Thank you for such a cogent, non-clickbait breakdown. This is the journalism I grew up with and miss dearly. I also appreciate your more personal or cultural analysis of the news, too, and that you make such a clear delineation between "the available information is" and "what I think is happening and why."
(I wish I could become a paid subscriber, but long-term health issues and medical bills have my family on too tight a budget, even for things I think are important.)
I like the line about it does not mean the system is healed it is being tested.. but the whole article is clear and to the point thanks! There are distinctions of crime and each one needs to be teased out from the others.. epstein was an ecosystem for sure - that is a good way to say it - he was a one-stop-shopping for those who like to waste their possibility to do good for the world but instead followed (and still follow) their base instincts of depravity.
Just loved your headline : somebody other than a woman.... Solid reporting and analysis subsequent. I reflect that the "accountability" now snapping at the (former) prince's rear is NOT about the sexual "misconduct." It has to do with the fungible value of the flesh. But not always directly a cash transaction. Just the jolly boys in the club, what difference to share a hint, wink, wink, with the right sort. And Trump bloviated today in Georgia about he didn't think he was going to Heaven he just had a lot of fun! Too much fun! All he did was have fun!
Looks like not only will REpubs refuse to hold townhalls - but have their offices in private-owned buildings & not allow constituents to even park in the lots or meet with their politicians!! And I guess its not only in Missouri.
This is what I found most important about your analysis:
“ Here is the part polite society always wants to skip. Epstein was not merely a criminal. He was an ecosystem. And ecosystems have gatekeepers: titles, handlers, courtiers, fixers, social secretaries, private jets, “introductions,” and the quiet cultural rule that powerful people get handled, not confronted.
For years, the Andrew-Epstein story sat in that familiar aristocratic fog where “association” becomes a synonym for “nothing you can prove.” The cost of that fog is paid by everyone who does not have a title, a compound, or a palace press office. Regular people do not get a fog. They get a file. They get a record. They get the full weight of the state, fast.”
This really gets to the heart of societal issues and this one in particular. Thank you.
This is like that scene from Goodfellas when they playing Eric Clapton. Everybody going down for this Epstein thing. It’s a Epstein Reckoning. It’s weird here in the states. We don’t pay attention to stuff. The Trump Birthday book signing to Epstein it was all told right there. A fool could read that and know that meant. They are the same a secret. Come on that shit was obvious. That’s where it looked obvious. The drawing.
Weeellll, talk about your "shit just got serious moment." This is one for the books. Wouldn't it be nice if we could see some of this same grit in our country.
X Dude, love the reporting, the facts, the context, and the forward-looking analysis. Thank you.
One other question: Any suggestions on how to "curate" this Substack feed of mine, so that I don't spend my time duplicating reportage, following red herrings, or getting reeled in by AI fakes?
On the latter point, was watching an HCR video on her YouTube channel, and got snookered by an AI-created video of what appeared to be George Will commenting on all the dastardliness of the current regime. It's all eating up a lot of my time. I need to stay focused on writing like yours. Any ideas from commenters/subscribers would be great, too. Much obliged.
Dude thank you. And I totally get what you’re saying about the feed turning into a time-sink and a trap, especially now that AI can manufacture “credible” nonsense on command.
Here’s the simplest way I know to stay sane. Pick a small handful of writers you trust, and let them be your front door to the world. Not fifty. Not “I’ll keep up with everything.” Like ten. If it didn’t come through one of those ten, you don’t owe it your attention today. Most of what feels “urgent” is just engineered urgency.
And on the AI fake problem, I’ve had to adopt a hard rule. I don’t let a clip tell me what’s true. A clip is bait until I see the full original context or I see two reputable confirmations that don’t trace back to the same source. If something is perfectly rage-inducing, perfectly quotable, and perfectly timed, I assume it’s a lure meant to steal my focus. I don’t share it, I don’t build on it, and I definitely don’t write off it.
The last piece is a little mental trick: before I chase any new “breaking” thing, I ask myself just one question: where did this first appear? If I can’t answer that in about ten seconds, I move on. Nine times out of ten that one question saves you an hour, because the story collapses right there.
UPDATE: Just removed 12 or so subscriptions; another 8 or so rarely post, so I'm down to about 10-ish trustworthy sources. Not coincidentally, they're the ones I pay for. You get what you pay for, I suppose. Pax caritas.
Thank you for such a cogent, non-clickbait breakdown. This is the journalism I grew up with and miss dearly. I also appreciate your more personal or cultural analysis of the news, too, and that you make such a clear delineation between "the available information is" and "what I think is happening and why."
(I wish I could become a paid subscriber, but long-term health issues and medical bills have my family on too tight a budget, even for things I think are important.)
