Pedo Island: The Corrupt System That Created Jeffrey Epstein Survives His Downfall
An American court this week released over 900 documents relating to the sordid and seemingly never-ending Jeffrey Epstein saga.
Epstein was the very well-connected billionaire financial adviser – with a fondness for being “massaged” by teenage girls from Miami trailer parks – who committed suicide (so it is said) in a Manhattan prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The Western media had, of course, conferred celebrity status on Epstein – in tandem with his lover and partner in crime, Ghislaine Maxwell, long before his controversial and opportune death. Maxwell, no stranger to scandal in her own right, is the daughter of disgraced billionaire publisher Robert Maxwell – who committed suicide in 1991 on the eve of being exposed for having stolen hundreds of millions of pounds from his companies’ pension funds.
Epstein was one of Robert Maxwell’s financial advisers, and when Ghislaine moved to New York after her father’s death, they became romantically involved. She needed and valued his financial advice, and he was impressed with her wide range of social connections within elite circles globally – that extended even to the British royal family.
Maxwell herself is now residing in an American jail cell – having been convicted of sex trafficking and procuring young girls for Epstein in 2021, and receiving a twenty-year sentence.
Ironically, Epstein and Maxwell were brought down by one of the young girls that they exploited sexually – an Australian, Virginia Giuffre, who pursued them both relentlessly through the American legal system. Giuffre also took legal proceedings against the hapless Prince Andrew – a close friend of Epstein and Maxwell with whom she says she was forced to have sex on numerous occasions – that resulted in a multi-million dollar out-of-court settlement and the Prince’s banishment from public life two years ago.
The inherently salacious nature of the long-running Epstein tale and its #MeToo subtext no doubt account for the Western media’s ongoing fascination with Epstein and Maxwell. But there is also another factor at work – a desire to expose and bring down those individual members of the global elites who associated with Epstein and were beneficiaries of his hospitality and largesse.
There is, however, an element of political naivety in this – after all, haven’t Western elites always sexually exploited young girls from the lower orders? More importantly, surely the widespread fraudulent financial activities of these powerful individuals and the corporations they govern are more deserving of exposure?
It should come as no surprise that a clever and ambitious spiv like Epstein (who did not come from a privileged background and was a teacher before becoming a financial adviser to the global elites) should also regularly supply his clients with young working-class women at his private residences.
Media coverage of this week’s document release – and there are more releases to come – has therefore focused on the identity of those prominent individuals who are named in the pleadings, depositions, and exhibits that have now been disclosed.
Not surprisingly, former President Bill Clinton figures prominently – having regularly flown on Epstein’s private jet and stayed on his private island in the Caribbean. One document quotes Epstein as saying “Clinton likes them young”. “Slick Willie” – as he was known to his political opponents in Arkansas – has, of course, denied any improper conduct and any knowledge of Epstein’s trafficking in young girls. Who would not believe Bill Clinton’s denials on such matters? So convincing have they been that not even Hilary has felt the need to come out and support him publically.
Famous American lawyer and academic Alan Dershowitz receives numerous mentions in the documents – including one allegation that he had sex with an underage girl while staying with Epstein. Dershowitz, who acted for Epstein and obtained a favourable plea bargain for him in relation to sex charges that he faced in 2008, has strongly denied this allegation. He admits, however, that he often visited Epstein’s residences and that on one occasion had a massage – but denies any impropriety or knowledge of Epstein’s egregious misconduct. Dershowitz’s denials are strengthened by the fact that he sued Giuffre over allegations that she made about him a few years ago, and she settled the action after admitting that she may have mistaken Dershowitz for someone else.
Prince Andrew, again not surprisingly, figures very conspicuously in the released documents – but his very close association with Epstein and Maxwell is old news, as is his liaison with Ms Giuffre and his subsequent denial of it. Michael Jackson is mentioned once in the documents – although it is very unlikely that he committed any sexual impropriety while enjoying Epstein’s hospitality. The documents make absolutely clear that only young women were on offer at Epstein’s residences. Donald Trump is also mentioned in passing – but it is a matter of public record that Trump’s relationship with Epstein ended decades ago.
Of more interest are those members of the global elites with lesser public profiles who are mentioned in the documents. These individuals include Tom Pritzker, billionaire head of the Pritzker Organisation and Executive Chairman of Hyatt Hotels; Glenn Dubin, billionaire investor and co-founder of Highbridge Capital; Marvin Minsky, AI pioneer and MIT Professor; and Bill Richardson, former Governor of New Mexico, where Epstein had one of his homes.
In the documents, Ms. Giuffre alleges she had sex with Pritzker, Dubin, and Minsky, who died in 2016. Pritzker has denied Giuffre’s allegation.
