Category: American Life

From 2019… Is LGBTQIA the most popular social justice cause because it does not require giving money?:

I’m wondering if LGBTQIA is the most popular social justice cause because there is no obvious connection between saying one is passionate about supporting LGBTQIA and having to donate money. If someone says “I care about the poor” and then buys a Tesla instead of a Honda Accord, a friend might ask “Why didn’t you give $70,000 to the poor and drive a Honda rather than your fancy Tesla?”

In the intervening seven years, Teslas have gotten cheaper so perhaps a better analogy is to the $10,000 European vacation. Certainly over those seven years, though, heterosexual Rainbow Flagism, i.e., the public celebration of homosexuality, transgenderism, etc. by white cisgender heterosexuals, has become even more common. Nominally Christian churches in majority-Democrat parts of the U.S. will usually have a rainbow flag even when their entire congregation is hetero. None of these churches have flags or signs out front saying “help the poor by giving them half of your income since you already live at least 2X as well as Americans in the 1950s”.

I wonder if we’re seeing the same phenomenon right now with respect to people indignantly condemning Jeffrey Epstein. Hardly any of these folks were important enough to be included in the Epstein Files and, therefore, they can’t have been personally offended by Epstein’s conduct. If we assume that Jeffrey Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea for “soliciting prostitution” wasn’t coerced by the threat of decades in prison, what has been established is that he had sex with a paid 16-year-old female roughly 20 years ago. (He is often referred to by the Two Minutes Haters as a “rapist” or “pedophile”, but he was never charged with rape, much less convicted of rape, and having sex with a 16-year-old is not an example of pedophilia as the term was previously used in English.)

The Two Minutes Haters often live within a short drive of places where teenage prostitution is going on right now. I’m in a politically diverse Facebook group with a Big Law partner (average partner at his firm earns about $1.5 million/year in post-Biden dollars) who posts daily about his sympathy for the Epstein victims. He lives in an elite neighborhood of Greater Los Angeles that is within a one-hour drive of the street that the New York Times recently identified as having a high-density of juvenile prostitutes:

Ana paced on the sidewalk at 68th and Figueroa, her front teeth missing and an ostomy bag taped down under her hot pink lingerie. … Ana was 19, but the girls on the street reminded her of herself and her sister when they were first put out on Figueroa for sex. She had been 13. Her sister, 11. … Ana had grown accustomed to the protocols of the Blade, a roughly 50-block stretch of Figueroa Street that had become one of the most notorious sex-trafficking corridors in the United States. … The Blade was an eight-minute drive from the University of Southern California … The younger the girl, the more customers would pay, which meant preteens were often being robbed and assaulted by groups of older girls trying to make quota.

My response to one of his recent demands for more action regarding the Epstein Files. I’ll call him “Hassan” since that’s the first name of one of the Somalis charged in the Minnesota welfare state frauds and we are informed that Somalis built the United States:

There are teenage prostitutes whom you can rescue tonight, Hassan. The New York Times tells you exactly where in Los Angeles to find them. I will send you $1,000, Hassan, if you will go to Figueroa St. tonight and take home one of the under-18 prostitutes and keep her safe in your guest rooms for at least one month. This is to offset the cost of her food (I know that it should be a lot less than $1,000 to feed a skinny kid, but I see you more as an Uber Eats kind of person than a competent chef).

His only response to this offer was to take issue with my criticism, admittedly unsupported, of his cooking abilities. A few hours later he was posting the assertion “Donald Trump was actively recruiting girls for Epstein”, apparently made by someone the FBI interviewed in 2021.

The easiest way for authorities to bring the criminal justice system down on men who have sex with “underage” women is to prosecute them for statutory. Then a jury doesn’t need to sort out whether providing a female with housing, private jet rides, clothing, jewelry, spending money, etc. is prostitution or just legal “dating” in our debauched country. The people who engage in the Two Minutes Hate regarding Epstein often live in states where sex with a 16-year-old might be perfectly legal because that’s the age of consent. Here’s my offer to one of the haters who sent me a stream of enraged X messages regarding my failure to unequivocally condemn Jeffrey Epstein:

If you want to work together to lobby the Massachusetts legislature to raise the age of consent in MA to 18, I will be happy to help with that.

He did not respond to this offer.

What we’re seeing is a huge group of Americans who don the mantle of righteous protectors of teenage females because they posted on social media about Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, all of whom are now adults and nearly all of whom have been or are being paid $millions, i.e., more than the typical American female will earn in a lifetime of W-2 slavery. See “Jeffrey Epstein victims program shutting down with $121 million paid to abuse survivors” (ABC, 2021):

The Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program, since launching last year, received approximately 225 applications from alleged victims from the United States and abroad. That astounding number was more than double the initial expectations of the fund’s administrator and advocates for the victims. … Of the 150 applicants deemed eligible for compensation, more than 92% accepted the offers. The awards were paid by the executors of Epstein’s estate, but the claims were evaluated independently “free from any interference or control” by the estate, said Jordana Feldman, the program’s designer and administrator.