I like the line about it does not mean the system is healed it is being tested.. but the whole article is clear and to the point thanks! There are distinctions of crime and each one needs to be teased out from the others.. epstein was an ecosystem for sure - that is a good way to say it - he was a one-stop-shopping for those who like to waste their possibility to do good for the world but instead followed (and still follow) their base instincts of depravity.
Thank you, Xplisset. I am a paid subscriber because I value factual reporting and you do it!
Same here! And I would add that you do it very well, Xplisset!
Thank you for a succinct and well written article! Keep up the good fight to expose the Truth. ✊🏻
Yes. I hope there is a trove of new documents that can be accessed.
Just loved your headline : somebody other than a woman.... Solid reporting and analysis subsequent. I reflect that the "accountability" now snapping at the (former) prince's rear is NOT about the sexual "misconduct." It has to do with the fungible value of the flesh. But not always directly a cash transaction. Just the jolly boys in the club, what difference to share a hint, wink, wink, with the right sort. And Trump bloviated today in Georgia about he didn't think he was going to Heaven he just had a lot of fun! Too much fun! All he did was have fun!
Looks like not only will REpubs refuse to hold townhalls - but have their offices in private-owned buildings & not allow constituents to even park in the lots or meet with their politicians!! And I guess its not only in Missouri.
https://jesspiper.substack.com/p/access-denied?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1960047&post_id=188388533&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=b9ign&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
This is what I found most important about your analysis:
“ Here is the part polite society always wants to skip. Epstein was not merely a criminal. He was an ecosystem. And ecosystems have gatekeepers: titles, handlers, courtiers, fixers, social secretaries, private jets, “introductions,” and the quiet cultural rule that powerful people get handled, not confronted.
For years, the Andrew-Epstein story sat in that familiar aristocratic fog where “association” becomes a synonym for “nothing you can prove.” The cost of that fog is paid by everyone who does not have a title, a compound, or a palace press office. Regular people do not get a fog. They get a file. They get a record. They get the full weight of the state, fast.”
This really gets to the heart of societal issues and this one in particular. Thank you.
This is like that scene from Goodfellas when they playing Eric Clapton. Everybody going down for this Epstein thing. It’s a Epstein Reckoning. It’s weird here in the states. We don’t pay attention to stuff. The Trump Birthday book signing to Epstein it was all told right there. A fool could read that and know that meant. They are the same a secret. Come on that shit was obvious. That’s where it looked obvious. The drawing.
I wonder if Bondi is in the files?
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I believe that she is!
Of course his arrest has nothing to do with his crimes against women and children. It’s related to giving Epstein trade negotiation secrets!
Weeellll, talk about your "shit just got serious moment." This is one for the books. Wouldn't it be nice if we could see some of this same grit in our country.
X Dude, love the reporting, the facts, the context, and the forward-looking analysis. Thank you.
One other question: Any suggestions on how to "curate" this Substack feed of mine, so that I don't spend my time duplicating reportage, following red herrings, or getting reeled in by AI fakes?
On the latter point, was watching an HCR video on her YouTube channel, and got snookered by an AI-created video of what appeared to be George Will commenting on all the dastardliness of the current regime. It's all eating up a lot of my time. I need to stay focused on writing like yours. Any ideas from commenters/subscribers would be great, too. Much obliged.
Dude thank you. And I totally get what you’re saying about the feed turning into a time-sink and a trap, especially now that AI can manufacture “credible” nonsense on command.
Here’s the simplest way I know to stay sane. Pick a small handful of writers you trust, and let them be your front door to the world. Not fifty. Not “I’ll keep up with everything.” Like ten. If it didn’t come through one of those ten, you don’t owe it your attention today. Most of what feels “urgent” is just engineered urgency.
And on the AI fake problem, I’ve had to adopt a hard rule. I don’t let a clip tell me what’s true. A clip is bait until I see the full original context or I see two reputable confirmations that don’t trace back to the same source. If something is perfectly rage-inducing, perfectly quotable, and perfectly timed, I assume it’s a lure meant to steal my focus. I don’t share it, I don’t build on it, and I definitely don’t write off it.
The last piece is a little mental trick: before I chase any new “breaking” thing, I ask myself just one question: where did this first appear? If I can’t answer that in about ten seconds, I move on. Nine times out of ten that one question saves you an hour, because the story collapses right there.
Hope that helps.
I like it. Thank you for the help.
UPDATE: Just removed 12 or so subscriptions; another 8 or so rarely post, so I'm down to about 10-ish trustworthy sources. Not coincidentally, they're the ones I pay for. You get what you pay for, I suppose. Pax caritas.