I am no longer able to resist commenting about the breathless reporting on Jeffrey Epstein and his death (if he is, in fact, dead). I have not attempted to organize these thoughts.
The bumper crop of “conspiracy theories” surrounding it is flabbergasting so far I have encountered the following
- He committed suicide with the complicity of a guard or guards.
- He was murdered. (by the Clintons or any of the other powerful individuals with whom he was linked)
- He was spirited away (by the Clintons, Mossad, etc.) and the body is a double.
- Accidental death, the result of autoerotic hypoxia.
Have I missed any of the major strains? My only advice is to heed Occam’s Razor and Hanlon’s Razor. I don’t know what happened and barely care. It will be the subject of investigation for years and speculation for decades.
“Pedophilia” is properly used to refer to sexual attraction to prepubescent individuals. “Ephebophilia” is the term used to describe sexual attraction to adolescents aged 15-18. That is not a defense.
Why has no one pointed out the societal sexualization of children in connection with this matter? Examples abound. Two of the highest-paid female recording artists jump-started their careers as pre-teenagers or young teenagers with materials and acts with sexual content. Many couture models are rather young teenagers. What’s the dividing line between aberrance and acceptability? As another example look at the recent treatment of Dora the Explorer. As one individual I know put it, Dora should be more Shirley Temple and less Lupe Velez. Hollywood has managed to sexualize material that is very much not sexualized in the original.
I’ve read Epstein described as an exceptionally engaging and manipulative man. I’ve also read descriptions of the cell as having no bars, no light fixtures, a low bed frame, paper sheets and garments.
But I’ve also read that John Gotti was able to arrange steak dinners from his favorite restaurant when he was a guest there.
Probably, if Epstein wanted a cloth sheet to hang himself, he had the money and the blather to get it.
As for murder by Royal family, (American or British), the motive would have been stronger at the time of his arrest 10 years earlier.