The rich and powerful Jeffrey Epstein is finally being brought to justice for the sex trafficking of minors. Will there be others?

By Mark | July 7, 2019

Early yesterday evening, FBI agents took billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein into custody at his Manhattan townhouse. According to reports in the press, Epstein, who is an admitted sex offender, will be arraigned in federal court tomorrow on sex trafficking charges. This marks a dramatic reversal for the powerful and influential Epstein, who had no doubt thought that, with his 2008 plea deal, in which he agreed to serve 13 months in a work-release program in exchange for admitting that he had solicited an underage girl for prostitution, all of this was behind him. Well, it’s apparently far from over for Epstein, who is now going to face multiple federal charges for having molested, raped, trafficked, and otherwise taken advantage of numerous young women in both Florida and New York.

I won’t get too deep into the background here, but, if you’re interested in knowing more about how Epstein “for years lured teenage girls to his Palm Beach mansion as part of a cult-like sex pyramid scheme,” I’d encourage you to read the reporting of the Miami Herald, whose reporters have done a phenomenal job of talking with Epstein’s victims, explaining how it was that the well-connected investment banker was able, up until now, to get away with just a slap on his wrist, and keeping the story in front of people… allowing for pressure to build, so that these nearly 100 or more young women might finally see justice served.

I know I said I wouldn’t go too deep into Epstein’s crimes, but, just to give you an idea of how he operated, here’s a brief excerpt from a recent article at the Daily Beast.

…Another accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, has long claimed that Epstein and [his partner partner Ghislaine] Maxwell abused minor girls across the country and abroad, and that Epstein loaned his victims out to his famous friends, including [Alan] Dershowitz and Prince Andrew.

Giuffre filed a declaration in 2015 as part of the Crime Victims’ Rights Act suit and detailed Epstein’s alleged sex ring. She said she met Epstein in 1999 after Maxwell approached her during her summer job at Mar-a-Lago. She was 15 years old.

Maxwell allegedly offered Giuffre professional training in massages. But when Giuffre arrived at Epstein’s Palm Beach home, she was allegedly forced into sexual activity with the billionaire and would become trapped in his web.

She said that when she began “working” for Epstein, he flew her to New York on his private jet and molested her at his Manhattan mansion. “I was trained to be ‘everything a man wanted me to be,’” Giuffre said in the declaration. “It wasn’t just sexual training—they wanted me to be able to cater to all the needs of the men they were going to send me to.”

Maxwell and Epstein allegedly ordered Giuffre to pay attention to what the men wanted, so she could report back to them. Giuffre said she traveled with Epstein from 1999 through the summer of 2002, to his homes in New York, New Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Paris, France.

“I had sex with him often in these places and also with the various people he demanded that I have sex with,” Giuffre stated. “Epstein paid me for many of these sexual encounters. In fact, my only purpose for Epstein, Maxwell and their friends was to be used for sex.”

Giuffre added that “Epstein had sex with underage girls on a daily basis” and that his interest in minor girls was “obvious” to those in his orbit. His code word for this abuse was “massage,” and Maxwell would often have sex with the victims, too, Giuffre claimed…

Speaking of Epstein’s “loaning” of girls to his powerful friends, here’s a photo of Giuffre with Prince Andrew, whom she says Epstein directed her to have sex with. [That’s Maxwell smiling behind them.]

Given that Epstein was a friend of Donald Trump’s, and that Trump’s Labor Secretary, Alexander Acosta, was the man who, as U.S. Attorney in 2008, had arranged for the billionaire pedophile to stay out of prison instead of getting a life-sentence, you can be sure this case is going to have political ramifications. And, right now, everyone is speculating as to how many well-known individuals may go down with Epstein.

In addition to Prince Andrew, there are allegations that Epstein also provided girls for his friend and attorney, Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz. And, of course, there’s Donald Trump, who, in 2002, called Epstein a “terrific guy,” who he’s known for 15 years. Donald Trump went on to say of Epstein, “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It’s even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do. And many of them are on the younger side.” I’m not aware of any specific allegations concerning Trump relative to Epstein’s criminal sexual enterprise, but who knows what may come up as this case evolves, and we hear more about the powerful men Epstein sought to curry favor with… It’s common knowledge, for instance, that former president Bill Clinton has flown on Epstein’s private jet, nicknamed the “Lolita Express” by members of the press, several times.

