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| "Napoleon's Return from Elba," by the Charles de Steuben. |
This Epstein thing, just goes on and on and on.
Which is so puzzling.
What about it is new? There are all these photos of Donald Trump partying with creepy pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. We've seen them for years. They're not in any way inconsistent with everything we know about Donald Trump, and his pussy-grabbing, porn-star-schtupping, daughter-sexualizing ways. The man's a major creep, scuzzball and swine. Married three times, most recently to an Eastern European soft porn model.
Suddenly, some part of the MAGA world, indoctrinated for years to the Epstein saga, looks up from its silage and snaps to the fact that the Epstein files they were promised, whatever they are, aren't materializing. That Trump and his henchmen, who had promised to release some kind of explosive information, or list, or whatever, aren't doing so.
My God, it's almost as if the man were a liar!
Which is so puzzling.
What about it is new? There are all these photos of Donald Trump partying with creepy pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. We've seen them for years. They're not in any way inconsistent with everything we know about Donald Trump, and his pussy-grabbing, porn-star-schtupping, daughter-sexualizing ways. The man's a major creep, scuzzball and swine. Married three times, most recently to an Eastern European soft porn model.
Suddenly, some part of the MAGA world, indoctrinated for years to the Epstein saga, looks up from its silage and snaps to the fact that the Epstein files they were promised, whatever they are, aren't materializing. That Trump and his henchmen, who had promised to release some kind of explosive information, or list, or whatever, aren't doing so.
My God, it's almost as if the man were a liar!
Or at least the liberal media is viewing it that way.
"Because of Epstein, Americans are Finally Seeing Donald Trump," the Lincoln Square newsletter headlined Wednesday morning, going on to observe. "For all his talk about making American great again, people are noticing that he has instead pulled us all down into his sewer of lust, power, ego, betrayal, greed, pettiness, and cruelty."
Are they? Really? Noticing. Pretty to think so. Or even if they are? Noticing, that is. And then what?
This isn't something I'd normally react to. I don't traffic in the obvious.
So why comment now? Well, my column for tomorrow got held Tuesday afternoon — something about necessary insurance forms not being signed, believe it or not. It'll make sense when you read the column. Friday.
Nothing in the paper today. But this space here can't be left blank.
So returning to Trump, and Epstein, and the latest developments, and my only reaction, which is a phrase I sometimes use in conversation:
And Napoleon escaped from Elba.
What does that mean? Napoleon, the emperor of the French, was undercut by his disastrous Russian campaign, then sentenced to exile in the Treaty of Fontainebleau. He arrived to the island off the coast of Italy on May 3, 1814, brooded there about 10 months, and escaped.
What does that have to do with Trump?
Well, Napoleon's escape was big news, obviously. At the time. Two hundred years ago. Now it seems, to me, as symbolic of something which isn't really news anymore, because everybody already knows about it, or should.
Hence Trump and Epstein. If you are discovering the president is a liar and a perv, well, welcome to the party. But pardon me if I don't share your excitement, because you're discovering the painfully obvious.
I would struggle to muster some enthusiasm if I thought this might change the situation. And while anything is possible, this just seems to be setting up yet another limbo bar for the MAGA faithful lower themselves beneath. However this works out — there could be videos of Trump committing some unspeakable illegal perversion — and his faithful end up face down on the floor, salaaming, as always.
This isn't something I'd normally react to. I don't traffic in the obvious.
So why comment now? Well, my column for tomorrow got held Tuesday afternoon — something about necessary insurance forms not being signed, believe it or not. It'll make sense when you read the column. Friday.
Nothing in the paper today. But this space here can't be left blank.
So returning to Trump, and Epstein, and the latest developments, and my only reaction, which is a phrase I sometimes use in conversation:
And Napoleon escaped from Elba.
What does that mean? Napoleon, the emperor of the French, was undercut by his disastrous Russian campaign, then sentenced to exile in the Treaty of Fontainebleau. He arrived to the island off the coast of Italy on May 3, 1814, brooded there about 10 months, and escaped.
What does that have to do with Trump?
Well, Napoleon's escape was big news, obviously. At the time. Two hundred years ago. Now it seems, to me, as symbolic of something which isn't really news anymore, because everybody already knows about it, or should.
Hence Trump and Epstein. If you are discovering the president is a liar and a perv, well, welcome to the party. But pardon me if I don't share your excitement, because you're discovering the painfully obvious.
I would struggle to muster some enthusiasm if I thought this might change the situation. And while anything is possible, this just seems to be setting up yet another limbo bar for the MAGA faithful lower themselves beneath. However this works out — there could be videos of Trump committing some unspeakable illegal perversion — and his faithful end up face down on the floor, salaaming, as always.
What if the Epstein files turn out to be nothing more than a burn book kept by Juan about the Sweathogs. How much more do we really need to know about Arnold Horshack, Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington, and Vinnie Barbarino?
ReplyDeleteif they were, it would have already been released. if it is now, then they were doctored.
DeleteLol, good one, very funny.
