Oops: The Epstein Birthday Note Exists and Donald's Signature Looks Genuine

 Forgive my language, but this story is complete and utter bulls***. The WSJ should be ashamed for publishing it. Where is the letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it? Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump?

A social media post written by Vice President J.D. Vance in July after the Wall Street Journal first reported the existence of a birthday note from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein.

Indeed, where is the letter? The WSJ's initial report described it, but never actually published it. When Trump sued the Wall Street Journal and its owner Rupert Murdoch for about a bazillion bucks the President's lawyers, under oath, swore to the court the letter didn't exist. 

Then yesterday democrats on the House Oversight Committe published this: "HERE IT IS. We got Trump's birthday note to Jeffrey Epstein that the President said didn't exist. Trump talks about a 'wonderful secret' the two of them shared. What is he hiding? Release the files." What followed was a shot of the actual note, drawing included, which is signed simply, Donald.

Oops.

It took what amounted to mere minutes for Trump's cadre of fixers, enablers, and toadies to shift gears. They are now ignoring their previous denial that it ever existed to, the signature isn't his. It is a forgery Hey say. Some have even posted his signature online to prove it. There is a major problem with that tactic though. 

If the signature on the note is a forgery, it's a pretty fucking good one. It looks just like everything else the man has signed--his name barely legible, written in a way which resembles the stylus on a seismograph registering an 8.6 earthquake down the street. It is for all practical purposes an exact match to what they've put online. 

That won't stop the Trump people from trotting out all kinds of hand-picked, "experts," who will claim it isn't the same. After all, as Trump knows so well, everyone has a price. However, we can be equally sure the oversight committee, or at least some of them, will call on their own group of analysts. Anyone who has watched fictional courtroom dramas knows it will happen. It will be a duel of handwriting hot shots and their credentials.  

Vance was right about one thing. The text of the message doesn't sound like the Donald Trump we've come to know and loathe. The whole concept of writing a fictional conversation between he and Epstein is beyond him. He doesn't have that sort of imagination. Just because he doesn't, however, doesn't mean the signature isn't his. 

I've always maintained that when Ghislaine Maxwell approached Trump with the request for a birthday book message, he handed it off to someone else to compose--perhaps Maxwell herself. When whoever wrote it was done, Trump took a look at it, then signed it. By doing so he gave his approval of the content, including the drawing of a naked woman's torso. The truth is, given his taste for all things crude, at the time he probably thought it was funny. Although not so much now.

Of course, the oversight committee members didn't get the, "birthday book," from the Department of Justice. They are still doing everything in power to delay the release of those hundreds of thousands of pages the President is so petrified of. The committee did an end run around the DOJ and through subpoenas received it from the estate of the late, unlamented, Jeffrey Epstein. God only knows what else the estate has on hand, but one has to guess the possibilities make Donald Trump squirm more than the prospect of Stormy Daniels dancing in the East Room of the White House.

Not one victim of Jeffrey Epstein who has spoken publicly about her trauma has accused Donald Trump of inappropriate, or criminal behavior. Given his past willingness to throw former associates under a variety of vehicles we can assume Trump's objections to releasing the files have nothing to do with personal loyalty to guilty friends. All of which increases the suspicion there is something there so damning, so God awful, that not even his devoted base will give him a pass on it. And that something is far worse than his signature mimicking pubic hair on the drawing of a nude woman. 

In his latest online fund raising appeal Trump solicited $15 contributions from the rubes who still believe in him. The subject line at the top of the email read, "I want to try to get into Heaven." Well, Don, given what we know and what many of us are currently imagining--thanks to your Epstein obstruction efforts--you might need more help than $15 donations to get inside the gate of that club.

The old adage is that, "confession is good for the soul." As the man with the bruised hands knows, however, it isn't good for your political agenda, or the legacy you are carefully attempting to craft for yourself. Just ask the ghost of Adolf Hitler. He built the German Autobahn system, but he's remembered for other things.

9-9-25

Trying to Keep Up with the Outrages

 Sometimes--okay, practically always--it feels like Donald Trump isn't a president, but rather the leader of a meth fueled biker gang. One that rampages through the streets with flame throwers torching things just because they can. Indeed, the outrages happen so fast and, in such numbers, it is hard to keep up.  

