Happy Friday, Gentle Readers,
I pray this missive finds you well. Mrs. Brown is out of town for a conference, so I get to enjoy a wild bachelor weekend. I have been drinking beer and reading Jon Meacham’s “American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House.” Hey, for me, that is a wild bachelor weekend. I never claimed to be interesting.
Better late than never? No, not really.
So during yesterday's Cage Match of the Century, Elon Musk decided to launch this into the stratosphere:
That was enough of a morsel of red meat for the Democrats to pounce. Here it was, after all this time, after all the misfires, after all the failed attempts —here, here, HERE was the smoking gun they had been looking for! Donkeys were saddled, and sabers were rattled. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, and Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), Acting Ranking Member, fired off a letter to Kash Patel and Pam Bondi, which they claimed was written in "profound alarm" over the allegations in Musk's post. The pair demands that the DOJ:
- Provide a timeline for the Department’s declassification and public release of all remaining documents pertaining to the investigation and prosecutions of convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
- Describe why DOJ has failed to release any additional Epstein documents between February 27, 2025 and present, in response to the requests from Republican members of the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets;
- Describe the role of President Donald Trump in reviewing documents pertaining to the investigation and prosecutions of convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as his role in determining DOJ’s ability to declassify and make public said document.
- Provide a list of all personnel whose approval is required to facilitate the declassification and public release of the documents pertaining to the aforementioned investigation and prosecutions.
- Explain why the documents previously released to the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets contained significant redactions.
It is no secret that Trump had associated with Epstein in the past. What the legacy media would like you to forget and the public not to know is the story of how Trump tossed Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago and laid the ban hammer on him when Epstein sexually assaulted a girl there. For those of us who have looked through some of the "information" that was released (I was stuck at the office and bored out of my mind), it is common knowledge that plenty of high society sophisticates hobnobbed with Epstein. They didn't all go to the island. But Democrats apparently have the short-term memory capacity of a goldfish. Is Trump's name in the files? It wouldn't surprise me, but a whole lot of everybody's names are in those files.
Finally, if there were even one minute scintilla of evidence that Trump had engaged in illegal sexual activities on said island, it would have been the top and closing story of every broadcast since he came down the escalator. It would have been in every newscast, talk show, tweet, column, blog, stump speech, banter session, press release, rap song, hymn, power ballad, and yodel. Just as Cato ended all of his speeches with "Carthage must be destroyed!" every Democrat would end every sentence with "Trump was on Epstein Island!" We'd still be hearing about it. Any port in a storm(y), I suppose. They might as well grasp at those straws while they're on clearance.
Your next college valedictorian
Oriette D’Angelo is worried. You see, according to The College Fix, she came here from Venezuela on a student visa. That was in 2015. She is finishing her doctoral degree at the University of Iowa and also working on completing her “Graduate Certificate in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies.” She is concerned that the Trump administration will deport her before she graduates in 2026, eleven years after she started. And to think people used to laugh at fifth-year seniors when I was in college. The Chicago Tribune rose to her defense, explaining that she had spent years studying Spanish and Portuguese, adding:
D’Angelo, 34, came to Chicago on a student visa over a decade ago, seeking professional opportunities and escape from a crumbling infrastructure and violence in her home country. In recent months, however, a string of executive orders and court decisions on the legality of these orders has left her in an uncomfortable state of limbo, grasping for loopholes that might let her continue her academic research and writing.
As a student who researches and writes poems about themes of dictatorship, she is heartened by the separation of powers in the United States, but said the federal government’s often contradictory language in this moment feels dangerous.
Her legal and visa status have changed several times since her arrival; most recently, her temporary protected status was revoked in January.
Personally, I think this is another case of a professional student running out of reasons to re-enroll. I don't think she is afraid of Trump as much as she is of entering the workforce. Or trying to. I don't know how the job market is for someone who researches and writes poems about themes of dictatorship and has a "Graduate Certificate in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies,” but I imagine it is not very broad or deep. Frankly, I've seen dead fireflies with brighter futures, which is why she is planning to teach.
Writing at FrontPage Magazine, Mark Tapson noted:
Nevertheless, she frets, “I want to stay here professionally. I want to finish my dissertation.” With all due respect, someone who came to the United States over ten years ago to study poems about themes of dictatorship, who spent years getting a degree in a language she already speaks, who wants an academic career but still hasn’t finished her dissertation, is not a serious intellectual but a “perpetual student” simply sponging off American largesse. Meanwhile, what does she have to offer her adopted country in return? It’s not unreasonable to ask what potential immigrants to America bring to the table.
D'Angelo says it would be impossible to do the work she wants in Venezuela, whose government persecutes people who speak out against it. Fair enough. She could always become a U.S. citizen. But wait, that's so haararrrd! Well, she's had 11 years. Maybe it's time to put down the sexuality studies materials and start the paperwork. My next-door neighbor's mother recently became a citizen, and she must be in her 70s. Maybe her 60s. Anyway, my point is, it can be done. But that requires effort. College apparently does not.
Wine Recommendation
Because nothing says "guys' night in" like...well, nothing says "guys' night in" so here's the 2021 Paringa Shiraz.
The first thing I noticed about this wine was its very dark red color and an extremely fruity bouquet. There is a little sweetness to it, but there is a good level of acidity and decent tannins to give it some appeal for those who may favor one spectrum of reds over the other. And it finishes strong. It is strong on the red and black fruits, with a touch of oak, and some nice spices, as well as a few hints of pepper, making for a lively glass. It runs somewhere between $14 and $18, plus or minus, and would go with a well-seasoned red meat dish. As we drank it, I got the sense it might be more appropriate for winter, but it works for summer entertaining.
That's it for me. Have a great weekend, and I'll see you next time.
Here's hoping you have an enjoyable weekend and that you get to take a break from the insanity that rules the 21st Century. Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on things for you while you're gone. And if you'd like to help us man the pickets (and enjoy some nifty perks), consider becoming a VIP member. Just click here and don't forget to use promo code FIGHT for a 60% discount.