DeleteI first learned about what a pile of shit he was from the late, great Spy Magazine, which loved to make fun of him. They created the moniker for him, "The short fingered vulgarian". They once sent out actual rebate checks to several celebs from some phony company they made up & he hand signed & endorsed a rebate check for 13¢!
ReplyDeleteHe demolished the Bonwit Teller Building on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan for his tower, promising to save the various decorative panels & then had them destroyed, just for the hatred of the group that made him save them.
he's never done an honest day's work in his life, he cheated at Penn, where he used his father's millions to pay other student to take tests for him & only got a graduation diploma because his father paid Penn millions for it. He had previously spent two years at Fordham in the Bronx, but was apparently told to leave when his father reneged on the deal to pay Fordham millions to get him a diploma there.
One professor of his at a Wharton class he took while at Penn said this of him, the exact quote from William Kelley: "He was the dumbest fucking student I ever had!"
He has since cheated on all three of his wives, made ludicrous false claims about being a brilliant businessman, who managed to lose almost a billion dollars in just one year, even Ford Motor Co. only lost $500 million on the Edsel over three years!
As many have said, every thing he touches dies, & right now that thing is our democracy & country, he's actively murdering that!
If Democracy gives us such incompetent, corrupt, malevolent, and greedy leaders, maybe we should just draw lots.
DeleteTate
Knew about his cheating at Penn, but not about Fordham. Nor did I know he lost twice as much in a year as FoMoCo lost on the Edsel, which was the biggest boondoggle in American history when we were all kids. Sounds like you've done some homework on Felonious, and maybe even read books about him.
DeleteActually made it through a few chapters of a biography, in 2016, but was so sickened and disgusted by what I learned about his ancestors, and about his boyhood...that I got rid of the book. Made it as far as his ditching school at 12 and hanging out in Manhattan. Didn't want to hear about him playing soldier in a military school, or about his college chicanery. Thanks for the heads-up, Clark. Keep 'em coming!
I forget to add he also cheats at golf, so delightfully shown this weekend when his caddie went & placed his ball in a hittable location, after he actually hit one into an unplayable location. And all of that caught on video!
DeleteJeeze, I didn't even do that at miniature golf, which I played a lot of.
DeleteWhatta putz. And in this instance...golf...the word is a perfect fit for him.
Who is Napoleon?
ReplyDeleteOne might say a slightly more canny and successful version of Trump, who still came to a sticky end.
DeleteHere is the Wikipedia page:
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_Dynamite
Which Napoleon?
DeleteWhile still kinda hoping that this issue will be the nail lost from the horseshoe, one does wonder… if there was any “there” there, why wasn’t it made public during the previous administration.
ReplyDeletebecause the little prim and proper prig who thinks life is on the legit would find it unseemly to let politics enter into the process. that fucking idiot garland slow walked the traitor rioters cases through the system as if he had 20 years to finish the job, why would you think he would even look at the files?
DeleteThank you for this helpful and informative reply.
DeleteI agree with pgw. Merrick "Milquetoast" Garland was a terrible Attorney General. He was absolutely gutless and lived in his ivory tower. One lawyer in the DOJ observed that working for him was more like working for a judge in his chambers. He was definitely one of Biden's "misses".
DeleteI have read -- and heard -- a lot about how the crazy conspiracy theorists turning against trump is a good thing, and how the left should not chastise them for essentially being idiots and welcome them into the fold.
ReplyDeleteThen apparently i start waving my cane and yelling at the kids to get off my damn lawn.
These people are idiots. They are stupid. They didn't do their own due diligence and we all have to pay for their actions. If you zoom out a little more -- and you ignore the massive right wing propaganda network in place -- you'll notice how beyond ignorant, stupid, racist, selfish, dumb, and "below" average vast swaths of this country are.
There is something to be said about being told your an idiot, straight to your face, for being... well an idiot. don't sugar coat it. this is what happens when you don't stand up to bullies and keep making up excuses.
Like I've said for a long time, republican's are irredeemable. They could spend the remaining time on this planet doing nothing but good and I would still feel that way.
We no longer support what is just in society. only what is just for us. Trump proves that. Emile Bove proves that.
Republican's are fruads, liars, cheaters, and anti-American. they are turncoats and no better than the confederates. This country would be better without a single one of them. full stop.
My apologies for the hate today. I'm so sick of this countries' kowtowing to fascism, evil, hate, money. American's need to start standing up for what is right.
Without conservatives who would grow the food? Who would work the mines.
DeleteWho would cut the timber?
Who who would build the steel frames for the skyscrapers?
Who would drive the trucks and the trains? Who would man our military?
At any given time half the people are above average and half the people are below average there's no escaping that and thinking that who lands in which place depends on their political views is ridiculous.
How was it that guy on lake Wobegon used to put it where all the women are beautiful but men are strong and all the children are above average.
We're not all about average
Betraying the core principles of your country isn't "conservative." Maybe if all the trans soldiers weren't cashiered, the military wouldn't be so conservative.
DeleteTo Bill above, that's a common misquote of Keilor. The men are good looking, the women.are strong.
