The US health fund CEO’s murderer’s mistakes

The perfect crime is the one not committed

Background: Healthcare reimbursement denial is the leading cause of bankruptcies in the US. The insurers have just one goal: to make money.

Armchair therapists will tell us that it was almost as if the suspect ‘wanted to be caught to tell his story.’ Not true. He made a whole slew of mistakes because he acted as a loner and was not trained by a crime organization.

His mistakes in reverse order chronologically and of seriousness:

8. Having his gun and manifesto with him suggests he was going to try a next assassination. It seems he thought you can just do this on the fly. Very smart people often get through school easily without putting in the hard work and discipline that most students need to show, leaving them lazy.

7. He assumed he could solve his loneliness by reading in an Altoona McDonald’s at 9:14 am. What chance would someone recognize him? Yet, one employee proved enough. Overconfidence was not his friend here.

6. He thought his only task was to avoid law enforcement. He forgot that killing a human being in cold blood changes you. You feel lonely and need to talk, while you also need to avoid everyone for fear of recognition.

5. At his arrest, he had on him a handwritten 2-sheet document reasoning why this ‘had to be done.’ He may have been so naïve (‘intelligent’) to believe he could scare all healthcare heads into submission. For conviction, it only needs to be proved he was the murderer. The defense’s attempt to sow doubt is clearly undermined by this manifesto. Online proof of his favorite reading material is the last nail in his coffin (life without parole).

4. He lowered his mask at the request of the front desk worker at the hostel where he stayed, which was captured by a surveillance camera. He may have done so because he felt so lonely with his plan. Also, a rich, 26-year-old, 6-pack, violent genius without even a partner is for me an Incel until proven he’s not. His extended family should be questioned for not reporting him to the police or FBI after his pictures were published.

3. He left a burner phone and a water bottle at the crime scene, giving detectives half a fingerprint and DNA. Murder is like sex; you never forget your first time because it is such a break with the past, so you err.

2. He assumed he could get away with murder. Most crimes are solved; what made him think this time was different? Possibly arrogance. That would not be surprising since he’s a valedictorian and Ivy League graduate. He seems a follower of the Unabomber, but he was caught too.

1. He assumed the best option he had was to murder. He should have used his energy and awareness to organize politically to stop the sucking dry of the US People. Murder won’t solve anything. ‘They had it coming’ suggests anger—a very bad advisor for big discussions. It doesn’t sound like he knew to check his feelings at the door. ‘Peaceful protest got us nowhere’ is a grave mistake. There are all kinds of alternatives between murder and peaceful protests, like loud activism and mobilizing politicians.

It is my habit not to name murderers since they might have sought fame and stardom, which I don’t want to give them. Especially because the murder led to a lot of online hurrahs from US health industry victims.

About the Author

MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. * As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. * This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2000 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog, to which one may subscribe too, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. * Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. * Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. * Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. * He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. * He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. * He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. * His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. * To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. * His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1