Happy Friday!

Quick question: In the hierarchy of God’s blessings, where do you rank the four-day workweek?

Epstein Docs Unsealed

Hundreds of the Jeffrey Epstein documents have been (finally) unsealed. The big splash is former President Bill Clinton, who shows up 50 times in the documents. And according to one of the young girls trafficked by Epstein, the convicted sex trafficker told her Clinton fancied them “young.”

“Did Jeffrey ever talk to you about Bill Clinton?” a lawyer for Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre asked fellow accuser Johanna Sjoberg during her deposition. Replied Sjoberg, “He said one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls.” Giuffre also claims Clinton threatened Vanity Fair not to publish any sex trafficking stories about Epstein.

Clinton has repeatedly denied any impropriety or even knowing about Epstein’s illegal activities and has not been accused of any crimes. In fact, none of Epstein’s high-level clients or “friends” have been charged for having sex with the underage girls collected by Epstein and partner Ghislaine Maxwell.

According to the released documents, famed magician David Copperfield was an Epstein “friend” and performed magic tricks for some of Epstein’s victims. Still none of his tricks compares to the way DOJ has made prosecutions of Epstein’s clients disappear.

The Vanishing Iowa School Shooting … Perp Had #GenderFluid Hashtag and LGBT Flag in Bio

There was a school shooting in Perry, Iowa, yesterday. Three people injured before suspect turned gun on himself. For several hours, the Iowa shooting was THE story… with all the usual rabble-rousing about guns and gun control. Then word started getting out about the shooter. Although police withheld the name, local WHO 13 revealed the suspect, a senior at the school. Turned out to be a troubled soul who used the #genderfluid hashtag and trans flag, and had the LGBT flag in his bio. Of course, the shooter’s social media was immediately scrubbed and cable news soon went back to its regularly scheduled ranting.

https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1742970126440210543?s=20

Who can forget the Nashville school shooting where a transgender student shot up her old school … and authorities promptly buried her “Manifesto” explaining her motivations. Do you realize that but for a few leaked — and very telling — pages, we’ve reached 2024 and the manifesto has still not been released in full?

Gearing Up for Revolution? Biden Going to Valley Forge for J6 Anniversary to Harp on Trump “Threat to Democracy”

Saturday is the third anniversary of the January 6 riot. Joe Biden was supposed to go to Valley Forge that day to explain why Donald Trump is a “threat to democracy.” The event has been moved to today because of the winter weather expected to hit the area Saturday.

Valley Forge was chosen specifically because of its historic significance in the Revolutionary War, principal deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said.

The same spot where nearly 250 years ago, our nation’s forefathers transformed a disorganized alliance of colonial militias into a cohesive coalition united in their fight for our democracy, where General Washington united American willpower and went on to lead this nation as commander and as president – before relinquishing power – the ultimate precedent and the experiment of American democracy.”

There, the president will make the case directly that democracy and freedom — two powerful ideas that united the 13 colonies and that generations throughout our nation’s history have fought and died for … remains central to the fight we’re in today.

Biden and the media machinery behind him have been selling hard the idea that Trump and his 75 million voters are the greatest threat to America. That Trump himself has designs on being a dictator. A despot. Which makes Biden kicking off his 2024 campaigning at Valley Forge concerning.

Put aside Biden trying to paint himself as another George Washington. (At least it’s less of a stretch than his painting himself as another Martin Luther King.) Put aside whatever you think of Trump. Ain’t really about him, when you think about it. What is Biden doing at Valley Forge other than symbolizing his political opposition is another King George III and must be met with armed resistance? And if re-elected, revolution?

Our John Zmirak should have his own January 6 reflection later today.

Psychic on Jesse Waters Whips Out Dark Card for Trump’s 2024

What next? Changing their morning show to Fox and Psychic Friends?!

On Wednesday night, Jesse Waters brought on Paula Roberts, known as “The English Psychic.” He asked for her predictions for 2024, and then asked specifically about Trump’s 2024. As the Daily Mail reports, “Roberts pulled out a bright green card that depicted a figure wearing a black cloak, looking down, as both her and Watters said, ‘Uh-oh.’” She said Trump is set to face a “year of loss,” quickly adding, “It’s as if he may be thinking more about what he’s lost and not still taking full advantage of what he still has.”

As some of you may know, I had extensive experience with Tarot cards in my pre-Christian days. And the one thing you end up learning when you really, truly study Tarot is that any card can mean any thing at any time. Meaning it has no meaning at all. Trump’s “sense of loss”? He could lose a pair of favorite cuff-links for all that card is worth.

To give you an idea how silly this is, one can just as easily look at the card Roberts pulled and realize that Trump looks like the figure when he’s in a black winter coat, always kind of hunching, head down when he walks. So you could just as easily say the card doesn’t represent “loss.” It represents Trump himself. And look! He’s surrounded by green. That means everything’s a go. No wait. He’s going to generate lots of money! No, no. He faces a lot of envy! No, wait! On New Year’s Eve, Trump was insulted by the punk band Green Day. Now he’s standing amid … wait for it … a green day! The card is right side up, so that means Trump will successfully avenge Green Day’s New Year’s Eve slight. Yeah, yeah. That’s what it means, Jesse!

Believe me, we could go all day with this and be no closer to reality than what was dropped on Watter’s desk Wednesday night.

Sharp-eared folks might also pick up that as Roberts searched the Tarot deck for one card, she says “we like that one,” and wonder of wonders, she picks the one out of 56 or so that happens to be the one that would draw the most attention. Like the fine print says in the ads for TV psychics, “for entertainment purposes only.”

In all seriousness, Watters is rightly getting heat for having opened the door to the occult on his show. 2024 is going to be dealing with enough spiritual darkness, without Fox News deliberately flinging open the gates.

My translation of Leviticus 19:31: “Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. Even if it means ratings and massive social media hits.”

January 6 is Nollaig na mBan or “Women’s Christmas” in Ireland

Sorry. The folks who want to use January 6 as a political bludgeon cannot have the date. It already belongs to Epiphany. And if you’re Irish or just want to be for the day, it is also Nollaig na mBan or “Women’s Christmas.” Nollaig na mBan celebrates women and all the hard work they do around the holidays to make Christmas festive.

So on this Nollaig na mBan I want to thank my own Irish bride for the unbelievable job she did preparing for Christmas and our massive family gathering. As I travel this weekend, may she get what may be her favorite gift of all: A chance to actually rest.

Along The Stream

Last night we dropped the finale of our three-part retrospective on 2023 called “Favorites, Forgotten and Unfathomables.” “Favorites” has the favorite stories of Stream writers in 2023. What an eclectic collection!

You also have to catch “Forgottens” and “Unfathomables.”

Raymond Ibrahim kicks of his Stream year with “How Hamas Plagiarizes Hitler.” And speaking of plagiarism, Dr. Michael Brown weighs in later today on the ousting of Harvard President Claudine Gay.

 

Al Perrotta is the Managing Editor of The Stream, co-author, with John Zmirak, of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration and co-author of the counter-terrorism memoir Hostile Intent: Protecting Yourself Against Terrorism.