"And so the word “unclassified” slipped into the resolution and nobody even questions the implications of including a national security term where it has no place."
Also from Tracey's piece that you linked:
"And it was Edwards who advised Massie and Khanna on crafting the language of their “Epstein Files” legislation. Which, let’s remember, does not provide for the full disclosure of “Epstein Files.” In fact, it expressly does the opposite. It carves out massive exceptions that allow the Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to continue concealing a huge cross-section of records in perpetuity, if she can claim the records somehow impinge on the “privacy” of purported victims (including Virginia Roberts Giuffre) — or if they somehow run afoul of US “national defense or foreign policy,” whatever the heck that means."
In reference to Bradley Edwards, attorney for some of the victims.
I wonder how much this has to do with foreigners' names being in the files. Epstein dealt with all kinds of people likely many of whom are in the arms trade or some such. How many other prominent Israelis are in there besides Ehud Barak?
“The absurd lack of transparency by the government is a big reason for the prevalence of conspiracy theories. When the government is hiding something, people are naturally going to assume the worst.”
These two sentences are so concise but still go so hard.
Further, "conspiracy theorists" (more specifically SCAD* and financial crimes) are proven correct time after time. If anything, the truth is often worse than the fiction.
*SCAD - state crimes against democracy, as in the JFK case, Gulf of Tonkin, MLK, etc. I don't buy into the "chemtrails" and weather modification stuff (no way any current technology can meaningfully affect most weather events), etc.
I knew when Trump seemed to capitulate last night that there had to be an out.
Ok, American people, here is your chance to stand up and create an uproar such as we, at least those old enough, haven't seen since the Vietnam War days. If there is anything that can put up in bright lights that we are not a country of political equals, but a country dedicated to protect the 1%, this is it. If there is not an uproar then we are truly unworthy to be called a democratic country and are a subservient obedient mass of consumers who exist to increase the wealth of the powerful few.
The litany of successes in the last 50 years of the 1% over we the people is very long, after every one of which we the people have been essentially supine. This tops everything that has come before. Will we be true to form? Will we stand for yet another slap in our faces?
Were Massie and Khanna truly courageous, they would have made this "out" known to all before allowing the bill to be presented. True national security has not been threatened since the arrest of Jonathan Pollard, hero of Israel, released to live there at Israel's request.
Has anyone seen news of this beyond Ken's reporting? I suspect the answer is no.
By allowing the President to invoke national security and/or national emergency, Congress has yielded all its power to the President. Today's Congress is little more than public theater.
Given how much more arbitrary executive leadership has grown in the years since then, this pattern of deference seems increasingly poised to not only degrade democracy, but also to invite the full blown autocracy to which Trump aspires. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/the-rise-of-the-fragile-tough-guy
I’ll say it again. The Epstein files, in their entirety, will never see the light of day. By adding the word “unclassified”, Massie and Khanna gave the government an out. This is good stuff, Ken. Unfortunately, you confirm what I’ve been saying for years.
Come on, with all the crap the administration is hitting us with, they should at least entertain us with bare assed pics of Clinton, Trump and all the other peds and pervs running our country
Well done. Thanks for being on the ball for us. Great reporting.
glad you found it helpful, crispy!
I would argue that in fact this does impact national security.....Israel's.
"And so the word “unclassified” slipped into the resolution and nobody even questions the implications of including a national security term where it has no place."
Also from Tracey's piece that you linked:
"And it was Edwards who advised Massie and Khanna on crafting the language of their “Epstein Files” legislation. Which, let’s remember, does not provide for the full disclosure of “Epstein Files.” In fact, it expressly does the opposite. It carves out massive exceptions that allow the Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to continue concealing a huge cross-section of records in perpetuity, if she can claim the records somehow impinge on the “privacy” of purported victims (including Virginia Roberts Giuffre) — or if they somehow run afoul of US “national defense or foreign policy,” whatever the heck that means."
In reference to Bradley Edwards, attorney for some of the victims.
I wonder how much this has to do with foreigners' names being in the files. Epstein dealt with all kinds of people likely many of whom are in the arms trade or some such. How many other prominent Israelis are in there besides Ehud Barak?
I’m unaware of other Israelis, but Glenn Greenwald brought up something interesting on his podcast yesterday.
I guess Noam Chomsky and Lula (president of Brazil) were quite close.
Lula had been imprisoned on some bogus charges in Brazil.
Chomsky visited Lula in prison, and while there, Chomsky was on the phone with Epstein.
Glenn saw this info in some of the email dumps.
Who the heck was this Epstein guy?
“The absurd lack of transparency by the government is a big reason for the prevalence of conspiracy theories. When the government is hiding something, people are naturally going to assume the worst.”
These two sentences are so concise but still go so hard.
Really great article!
Further, "conspiracy theorists" (more specifically SCAD* and financial crimes) are proven correct time after time. If anything, the truth is often worse than the fiction.
*SCAD - state crimes against democracy, as in the JFK case, Gulf of Tonkin, MLK, etc. I don't buy into the "chemtrails" and weather modification stuff (no way any current technology can meaningfully affect most weather events), etc.
I knew when Trump seemed to capitulate last night that there had to be an out.
Ok, American people, here is your chance to stand up and create an uproar such as we, at least those old enough, haven't seen since the Vietnam War days. If there is anything that can put up in bright lights that we are not a country of political equals, but a country dedicated to protect the 1%, this is it. If there is not an uproar then we are truly unworthy to be called a democratic country and are a subservient obedient mass of consumers who exist to increase the wealth of the powerful few.
The litany of successes in the last 50 years of the 1% over we the people is very long, after every one of which we the people have been essentially supine. This tops everything that has come before. Will we be true to form? Will we stand for yet another slap in our faces?
Were Massie and Khanna truly courageous, they would have made this "out" known to all before allowing the bill to be presented. True national security has not been threatened since the arrest of Jonathan Pollard, hero of Israel, released to live there at Israel's request.
Has anyone seen news of this beyond Ken's reporting? I suspect the answer is no.
By allowing the President to invoke national security and/or national emergency, Congress has yielded all its power to the President. Today's Congress is little more than public theater.
yeah, total joke
Except it's not funny and we still have to pay for it.
don't think the founders anticipated one of the branches of government voluntarily giving up their power
Congress is an arms dealer.
As if policymakers deferring to faux “national security” concerns were not bad enough, even reporters—who are ethically committed to independence from the government—routinely defer to them. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/journalism-has-fueled-the-rise-of
That’s how Bush ended up invading Iraq & Afghanistan, creating an unconstitutional surveillance state, and adopting torture as state policy 20 years ago. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/closing-the-barn-doors-after-all
Given how much more arbitrary executive leadership has grown in the years since then, this pattern of deference seems increasingly poised to not only degrade democracy, but also to invite the full blown autocracy to which Trump aspires. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/the-rise-of-the-fragile-tough-guy
I’ll say it again. The Epstein files, in their entirety, will never see the light of day. By adding the word “unclassified”, Massie and Khanna gave the government an out. This is good stuff, Ken. Unfortunately, you confirm what I’ve been saying for years.
Come on, with all the crap the administration is hitting us with, they should at least entertain us with bare assed pics of Clinton, Trump and all the other peds and pervs running our country
lmao
This is great stuff!
Thanks Nan! :)