The Epstein Files Are Providing a Reality Check for Americans About the State of the Republic and For Conservative Evangelical Christians About the State of Their Church

The last time a scandal of the magnitude of the Epstein files rocked Washington, D.C., it was following the revelation of the break in at the Democratic headquarters in the Watergate Hotel.  I was in high school when that happened, and it provided a lot of current events material for us.  What I recall about it was the genuine sense of disgust and horror over the implications of having a corrupt President holding to the powers of the executive branch.  To me, things seemed to move glacially, with the televised hearings, but there was a sense of urgency and once the investigation got rolling, things actually moved pretty fast.  

Much has changed since then, including the length of time between knowledge of the extent of Epstein's crimes being revealed, along with who was directly involved, and the launching of investigations producing the documentation we now call the "Epstein Files."  Gone is the sense of urgency to complete an investigation and resolve the issues that surround it.  These are people with a lot of money and this is America in the 21st century.  The enforcement of laws and the power of investigations can be altered by enough money and influence.  These people can pay to make sure justice never happens, and we are seeing that unfold right before our very eyes.  

Will any of the perpetrators and conspirators involved in Epstein's highly illegal, despicable, and morally bankrupt enterprise ever be brought to justice?  I doubt it.  Epstein himself is dead and if there is a hell, I hope he is roasting in it.  No one else directly involved seems to be getting what they deserve.  

There Are Americans Seeking Justice for the Victims

I'm not sure that the attention this thing is getting is attracting the outrage it deserves.  Since we no longer have a free press in this country, it's hard to get accurate information anymore, especially not mixed with sensationalism or partisan tampering.  Compared to Watergate, if we were back in the 1970's, we'd already have seen the resignations of a good chunk of the cabinet, particularly Bondi, over the way the Justice Department has botched, and botched again, the handling of the files.  Howard Lutnik, who is apparently involved in a compromising manner, would also be gone.  The Speaker of the House, because of his attempts to shove everything under the rug, would have been ousted and Republican members of Congress would be pressuring the President to resign and leave the country.  

Kash Patel, the FBI director, would also be gone, and the list of associates at both the FBI and in the Justice Department who knowingly abetted the incompetence would already have been given their last check and sent on their way.  

The fact that none of this has happened,  these people, along with a long list of Epstein's other billionaire friends who happily posed for photos with him and engaged in his "business enterprise," are still walking around free, is a sign of the complete moral decay of the United States.  And while there is plenty of outrage, and there are people demanding accountability, there is too much apathy and way too much deliberate ignorance preventing these matters from being brought to justice.  Conservative partisanship is causing the rapid erosion of historic American values.  And what is happening with the Epstein files is an egregious example of the accuracy of this statement.. 

The Moment of Reckoning for Conservative Evangelicalism Has Arrived

We have seen the hypocrisy, the chase after worldly wealth and power, and the collapse of any claims to being a faithful, "Bible-believing, gospel preaching" church that has occurred among a good chunk of those who self-identify as conservative Evangelicals.  Leaders like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson promoted monumental hypocrisy when they saw the beginning of decline set in to their movement, and so they abandoned their belief in the power of God's Holy Spirit to chase after political power and the power that comes with wealth while trying to disguise that as some kind of Christian "revival."  

In order to get what they are after, they have had to embrace a long, long,  long list of anti-Christian beliefs and practices and they've had to suck up to political leaders who didn't have a clue about the Christian gospel, or Christian doctrine and practice.  They have yet to embrace and support one of their own as a candidate for the Presidency, supporting Reagan, a new age cultist, over Jimmy Carter, a genuine conservative Evangelical and sincere believer and practicer of the gospel preached by Jesus.  They embraced George H. W. Bush, a liberal Episcopalian, over Bill Clinton, a card carrying, choir and orchestra member of a Southern Baptist church.  And they took Mitt Romney, a Mormon, whose church they believe is a cult, over Barack Obama, a member of a historically black congregation.  

And now, they've gone all out for a convicted rapist, misogynyst, morally bankrupt, accused child molester who is the most frequently mentioned name in all aspects of the Epstein files and who has openly rejected conservative Evangelical theology, doctrine and practice.  They are apparently going to continue to remain silent in the face of what will slowly be revealed as one of the most despicable, horrifically satanic things that has ever happened in the United States as it swallows up the President and everyone else mentioned as participants in Epstein's abuse, because they can't seem to come to grips with the fact that their endorsement and support was a gigantic mistake. 