No doubt, the release of the Epstein documents this week – and the subsequent releases – will be front-page news in the Western media. Details of the sexual crimes allegedly committed by Epstein and his friends will be salaciously pored over by readers excited by such scandals, and the reputations of a few individual participants will be so damaged that they will not be invited to Davos next year.
But the corrupt financial system that created Epstein and allowed him to prosper – he had amassed a fortune of $700 million – will continue to operate completely unchecked and beyond effective scrutiny. And even at the level of exposing those individuals who exploited the young girls that Epstein supplied them with – most will simply escape unscathed.
Portions of many of the documents released this week are redacted, and only Epstein and Maxwell know the names of all the elite individuals who were actually involved in their activities. Epstein is conveniently dead, and Maxwell has remained silent on this issue throughout her trial and incarceration – a wise move, perhaps given Epstein’s fate. Media coverage of the Epstein saga in the West purports to be investigative journalism – but its defects disclose the real scandal, namely that genuine investigative journalism no longer exists in the West.
EU Seeking Plan B to Finance Ukraine, Says EU Commission President
The EU is considering alternative ways to keep funding Ukraine, in case member states fail to bypass a veto by Hungary, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said. Budapest earlier blocked a €50 billion ($55 billion) assistance package for Kiev amid the conflict with Russia.
Speaking at a press conference with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo on Friday, von der Leyen stressed that the EU must “urgently move forward on stabilizing our financial aid” to Ukraine.
We look forward to working with @EU2024BE.
— European Commission (@EU_Commission) January 5, 2024
For a stronger democracy and Ukraine’s freedom.
For a competitive economy.
And a larger, bolder Europe in the future.
Press conference by President @vonderleyen and Belgian Prime Minister @alexanderdecroo ↓ https://t.co/WXMyZN0abl
Reaching a consensus between all 27 member states is the “first priority… But of course we must prepare for other options. These are operational solutions that we are preparing right now,” she said, without giving details.
Von der Leyen recalled that just before Christmas, the EU adopted an €18 billion ($20 billion) support package for Kiev, to help “Ukraine finance their needs for the beginning of this year” and give Brussels some leeway when negotiating the main funding package. “But of course we have to work as hard and as fast as possible to deliver,” the top official added.
Last month, Hungary – which has been consistently critical of the EU’s policy on Ukraine – blocked a €50 billion aid package for Kiev, to be disbursed between 2024 and 2027.
Balazs Orban, an adviser to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has said Budapest could drop its opposition to the effort if Brussels unblocks all of the €30 billion earmarked for Hungary – which were withheld over a perceived crackdown on democracy. The EU has so far unfrozen only one third of the sum, citing Budapest’s progress on judicial reforms.
The Financial Times reported late last month that the EU was working on a mechanism to bypass the Hungarian veto, that would see member states provide guarantees to the EU budget, thereby allowing Brussels to borrow some €20 billion for Kiev.
An EU special summit on funding Ukraine will take place on February 1. Since the start of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022, the EU has provided Ukraine with more than $91 billion in various forms of aid. Russia has repeatedly denounced arms shipments to Kiev, while warning that continued support is becoming a serious burden for EU taxpayers.
Vivek Ramaswamy Wants The U.S. Out Of NATO
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has signaled that he intends to pull the United States out of NATO if he wins the 2024 election, according to a report by Politico. Ramaswamy believes the alliance’s “expansionism” […]
The post Vivek Ramaswamy Wants The U.S. Out Of NATO appeared first on The People’s Voice.
Watch: Alaska Airlines 737 Max Jet’s Emergency Door Rips Off Mid-Flight Over Portland
A brand new Boeing 737 MAX 9, operated by Alaska Airlines, was forced to make an emergency landing at Portland International Airport shortly after takeoff on Friday evening due to its mid-cabin exit door detaching from the aircraft mid-flight. This incident was recorded and shared on social media platform X.
The Max jet, registered as N704AL, was operating as AS1282 from PDX to Ontario International Airport with more than 170 passengers on board. Data from the aviation tracking website Flightradar24 shows the jet was about ten minutes into the flight, reaching 16,000 feet, with a ground speed of nearly 400 knots when the incident unfolded.
“During the flight, a sudden decompression occurred once the door detached, leading to an emergency landing. In video footage captured during the incident, the emergency exit can be seen torn off and oxygen masks deployed. There are no reports of serious injuries,” aviation blog Airways Magazine wrote in a note.
Passengers recorded the shocking moment when the mid-aft door ripped off.
BREAKING: Alaska Airlines plane makes emergency landing in Portland, Oregon after window blows out in mid-air.
Several items, including phones, were sucked out of the plane when it suddenly depressurized. Everyone is safe. pic.twitter.com/BtOB1RU3tn— BNO News (@BNONews) January 6, 2024
An Alaska Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a window blew out mid-air.
