By Bob Gaydos

Epstein survivors speak out in front of the U.S. Capitol.

I believe the women. All of them. Why shouldn’t I?

What would they have to gain, especially at this point, with lying? And why would anyone, also especially at this point, want to keep the information in the Epstein files secret if there was no truth to the information?

Besides, it is long past time for victims of sexual assault to have their allegations believed, by people in positions of power to do something about it as well as by the public in general.

The overwhelming number of complaints of sexual abuse have over time been found to be true. That’s a fact. Unfortunately, until a few years ago, an overwhelming number of such complaints were treated as lies, efforts to harm some prominent male figure or too risky to pursue because of the persons involved. The Epstein files would seem to fall into the later category.

But no more. With nine women standing on the steps of the U.S. Capitol all saying they were victims, yes, but also survivors of a Jeffrey Epstein-run sex-trafficking operation involving wealthy, powerful men and teenaged girls, some well below the age of consent, it is impossible for anyone of reasonable intelligence and a normal moral compass not to believe.

Even Marjorie Taylor Green believes. The Republican congresswoman, an outspoken Trump/MAGA supporter, said if the victims provide a list of Epstein associates, as they suggested they could and would if the White House did not release one from the Epstein files, she would personally read it on the House floor if asked. She supports a bill to require release of the remaining files

Of course, Donald Trump claims the list is a “hoax” and says he was never a good friend of Epstein. A well-documented history of photos and news articles and statements from the victims says otherwise. Trump’s well-known inability to tell the truth clinches the deal. Because, obviously, why else wouldn’t he release the files that haven’t already been made public?

The defection of some Republicans from the “Trump is right no matter what he says or does” camp is another significant step in the “Start By Believing” campaign.

The “Start by Believing” initiative was launched in April of 2011 by End Violence Against Women International. It now has sponsors around the world. The public awareness and action campaign was created to:

• End the cycle of silence around sexual assault. Silence by victims, families, friends, society.
• Change the way society in general responds to survivors. To be more accepting, supportive and less judgmental.
• Encourage people to respond with belief and support, rather than doubt or blame, when someone discloses sexual assault. This manifests in efforts by local nonprofit groups reaching out to police, educators and anyone in a position to receive complaints of sexual assault of some sort to simply start by believing the woman making the accusation and follow through on it. Significantly, many police departments have signed on to the initiative.

For the longest time, forever it seemed to some, complaints of sexual harassment or abuse of women simply died of silence and avoidance. Shame. Epstein fed on that and added the elements of power and wealth to the equation. He had plenty of enablers.

Add his dubious “suicide” in a New York City prison while facing serious felony charges and the interest by Trump in making sure Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s recruiter, was sent to a country club prison after being convicted for her part in the trafficking operation, and the arrow inevitably points back at Trump, no matter how he spins it.

And now some of the victims have come forward to make sure people believe it.

By Bob Gaydos

The check William Seward wrote in 1867 to purchase Alaska from Russia. It was no folly.

While I sit and read about the ongoing demands of Americans of all stripes — Democrats, Republicans, MAGAs, What Nots— for the Trump administration to release the Epstein files because no rational person believes that it is does not include mentions of Trump’s name and numerous girls between the ages of 13 and 17 with whom he may have engaged in sexual acts, which is officially known as rape, I also marvel at the lengths to which this soulless excuse for a human being is willing to go to divert attention from the Epstein files and his efforts to avoid their public release.

The latest entries in this traffic wreck of a presidency involve Trump taking over the policing of Washington, D.C., and negotiating a peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine without including Ukraine. What could possibly go wrong? In truth, with Trump’s record, almost anything.

Taking over the D.C. National Guard and mobilizing 800 troops to “police“ the nation’s capital along with the help of several hundred FBI agents, while claiming a major crime problem even though recent statistics show crime significantly down in the city, is fascism 101. Add the fact that Trump says he’s going to clean up the city by rounding up homeless people and taking them somewhere else. Anywhere else apparently because he hasn’t said where. That doesn’t bode well for the homeless ever since Trump’s Supreme Court last year ruled homelessness could be treated as a crime.

The mentally ill will also inevitably be included in any such round up. Apparently, Trump wants to return to the out-of-sight out-of-mind philosophy for dealing with these issues.

The fact that the National Guard, citizen soldiers, many of whom have day jobs (accountants, mechanics, sales people, politicians) are not trained for this kind of work apparently doesn’t matter to the geniuses in the White House. Send them out there, armed to the teeth so the citizenry feel safe. I doubt most of the guardsmen are thrilled with the mission.

And apparently the FBI agents are going to be patrolling some swanky D.C. neighborhoods. What a great use of trained investigators who should be dealing with actual crime committed by some of Trump’s wealthier supporters.

None of which, of course, is going to convince anybody to forget about the Epstein files. I suspect the show of force will be mostly a show simply to show that Trump, racist to the core, can do it seeing as he’s threatened to do it in other cities run by black mayors.

What could possibly go wrong? Look up Kent State in the history books if they haven’t been removed from the library.

As for the Putin meeting, it has disaster written all over it. Just recall the meeting with Putin in Finland and watch the Russian president emerge with a big grin on his face and Trump look like an 11-year-old boy who just had the riot act read to him. Just the two of them in the room. Manchurian Candidate material.

Trump is talking about giving up some land somehow to settle this deal even though Ukraine didn’t take any land and Russia is the one who invaded despite Trump’s insistence otherwise and Ukrainian President Volodamyr Zelinsky isn’t even invited to this “peace talk.“

What could go wrong? Well, for starters, Trump thought he was going to meet Putin in Russia and had to be reminded that the meeting was in Alaska, which is American territory which should be off-limits to Putin, who was declared a war criminal by the United Nations. Putin might be willing to forget about claiming a chunk of Ukraine if Trump lets him go home with Alaska back in his pocket. After all, it’s worth a lot more than the $7.2 million Secretary of State William Seward wrote a check for in 1867 to purchase the territory from Russia. Who knows what Trump’s price might be to sell it back, with hotel rights?

Far-fetched? Will there be any other American adults in the room who know what they’re doing? And will they realize that even giving Alaska back to Russia will not make Americans forget about those Epstein files?