I'm not sure we can say at what point the rule of law was abandoned for aristocracy in the US but this is absolute proof that it has happened. The Sackler family is conclusively and directly responsible for at least 18,000 deaths in the united states and instead of complete seizure of their entire assets and life in prison we let them keep 70% of their fortune and give them a "do better next time pat on the head".
I don't want to hear that the cases weren't strong enough blah blah. In the next room we just extradited a guy from the UK for copying bits. There is no longer rule of law, if there was the will there would be flash bangs and some parallel construction that could easily accomplish whatever level of justice was desired.
> The Sackler family is conclusively and directly responsible for at least 18,000 deaths in the united states
Do you have a good source for this? I'm genuinely curious. I've heard about the opioid crisis and Purdue Pharma but not this particular family. I see that they were on the board of Purdue. How were they directly connected to the deaths?
In 1952, the Sackler brothers bought a small patent-medicine company, Purdue Frederick, which was based in Greenwich Village and made such unglamorous staples as laxatives and earwax remover.
According to court documents, each brother would control a third of the company, but Arthur, who was occupied with his publishing and advertising ventures, would play a passive role. The journalist Barry Meier, in his 2003 book, “Pain Killer: A ‘Wonder’ Drug’s Trail of Addiction and Death,” remarks that Arthur treated his brothers “not as siblings but more like his progeny and understudies.”
Now Raymond and Mortimer, who became joint C.E.O.s, had a company of their own.
...
Richard Sackler worked tirelessly to make OxyContin a blockbuster, telling colleagues how devoted he was to the drug’s success.
I don't want to hear that the cases weren't strong enough blah blah. In the next room we just extradited a guy from the UK for copying bits. There is no longer rule of law, if there was the will there would be flash bangs and some parallel construction that could easily accomplish whatever level of justice was desired.