I’d like to think that it would go without saying, but I don’t care whether or not this investigation takes down Clinton or any other prominent Democrats. I only care that the truth comes out. And my hope is that every single person who either participated in these activities, or aided Epstein in this sex trafficking enterprise of his, is brought to justice… And I do think that, by the time all of this is done, others will be facing charges. As former National Security Agency analyst and counterintelligence officer John Schindler just recently shared on Twitter, there’s every reason to believe that Epstein kept records.

Posted in Civil Liberties, Corporate Crime, Other, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 242 Comments

Donald Trump’s hijacking of the 4th of July: Armored Vehicle Edition

By Mark | July 4, 2019

We’ve known for quite a while that Donald Trump has wanted to preside over a public display of what he perceives to be “his” military force. He’s said as much publicly. In the past, though, there have always been people, like Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, who have stood in the way, and kept him from acting on his plans. Well, today, with almost every non-Trumpist banished from the Republican Party, and no real Secretary of Defense at the helm, Donald Trump has finally gotten his way. As I write this, there are tanks lined up in front of the Lincoln Memorial, and military jets are preparing to fly overhead as Donald Trump addresses the nation in yet another enormous break with history and tradition.

Earlier today, I was in the car with the kids, and I was trying to explain to them why it was that U.S. presidents have historically been reticent to preside over displays of military might, and why no president since 1951 has addressed the nation on the Fourth of July from the Mall, when Harry Truman delivered remarks on the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. “It’s just not something we’ve done in this country,” I told them. “We don’t, as a rule, use members of the military as props here in America, and the Fourth of July has historically been a holiday celebrated by everyone, regardless of political persuasion, relatively free from politics.” But all of that is changing today, as Donald Trump prepares to walk out in front of the Lincoln Memorial and discuss how he, as our leader, has “made America great again,” as fighters fly overhead.

The White House has guaranteed that Trump’s remarks would be non-political, and that he wouldn’t be treating this like just another one of his infamous rallies, but I suspect he may not be able to help himself. The temptation of going off on a tangent about how Democratic leaders and members of the free press are “enemies of America,” while members of the MAGA hat-wearing audience shout out “lock her up,” I think, may be too much.

A few years ago, on the Fourth of July, the family and I were in DC, and we watched the festivities on television from the basement of my aunt’s house in the suburbs. We thought of going to listen to the classical music, and watch the fireworks in person, but we were just too tired after a day of sightseeing… It’s just so amazing what’s happened since then, and the degree to which things have continued to slide toward authoritarianism… One hesitates to think what July 4, 2020 might look like, and whether there may be flags emblazoned with Trump’s face flying around the Mall.

Oh, and worse yet… not only did Donald Trump hijack a national holiday to make it about himself, but, in doing so, he essentially reallocated federal funds for the purposes of what is pretty much a campaign event. [I can’t wait to see the footage of him on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, with the fighters overhead, tart to show up on his campaign ads.] The Washington Post reported yesterday that “the National Park Service is diverting almost $2.5 million in fees — primarily intended to improve U.S. parks — to cover some of the costs associated with the event.” And, as you can see in the photo above, it’s not an event that’s open to all Americans. The Republican National Committee is just distributing tickets to Trump supporters… Here’s our friend Elizabeth Warren with the facts.

And that’s not all. It’s also looking as though Trump may have rolled back proposed tariffs on Chinese fireworks in order to get the Ohio-based company, Phantom Fireworks, to provide free fireworks for this event of his… Another impeachable offense.

update: OK, Trump just spoke, telling his fans who showed up for this taxpayer-funded event that, during the Revolutionary War, we won, at least in part, because we “took over the airports.”

Oh, and here’s one more thing. I really wish that someone would have acted on this idea of mine and set up free super-patriotic bone spur screening tents around the Mall yesterday.

Posted in History, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Rick Snyder, the man responsible for the Flint water crisis, lands at Harvard, and people are rightfully outraged

By Mark | July 3, 2019

This past weekend, it was announced that former Michigan Governor Rick “let’s throw an opulent secret birthday party for my wife while people are dying in Flint” Snyder had been named a senior fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School. And, as you might imagine, this didn’t sit well with some of us who remember his aggressively inhuman approach to leadership… Before we get into the response to this most recent announcement, however, I’d like to start with the following excerpt from New York Magazine, which does a pretty good job of succinctly retelling the story of the deadly Flint water crisis.