Take for example the case of Nory Sontay Ramos and her mom, Estela Ramos Baten. Years ago Ms. Baten fled Guatemala because her life was being threatened by a powerful gang. She naturally took her daughter with her. They settled in the United States where Nory enrolled in school and by all reports became an excellent student. She also developed into an athlete who once she hit high school ran on the cross country team. Neither have been in any trouble with the law, or immigration authorities.  

Baten had made a bunch of trips to the immigration courts desperately trying to get her status changed, but a final decision was always put off. Then, during her last attempt she was told to return on June 30 of this year with her kid. Nory was gearing up for her senior year in high school and being an honors student, she became suspicious. Hey, she knew what was going on, especially in Southern California. Stephen Miller's personal Gestapo, ICE, was rounding up people left and right. And despite Trump's claim to only go after the worst of the worst criminal element in the immigrant community they were snatching everyone. When she told her mother she was worried, Ms. Baten reassured her kid that everything would be okay, and, "They had to do things the right way."

You know where this is going don't you? Of course you do.

After hours of being stuck in the federal building, the men in black showed up and carted them both to the airport where they were flown to a camp in Texas. Then it was off to Guatemala, the very place Estela had escaped from because her life was in danger. It's a country Nory Ramos, who had been scheduled to attend cross country practice later that day, barely remembers. In fact, she had been in the U.S. so long she doesn't even speak Spanish. There was no hearing, no chance to speak to a lawyer, and neither of them were allowed to make any calls. To make sure of it, both their phones were confiscated. They arrived in Guatemala City with only the clothes on their backs. 

One can only imagine what Stephen Miller's Eastern European Jewish immigrant grandparents are thinking about their descendent now.

Meanwhile, Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. facilitated the firing of Dr. Susan Monarez--head of the CDC--because she wouldn't sign off on his proposed Covid vaccine restrictions. Other CDC senior officials resigned in protest over the firing. In addition, over 1,000 former and current employees of the Health and Human Services Department sent a letter to Kennedy and members of congress saying the Secretary was putting the nation's health at risk and demanding he resign. A Kennedy spokesperson responded to the letter with a statement which said, in part, "Secretary Kennedy has been clear; the CDC has been broken for a long time. Restoring it to the world's most trusted guardian of public health will take sustained reform and more personnel changes."

Kennedy, of course, has the job because Trump felt like he had to reward that sizable part of his base who are convinced all vaccines are a commie plot to poison true Americans.  While not completely an anti-vaxxer--it depends on who asks him--Kennedy is the closest thing to one they'll ever get.  

The Secretary, who has claimed his use of heroine improved his school grades and once dumped a dead bear cub in the middle of Central Park in NYC has been described by democratic strategist, James Carville this way. "There is," Carville said, "somethin' wrong with that boy."

Then we have a quick flashback to PragerU's America First Test for teachers who are new to Oklahoma. One which slipped under the radar in the last post read, "What cause is Martin Luther King Jr. best known for?" (Notice it didn't say, Dr. Martin Luther King.) The correct answer according to PragerU is, "Advocating for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion."  (DEI) That's right, one of the 20th century's greatest civil rights icons--a strict adherent to the philosophy of non-violent civil disobedience to achieve the ideals set out in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution--a Nobel Peace Prize winner--is best known for supporting a buzz phrase which wasn't coined until decades after his murder.    

Those of us who were alive back in those days tend to remember Dr. King for a tad more than advocating for DEI. However, you have to hand it to that right wing indoctrination machine, PragerU. They do know how to trivialize the monumental. 

Finally, we get to the El Supremo himself, Donald Trump. Tuesday and yesterday a small portion of Jeffrey Epstein's victims told members of congress and the media about the horrors of Epstein's depraved abuse and how Ghislaine Maxwell had not only abetted him, but at times joined in. Most of the women who spoke yesterday weren't even 15 years old when their nightmares began. All of them demanded that Donald Trump's Department of Justice release the entire Epstein file immediately. They weren't the only ones. Trump loyalists like Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene agreed with them. Ultra right Congresswoman, Nancy Mace was so disturbed by their testimony left the hearing in tears. 

When asked about Epstein in the Oval Office Trump said the scandal is a, "...democrat hoax that never ends." He went on to tell reporters, "They're trying to get people to talk about something that's totally irrelevant to the success we've had as a nation since I've been President."  

