4 More Years? Really??

One of the perennial posters that can be found in pretty much any workplace in the land is the one that reads “You don't have to be crazy to work here, but it helps.” I don't know if this poster is hanging in the Oval Office, but it should be. Imagine a job where – depending on your political party – you take the blame for literally all of the world's problems, and get credit for nothing. Or, on the other hand, it must be tempting when someone with Oval Office dreams sees the royal treatment presidents like Barack Obama get; in those cases they get credit for anything good that happens on the planet, and blame for absolutely nothing, even things that are a direct result of their misguided policies and programs.

The present situation fits into the first case, needless to say. And I imagine no one is more surprised than Donald Trump by how little a president can accomplish if he (or she) is opposed by Congress, the judiciary, the media, the entertainment industry, academia, the unions, multinational corporations, the E.U., globalists, and pretty much any other entity you care to name. The presidency is only as powerful as it's allowed to be, in other words; the president has no absolute, unconditional power. Even war powers, which come close to absolute, can still be thwarted if Congress withdraws funds from the military.

Now some will say that this is exactly as it should be – “balance of power” and all that. But again, it's conditional and arbitrary. With sufficient opposition, a president cannot even exercise the most basic powers explicitly set down in the Constitution, as we see in Trump's case. But with sufficient support, a president can become, for all intents and purposes, a dictator, tyrant, and war lord. This might be considered a kind of balance in the long run, but I doubt if it's what the Founding Fathers had in mind. They envisioned a system that would be self-correcting without frequent trauma and without all-out war between the president and the Congress or between the president and the judiciary. So what we have now is, in effect, a post-Constitutional system which is based on raw power and not much else. Even the Supreme Court – the ultimate arbiter of Constitutional questions – has decided that pretty much anything can be read into, or out of, the Constitution, which thereby renders it no more than a symbol or fetish.

With these thoughts in mind, consider the position of Donald Trump, who inexplicably remains in office despite the most fervent efforts of people in the Executive Branch, i.e. the branch he's supposedly in charge of, to get rid of him. It's enough of a problem when a president is at knife points with the other two branches, but it's downright grotesque when members of the Executive Branch try to pull off a coup, and the madness increases all the more when we find that a significant portion of people who work in the White House itself are in on the game. It's like something right out of Shakespeare (except without the exalted language).

So far Trump is campaigning as though he really does want a second term. Maybe in his heart of hearts he has come to the realization that it's a lost cause, but he'll never admit it; that's not the way he operates. He will go down fighting, of that you may be certain. And yet he talks about the second term as though it's a real possibility. But consider – what would a second Trump term be like? Would it be an improvement on the first term, where he's been thwarted at every turn? Lest we forget, for his first two years the Republicans were in charge of the House of Representatives as well as the Senate, and what good did it do? The “never Trumpers” opposed and undercut him in every way they could. And things got even worse when the Democrats took back the House in 2018. Then it was full speed ahead on impeachment for... well... it's hard to say. Just “stuff”. Just for being Donald Trump.

So it's been rough going for Trump so far, but what happens next year if the Democrats hold on to the House and take the Senate out of the weak, hesitant, palsied hands of the Republicans? If, in spite of that, Trump is somehow re-elected, he will instantly be a lame duck (worse than now, that is). For starters, Congress will have free rein to reverse, cancel, and nullify everything that Trump has managed to accomplish in his first term – as little as that is compared to what he was hoping for. The judiciary will be no more sympathetic to his cause than they have been up to now. Then we have “the usual suspects” – the media, the entertainment industry, academia, etc., who will continue their all-out war on Trump, and in fact ramp it up. And don't forget, a second impeachment was in the works until the pandemic came along, and I'm sure that it's all ready to dish up at the earliest opportunity. That, and who knows how many more wild, delusional accusations directed at Trump, his family, and the members of his administration. (Surely you don't think Trump has managed to “clean house” at the FBI, Justice Department, and State Department? The process has barely begun, and it continues to falter because the Deep State is... well, deep.) Plus, a second defeat for the Democrats would turn what has, up until now, merely been Trump Derangement Syndrome into full-blown psychosis and mass hysteria. It will not be a pretty sight. (I'm not sure how much more outfits like CNN can do other than commit mass harakiri in Lafayette Square, but I'm sure they'll think of something.) (Maybe Nancy Pelosi will tear up her birth certificate; that would be “cancel culture” at its finest.)

But wait, there's more! Don't forget the new players on the scene. The corona virus isn't going anywhere very soon – recall that the Spanish Flu lasted for over two years. And who knows what else the Chinese have up their sleeve? Corona may have been just the beta version. Then we have riots breaking out across the land, fueled by racial grievances, economic distress... infiltrated by home-grown anarchists, provocateurs, and Marxists... and aided and abetted by various governors and mayors who are, at this point, refusing offers of help from the Trump administration for the simple reason that they like the chaos; it offers all sorts of new opportunities. (And those are the same governors and mayors, by the way, who led the shutdown of the economy. Coincidence? I don't think so.) (And do you think the riots are going to end the minute Joe Biden takes the oath? Dream on. Will the Antifa hordes go back underground, saying “mission accomplished”? Right. Their mission is just getting underway.)

