"Releasing the Epstein files without redactions could pose a national security risk." - Mike Johnson

Yep....what's what I said.

It could be an international nightmare.

Trump's enemies will assume Trump is covering for himself.

Just like Boaz, I flip between wanting them released and not.

The problem is the files aren't isolated to Americans.

And honestly, is it America's job to be the world's morality police?

Dan,

"Tell us: are you your brother's keeper?"

I'm responsible for my brother.

America doesn't have to be responsible for seven billion people who aren't.

Dan,

"Do you believe the possibility of an international nightmare is a good reason to allow the rich and powerful to traffic underage girls for sex?"

What a stupid question.

Questioning the wisdom of detonating a global scandal is not the same as approving trafficking.

Seeing the nuance isn't approval.

But I get it. Some people can't tell the difference.

The world is full of legitimate conflicting goals, and pretending otherwise is childish.

Dan,

"Not really following Jesus' teachings, are you?"

Do you?

Dan,

Your supposed concern with the Bible is nonsense.

Get off your fake phony concern for Biblical scripture.

Dan,

"Frankly, I can't name two Commandments Trump follows."

It says a lot that you respect the 10 Commandments as a measuring guide.

Each of us answer for our own demons.

Trump answers for his, I answer for mine, and you will answer for yours.

Db,

"Yeah, all that promotion of worldwide democracy and human rights has just been a hoax."

But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.
And whoever says to his brother, Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.
But whoever says, You fool' shall be in danger of hell fire."
" Matthew 5:22, NKJV

So...I won't say it.

I'll just say you're being childish and naive about how the real world works.

What Trump is dealing with would crush ordinary men.

Trump is not ordinary.

Alex,

"Bill Johnson covering for pedophiles. Cuz (R)easons."

Powerful men in other countries just do what they want. Been going on for centuries.

You think America should release a list of names of these people who do things we consider wrong.

What do you suppose might be the repercussions?

Answer my question with a serious answer. You won't because you know the truth.

Diplomatic relations take president over exposing people in other countries. This week, the 18th, Trump met with Saudi Crown Prince Who ordered...oops
.. approved a hit on Jamal Khashoggi.

Where's the outrage?

Global politics makes for strange bedfellows.

Db,

"I know you don't like personal attacks"

Comments about my wife are the main thing.

Tell me exactly what I posted you don't agree with.

And tell me why.

If you don't, you're wasting my time.

And your insults have no merit.

Alex,

What are talking about?

Sex trafficking is bad and a terrible problem globally from what I read.

How many children did he save from that life when closing the border?

Epstein is out of business so what are you referring to?

Snoofy,

"Trump is actively helping child predators, BillJohnson"

How?

Snoofy,

Your link has some merit, but the article never gets beyond speculation.

It fails to prove any real cause and effect.

Alex,

Did Biden pardoning his son, siblings, and in-laws before they even faced charges strike you as blatant special treatment, or are we pretending that's just a "normal" presidential pardon?

I'm not getting into the Tate brothers.

That whole saga doesn't interest me, so I haven't bothered to read up on it.

Snoofy,

What happened to the Epstein thread?

Laura,

"Trix are for kids."

I've mentioned before that I've kept a journal since I was 19, but I've barely read any of it over the years. A few months ago I finally pulled the books out and did some reading.

Back then, if I met a guy and went to his place, I'd write, "I tricked with a guy last night."

Doing research, it appears to still be in the vernacular used by some gays in some regions.

What do you know about it?

Laura,

I didn't word my question well.

Nevermind.

Alex,

I'm well aware of the contradictions in life.

And the compromising we all have to do. We believe one thing and do another.

Even Paul in Roman's 7:15. "I want to do what is good but I don't. I don't want to do what I know is wrong but I do it anyway'.

The human condition.

I think many Christians understand this conflict and see the necessity for God's grace.

Trump is caught between rocks and hard places that are difficult to navigate.

Better him than me.

I wouldn't have the strength.

There was a gay joke that went around in my day that tied trix and tricks into a funny line.

Keep in mind, 50 years ago peopke weren't thinking along those lines. Most people didn't know pedophiles or didnt talk about it.

Just a play on words. That's it.

Had nothing to do with kids. It was a adult joke I heard decades ago.

So do gays still refer to it as tricking? That was my question. I see how you would tie them together. I wasnt.

Actually tricks was more aligned with drag queens who had sex for money than than anything about kids.

Rsty,

"More like you're just a product of your time, eh Bill?"

We all are.

Rsty,

Or will be if you live long enough.

I am 100% sure I would never have made it to my 70s the path I was on.