— Easily distracte (@shehzadkazmi) January 6, 2024
The Boeing 737-MAX 9 had 174 passengers and six crew members aboard and was recently delivered to the airline.
I don’t think the 737 max is meant to be in the air pic.twitter.com/hLBhkIDMaC
According to BBC News, Alaska Airlines said 65 of its 737 Max 9 aircraft were suspended after the incident for ‘inspections.’
Boeing said it was briefed on the incident and was “working to gather more information.”
The door incident came weeks after Boeing reported 737 Max jets had yet another quality control issue: “A possible loose bolt in the rudder control system.”
Max jets have faced several major issues related to different parts and systems. The most notable defect was MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System), which led to two separate crashes, killing a combined 346 people.
Several months ago, fuselage supplier Spirit was found to have improperly drilled holes in the aft pressure bulkhead.
We need to revisit internal communications from Boeing employees that pointed out Max jets were “designed by clowns who in turn are supervised by monkeys.”
The latest incident of a door detaching mid-flight certainly does not instill confidence in this troubled aircraft.
This is a brand-new Boeing aircraft
— Jack Poso ?? (@JackPosobiec) January 6, 2024
It rolled off the line 2 months ago
This is bigger than just Nikki Haley’s tenure there (although devastating to her)
We need a national investigation before people diepic.twitter.com/rq5qNPdSIP
Sir, You Are Being Watched: UK Police Secretly Used Passport Database for Facial Recognition
British police have been secretly using the national passport database to run facial recognition technology, according to an investigative report by the Telegraph.
According to the article, over 46 million British passport holders were affected. In addition to the passport database, the police also used information from immigration services to monitor foreigners.
The media report revealed that British police have been using the passport database for facial recognition since at least 2019, with the trend intensifying last year. For example, in the first nine months of 2023, UK law enforcement agencies used the passport database more than 300 times.
The media emphasises that the problem is not the facial recognition technology itself, but the fact that police are using passport database instead of their internal databases.
The revelation sparked concern among politicians and human rights activists, some of whom described the situation as “deeply concerning”, adding that “there is no clear legal basis for this intrusive technology”.
David Davis, a Conservative MP, stressed that there was “no explicit legislative basis” for such a practice and claimed that the use of Britons’ passports “undermines the data relationship between the citizen and the state”.
Moreover, “opening up civil databases to mass police searches turns everyone a priori into a suspect,” another campaigner warned. He added that “more surveillance and snooping powers will not make people safer”.
Biden: Trump ‘Echoing the Same Exact Language Used in Nazi Germany’
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US President Joe Biden said during a speech in Pennsylvania that some of former US President Donald Trump’s comments are reminiscent of those made by Nazi officials in Germany under the Third Reich.
“[Trump] calls those who oppose him ‘vermin.’ He talks about the blood of America being poisoned, echoing the same exact language used in Nazi Germany,” Biden said on Friday.
BIDEN: TRUMP IS HITLER pic.twitter.com/8cnZHIN1S4
— The_Real_Fly (@The_Real_Fly) January 6, 2024
Biden’s campaign speech, the first of the election year, focused on Trump’s ties to the January 6 US Capitol riot and alleged threats posed to US democracy by the former president.
“Trump’s mob wasn’t a peaceful protest; it was a violent assault,” Biden stressed. “They were insurrectionists, not patriots. They weren’t there to uphold the Constitution; they were there to destroy the Constitution.”
Leaning into memories of the Capitol riot, which marks its third anniversary on Saturday, Biden further commented that his predecessor is “trying to rewrite the facts” of the shocking day, claiming that Trump is “trying to steal history the same way he tried to steal the election.”
The US president vowed to protect democratic principles in the United States, which he called the “central cause” of his presidency. “Whether democracy is still America’s sacred cause is what the 2024 election is all about,” Biden remarked during the event.
“The choice is clear. Donald Trump’s campaign is about him, not America, not you. Donald Trump’s campaign is obsessed with the past, not the future. He’s willing to sacrifice our democracy to put himself in power. Our campaign is different.”
He later remarked that Trump is gearing for an “all-out war.”
In response to Biden’s earlier remarks, Trump during a speaking engagement in Iowa described Biden’s commentary as “pathetic” and encouraging “fearmongering.”
Trump mocks Biden’s “pathetic, fear-mongering campaign event” in Pennsylvania earlier today. pic.twitter.com/TRwGrQgbkF
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 5, 2024
The Friday remarks come in advance of the November presidential election, in which Biden and Trump may again square off as their respective parties’ nominees. Earlier in December, Trump rejected comparisons to Nazi German leader Adolf Hitler and called them unwarranted.