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The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

scottaaronson.blog

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Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#571

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Something “not-being-a-stretch” doesn’t need any consideration without evidence.

There's no shortage of evidence of a strong relationship there [0], [1]. What's missing is definitive proof , so far at least. I think you're conflating the two. Evidence and proof are different things - see [2] for a good example of this conflation used the other way. Anyway, yeah, you can very seriously consider this based on the evidence already out there. Considering the stakes, it would be kinda silly not to imo…

Going through the first several -

> his girlfriend was the daughter of a Mossad agent

Some have speculated that he could have been; that doesn't make it true. Anyway, not everyone copies the career track of their ex-girlfriend's father.

> one of his best friends was Israel's lawyer

Dershowitz? He never even represented Israel. Even if he had, I'm not sure what it would have to do with Mossad.

> another of his best friends was a former Israeli prime minister

He was on friendly terms with a lot of politicians. By this logic, he must have been a spy for several different countries.

> a senior Israeli spy would stay at his house for weeks at a time

"Spy" is being used very loosely.

> a friend invited him to bring his girls to Israel

He was invited to lots of places. What does this have to do with spying again?

> he fled to Israel when he was charged with sex crimes against a minor

It's not fleeing to visit somewhere before returning for a trial.

> he was pictured wearing an IDF shirt

This is like suggesting a MAGA hat makes someone a CIA agent.

> he was funded by pro-Israel fanatics

Too vague to refute, and irrelevant anyway.

> he worked for the Rothschilds

This is just false.

> he donated to pro-Israel student groups

Meaning Hillel? I'm not sure what it was to do with Mossad, beyond just being a Jewish organization.

To see how absurd most of the Mossad spy arguments are, just replace Israel with the US. Most of the arguments get much stronger - Epstein was friendly with many American politicians, etc. By the same logic, Epstein was surely a spy for the CIA or other US intelligence.

Or substitute Epstein with some other wealthy, high-profile Jew. In most cases there are just as many Israeli connections, trips to Israel, donations to Jewish groups, etc.

Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#572
post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they mean "taxation of the too rich" in that case. > moves power from the people to the government In a functioning democracy, the government is the people. If the government is against the people, it's not a functioning democracy. And needless to say, a non-functioning democracy is not a proof that the concept of democracy doesn't work.

The government is the majority of people. So the government very well can be against 49% of the people and it would still fit your definition. If 100 people were about to embark on a journey on a ship, what makes you think 51 of them know who should run the ship if none of them have ever even been on a ship?

> So the government very well can be against 49%

I think you're confused.

First, it is not always the case that there are only two parties. You can totally have a government made by representants of all "relevant" parties (by "relevant" I mean that the party needs a minimum size, otherwise anyone could create a party of one person).

Second, your ship example is pretty weird. The people gets to elect representatives regularly. It's not embarking on a ship with complete strangers: you have been on this ship all your life. "Never have been on a ship" would mean electing a newborn baby... that wouldn't count as a functioning democracy :-).

Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#573

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are a variety of ways that democratic governments are structure that make this an inaccurate characterization of how things work. The US, for example, apportions representatives and votes for President in a way that overweights less populated states, and there are various aspects of parliamentary systems that help avoid landing in a two-party system where a simple majority gets the say in everything—they force…

> , Constitutional systems will enumerate the rights of its citizens such that they cannot simply be taken away by a simple majority of any body. Only if those are enforced. The wealthiest are the ones with the power, as they can pay for the guns.

Again, we're talking about a functioning democracy.

If you take an example of a non-functioning democracy, it's not a good way to describe a functioning democracy.

Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#574

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Take that to the next level. How about taxing the...Government ? For example: I am a teacher. I run for office. I win. Now, as a consequence of my win, my tax bracket for the rest of my life, is 100% after i exceed the higher of either: a) my elected official salary, OR b) the average last 5 years of W2 income, OR c) the average last 2 years of W2 income. You'd delete inmediately all the grifters getting into governm…

This would have deeply weird and counterproductive effects on election candidacies; ultimately, people are willing to do their duty for the country, but not at the expense of their entire future income growth. It's the constituents' job to vote for better candidates, there are no foolproof rules beyond that.

i think you underestimate how many silent heroes and patriots walk among us

in the end , the people running for office should decide if its a price they are willing to pay

it used to be a celebrated virtue to be a company man. why cant it be the same to be a "government" man ?

Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#575
post #504

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You shouldn’t brag about shirking civic duty.

I unironically want to be on the jury. It's the judges fault for refusing to let principled believers in nullification on. I'm unironically not trying to shrink civic duty.

I don’t buy it. These are your words:

> Easiest out from jury duty ever, and if the judge want's to be a bltch and force me on anyway…

“Easiest out” is clearly you avoiding the responsibility. If you wanted to be on a jury you wouldn’t be talking about easy outs or the judge “forcing” you to be on the jury.

Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#576

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"You're posting too fast" means you're telling the truth.

The links and news I have shared can be easily verified. The truths are there for those who wish to see. I type fast though, LOL. Bad habit from my early days as a programmer and blog writer. ;-)

I was referring to Hypocrisy News' response to getting a bunch of downvotes in quick succession.

Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#577
post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they mean "taxation of the too rich" in that case. > moves power from the people to the government In a functioning democracy, the government is the people. If the government is against the people, it's not a functioning democracy. And needless to say, a non-functioning democracy is not a proof that the concept of democracy doesn't work.

>In a functioning democracy, the government is the people. If the government is against the people, it's not a functioning democracy. The U.S. are a republic not a democracy. The people vote for the government but are not expected to be directly involved with it after the fact.

I think you're confused about the meaning of "democracy".

Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#578

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not the same. We eat to get macro nutrients: fats, protein, and carbohydrates.

Why do we need those? Oh right thermodynamics. Don't let the label fool you. Thermodynamics is the study of energy flows at the fundamental level, not only heat.

Ummm. Sorry I don’t agree. Nutrition is vastly more complex than heat or calories.

Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#579
post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any links to help us get started?

[flagged]

I really don't understand why this is being flagged. There's a long history of people conducting medical trials without informed consent to save money and it's something we need to keep an eye out for when trials are conducted in poor communities.

Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#580

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a pretty big difference in scale. How would you feel if you could barely afford ramen and your neighor was using prime steaks as fire wood?

Sure it would feel bad, but would my feelings justify taking the steaks from them?

If you believe in the equality of man then I think so. These people didn't individually invent and then produce 1000s of years of collective humam technology and culture and society by themselves to justify such extreme inequality.

And even if you thought so you can't be surprised when the have nots band together and attack or topple the rich society even if it obly for a small temporary gain. Desperation is the largest source of crime and political instability throughout history.

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