Politics as Usual, Bad Science, Bad Billionaires and Yes, a Murder
It's been a week. While the Epstein Files continue to take scalps, this writer hunkers down showing all politics are swampy — even the local brand — including a secret murder in Columbia County, NY
What a week it’s been. They all seem this way lately, but this one has just been awful. Every week a new level of Hell. This administration makes Dante look lazy. Now, I read a lot, I feel I have to, but it’s becoming a lot to consume. I wish they had something like emotional Lipitor you could take while reading about our heart-stopping world.
Let’s get to it.
Information on healthcare and personal wellness has regressed seemingly back to the Middle Ages. Rates of measles have reached alarming levels, with almost all those infected being unvaccinated. This is clogging healthcare access, creating suffering, and ballooning costs — all because the guy sitting in the big chair at Health and Human Services knows nothing of healthcare but feels A-OK pushing his beliefs, which are not evidence-based, onto the American public. The Brothers Grimm had a better grasp of science and reality. Don't forget, RFK Jr. testified during his confirmation hearings that he would not change specific vaccination policies but has done just that. Now those trained in medicine, public health, and research are all on defense — not just with our federal public health system, but the throngs of MAHA groupies online. The proliferation of bad science has morphed into a cash-making apparatus. I want to take my iPad some morning and chuck it like a frisbee. The gall of some chiropractors, calling themselves "doctors," prescribing advice on pediatric care — or social influencers peddling recipes, telling you not to worry if you drink too much because there are liver-saving powders that will keep you safe.
The Epstein Files continue to spread like the plague itself, killing reputations and careers like nothing I’ve seen. The Crown Princess of Norway, the once “Prince” Andrew, Brad Karp from Paul Weiss: the cull is profound. But those in the Trump administration seem to be weathering the storm.
Commerce Secretary Lutnick seems bulletproof. On tape and under oath he testified he met Epstein once, then after the files were released he had to fess up that he went to Epstein Island (with his kids) and had several interactions with him. But even his lies seem to be washed away in the run-off of crazy from our Attorney General Pam Bondi’s performance. She is an embarrassment to law and the nation. She also seems to prove that one can live with rabies.
Speaking of embarrassment, did anyone see the bronze medal-winning Norwegian biathlete? When he medaled, he was interviewed live: no gratitude, just a confession that he cheated on the “love of his life.” They’d been dating for 6 months. It seemed more like an episode of Dr. Phil than the Olympics. It was made even more surreal by the gold medalist (also from Norway) who after winning dedicated the win to one of their teammates who had died suddenly. Take stock, America: other nations have their own Bravo TV-like chaps.
And then we had gold medal favorite Ilia Malinin, who we all thought would literally be the golden boy, fall repeatedly and not even make it to the podium. The kid no one thought would get there, Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, took home the gold. And Malinin showed the world how Americans should act by going over, congratulating, and hugging him. Makes you think maybe all’s not lost.
And against all of this I’ve been writing a series about local politics. The story seemed local but has become larger and larger, proving that people from all over are watching a story that mirrors what the US is struggling with. Should wealthy people be able to do whatever they want no matter how damaging it is to others? The attraction of this story is not just some juicy tale of a wealthy couple steamrolling a community and corrupt politics; it might just be that people are starting to understand what we are seeing in DC is controlled by what we all do on the local level. There is something affirming and reassuring knowing that all politics are local and on this level, every vote matters and has power. And it is also showing that some issues can’t be parsed out as a red-blue narrative. Some issues are universal. Some swamps can be drained.
Chatham is not the only community suffering. The "poor" folks in Beverly Hills have their bookselling nerd-turned-billionaire bully doing the same thing. Bezos — seems like every town's got one. From once selling books to killing the Washington Post. Now that's a transformation. Kind of like an otolaryngologist selling carcinogens to the public. All cut from the same cloth. And about those Amazon rockets... well, all I have to say is they are emblematic of these kinds of men. Form does follow function. If it quacks like a dick (sorry, duck). Right. Duck.
Stay out of El Paso’s airspace. Pentagon Pete and United States Secretary of Transportation Puff Duffy are dueling over safety and lasers. Pete is clamoring about the lasers shooting down “cartel drones”: it was a balloon. From fishing boats to floating party favors, this loon keeps peddling the narco excuse. He makes Kristi look like a crossing guard. But let’s give Petey a break; it’s hard to focus if you’re always using beer goggles. And what a leap for Sean: his last push for flight safety was telling people to up-glow their looks with a better wardrobe.
Guns, Lies and Videotape. I don’t think anyone is surprised that judges are tossing out prosecution cases of ICE victims. Kristi seems to think the elective killing of a dog is analogous to human beings. No, I don’t care what the status is in terms of immigration: they are people (let’s not forget two were Americans). And not for nothing... I’m still hung up on the dog murder.
Oh, and about that murder in Columbia County? That was not clickbait. It’s a story of corruption in New York’s Hudson Valley that begs the question: can a community really change its DNA?
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I will also include links to these emails in my Wednesday installments.
Catch up on last week’s posts:
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