Tomás Ó Flatharta

Political trials, on occasion, are not straight black-and-white events : Guilty or Not Guilty?

In the USA a shooter killed the Chief Executive of a private medical insurance company – a tsunami of mass opposition to a healthcare system which puts greed first, and healthcare second, has erupted.

On this blog Joan McKiernan reviewed this extraordinary political development, prompting Paul Hunter to send us this article
Why Most Americans Blame Insurers for UHC CEO’s Death – Paul Hunter

Hunter sings from Joan McKiernan’s hymn-sheet.

Murder is not to be taken lightly. It should be approached with extreme reverence and care. It means violating the sanctity of life, and it has the potential to cause severe heartache and trauma to those who have been left behind. For that reason, I will affirm that it is wrong. But I will not for one second shed a tear for United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and I’m not alone.

Thompson was gunned down by a masked assassin while on his way to a shareholder meeting in Midtown Manhattan on December 4. A man matching his description, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, was arrested in Pennsylvania five days later.

There can be little doubt as to how Thompson died. The murder was caught on camera. But according to a new poll from  NORC at the University of Chicago, roughly 70% of Americans believe that healthcare coverage from insurance companies like UHC bears at least “a moderate amount” of responsibility for his death. It’s easy to see why.

The full article is below.

But what about the parallel to the case of George Blake? Two anti-war activists, Pat Pottle and Michael Randle, sprung Blake from a London jail in the 1960’s with the help of Seán Bourke, an Irish petty criminal who possessed a spark of pure genius.

Here is the connection with Luigi Mangione : Pottle and Randle stated openly they had organised the escape of George Blake and pleaded Not Guilty on the grounds that their action was justified. It remains to be seen if Luigi Mangione will mount a political and legal defence like this. It is a strategy that Luigi and his attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, should examine carefully.

John Meehan January 5 2025

Link : George Blake – Rebel Verdict