Jpw,

"Well I know I got one and I'm shocked, SHOCKED, that billjohnson turned out to be a pedo protector."

It's not that and you know it. You know from my posts I would NOT defend sex trafficking or abusing minors.

What I've been saying is that the decision not to release the Epstein files may have more to do with protecting relationships with other countries, than Trump worrying about himself.

And that raises two questions.

1. What would be the impact on international relations if powerful people in other countries were exposed?
2. Is it America's responsibility to act as the world's morality police?

Lastly, those files were already in DOJ custody during the Biden administration. If there had been something solid implicating Trump, it's hard to imagine that administration just quietly sitting on it.

Danni,

You're speculating.

Dan,

"You'd be condemning him if there was a (D) after the name."

Your arguments are getting weaker and weaker.

You've yet to answer my question. If Trump is the anti-Christ, where is the Christ he's in opposition to.

And you'd be defending him and keep him hidden from the press seeing that he's senile, if he had a (D).

Rein,

"Rep Stansbury: Epstein Files Say Trump Accused Of Raping 13 Yr Old"

The 13-year-old rape allegation against Trump came from a 2016 civil lawsuit filed under the pseudonym "Katie Johnson," a case that was filed multiple times with different lawyers and different versions of the story.

The accuser never appeared publicly, never testified, and never produced corroborating evidence. Her own lawyers eventually withdrew, and the accuser dismissed the lawsuit herself right before the election, citing threats.

No criminal case was ever opened, no verified witnesses ever came forward, and no evidence ever survived basic scrutiny. Even media outlets hostile to Trump ultimately concluded the accusation was unverifiable.

Rein,

"the decomposing------------------- threatened to have Katie Johnson killed."

That's a huge claim. Show me some evidence, not allegation, evidence.

If you can't produce a source that verifies an actual threat, then you're just repeating internet gossip.

Dan,

"Interesting. That's your barometer for others, but not for yourself."

I couldn't find anything after looking.

Actually, you're the "show me the links" person, not me.

Dan,

There's no shortage of accusations.

I can't find any information about evidence.

Actual, verifiable, documented evidence.

Dan,

Yea...talk about ballots...make Laura's day.

I have errands to run. Wife need get stuff for our vaca.

Dan,

"Are you just repeating internet gossip?"

Mail in ballots, even absentee ballots have a built in inherent risk because they are uncounted ballots being transported.

In small numbers, the risk is less.

Larger numbers of these such as millions is a higher risk and I predict will lead to another catastrophe in a future election.

My own experience with these kind of setups make me my own authority on the matter.

Dan,

"Ultimately, every legal voter should be able to choose the way they cast their legal vote."

With voting, the opportunity to vote without hinderance or pressure to vote a particular way, is very important.

Voting out of sight of family members or anyone who might pressure you, is critical for a free election.

Considering the dynamics of home settings and the ease of pressuring members of the family, in person private voting is the only solution.

Providing the option to vote with mail ballots, the leader of a group or family may dictate how they will all vote. That would negate your idea that "every legal voter should be able to choose the way they cast their legal vote". I do agree with you but the dynamics of family may prevent that.

Requiring in person secure private voting is critical for a true democracy.

Setting up early voting is a fair way to give people time to get to the polls.

Then scan the ballot as they leave.

KISS.

"Keep it simple stupid."

Dan,

"You've never acknowledged ballots are serialized and watermarked. You've never admitted a returned mail-in ballot not requested is investigated. You've never even addressed the math problem of any minor incidences being offset by similar incidences from the other side."

WAAAY too much to do and keep track of and too many processes and check and balances.

Or...mark your little circle, feed your ballot into the scanner and leave...

You voted and your vote was counted.

Snoofy,

I'm talking about risk management, not cost.

You're questioning my accounting knowledge and experience?

That's bold. Let me know when you've spent decades dealing with accounting information systems where accuracy matter.

Snoofy,

"And you're especially not willing to quantify the number of eligible voters who won't be able to vote if their vote by mail is taken away."

Mail in ballots on this scale is new.

Face it. With liberals, its never enough.

Never ever.

They get this, they want that.

They get that, they want something else.

And if they don't get what they what, they cry victim or oppressed.

Anything to prevent people from being accountable and responsible for themselves.

If you want to vote, get your lazy butt to the polls.

Or apply for an absentee ballot if you qualify.

Lazy doesn't qualify.

Snoofy,

"Oregon has been doing it exclusively by mail for decades, so it clearly scales just fine."

There are eight states using mail-in ballots exclusively. Of those, 6 are solid democrat, 1 is solid republican and 1 is iffy now, but was solid democrat.