I've known for a long time that the theology, doctrine and practice that falls under self-described conservative Evangelicalism is false.  We've had our attention focused on the long running Catholic scandals of clergy sexual abuse of children while several conservative Evangelical denominations, along with numerous non-denominational megachurches, have been going to great lengths to try and hide massive sexual abuse scandals by their own clergy.  Their ranks are riddled by financial scandals, tax cheating and money-grabbing schemes that have reached right inside many of the empires of televangelists and megachurch television stars.  And they have kept their silence when it comes to their involvement with right wing politicians who have dubios morals at best.  

This one is already having a long term effect.  People are walking away from many of these churches and denominations in droves, leaving behind a shrinking base of the deluded and deceived.  

I don't want to paint with a broad brush.  There are many pastors, ministers and church leaders among the Evangelical churches and denominations in the United States who are calling out the evil that has crept inside.  There are those who understand that the Constitution's principles of freedom of conscience and separation of church and state are core American values, and they are joining with the significant majority of mainline "woke, liberal" Protestants, and many Catholics, in resisting and opposing this attack on their values and on their churches.  

Defending Epstein and those who went along with him is something that undermines American values and speaks directly to who this country is.  Conservative Evangelicals love to criticize mainline Protestants for being woke and liberal, but look at where most of them stand by comparison.  They may be woke and liberal, but they are standing up for what is right, and against this President and his MAGA constituency and calling it out for the evil cult that it is.  Political conservatives, Republicans mostly, love to tout their "family values" perspective, and criticize their liberal counterparts, mainly Democrats, with slurs like "socialist," and claiming they are not for "law and Order, but it is the liberal Democrats who are standing up for Democracy and who are demanding that everything in the Epstein files be brought to light.  

Those liberal, "godless", Europeans are observing what's going on here with a much different perspective than they once did.  They were affected by Epstein's scandal too.  Look what they're doing about it.  When there's evidence of someone's involvement, they're gone. Out.  Justice seems to be moving a lot faster over there than it is here, because of their liberal perspective.  We're being held back by our conservatives, who are trying to change the definition of law and order, and right and wrong.

 

Democrats May Owe a Debt of Gratitude to Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem

After this weeks congressional hearings featuring Attorney General Pam Bondi, Democrats may find themselves in the unusual position of having to thank her for all of the help she is providing to them as the midterm elections approach.  Her appearance, in front of the cameras, was a disgusting display of political ugliness that clearly helped the chances of Democrats in gaining control of Congress in November.  Millions of dollars worth of flashy television ads and months of campaigning can not do, for Democratic candidates' election chances, what those few hours in front of the camera in Congressional hearings by Bondi did.  

Starting with the obvious, Bondi just looked bad.  Her face seems to be contorted into a perpetual scowl, tense, furrowed eyebrows, beady eyes sliding to the left and right, wrinkle lines that seem to push her lips together and while I'm sure they get a professional makeup job for the cameras, in her case that didn't help.  Her posture is defensive, hunched, and if it is possible for the combination of facial expressions and posture to send non-verbal messages, she's telling us that she's lying.  

Beyond that, her testimony is a mother lode of sound bytes that will be used in campaign ads by multiple Democrats running for office who are trying to convince voters that Republicans are corrupt, not keeping their promises, and more interested in what they can get out of their billionaire supprorters than in doing anything beneficial for the American people.  She made some critical errors, including showing up with information about research done by members of Congress into her botched handling of the Epstein files.  

But the critical mistake she made was her refusal to acknowledge the victims of Epstein, not even looking at them, never mentioning them and essentially behaving like a cold, heartless bitch.  That's clearly something that will have some far reaching political effects ultimately benefitting Democrats in the midterms.  

So, when the midterms are over, and Democrats have reclaimed Congress, will Democrats turn to the attorney general and say, "Thanks, Pam, for your help!"  

Democrats will also wind up getting a lot of help from Kristi Noem.  Thrust from the relative obscurity of being an ineffective governor of a tiny state to the spotlight of the Department of Homeland Security, this poor, unfortunate, hopelessly ignorant, and apparently corrupt woman has been helping Democrats gain support for their midterm blue wave from the first day she ever stepped into the department.   

