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When Epstein was originally convicted in Florida, it's pretty clear that Higher Powers intervened to get him: * a laughably short sentence * the ability to sp

When Epstein was originally convicted in Florida, it's pretty clear that Higher Powers intervened to get him: * a laughably short sentence * the ability to spend his days _in his home office_ instead of prison * protection from having his victims present at his sentencing https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-florida-e2a4431f7319afd037023d9a586aa291 https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-florida-e2a4431f7... (edit: victims, not accusers)

jjeaff 4y ago
He had a lot of money and he was a well connected, powerful white guy. I think plenty of past experience tells us that you don't need some mysterious higher power to dodge responsibility for criminal behavior if you meet that criteria.
- troon-lover 4y ago
- superb-owl 4y ago
  I think this is more semantics than anything. I used "Higher Power" in a slightly tongue-in-cheek way. Obviously there were one or more people who Epstein was "connected" to, who pulled the right strings, not some sinister black-robed cabal that meets every Tuesday to discuss their plans for world domination. The mystery is exactly who these people are, and what kinds of pressure were applied to get them to act this way. Was it a courtesy to a friend? Blackmail? A quid-pro-quo? The world is dominated by hidden, informal power structures (friendships, alliances, etc). They are quite normal and natural, but at the highest levels can lead to the same kinds of anti-democratic, anti-social outcomes you'd expect from a sinister black-robed cabal. C.S. Lewis did a good job describing this dynamic: https://www.lewissociety.org/innerring/ https://www.lewissociety.org/innerring/
  - jjeaff 4y ago
    I take your point. But I think the people that helped him avoid prosecution are mostly right out in the open. Several very highly paid attorneys, including Alan Dershowitz, who was lobbying his contacts behind the scenes (it seems he may have had personal motivation to help his client get a lenient sentence). And then we have Alexander Acosta, the US Attorney who has claimed he persued a lenient sentence because some "higher ups" in government told him to. Which seems about as flimsy as an excuse gets unless/until he reveals who these "higher ups" were.

jjeaff 4y ago

He had a lot of money and he was a well connected, powerful white guy. I think plenty of past experience tells us that you don't need some mysterious higher power to dodge responsibility for criminal behavior if you meet that criteria.

troon-lover 4y ago
superb-owl 4y ago
I think this is more semantics than anything. I used "Higher Power" in a slightly tongue-in-cheek way. Obviously there were one or more people who Epstein was "connected" to, who pulled the right strings, not some sinister black-robed cabal that meets every Tuesday to discuss their plans for world domination. The mystery is exactly who these people are, and what kinds of pressure were applied to get them to act this way. Was it a courtesy to a friend? Blackmail? A quid-pro-quo? The world is dominated by hidden, informal power structures (friendships, alliances, etc). They are quite normal and natural, but at the highest levels can lead to the same kinds of anti-democratic, anti-social outcomes you'd expect from a sinister black-robed cabal. C.S. Lewis did a good job describing this dynamic: https://www.lewissociety.org/innerring/ https://www.lewissociety.org/innerring/
- jjeaff 4y ago
  I take your point. But I think the people that helped him avoid prosecution are mostly right out in the open. Several very highly paid attorneys, including Alan Dershowitz, who was lobbying his contacts behind the scenes (it seems he may have had personal motivation to help his client get a lenient sentence). And then we have Alexander Acosta, the US Attorney who has claimed he persued a lenient sentence because some "higher ups" in government told him to. Which seems about as flimsy as an excuse gets unless/until he reveals who these "higher ups" were.