Epstein Files

An acquaintance recently asked me why I haven't posted about the Epstein files, given that is such a huge story, and has been for quite a while. 

To be honest, I am not sure exactly why, although, to be honest, I don't think that Trump is neck deep in Epstein related dirt. Certainly he was a friend, and not just in passing. It is obvious to many that Trump has no moral compass. Using women for play is just one of many flaws in his personal make-up, so I guess I preferred to focus on the danger he represents to our 250 year experiment in democracy.

Perhaps this indicates my own bias in that I consider his attacks on the institutions of our government and the guardrails that have protected our unique form of government more important than his sexual escapades. 

That being said, let me be clear. Jeffrey Epstein provided a service to a group of men who deemed themselves above, not just the law, but above any of the accepted morals of our society. They abused women, many underage girls, because they could, but also because they had a perverted belief that it was something they deserved, something that men of power and money have done throughout history, as Trump testified in his deposition during the E. Jean Carrol assault trial.

As the emails are revealing, Epstein's advice was sought after by many very rich, very powerful, very entitled men, some who sought sexual gratification, and some who sought a way to gain favor with Trump. As these revelations continue to become public, one can only hope that there is some kind of accountability, and not just the loss of one's royal standing. 

Real, hard punishment. And I don't mean prison time. Not that I wouldn't support seeing some of them in orange jumpsuits, but I would much prefer hitting them where it hurts the most. 

Isolation, shunning even, so that they can no longer be the giants of industry or politics that they believe themselves to be. And very, very large fines. Millions of dollars. 

Like the occasional example when the masses boycott certain products, we need those who do business in America to stop doing business with men like this. To set an example that such behavior, such attitudes that place people like that above the law, above responsibility for their sordid actions, will no longer be tolerated. People who engage in sex trafficking, especially when children are involved, and yes Megyn, anyone under 18 is a child, are loathsome indeed. But without the customers, there wouldn't be a business. 

Is it possible that in the future, at least in my lifetime, that the peer pressure of those who consider sex with children a crime that cannot be tolerated, will eliminate underage sex trafficking? Perhaps not, but it can only begin when people ostracize those who participate in the activity, on either side of the equation. One might even say that such a movement, to truly identify and isolate people like this, could enable us to actually claim to be a Christian nation.

Whether Democrat or Republican, Liberal or Conservative, President, ex-President or a woman like Ghislaine Maxwell, they should all be held responsible in ways that do not allow them to be active in everyday society, whether that results in a prison sentence or just by being shut out of our society. Outcasts. If we could somehow make legal the application of a scarlet letter upon their brow to indicate their worthlessness, I would heartily vote for it. 

More importantly, the saga of a man like Jeffery Epstein is a black mark on all of us. He represents greed, and power, and privilege run amok, and while some of it may have been hidden, we all know that the rich and powerful have been playing by different rules for all of history. 

Shame on all of us for believing that rich people are somehow better than us just because of their wealth, regardless of how they accumulated such wealth. We excuse their behavior because they have convinced us, the everyday folks who do all the real work in America, that without them all would be lost. A sort of too big to fail logic applied to people, not just humongous corporations.

Is Trump guilty of ignoring Epstein's horrendous treatment of women? Of course. Not because he may or may not have known about the underage girls but because he accepted, neigh, relished, the idea that men like himself are allowed to engage in such activity. As are all of those whose names are being revealed in the files. They all knew he was a slime ball, but valued his use to them to gain some advantage. 

In some ways, the men who only used him to get sex are less horrible than those who sought his advice to gain political insight or access, although I wouldn't want to be any of them when they face their day of judgement.

Moving forward, I don't expect an email that implicates the current president in the sex trafficking aspect of the scandal. I just can't imagine such an email being released, if not completely redacted so it is impossible to link to Trump.

Of course, it doesn't matter to me. He is as guilty as any and all of the men who partied and associated and sought guidance and ignored Epstein's crimes. While it is certainly ironic that a sex scandal may mark the beginning of our communal break from the spell Trump has cast on so many people, it really needs to be more than just a few men who pay the price for the likes of Jeffrey Epstein.

Whether that occurs, is the real question.