Then you have the U.S. military, which has taken to “murmuring” against Trump with increasing frequency. Surely they can't see him as an existential threat; he takes great pride in supporting them. What's more likely is that they have their own theories as to how foreign policy should be conducted with “force projection”, and no orange businessman with crazy hair from Manhattan is going to convince them otherwise. (In this they resemble the State Department, which considers itself above Trump on the foreign policy totem pole.) So there is great grinding of teeth whenever he's referred to as Commander in Chief; I'm amazed they haven't started picketing the White House with signs that say “Not My Commander in Chief”. (And BTW, do they really expect that life will be better under Biden? What if “Defund the Police” morphs into “Defund the Military”? Does anyone remember what happened to the military when Carter took over from Ford?)

The economic recovery (assuming there even is one) may take even longer. Then we have the new globalists – not the stodgy old bunch in the E.U. and their American collaborators, but all of the international corporations who have now cast their lot with China. Think about the visible Chinese ownership of American resources, both in China itself and in the U.S., and then imagine the magnitude of the invisible ownership; there are countless ways in which to conceal the real owners of a company, and thus to conceal its agenda above and beyond mere business. Why worry about a metaphorical tsunami racing eastward across the Pacific when there are already Chinese geysers and volcanoes bubbling up in the American heartland? And that's only on the business/economic side; whoever is president will also have to deal with Chinese military adventurism – that's assuming that said president doesn't decide to come to an agreement of some sort with China (in which case, sayonara Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc.). (We fought with Japan for control over the Pacific and eventually won, at great cost. Are we up for a repeat performance with China? My tendency is to doubt it.)

So yes, you would have to be crazy to want that job in these times – either to be re-elected or to be elected. And yet we have Trump, and Biden, and any number of Democrat also-rans who can't wait to cozy up to Old Uncle Joe, figuring he'll be carted off to “the home” not far into his first term and that will be their chance to take over. So rest assured, no matter who you vote for in November you'll be voting for someone who is at least delusional, if not an outright lunatic.

Where Were the Parents?

A question which, as far as I know, has never been asked, let alone answered, in this whole Epstein/Maxwell thing is, “Where were the parents??” I.e., where were the parents of all of these countless minor females who were talked into flying off to some secluded island to “service” the most rich and powerful men on the planet (or, for the B-list types, merely whisked over to one of Epstein's town houses, mansions, or condos in the States)? I mean... especially in the age of “helicopter parenting”... didn't it arouse some suspicion when these kids turned up missing for days or weeks at a time? What, no Amber Alerts? No faces on milk cartons? And were the schools totally apathetic? (I had to ask that last question, even though I suspect I know the answer.)

One might contrast this case with that of Michael Jackson. As far as I know, all of his underage guests were there with the full knowledge and consent of their parents. I can see it now – cocktail hour out on the patio, and “Where's Billy?” “Oh, he's spending the weekend with Michael Jackson at Neverland.” Cue expressions of awe and extreme envy. Sure, there had to have a been a good deal of vicarious glamour involved. But apparently none of them ever caught on, which shows you that glamour can be blinding. And of course there is always the “If only we had known” alibi. Right – sending your pre-teen son off to spend the weekend with a total freakazoid on his private estate is the most normal thing imaginable. What could possibly go wrong?

But in the Epstein case, how many of these parents knew that their daughters were off to parts unknown to do heaven knows what with, or to, powerful men? I can see it now – the kid prances out the front door, Hello Kitty backpack in hand – “Well, I'm off to some island that some woman invited me to, and I'm going to meet all kinds of rich men. It oughta be fun. Toodles, see ya!” So... the parents or legal guardians didn't body-block her and immediately call the police? There is something definitely missing from this picture. One might almost suspect that some of them were in on it. Or maybe they were simply negligent. Or maybe... what? I mean, what can possibly explain all of this? This is the biggest question of all, which is probably why it's never asked.

And Maxwell apparently “recruited” a lot of her, um, young friends by simply driving up to a schoolyard, parking the car, running out, and presenting likely prospects with phone numbers and promising them modeling jobs. I'll bet she wasn't even wearing a trench coat and dark glasses. And not a one of them got suspicious and reported the incident to school officials or parents? I guess they were just too bedazzled. Hey, it could happen. I mean, your average public school is not exactly “glamour central”, and it would be easy enough to lure someone away with promises of money and adventure. But still. The kid goes home that evening with the phone number clutched in her hand and waits for a chance to make the call. Reminds me of the Beatles classic “She's Leaving Home”.

And then what? Presumably most if not all of these youngsters returned home eventually. No questions? Wow. Things must be even worse than anyone thought. Or, maybe they were all “emancipated minors”. Maybe Maxwell had a list, cross-referenced to schools.

