Sunday, December 14, 2025

Gilded by Association

 Hot off the Epstein files:

 Steve Bannon, left, and Epstein.



Epstein, left, and Alan Dershowitz
 

 
Left to right: Epstein, unidentified (duh!) woman, and Woody Allen.



Left to right: Segway inventor Dean Kamen, Epstein, and Richard Branson.


   
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Epstein's not in this one, but it's among the photos released by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. 


Larry Summers, Epstein, and Bill Gates in a previously released photo. Summers and Gates do appear in separate photos released by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, but, oddly enough, without Epstein, so I opted to go with this one instead. 



The Andrew Formally Known as Prince, and Epstein, in another previously released photo.


  
Epstein and supermodel (so where's her cape?) Ingrid Seynhaeve. 


Left to right: Jimmy Buffett, Buffett's wife Jane Slagsvol, Bill Clinton (as the signature indicates), Ghislaine Maxwell, and Epstein.


In the center--what the hell, I'll let you figure that one out yourself.
 
 
My takeaway?

Whether one is a Democrat or a Republican, a liberal or a conservative, an intellectual, artist, or businessman may not mean as much as whether one belongs to the clique, a clique variously referred to as the Jet Set, Cafe Society, the Beautiful People, the Rich and Famous, the Glitterati, and the A-List. In his unfinished novel Answered Prayers, Truman Capote refers to it as the "Center of the Earth". Now, not necessarily all of the members of whatever you choose to call it did anything wrong (FULL DISCLOSURE: I've complimented one or two of these people on this blog in the past) but my, oh my, for a bunch some have also referred to as "elitists", they weren't always careful about who they hung around with, were they?  As for Jeffrey Epstein, I suspect he preyed not only on underage girls, but in a different sort of way, this clique as well. There's something to be said for exclusion.

Take it away, Annie:




18 comments:

  1. Some rich and famous seen with Epstein means little so far as underage abuse goes and sex trafficking. Non incriminating photos have been released for a reason.
    A great song by Annie and her band.

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    1. Andrew, I repeat, these pictures don't prove anybody did anything wrong, other than Jeffrey Epstein himself. What's got my attention is the extent to which this grifter managed to insinuate himself into this rarified world of money, fame, and power. It's as if getting one's picture taken with Epstein was a sign that one had "arrived."

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  2. Woody Allen didn't surprise me much. He has always been a creeper. I hate to see what's in his closet. I'm sure he was "great customer" of Epstein's.

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    1. Maddie, Woody Allen was one of those one or two people I've complimented on this blog in the past. His continuous downfall has been painful to me. He won't stop disappointing.

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  3. There is a whole other world that we mere mortals have no idea of.

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    1. The Ancient Greeks had some idea, David. Just pick up a book on mythology see the going-ons on Mount Olympus.

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  4. What's the one thing these men all have in common apart from gender? Money and power. Access to Epstein's "world" did not come cheap.

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    1. In the end, Debra, it cheapened those who were granted access.

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  5. I notice an absence of not white males. And the girls, mostly not yet women, were mostly white and blonde. Hmm.

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    1. Barack Obama managed to avoid being swept up in all that, Boud.

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  6. NOT photographed with Jeffrey Epstein. They should make one of those carnival cut-out things so people who feel left out could stick their head through and have a photo taken with Epstein.
    --Jim

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    1. Jim, instead of "Sweet Dreams" maybe I should have used "Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves"

      "But every night all the men would come around
      And lay their money down"

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  7. I wondered what the cow meant in the song.
    From Google AI... "The cow highlights different forms of existence, contrasting human striving with the simple, natural presence of an animal, making the "sweet dreams" seem fragile or absurd."
    Because of the theme of the song I thought it meant bestiality. I'm glad it wasn't. Right?

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    1. Mike, I wondered about the cows, too. I love the surrealism of those 1980s videos.

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  8. New stuff keeps coming out about all this. Thank you for sharing.

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In order to keep the hucksters, humbugs, scoundrels, psychos, morons, and last but not least, artificial intelligentsia at bay, I have decided to turn on comment moderation. On the plus side, I've gotten rid of the word verification.