Appearances are important, and Noem doesn't help herself in this regard, especially not in her parroting of conspiracy theories devoid of any factual proof, to defend indefensible actions.  Her handling of events which transpire in Minnesota directly corresponds with the recent free-falling approval ratings of Trump, and of the growing gap between those planning to vote Democratic in the midterms, and backing away from the Republicans.  Noem's name is a big part of the reason for the recent Democratic surge.  

She, too, provides Democratic campaigns with a lot of sound bytes and video clips which proclaim inept handling of her job, and which underlines the kind of incompetence that comes out of her political inexperience and lack of Constitutional knowledge.  She has a blank, unfocused stare as she recites falsehood after falsehood, without any corroborating evidence.  And she is also a coldblooded, heartless bitch, evidence by her calloused and false characterizations of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and her indifference to their deaths which she helped cause.

So, will we hear, on election night, a Democratic winner actually give heartfelt thanks to Bondi and Noem for their election?  Probably not.  But it is clear that both of these women are major contributors to the surge of support for Democratic candidates from independents, and even from a few Republicans.  

We should feel good about seeing Republicans become their own worst enemy, though, whether we admit it or not. 

If We're Honest, There's Plenty of Evidence We've Been an "Oligarchy of the Rich" for a Long Time

Are we really all that surprised that the slowly releasing Epstein files contains so many recognizeable names of politicians and millionaires and billionaires who all apparently thought that the law doesn't apply to them and that they could buy their way out of difficulty with contributions to just the right politicians or judges or influence peddlers?  Some of it did make its way into the media, though increasingly, it seems that the price paid by the wealthy in America to enjoy flaunting the law and indulging in personal debauchery also includes owning pieces of the media for control and editing purposes.  

This has been a gradual process.  The origination point came somewhere during the Reagan Administration.  It was more of an enforcement issue back then, in the justice department, when it seemed that regulations designed to protect Americans from what I call exploitation were relaxes in favor of profit margins and unrestrained business practices.  But of course, money flows into politics when that becomes the primary means of keeping the flow going.  During the Dubya Bush Administration, the invitation was laid out for the rich to buy the government's favor and its been downhill ever since then.  

The deceptive ways of keeping the cash flow moving through politics, like the unconstitutional Citizens United ruling which came from a bought-and-paid-for Supreme Court, the PACs, the lack of supervision or prosecution of violations when it comes to corrupt campaign contributions aren't signs that we are moving in this direction, they are signs that it has been achieved and is already here.  And I doubt whether a Democratic party sweep in the mid-terms, or a Democratic presidency with both houses under party control after 2028 will change it.  

 A Justice System Built to Sustain an Oligarchy of the Rich

We have layers of a legal system that is designed to perpetuate this oligarchy of the rich.  Money moves its wheels.  Lawyers, courts, judges, the training they get seems almost specifically directed at how to make the machine operate in a desired manner by using cash flow to achieve that purpose.  Those who have money get what they want out of the system.  They can delay, obfuscate, postpone, and make it go away.  It has not always been this way.  There have been times in our history when the best interests of justice drove the courts, even in the federal government.  But, money and influence have, over time, been able to buy the rules they want and fix the system to the benefit of the rich.  

The quality of legal services available to those who are working class and even middle class is poor.  The system makes it so.  Frankly, even high priced lawyers can be lazy and ineffective, since it's not really a profession that has any real moral guidelines.  Even though it is money driven, there are no guarantees.  As a result, there are ways to pay one's way through the system.  

The Effects of This Oligarchy Can Be Seen on Both Political Parties

Let's be honest here.  There is no such thing as a party of the people.  The reaction and response of Democrats to the worst abuses of Trump's Presidency is moderated by cash flow in campaign contributions to Democratic members of Congress.  There have been several periods of time in recent Democratic political administrations, Clinton, Obama, Biden, when we had control of the White House and both houses of Congress and the difference between what was accomplished and what should have been accomplished by Democrats is sitting in the White House right now.  It occupies the Speaker's chair and the Vice-Presidency.  

It's the dividing line between what is truly the political partisanship of America, the line between those who have and those who have not.  Liberal politics, as progressive as they may have been, will never be progressive enough to succeed in delivering on its promises as long as money is allowed to flow so freely into the bank accounts of those who are running for office.  Even now, as it has become clear that Trump, in the words of just about every Democrat sitting in public office, is the greatest threat to American Democracy that we have ever faced, the lengths most politicians are willing to go to stop him are limited by their need to act in a way that pleases their donors, rather than a way that protects the American people.  