Or – was their home life so lousy and dysfunctional that anything else seemed preferable? Think about the statistics for runaways. (There is a nexus here since the modal age for female runaways seems to be 14.) But again, did Maxwell have a list in her hand, with photos? How would she have known who the most unhappy, but nonetheless extremely attractive, girls were? It simply doesn't add up. There was clearly facilitation – massive facilitation – going on all along the line. To imagine that Maxwell acted alone would be like imagining that some Mafia don acted alone; he was just at the top of the pyramid, and so was she (along with Jeff).

At any rate, if the government is serious about this case they might just want to bring some of these “parental units” in for questioning. For every one of these girls there is at least one parent, guardian, or social worker out there. Bring them in! What, are they all hiding out? Are they all in the witness protection program? Otherwise all we have is Ghislaine, whose life expectancy is about on par with that pesky housefly that's buzzing around my computer screen.

The conventional wisdom was that once Epstein was gone, the cause was lost, but then Maxwell turned up and revived people's hopes – but perhaps all in vain; we shall see.

Bill & Hillary & Jeff & Ghislaine – Consider the Possibilities

There's something about this Ghislaine Maxwell thing that doesn't pass the smell test. For one thing, the FBI had apparently been tracking her for months, and they finally arrested her in her own home in New Hampshire. And all sorts of people in the area had known she was there; she was, in effect, hiding in plain sight. She hadn't even considered it necessary to flee to some other country with one of her handful of passports.

Was this slow-walked, and if so why? (It reminds me of that bin Laden business where they said he had to be buried at sea because it's a Muslim custom. Tilt!) So... let's take this brief opportunity between her apprehension and her suicide in a New York City jail to give this some thought.

It's been pointed out that in an election year, everything is political, and this event is no exception. In fact, it might turn out to be the most political event of the year. I mean, how can a scandal that touches on members of the ruling elite not be political? And this is why Maxwell has to be considered a marked woman. She'd have been better off staying in that county jail in New Hampshire and being watched over by Barney Fife than turned over to the tender mercies of the Metropolitan Detention Center.

So the initial question would be, what is the impact of Maxwell's arrest? Who, or what, benefits, and who, or what, does not benefit? Or to put it another way, who stands to lose the most if Maxwell decides to plea bargain and spill a few beans? And to answer that question, we have to, for starters, ask who built up the most frequent flyer miles on Epstein's private jet? The envelope, please. Right! Bill Clinton! And anything that shines a spotlight on him inevitably shines a spotlight on... forget the envelope... Hillary Clinton! This is the way things are. She attached herself to Bill Clinton's coattails decades ago, benefited greatly from doing so – including being able to claim that she was “co-president” – so it's only fair that her choice should come back to bite her now, the way it did when Trump trotted out a group of Bill Clinton's (alleged) victims before a debate with Hillary. Karma happens, right?

But now wait – if Maxwell has the potential to inflict damage on Bill Clinton and therefore on his enabler and protector of many decades, namely Hillary – why did the FBI pick this particular time to bring her in? After all, they are no friends of Donald Trump. But that is precisely the point. I have said for lo these many months that if Joe Biden started to seriously falter, that would be Hillary's signal to jump into the race to save the day, wresting the nomination away from Good Old Uncle Joe and running for a second time against Trump, aaaand.... losing again. Or at least having a much higher chance of losing than Biden, whose handlers seem to have decided that his best bet is a non-campaign.

Have I connected the dots yet? (1) The Deep State, of which the FBI is a charter member, does not want a second Trump term. (2) If Hillary took over the Democratic nomination, she might well lose again, which would mean a second Trump term. (3) If Biden remains in the race, the way things look now he will beat Trump quite handily, even if he (Biden) has to be wheeled into the Democratic Convention in an oxygen tent. (4) Ergo, your mission, Mr. Phelps, is to take out Hillary Clinton before she gets a chance to push Biden aside. And (5) the most efficient and effective way of doing that is to get Ghislaine Maxwell to spill the beans on Bill Clinton and his facilitators, including you-know-who. And (6) now's the time! It might not have mattered up until now, when Joe Biden still had two brain cells to rub together, but it matters now. And if we wait, it might be too late.

Another way of putting it is that the FBI was keeping the lovely and gracious Ghislaine in reserve, to be brought out only if, and when, sorely needed. So that answers the questions of why now, and why not sooner. Remember, in an election year everything is political. If a president's choice of medication is political, what can escape? I'm sure they'd be out there condemning his shoe size if they knew what it was. So this is going to be interesting. And... it might also be an insurance policy of sorts for Ghislaine herself. Nobody wanted Jeffrey Epstein kept alive, that's clear. But times change. Maxwell may be the very resource the Deep State is looking for, which means that her chances of survival are far greater than those of old Jeff. But we shall see.

(Please note also in all of this that it contradicts the theory that Hillary is, in fact, in charge of the Deep State. For one thing, that's Obama's job title. And for another, she and Bill may have finally moved into the “expendable” column in the Deep State's accounting ledgers. If so, it's not a minute too soon.)