…Snyder is infamous for presiding over the Flint water crisis and its mishandling, which was set in motion when the city switched water sources from Lake Huron and the Detroit River to the Flint River to cut costs. The Flint River was contaminated and officials failed to treat it properly to mitigate the effects. As a consequence, the water corroded many of the city’s pipes, releasing elevated lead levels into the taps of thousands of Flint residents and causing an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease that infected 90 people and killed 12.

Snyder was responsible for appointing the head of Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality, who ensures water safety statewide, and the emergency manager who oversaw the city when Flint’s water source was switched in 2014. The former governor also appears to have lied about when he first became aware that Flint’s water was unsafe. His administration did not implement emergency procedures until months after they knew about the crisis, while officials continued to insist that the water was safe despite its foul odor, rust color, and the fact that it was causing hair loss and rashes in people who bathed in it…

Now, as for the response to Harvard’s announcement that Snyder would be joining the Kennedy School’s Taubman Center for State and Local Government as a senior fellow… I guess you could say that it has not been kind. Take, for instance, the bitingly sarcastic headline at the top of this post, which comes from Boston NPR affiliate, WBUR. And, perhaps more significant, Harvard alumni and others have been taking to social media to post beneath the #NoSnyderFellowship hashtag.

To date, however, it doesn’t seem to have made much of a difference. One Harvard official told WBUR that “despite his failings, Snyder — a fiscal conservative from the Midwest — brings life experience and perspective to a campus that might otherwise have a liberal or coastal skew.” And I guess that’s what it all comes down to. Harvard feels it necessary, given the current political environment, to have Republicans on the campus, and Snyder, sadly, is the best contemporary example they could find. Just think about that for a minute. Rick Snyder, who put policies in place that left dozens of his constituents sick and dead, is the most palatable conservative from our modern era that Harvard could find.

Here, if you’re interested in getting involved, is information on how to contact Harvard, as well as a video of Wayne State PhD candidate Kaitlin Popielarz leaving a message, to show you how it’s done.

For what it’s worth, when I first heard about this appointment of Snyder’s, my immediate reaction wasn’t one of disgust at the thought that Harvard would bring our former Governor onboard as someone who, according to them, was known for “promoting civility.” [Can you believe that? I wonder if they know about the lame duck assaults against the people of Michigan that he gladly participated in.] No, my first thought, as I shared on Twitter at the time, was that this was the kind of honor that someone must have paid to make happen. I mean, why else, would Harvard go though this, right?

Well, I don’t want to go down the conspiratorial rabbit hole, but according to the Detroit News, Harvard’s Taubman Center for State and Local Government was started with a $15M grant from wealthy Michigander A. Alfred Taubman, the billionaire mall-developer. [Taubman, as you may recall, was found guilty in 2002 of price-fixing at Sotheby’s, the auction house that he’d purchased in the early ’80s.] OK, I don’t know that the Taubman family necessarily loves Snyder. And I don’t know, even if they did, whether or not they’d still hold any sway over the management of the Taubman Center for State and Local Government. [Taubman died in 2015, at which point Snyder, by the way, shared a eulogy about his “kindness.”] I don’t see that any of Taubman’s children presently serve on the the advisory board, and, even if they did, it’s unlikely that the university would give too much consideration based on $15M investment in the ’80s, but I still think it’s an interesting question. As Snyder left office without much in the way of prospects, is it possible that the Taubmans, or someone else, interceded on his behalf to get him a plum spot at Harvard? Maybe someone with more time that me could submit a few FOIA requests and see what comes up.

update: Well, it looks like he’s dropped out, blaming the “a lack of civility” in our “current political environment.” I guess it’s his opinion that this had very little to do with his having led a government that wrested control away from its minority citizens, implementing ill-conceived measures that cost many of them their lives, and more to do with political tribalism. Well, I guess he’ll have the rest of his life, undistracted by the demands of a job, to think about it.

Posted in Education, Michigan, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

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