Brian Thompson can become multimillionaires.
— Prof Zenkus (@anthonyzenkus) December 4, 2024
When we’re in the midst of a political cycle, it’s tricky to see the forest for the trees. The tempest is too distracting and disorienting. It’s only years later — with the benefit of hindsight — that we can recognize these historic trends for what they are.
So connect the dots and see for yourself: first, Trump was “literally Hitler.” Then he was a “literally a fascist.” There were assassination attempts and nearly a decade of nonstop lawfare. Finally, Republicans and independents had enough and rejected the left, reelecting President Trump (his 34 felonies notwithstanding).
Americans stopped believing in the sanctity of law because the law was contorted and manipulated into a blunt weapon that was used against political opponents.
And today, after Biden broke his word (yet again) and issued a blanket, unconditional pardon of his nitwit kid, the left stopped believing as well: the law means nothing anymore. The final holdouts have stopped holding out.
So why not kill a healthcare CEO?
If you can’t trust the legal process, all that’s left is mob violence. Which is where we’re at: welcome to post-legal America.
The Democrats have created a Frankenstein’s monster. Right now, they’re cheering the mayhem, violence, and destruction — but eventually, the monster will turn on them, too.
Monsters always do.
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