None of the women who spoke to the press and Congress have ever accused Donald Trump of committing crimes against them. In fact, one told Lawrence O'Donnell she voted for him last November in part because she believed he would do what he said he would do. One of those things was release the file. 

No one knows, except perhaps for Pam Bondi and Trump himself, how many times his name is mentioned in the files, or in what context. We can be absolutely sure though, there is something in them he desperately doesn't want the public to see. And that's no hoax.

It us, however, most certainly the current American Leader, Donald John Trump. 

9-4-25

PragerU's 34 Questions

 Attention all you woke teachers from California and New York who are trying to sneak into Oklahoma to subvert the minds of the state's young students. (One report claims there are at least five a year from California alone.) The America First Test prepared by public school Superintendent Ryan Walters and PragerU is either done, or almost done. PragerU just released their part, 34 questions, which leaves 16 still unidentified. Presumably those 16 were left for the Superintendent himself to formulate. It's unclear at this time if he has done so, or not. Perhaps they're ready to go and are currently sitting on his desk next to his TV remote control.

Many of the PragerU questions seem innocuous enough. Question 10 asks, "What are the two parts of the United States Congress? Question 11, How many total U.S. Senators are there? Number 21, When was the Declaration of Independence adopted? This is stuff any 7th, or 8th grade civics student should have down pat. Okay, except in Oklahoma where, under Walters' leadership, the public education system has sunk to 50th in the nation. 

Other questions seem a bit idealistic in nature given who is currently in the Oval Office. Number 19 asks, What is the supreme law of the United States? The correct answer is the Constitution, although Donald Trump might disagree. Number 34 is, From whom does the United States government derive its power? According to the test the answer is, the people. Again, they might want to check with Donnie Trump on that. 

The first question actually appears tougher than it really is. First the entire test is multiple choice and second, if you know even a little bit about Ryan Walters you know what he wants to hear. . Question one reads, According to the Supreme Court cases, Meyer v Nebraska (1923) Pierce v Society of Sisters (1925) who has the ultimate right to direct a child's education? The correct answer is the parents. The problem being there are a whole lot of MAGA parents out there who don't give a rat's ass about their children's education. Not to mention a huge bunch who are more concerned their kids might learn something they don't want them to--evolution comes to mind as does a true history of the institution of slavery. However, one supposes that's the point of the question. That's right pal. Just remember a jury of parents found John Scopes guilty and he had Clarence by God Darrow as his attorney.    

Then there is question 9 which seems a little odd given the Superintendent's painfully obvious beliefs. It asks, "Why is freedom of religion important to America's identity? The answer Prager is looking for is, it protects religious choice from government control. Really Mr. Superintendent? is that why you have mandated that every Oklahoma classroom have at least one copy of the King James Version of the Christian bible on hand? (His original plan to have the Lee Greenwood-Donald Trump version was thwarted.)  Is it why you insist teachers stress America was founded on New and Old Testament principles instead of the tenets of the enlightenment? 

Hell, Ryan, none of the first three presidents (another question.) were your sort of Christian. Washington was a deist who refused to take Anglican communion. Adams was a Unitarian who didn't believe in the holy trinity. And Jefferson, when he wasn't knocking up his slave, Sally Hemings, was writing letters praising those who doubted the presence of a divine Creator in the earthly affairs of mankind.

Finally, there are questions 2 though 7. What are the fundamental biological differences between male and female? How is a child's biological sex identified? (Pedos everywhere, rejoice! The answer is visual anatomical observation.) Which chromosome pair identifies the biological sex in humans? Why is the distinction between male and female considered important in areas like sports and privacy? Should teachers be allowed to express their own political viewpoints in the classroom to persuade the students to adopt their point of view? What did the Supreme Court rule in the 2025 case Mahmoud v Taylor? Then answer to that last one you can't teach anything about the LGBTQ community without allowing parents to pull their kids from the lesson if they want to. 

Has anyone else seen the most obvious flaw in this attempt to cement the MAGA hold on Oklahoma's public education system? Here is a hint. When you give a test, you don't tell the people who have to take it the fucking questions and answers in advance. It pretty much defeats the definition of the word, test.

Well, no one ever said there are geniuses running this place. And now, thanks to PragerU and Ryan Walters, we just proved it. 

9-1-25