DeleteBill, I always enjoy a comment where the individual so eloquently explains how they are in fact below average.
Deleteyour list of jobs that are only done by conservatives is both insulting and ignorant; not just to me, but to the people who do those jobs. Your military point hints at this the most. For some reason, conservatives only want minorities, non Americans, and white nationalists to be in our military. They refuse to let anyone who wants to serve be a member. No gays, no trans, black service members should be in their own platoons, find the children of illegals who are in the military and blackmail them with false promises of citizenship and safety.
History is lined with conservatives banning those who are willing to fight for our country away because they aren't "like us."
And don't kid yourself, conservatives don't grow the food. The earth does the growing, conservatives just hire illegal immigrants to pick it so they don't have to pay a living wage.
Chef's kiss, Double B.
Deleteand maybe if we hadn't ended the draft, which was the only thing that democratized the military as well
Deletethe draft democratized the military? I guess all those poor folks were the ones using college deferments
DeleteMy thoughts are there are many Democratic bigwigs who are on the "client list".
ReplyDeleteConsider this me giving you a "like." This is exactly what I think when people say, oh, if there was any dirt on Trump, the Biden administration would have been all over it. Well, no, I don't think so, for exactly the reason you stated. If Trump's on there, which I'm sure he is, could our other illustrious hounddog in chief, like maybe Clinton, be far behind?
Deleteas any republican will tell you, I only care about truth and consequences if it doesn't effect me negatively.
DeleteDoing what's right, regardless of the outcome is what makes someone just and a true hero.
If you're looking for a hero, you'd probably have better luck going to the movies. I think there's a new Superman movie out now.
DeleteWell, my column for tomorrow got held Tuesday afternoon — something about necessary insurance forms not being signed, believe it or not. It'll make sense when you read the column. Friday.
ReplyDeleteI fear an announcement of a buyout is nigh.
You could be right. Or maybe he's just going to go down into a coal mine.
DeleteYou could make a list of Trump's amoral transgressions and outrages that would go on forever - yet just this week he enabled the biggest outrage of all. At the precise moment we've reached a tipping point with our poisoning of the environment that is dangerously reshaping the climate, his handpicked cult member in charge of the "Environmental Protection Agency" announced the obliteration of, you guessed it, protections for the environment. And boasted he'd done it with a lopsided smirk on his face. Malignant narcissism is one thing, destroying the environment at the expense of our grandchildren is a biblical transgression against life on earth. Trump's only consideration is "what's in destroying humanity for me?"
ReplyDeleteThe worst part is they also have grandchildren 7 don't care what the world will be like for them, after they take away all the protection of the anti-pollution laws & regulations.
DeleteI recommend Rick Reilly’s book “Commander in Cheat” for yet another look at the incredibly flawed man Trump is.
ReplyDeleteI no longer care about Trump. He is the symptom. Republicans, maybe five of them, could stop him.
Deletenone have.
republicans are the problem.
I've read articles detailing the reasons why the uproar over the Epstein files will settle down with Trump's teflon image coming through unscathed. But right now, I like that a conspiracy of his own making is causing him fits. There's symmetry and justice to that. I like to see what distractions Trump is willing to roll out to change the subject, and see his exasperation when these feints fail. He spouts lies while threatening those who tell the truth, and this strategy has been highly successful for him.
ReplyDeleteI do hope the drama surrounding Madam Ghislaine dies down quickly, however, and she's left to serve her time in prison for her crimes, well out of the spotlight. Some victims described the abuse from Maxwell as "worse than what Jeffrey did". Exploiting Maxwell's circumstances for the benefit of Trump would be a gross injustice to her victims.
Congress should follow Ron Wyden's lead and investigate the money trails left by Epstein. Go after every single oligarch who used their wealth to traffic underage girls That would be a better definition of justice. They should also subpoena Michael Wolff, Steve Bannon and the victims instead of Maxwell. Maybe subpoena Melania and Paolo Zampolli while they're at it.
Yes Yes yes and yes
DeleteBut it won't happen. None of it
The commentators on this blog are very smart people whose bantering is both clever and insightful. Many seem to be longtime friends and colleagues of the EGD proprietor. Thus, it is with some dread that I fear reading Neil's Friday post.
ReplyDeleteI have been to Russia 19 times since 1990 working with artists and the Ministry of Culture. I have witnessed some of Chicago's elite businessmen partake in the most lascivious acts with impunity. Given the current obsession with the Epstein predicament, I would venture to guess that the Republicans would be mortified if it turned out that Putin is in possession of a video of his puppet bathing in golden showers. From the very beginning of Trump's rise to power, I have never had any doubt that he is vulnerable, lying, manipulating and worse. He is covering his ass. So, as Neil said, "The news isn't new." The thing I fear most is that the truth will be lost through the inept actions of a gutless congress and the protections of a lame Supreme Court.
I envy your visits to Russia. I studied Russian in college, and always hoped to go, but never got closer than Denmark. As for my commentators, while certainly clever and insightful, alas, I can't call them friends — most I've never met in the living world.
Delete