The people “get it.” (Photos credit Bluesky social media users)

Maintain focus

You could see this coming from as far away as a country mile. For weeks, it was forecast by media hosts, pundits and politicians. They said Trump would bomb Iran as a distraction from the tightening noose of the Epstein files. Trump obliged and then many media became… distracted! Playing the role of dog to Trump’s Pavlov, too many media took the Iran war bait and shifted their focus away from the biggest criminal scandal in U.S. presidential history. In my opinion, yet another U.S. president dropping bombs on the Middle East has become routine (see chart below).

No matter the amount of eye-candy, in the form of sleek American fighter jets and intimidating U.S. battleships, or images of billowing smoke and fire stirred up by 2,000 pound bombs, we should not fall into Trump’s trap. Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich said, “As the [Epstein] walls close in on Trump, he’ll do anything – including launch full-scale war – to distract the public.”

Stay focused on the Epstein files because there likely is a pedophile living in the White House. He’s an adjudicated rapist who should be removed by either impeachment and conviction, or by invoking the 25th Amendment “he’s done gone crazy” clause. The lead story, until all the participants have been held accountable, remains Trump’s immorality and alleged crimes, in connection with his former best bud, sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

When Trump invaded Iran over the weekend, it followed a familiar pattern for U.S. presidents. Start a war, often in the powder keg known as the Middle East, to overshadow domestic political trouble. With Trump the juxtaposition is vivid: a man-child begging for the Nobel Peace Prize who now initiates a regional inferno. (I wonder if Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Machado feels like the fool that she is, for handing over her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump?)

There is irony that comes with Trump bombing Iran, ostensibly to help Iranians who are protesting an authoritarian regime. This raises a legit question: Should NATO bomb the U.S. to help Americans protesting Trump’s authoritarian, ICE savagery?

It’s not unusual

There is, unfortunately, nothing unusual about the U.S. invading a country in the Middle East. American presidents do this fervently.

Trump finally beat Obama at something… he’s started more wars than any 21st Century U.S. president. And to think that crazy lady from Venezuela gave Trump her Nobel Peace Prize. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

There is nothing unusual about the economy having ups and downs. Still, many Americans are under tremendous stress due to rising costs of food, healthcare and just about everything else. The affordability crisis is real. The level of greed displayed by billionaires, while poor people suffer, is also real. This is especially appalling when it happens in the richest nation on Earth, that claims to be guided by Christian commandments.

It’s also not unusual when lower-and middle-class people demand a fair shot at the American Dream, even as they sink under the weight of the cost of living.

However, it is HIGHLY UNUSUAL for the president of the United States to be entangled (best friends) with the worst sex trafficker of teen girls in American history. Trump is mentioned more than one million times in the Epstein files and has been accused of raping girls as young as 13 years old. Separate from the Epstein files, the president of the United States has been credibly accused of sexual assault by 26 women.

Prior to the 2024 election, Trump was found guilty in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case. As was concluded by the judge in the case, Trump raped E. Jean Carroll. Yet, with full knowledge that Trump is an adjudicated rapist the Republican party and American voters, devoid of basic Christian values, elected Trump president.

It’s also unusual for the U.S. legal system to so blatantly turn its back on victims/survivors. Authorities continue to stiff-arm their sworn duty to investigate crimes involving raping children, even as allegations and evidence pile up that warrant prosecution and punishment.

Opposite from the U.S., British authorities aggressively arrest wealthy, powerful men who allegedly participated in the Epstein ring of sex trafficking and rape of teenage girls. With the full support of King Charles, authorities arrested his brother, the former Prince Andrew, along with Peter Mandelson, the former Ambassador to the U.S. But over here, the DOJ orchestrates a far-reaching, unprecedented cover-up to shield powerful men from prosecution.

It should not have come to this but it’s up to Epstein survivors to name names. (Photo credit KSAT)

Names please

According to reporting, in 2019, the FBI interviewed a young woman about a complaint she previously filed concerning an encounter she had with Trump and Epstein. It was around 1983, when the alleged victim was 13 years old. She says she was sexually assaulted by Trump, who would have been 37 years old at the time (the sickening details of the attack are spared here). Ultimately, the young woman declined to cooperate with the authorities, possibly fearing for her safety.

Undoubtedly, survivors of sexual abuse by Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and others have been wronged multiple times. They’ve been understandably reticent to name names due to safety concerns. The survivors deserve a legal system that protects them and renders justice which, to-date, has been elusive. Consequently, the Epstein survivors should do what survivors of Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby did. Survivors must spell out the names of the criminals who sexually exploited them. Press conferences on the steps of the U.S. Capitol are not enough.

It’s no longer sufficient to say, for example, “Epstein and Maxwell introduced me to wealthy men who I was forced to have sex with.” Tell us the men’s names. Say it out loud. Survivors should identify the men in a public forum whereby DOJ cannot redact names. And then let the chips fall where they may.

According to the New York Times, just 21% of Americans support Trump’s invasion of Iran. Whereas an Economist/YouGov poll shows 80% of Americans want all Epstein files released. (This includes 91% of Democrats, 83% of Independents and 67% of Republicans.) A remarkable 70% of Americans believe DOJ is hiding information relative to Trump’s involvement with Epstein and teenage girls.

Pop music star Kesha also “gets it”, tweeting, “Don’t let [war in Iran] distract us from the fact that criminal predator Trump appears in the Epstein files over a million times.”

The lead story is the Epstein files. Nothing else is as important. And with 3.5 million pages of documents, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images already released, there is plenty of material for the media to refresh and keep the Epstein saga on the front page for months to come.

The Epstein matter should remain the lead story until Trump and the others, some of whom allegedly raped and abused teenage girls, are held accountable.

If warranted, lock them up and throw away the key.

THE LEAD STORY