Can we be honest, and say this out loud?  

The Failure of Cultural Institutions That Once Protected Us 

There were those, even prior to the Second World War, who had doubts about this country's ability to take on facist dictatorships because of its bowing of the knee to the dollar.  The circumstances of having weathered the worst financial depression in the country's history allowed the election of a progressive Democrat to the White House, and his policy, to fight against depression, and then change circumstances to prevent another one, along with having to marshall the commercial resources of the nation to win a major world war reversed the trends of big money interests buying the government piece by piece.  

But the prosperity that followed allowed the rich to become richer, and that accellerated the switch from being influenced by American idealism to being influenced by whoever could pay to buy the interest. 

Protestant Christianity, including conservative Evangelicalism, is the first institution to fall victim to the takeover of the wealthy.  They haven't even hidden how obvious it has become that the values of the Christian gospel have been completely underminded and totally distorted by the billionaire class.  There's one group that has simply allowed money interests to distort the Christian gospel, ignoring the parts of it that don't support their perspective, and turning money into the only kind of blessing provided by God.  The end result of successful prayer in conservative Evangelicalism is how many dollars it generates.  Dollars translate in to God's blessings.  Values, like humility, integrity and peace, are thrown out the window with Jesus. 

The kind of Christianity that is visible in America, especially that which self describes as Fundamentalist, Conservative, Evangelical, Charismatic or Pentecostal, isn't Christian, and, in fact, has underlined its lack of faith by placing it in an adulterous, lying, immoral, worldly man who has openly declared himself to be antichrist by his denial of his own sinful nature.  Their worldly worship of money and the lust for the power that comes with it has turned them away from Jesus, and toward Trump, who they proclaim as savior, if not openly and literally, by virtually everything they do.  

And if the kind of Christianity that has been created by these abberations of the Christian gospel were true, then they would work like the salt and light which Jesus used as an example, in resolving those problems of humanity which hold us back from true enlightenment, free of bigotry, bias and prejudice, and the hatred that accompanies it, and would have resolved war and violence, economic inequity and poverty.  The fact that these human problems seem to be worse in areas where this kind of Christianity is predominant is a testimony to its ineffectiveness and its false nature.   

Our education system may be the most egregious victim of money interests.  Conservatives have tried, at every opportunity they get, to cut the budgets and destroy the public education system.  As a result, what we have is no longer an asset in the preservation of the democratic principles that created the Constitution.  Public education, in many places in the United States, is woefully underfunded, and the ability it once may have had to attract the brightest and best professionals to teach in its classrooms has long since disappeared.  Colleges and universities are becoming victims of bribes and threats of funding cuts, rather than institutions that stand on their principles.  Money is the reason.  

And money has caused the free press to be a thing of the past.  For profit, corporate-owned media is not a free press.  It promotes its own self interest.  Not only that, but like cash strapped public education, it cannot attract the brightest and the best when it comes to those who have the kind of mind and independent thinking ability necessary to keep government accountable.  Most journalists today can't even read a script without mispronouncing words and not having enough understanding about what they are reading to make it sound like something not being read.  

What Can Be Done About It? 

At the risk of sounding cynical, I don't think there is anything that can be done about it.  The Roman Empire lasted a thousand years, before interior rot caused its demise.  The United States of America may not last 250 years.  And when it comes to being a people capable of defending our principles, well, I don't think the will is there.  We've been spoiled by prosperity, and the nagging problems of humanity, which seems to always act on its worst instincts and the lowest part of human nature, are hard to overcome. 

Even the most progressive elements of liberal democracy do not seem to be able to bring about the kind of reform that will be neccessary to keep this country together, and able to sustain itself in an uncertain future.  We seem to be using wealth to perpetuate the wealthy, and to build technological tools capable of utter destruction for a profit.  For all it has created, our democratic republic and its idealism has lasted for just a tiny slice of world history.  If it is no longer sustainable, then what, really, have we achieved?  

