Late Stage Capitalism

(Verse 1) When the kids hit the floor, but they ask us for more, That's Amer'ca. When the lives of the poor are ignored by the law, That's Amer'ca.

(Chorus) Watch them plead, watch them die, while the courts close an eye, That's Amer'ca. If the rich man falls, then the gallows will call, That's Amer'ca.

(Verse 2) You can slaughter a class, and they’ll let it all pass, That's Amer'ca. But for one CEO, they’ll demand death row, That's Amer'ca.

(Chorus) Where the guilty walk free, and the children just bleed, That's Amer'ca. If your crime’s against power, you’re gone in an hour, That's Amer'ca.

(Bridge) It’s a system of lies where the powerless die, And their screams hit the sky, unanswered, denied, That’s Amer’ca.

(Outro) So remember the game, it’s a broken refrain, That's Amer'ca. When a life’s worth is weighed by the dollars displayed, That's Amer'ca.

The law isn't about morality or social good or promoting the general order; it's about power and who wields it. The law is fundamentally a vehicle through which those who stand atop social hierarchies can command, exploit, and do violence to those less powerful. A CEO can kill tens of thousands of Americans every year with a pen and that isn't murder: a coal company can poison generations and that isn't murder: a police department can force homeless people to flee from place to place until they die from exposure and that isn't murder. The law exists to protect and promote the interests of the powerful, because that is what legal systems are designed to do.

It's a bit absurd to me to compare the charges to the end result.

What are some examples of school shooters in a capital punishment state (or who were charged federally) whose prosecutors did not try to pursue a death sentence?

If they kill him, this is it.

The January 6th insurrection of 2020 was orchestrated and led by Donald Trump. Several nobodies have been charged and imprisoned over their miniscule contributions to the attack on our government. But the ringleader, the orchestrator, the figurehead behind it all faced no charges, no consequences, and was just reappointed to the highest office in the land. We don't need Luigi to see that there is no justice inherent in the system. Justice is blind (to the misdeeds of the wealthy).

People keep parroting this statement. I'm so confused because it does not hold up to any scrutiny.

If you think for 5 seconds, school shooters aren't charged with the death penalty because they overwhelmingly kill themselves or die during the shooting. They are also usually children, which might get them more lenient sentences.

This type of surface level logic just makes the supporting side look bad. There are far better comparisons to draw from

The main purpose of law enforcement is to protect property, but their second job is to protect the wealthy. So if someone manages to harm the wealthy, they take that personally.

~~The Justice Department~~

The Just Us Department

I'm still trying to figure out where the federal jurisdiction is in a simple murder, it's not a serial thing, a hate crime, or a crime conducted across state lines. Could the federal government really just be charging anyone with simple murder?

I wonder if the next shooter, if they survive the attack, will also be paraded around the same way. Hopefully we find out sooner than later.

They hanged John Brown too.

Source for anyone interested. I was initially confused since New York got rid of the death penalty decades ago, but it's from a new federal charge I hadn't seen yet.

As far as I can find they haven't officially said they're pursuing the death penalty for this charge just that this charge is eligible for it. I see no other reason for it though.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/dec/19/luigi-mangione-eligible-death-penalty-new-federal-/

There is a sickness in blind faith to hierarchy.

There is fallacy in the belief that things rightfully live above others.

There is madness in the mind who puts such weight of importance on a single individual whom, before his death, most did not know his name.

He was man, not a god, and he had to be shown that.