James Patterson's Book On Jeffrey Epstein

The Jeffrey Epstein scandal has been much in the news again lately, and quite frankly I've been surprised how many years have passed before it became a hot topic. I did a search on my blog to see exactly when I first wrote about it. Turns out that it was 2018 when I read James Patterson's detailed account of what Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were up to. I mentioned it here in my end-of-year summary of audiobooks read in 2018.

The full title of Patterson's book is Filthy Rich: A powerful billionaire, the sex scandal that undid him, and all the justice that money can buy : the shocking true story of Jeffrey Epstein.   

I was never a James Patterson fan. I picked up this volume because it was non-fiction. I'd picked up an earlier novel of his at one time just to see why he was so "popular." The first chapter was as far as I got. I do not find books or films about sicko violence to women to be entertaining.

In the case of Filthy Rich, I was drawn in by the wealthy clients and "friends" in Epstein's circle. If these thing were true, as Patterson presented them, why was the media so silent? Bill Clinton was allegedly very much "in the club," purportedly making numerous trips* on Epstein's Lolita Express. [For those unfamiliar, Vladimir Nabokov's 1939 novel Lolita is about a middle-aged lit professor with a pedophilic obsession, who becomes infatuated with a 12-year-old, manipulating her into a sexual relationship and more.]

So which is it? Life imitating art or vice versa?

To my knowledge, none of Epstein's clients have been indicted for their actions. (By way of contrast, Roman Polanski fled the country to avoid prosecution for similar behavior, but none of the the Epstein entourage has been indicted as far as I know. 

 

But as I noted at the beginning, why was there so little media coverage of these events until recently.

As Dylan wrote in his ballad of Hurricane Carter:

"Ain't it a shame to live in a land where justice is a game?"

* I do not recall exact names and numbers at this point.

Cocaine in the White House? More Bread and Circuses

Lines of cocaine on a mirror. (Public domain)

So there's been a kerfuffle this past week over cocaine found in the White House, as if it has never happened before. The news story triggered the memory of an incident in which members of The Turtles snorted cocaine in the Lincoln Library. The band, famous for their pop hit "Happy Together," had been invited to play at Tricia Nixon's Rose Garden wedding. Though the coke activity never made the news, the perps did mention it in an interview later.

Another cocaine story during Nixon's tenure did make the news. In 1974, The president's personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, was found to have cocaine in her possession. Ms. Woods had been Nixon's personal secretary for 17 years and was considered a close confidant of the president. Evidently she claimed she had accidentally ingested it while cleaning her desk with a cotton swab, which she then swallowed. The incident damaged her reputation and she later resigned. These events came at a time when the Nixon regime was already shaken from the ongoing Watergate investigation and less than two months later he would resign as well.

(EdNote: Ms. Woods was apparently complicit as the cause of the gap in the Watergate tape. She testified that she must have accidentally pushed the wrong button after a phone rang, thus erasing 18.5 minutes of the famous tape.)

For some reason I had it in my mind that cocaine would be more likely found in the Clinton White House. Yes, there were allegations, but no evidence other than hearsay. Actually, the two other prominent "cocaine in the White House" stories took place during the Reagan years. The first was a Secret Service agent who in 1982 was found to have cocaine in his possession. He lost his job over it. Four years later the illegal white powder was found in the White House residence. Press secretary Larry Speakes (great name for a White House press secretary) claimed it had been brought into the White House by a visiting foreign dignitary. 

It would be no surprise to learn that other instances have occurred. These did not find their way to the public airwaves, or the megaphone of social media.

Let's close out this episode with a couple cocaine related tracks from Bob Dylan's Tell Tale Signs and Johnny Cash, Live at Folsom Prison.

Links Here: 

Cocaine Blues  Bob Dylan, Tell Tale Signs

Cocaine Blues  Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison

Something New

I’m working a trade show in Las Vegas this week, with limited time for serious blog entries. I’d intended to write some things in advance to post each day, but with so much “Vegas in your face” (non-stop meetings, interesting people, stories, sights and sounds) plus the election happening, it seemed that recycling old material or giving re-heated pre-prepared blog servings would be lacking in something.

All that being said, let's turn to the election. Wow. It's a new day in America.

First, congratulations to everyone whose hearts were captured by the tall, dark and handsome man who last night captured the presidency. Historic would be an understatement. We wish him the best in these turbulent economic times of global unrest.

To the McCain supporters, you had many reasons to believe in your man. The magnanimity of his concession speech was a good model for all of us. It is important that we all learn to work together. Bury your hatchets and support your president.

I’m sure this election will be analyzed ad nauseum, and I am also certain that there are many stories that will be told that have yet come to light. In the 2004 election, Newsweek had the privilege of maintaining a small unit of embedded reporters in both the Kerry and Bush campaigns. Reading that account was the last issue of Newsweek that I purchased, and I am hoping they had similar access again. The old “fly on the wall” stance is where every one of us wants to be.

Theodore White’s bestseller The Making of a President set the standard for election journalism in his coverage of the 1960 battle between JFK and Nixon. It was a campaign with many parallels to the 2008 experience. A fresh, young face with style and grace…. JFK’s handlers were better image crafters and knew how to use the media to their advantage. Barack Obama likewise is skilled at oratory and vision-making. He inspired with his speeches, but did much more than that. Did McCain use Twitter? More than 3 million Twitterers had the option of following Obama there, if they wished. I did. Obama, I believe, even campaigned in the virtual realm of Second Life. (Someone can correct me if I am wrong.)

This election reminded me even more of the Clinton vs. Dole runoff. Bob Dole likewise had a physical handicap, and likewise won the nomination through longtime party affiliation. Was he the best candidate, though? In the final verdict, youth and charisma again won out over age.

Did the Saturday Night Live appearances help or hurt the Republicans? I know it helped the SNL ratings, that’s a given.

One of my favorite moments during the election day coverage on CNN yesterday was an interview with a young volunteer who had been making phone calls on behalf of the Democrats in the weeks leading up to the election. He seemed genuinely hurt by how many people were angry at him when he’d call. Well guess what, buddy? If your people weren’t calling three to five times a day this past week, we maybe wouldn’t be biting your head off. Nothing personal, but we don’t like unwelcome home invasions.

My first deed, if ever elected president will be to include all such fake phone surveys and political calls in the National Do Not Call list. Anyone out there in Washington need help writing that piece of legislation? I will happily volunteer.