[godelski]

  > We'd all do well to be mindful of the mistake of losing sight of the reason behind the massive support for Mangione's actions.

This is what I fear the most. It creates an ideological divide. Those who seem his action as justified do have reason to hold their beliefs. The justice system often fails people and we often hear and feel more and more these days. It is not about statistics, it is about "the vibe." At the same time, those who do not feel his actions are justified (myself included) have reason for their side too. Both sides have evidence and the truth is that the decisions are being based on different criteria. It's not even that we often disagree with the facts (of course, we often do too), but more that we care more or less about certain things. And if we can't at least understand why others have made their decisions, at least understand why others feel a certain way, then we have no hope of solving any of these problems that we both seem to care about.

What I fear is that while screaming that vigilantism isn't ever justified, that this very same act justifies it.