A state being "solid" means elections aren't contested. Results aren't verified closely. Ballots aren't recounted. Thinking things are "just fine" has not had the need to be tested and verified. Really, you don't know if things are "just fine" or not.

Eight states running vote by mail isn't remotely the same as rolling it out nationwide. You're talking about millions more uncounted ballots in transit, processed through thousands of different offices, postal hubs, and election boards.

Every additional handoff increases exposure.

Every new location adds another failure point.

Risks are compound.

An election isn't something you run on "good enough." It demands the best, tightest, most controlled processes you can manage. Mail-in ballots aren't that.

Opportunities to lose these uncounted ballots to accidents is an election disaster just waiting to happen.

Acting like 8 states smoothly translates to 50 isn't smart. It's amateur and reckless.

Absentee ballots are necessary and are less risk just due to the smaller number. Some people can't vote any other way.

Dan,

"And yet mail has over a 99.5% success rate when the address is correct."

I have sent out 1000's of payments to suppliers during my accounting career and you are absolutely correct. Very few checks get lost. About half of the ones that get lost and are replaced, eventually show up.

And so what? I know that.

My objection with mail-in ballots is multi-faceted.

I'm not getting into it again. Read my older posts.

"You're making excuses to make it harder for "certain" people to vote."

The mass mailing out of ballots to all registered voters was a workaround and the result of COVID.

Now its voter suppression if it isn't continued.

Early voting removes the voter suppression argument. If you can't get out for some reason, apply for an absentee ballot.

Dan,

If it had been decided during COVID to use mobile voting with vans driving to each city block, you'd be crying voter suppression when things went back to normal.

What's next? Knocking on every door and handing out ballots and pens?

Snoofy,

"So now you're contradicting yourself and you don't even realize it."

The nuance went over your head.

If you can't see it, then you can't see it.

Laura,

I like that name...wish we could change our aliases.

Afraid I have always been BillJohnson. I don't post as other names and certainly no one has posted as me.

John,

"Protecting those people who engage in sex trafficking is defending sex trafficking."

I'm against human trafficking, period.

I'm simply not arrogant enough to pretend I know how to navigate international intelligence, diplomacy, and criminal networks from behind a keyboard.

I'll leave that to the experts.

Donner,

"thoroughly ridiculed and humiliated"

What makes you think I feel humiliated?

I don't internalize the insults. They mean nothing. Just don't talk about my family. That pisses me off.

Also, anyone who attacks my life choices from living a gay lifestyle to marrying a woman, I consider a complete hypocrite and write them off.

Actually, I appreciate other opinions to consider if I find any validity to them.

Donner,

"Thoroughly ridiculed and humiliated."

I stopped caring about personal insults a long time ago. You think this place is the first arena where I've been given grief? I think I've always stressed that on this site. Gay people shouldn't feel they need approval from the straight world. If they accept you, great. If they don't, don't internalize it. Confidence comes from within, not from applause.

My living "out" years were the mid-70s into the 80s. That wasn't exactly an openly gay era. But I was never ever closeted. Anyone with any sophistication today, can see straight thru me without me saying a word.

What kept me afloat was my skills. I could take a PC apart, setup a LAN and hand an owner financial statements more accurate and defensible than anything they'd ever seen. Accounting and computers were my strength.

It definitely wasn't charm.

Working directly with owners and upper management, not to mention training employees who fought change, you either had a back bone or you were ineffective.

So no...I don't feel humiliated by anyone here.

Donner,

"That would require a Conscience."

I voted democrat after Reagan up to Trump.

Snoofy,

"But that's why you got married to a woman."

I married a woman because I fell in love with her after being friends for years and she loves me.

Funny story...I am literally her knight on a white horse, sorta. She was living with me and I was fighting with myself. She moved back home. I am gay...but I need her. I borrowed my neighbors old white Cadillac and pulled up in front of her house. After waiting awhile, I saw the front curtains open and her father standing there. A few minutes later she came out to the car. I said, "let's get married". She said, "ok".

I'm the only man she's ever loved.

Our marriage is closer now than ever.

You just have to let it happen naturally.

Too bad so many people kick a true love to the curb thinking they deserve better, richer, better looking, less this...more of that.

In my case, she did not fit the narrative what I imagined spending my life with. But we had no issues in the bedroom, at all.

Physical violence is a deal breaker.

Sorry if TMI. Snoofy presumed so I cleared it up.

Snoofy,

You are a single layer cake made with not enough leavening.

Dense.

If you address me, you'll be talking to yourself until I feel like responding again.