 

Remnants of America's Free Press: Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann, Late Night Comedy and the Pacifica Network

Freedom of the press, along with an educated and informed electorate, is the cornerstone of the American Republic.  With newspapers, radio, television and internet outlets being the domain of corporations whose financial insterests make them enemies of the people's interests, rather than keeping government honest, those who tell the truth based on the facts have become rare.  It's kind of ironic, with Trump having turned the government into a circus of chaos, that the most honest and up front people in media, the remnants of a true "free press," are largely comedians who deliver what has become a daily budget of disaster with a nice comedic edge.  That may be the only way we can even stand to hear it.  

Getting Through the Day Because of the Stephanie Miller Show

I listen to Stephanie Miller every morning on the way to work, because I know that what I hear there will be factual.  I don't know anyone who has been able to develop a vocabulary that mocks Trump's grandiose bragging and over use of the same extreme terms like she does/   Every time I hear the word, "eleventy-billion", it cracks me up and that has a way of calming me down.  I think one of the best strategies Trump opposition and Democrats could have would be to make this program go viral and keep the same tone, format and approach.  

Everyone who comes to the mic on that show brings facts and reason and sanity to the discussion.  I trust their political judgment, and the laughs are natural, not forced.  The level of frustration, incedulity, shock and amazement at the absolute disaster we are seeing unfold every single day resonates with me, and has a way of giving me a sense of vindication and justification for the anger and frustration.  They make me feel like we are all watching an incredible disasater unfold together, experiencing and expressing common feelings, and getting a sense of hope that together, we can beat this thing.  

I finish listening to her on my way home after work, followed up by Thom Hartmann, who does an outstanding job of just letting people vent their frustrations and point out corruption.  I think it is important to hear what Americans are saying and be encouraged that as this moment has come when we are going to get a chance to make a difference, people will turn out and do what they've had bottled up inside for a while now.  And I think a lot of Thom's callers are helping leaders who are genuinely committed to resisting Trumpism be encouraged that they are not standing alone, not for a minute.  

For Me, and Millions of Others, Late Night Comedy is our Late Night News

I'm sure Trump and his cronies regret their decisions to attempt to use their power and influence totry t get Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert off of late night television.  The ham-fisted way they do these things backfired big time, giving Kimmel an audience four times the size of his normal audience, and he used the attention to fire off a directed, devastating and honest look at just what is going on that still resonates across late night television.  

We trust these guys because they are still telling the truth, and the humor that is woven into the whole narrative makes the message resonate.  It's honest and straightforward and that is what we need.  I really sleep much better at night because I'm not going to bed angry and frustrated over the way our local and network television reporters are handling the news, failing to report things that are important and letting the senastionalism of falsehood dominate the ten minutes they spend on headline news.  

I guess they don't teach real journalism in colleges and universities any more.  I can't believe some of these people who are calling themselves journalists are willing to simply be mouthpieces of manupulation, reading off what someone has told them to say and that they don't have an opinion of their own, or any integrity.  How can someone know what is going on, and yet sit at a news desk and completely ignore it?  

No wonder no one is watching.  

A True Free Press Isn't Controlled by Corporate Dollars

I'm sure it is difficult in media these days to avoid the pitfalls of profit.  But that's the only way we will ever have a free press again.  People have to make a living, but if they must sacrifice integrity to do so, what's been achieved?  

One of the last radio networks left that can still be considered independent and free is the Pacifica network.  There are five anchor stations, and I got introduced to this format about twenty years ago through one of those affiliates, KPFT-FM in Houston, Texas.  Broadcasting independent news, locally-originating shows mainly operated by volunteers, the drive time program in the morning through which I was introduced to the network was Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez.  They carried independent news, which is nothing more than old fashioned American free press journalism.  Report the fact and let the listeners make up their mind.  

I wish there was a way to help all of these news sources, whether it's Stephanie Miller's comedy, Thom Hartmann's discussion and talk, or the Pacifica Network's journalism and news, go viral and become the primary source of information to inform Americans.  I also wish we had a strong public broadcasting system, because I would take absolute neutrality over the corporate network bias any day. 

And in conversations I still have with friends who have trouble seeing the light, it is a distinct advantage when I challenge them to prove something Miller or Hartmann or Goodman or Pacifica said wrong.  I rarely get responses back directly, if they bother to check it out.  Silence from my MAGA supporting friends has been comforting affirmation that they know I am right.  

I encourage everyone who reads this to find ways to give support to these independent media voices that are telling the truth.  Help them broaden and expand their reach.