I hope that the blatant push from the media will backfire and get the average right winger to abandon their favorite news sources.

Took me a minute to find it again. Looks like it was taken down from Ticktok but is up on YouTube https://youtu.be/eIVRA_bIjs0

I’m well aware that everyone with a degree from a fancy school isn’t smart or capable. In this case, we’ve seen many examples of the guy’s writing. Moreover, he was valedictorian at his prep school and got an advanced degree in computer science. I think it’s reasonable to conclude that he is smart and well educated.

A defense attorney on tictok made a really convincing argument about the wording being inconsistent with a well educated author. She pointed out examples of convoluted language that read more like an average person trying to create what they think a smart and highly educated person would write. I am now convinced that the manifesto was planted.

He’s rich tho, his lawyer will likely get him bail.

His grandparents are wealthy. His parents may be rich but might not be wealthy (they may or may not be, we only know about the grandfather’s extensive holdings and the expensive schooling).

It may sound like bullshit to people stressed about making rent, but middle aged people worth a few million aren’t wealthy. Like if you’re super lucky you can work for 20-30 years and own a house in or near a major city and have a enough of a retirement or pension to quit working when you’re old and have a reasonable lifestyle. I’m in a mid tier city and even here paying off your house or condo means you’re worth at least 500k. That isn’t “buy a politician” money. That isn’t “live in any country I want because I’m rich enough that everyone gives me citizenship” money. That isn’t “immune from health insurance fuckery” money. That isn’t “get away with murder“ money.

Anyway. A wealthy grandfather may be willing to help out with or pay for schooling. But it’s a coin flip on whether he’s gonna shell out hundreds of thousands or millions for a legal defense (and if he did, would he pull funding if the defense wasn’t to his liking?). From the granddad’s perspective, the kid is a class traitor.

Working in the tech industry isn’t enough money to be immune from worries health care costs. A bad injury or illness can rack up hundreds of thousands or even millions in bills.

A kid who’s been out of school for a few years could maybe have made a few hundred thousand. There are rare unicorns that might get totally insane compensation right out of school but I doubt there are many 26 year olds getting 1 million+ total compensation in tech.

Anyway, making a few hundred thousand a year isn’t poor but when you’re looking at healthcare, political influence or the legal system, that money most certainly isn’t rich.

Wow. She had enough money to live in a million dollar house, send her kids to expensive prep schools but that kind of money is nothing in the face of severe medical expenses in the US of A. It’s worth remembering that if you don’t have 10’s of millions or really hundreds of millions of dollars, you’re a bad medical situation away from physical, mental and financial ruin.

The allegations are that she was hanging out by the stage door after a show. Maybe she wanted an autograph or to meet her idol? But even if she specifically sought out these men because she wanted to have sex with them, and even if her parents were wildly irresponsible, there is no excuse for drugging and raping a child.

The allegations are that J raped her and then Diddy raped her while an unnamed female celebrity watched.

I mean, the technical buying and selling is easy but knowing what to buy and sell and how to time it isn’t obvious. Automatically buying low cost index funds is super easy and generally yields the best outcome for most consumer investors. Managing a balanced portfolio of B corps and the like without taking on too much risk and ending up broke is not trivial.

Also, dividends don’t change the fact that buying stock isn’t investing in a business. Buying stocks is giving the previous owner of the stock some money and maintaining or increasing the value of the stock which impacts executive compensation.

Putting money in the stock market isn’t making it do something productive. It’s not like your average person is able to participate in IPOs and fund some new venture. If I buy shares of company, the company already got the money years ago; I’m just speculating that someone else will want to buy my shares for more in the future. And then if I buy stock in Shell Oil or United Healthcare, that’s pretty evil. But I also don’t have the time and skills to actively manage a portfolio to meet some bare minimum ethical standards.

Is there an ethical way to try and ensure that I will have food, shelter and medical care as I age? In the US we can’t depend on the government safety net. Everyone isn’t as able in their 60’s and 70’s as they were in their 30’s and 40’s, so assuming that I’ll be able to work and make a reasonable income the rest of my life is wildly optimistic. Anyone working at a job for 30+ years shouldn’t be stressed about survival but that’s not reality. Putting money in a savings account at a credit union is good but I don’t think that will move the needle. Any decent pension or retirement plan is gonna put money in the stock market. Even with passive investing in index funds, you’re on of the stock holders that fucks like that UHC CEO was trying to appease. Given the state of the economy in the US today, buying and renting a duplex, triplex or small apartment building might be less evil than owning random stocks.

Miss me with the handwringing and pearl clutching.

Those who excuse or celebrate Mr. Thompson’s killing reveal an ends-justify-the-means sentiment that is flatly inconsistent with stable democracy.

We have not been a stable democracy for quite a while now. It’s fucked that the “newspaper of record” is trying to pretend otherwise.

Regardless of whether the picture is correct, if you think you saw this man, no you didn’t.

The fabric looks different too. Like the shooter’s jacket seems to have a texture like gore-tex and the hostel guy’s jacket seems more like a cotton-poly weave. It’s hard to know for sure with the low quality images, but the colors look really different (and neither is anything close to cream)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3uWj2MpydI