UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson was shot to death outside a New York City hotel Wednesday morning in what police said was a planned and targeted attack. The 50-year-old CEO was shot multiple times by a masked gunman who was waiting outside the Hilton Hotel on Sixth Avenue, where Mr. Thompson was hosting an investor meeting. His wife said Thompson had received threats, and the shell casings recovered at the crime scene were hand-engraved with personal messages: “Reject,'' “Expel,'' and “Defend.''
This gruesome event raises serious concerns not only about security, but also about growing disillusionment and anger in our society.
We must resist the temptation to take shortcuts to justice. Instead, we need to demand better from our leaders, our organizations, and ourselves.
I have been warning for years about the potential for chaos when people lose faith in institutions. I vividly remember him saying on Fox News in 2010 that the very people who make today's revolutionary rhetoric possible would one day be dragged into the streets by mobs and bludgeoned to death on live television. I remember it.
It sounded dramatic at the time. Now that feels prophetic.
purpose of government
The erosion of faith in our institutions is largely due to our willful disregard for the very purpose of government. Unlike governments throughout history, our government was not designed simply to enforce the law or keep the peace. The Declaration of Independence boldly asserts that governments are established among men to protect our unalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights are not granted by the Crown, Parliament, or courts. they are unique.
The founders understood what was important. When governments become hostile to those rights, when they suppress rather than protect, what replaces them is not only rights but also citizens' obligations. But the declaration also offers a sober warning: people often prefer to endure suffering rather than risk the unknown.
This principle resonates deeply with me. As a recovering alcoholic, I know the temptation to follow the devil. I had lived in the pain of addiction for years, fearing that getting sober would only expose my worst fears. But when the pain became unbearable, I was forced to take the plunge.
America is at a similar tipping point.
Pain makes change, but it has to be legal
We live in a time of immense collective suffering, exacerbated by COVID-19, economic instability, and systemic corruption. As we witnessed in this election, many Americans are willing to embrace the unknown. Groups on the left moved across the aisle to support Donald Trump. That drive is both an expression of despair and an opportunity for renewal.
But it's also dangerous. The Declaration of Independence was never a call for mob violence or vigilante justice. It was a framework for legal and peaceful change. America's founders understood that revolutions driven by hatred and chaos do not preserve justice, but destroy it.
When organizations fail and don't make mistakes, they have Failed. It's easy to see why people turn to violence as an outlet for their anger. Marxist revolutionaries, anarchists, and disillusioned citizens will be tempted to act as judge, jury, and executioner. We've seen this before in history, from the French Revolution to the riots after the death of George Floyd.
But let me ask you: Is it justice to shoot someone in the street? How does justice work even if the victim is guilty, for example, if the victim is murdered by a corrupt pharmaceutical executive who exploits the vulnerable?
Justice is not about revenge. It's about accountability. It requires evidence, due process and fairness. Meanwhile, mob justice tears apart the fabric of our society. It replaces the rule of law with chaos and ensures that no one, rich or poor, is truly safe.
A dangerous pattern emerges
The murder of Brian Thompson may be just the beginning of a disturbing trend. As trust in the system erodes, more people will take matters into their own hands, targeting pharmaceutical executives, medical leaders and others they see as symbols of corruption. This is not justice. It's anarchy disguised as justice.
If we give in to this way of thinking, we will lose the very principles that make America worth defending. The strength of our country lies in reasoned debate, lawful protest, and tackling a system where justice is blind.
We must resist the temptation to take shortcuts to justice. Instead, we need to demand better from our leaders, our organizations, and ourselves. The pain we feel as a nation is real, but if treated constructively it can lead to meaningful reform.
The Declaration of Independence gave us a blueprint, a vision to build something bigger instead of tearing everything apart. It is up to us to follow that example carefully, rationally, and carefully.
This is not just one man's tragic death. It depends on whether we uphold the principles of justice or fall into chaos. The choice is ours.
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