(75 out of 225 applicants were considered to be obvious liars by the administrators and, therefore, not eligible?)

“Epstein survivors secure a $290 million settlement with JPMorgan Chase” (NPR, 2023):

The lawsuit is one of several targeting banks who serviced Epstein’s financial dealings for years, even after it emerged in 2006 that Epstein was using his wealth to exploit minors and young women. Last month, Deutsche Bank agreed to a $75 million settlement in a similar case.

News of the JPMorgan settlement emerged on Monday, the same day a federal judge granted class-action status to the lawsuit, saying the number of plaintiffs involved could be “well over 100 people.”

Let’s assume it is the same 150 people who will also share the JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank cash. That’s $486 million divided by 150 = $3.24 million on top of whatever Jeffrey Epstein paid them while they were spending time with him. A reasonable person could certainly argue that $3.24 million tax-free isn’t sufficient compensation but it is unarguably far more than the typical teen prostitute receives. Thus my confusion regarding why it’s considered righteous to dwell on Jeffrey Epstein’s victims of 20 years ago rather than try to rescue today’s teen prostitutes.

Maybe the best response is to offer anyone piling on condemnation of Epstein three options: (a) spend time and money rescuing today’s young female prostitutes, (b) spend time and money lobbying to raise the age of consent in every U.S. state and every country where it isn’t at least 18 (you could also argue for 27, at least for women, given recent outraged stories about Epstein and 26-year-old females (e.g., NYT)), (c) spend time and money on imposing alcohol prohibition within the U.S. (my standard proposal for improving a lot of stuff, including sexual behavior), or (d) spend money on a new fund that will give people who say that they were Epstein victims additional money. Perhaps the new fund could find the 75 women who were denied any compensation by the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program and give each of them $1 million?

Related:

• Fox story about Wendy Stephens, just 14 years old when she was murdered by the Green River Killer; Wendy Stephens ran away from home in Colorado and found her way to Seattle somehow. Not only did Wendy Stephens not get paid $millions, but she didn’t get to enjoy her remaining 60+ years of life expectancy. Had the citizens of Seattle shut down their teen prostitution corridor, which is where Gary Ridgway picked up nearly all of his victims, Wendy Stephens would likely be with us today. (The arch-criminal, according to Wokipedia: “Ridgway, who is dyslexic, was held back a year in high school and exhibited an IQ recorded as being in the ‘low eighties.'”)
• “LA County reaches $828 million abuse claims settlement on top of previous $4 billion accord” (ABC, October 2025), a story that interested almost nobody either inside or outside of LA: “Los Angeles County announced a tentative $828 million settlement with more than 400 plaintiffs who claim they were the victims of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of county workers. The settlement is on top of an earlier $4 billion settlement reached on behalf of roughly 11,000 claimants.”
• Are women the new children? (support for raising the age of consent to 27)

AI vs. Groupthink

Would it be possible to use AI to determine whether, as is commonly asserted these days, that Jeffrey Epstein was a rapist of 14-year-old girls?

ChatGPT says that it is fair to characterized Jeffrey Epstein as a “pedophile” because at least some women were under age 18. When asked about Mohammed and his marriage to Aisha, on the other hand, it turns out that the Prophet was not a “pedophile”:

Traditional Islamic hadith literature — especially reports in collections such as Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim — state that:

• Muhammad married Aisha when she was six.
• The marriage was consummated when she was nine.

These reports have been accepted as authentic by the majority of classical Sunni scholars for over a millennium.

…

4) Comparison with Jeffrey Epstein

The comparison is difficult because the contexts differ on multiple axes:

Dimension	Muhammad	Epstein
Time period	7th century	20th–21st century
Cultural norms	Early marriage common	Sex with minors illegal & stigmatized
Evidence type	Religious texts & historical reports	Court records, testimony, indictments
Pattern alleged	Specific marriages	Large network of abuse
Legal framework	Pre-modern tribal law	Modern criminal law

Because of this:

• Epstein’s conduct was criminal under the laws and norms of his own society.
• Muhammad’s marriage practices reflected norms widely accepted in his historical setting.

This doesn’t make moral evaluation impossible — but it makes clinical labeling across contexts methodologically unsound.

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It’s been a year since my mother died (obituary). From the October 5, 2025 placement of ashes.

Kel Maleh Rachamim

O God, full of compassion, Thou who dwellest on high! Grant perfect rest beneath the sheltering wings of Thy presence, among the holy and pure who shine as the brightness on the heavens, unto the soul of Regina the daughter of Daniel and Cecile who has gone unto eternity, and in whose memory charity is offered. May her repose be in paradise. May the Lord of Mercy bring her under the cover of His wings forever, and may her soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life. May the Lord be her possession, and may she rest in peace. Amen.

Memory from Nephew Doug Frankel

Why was I lucky to be the nephew of Regina?

Because to me she was vacations. And adventure.  And culture.  And art.  And laughter.  To me she was an anchor, a homebase, and a challenge not to be lazy. When she did art, she didn’t just do it for herself, she did it for countless kids, inspiring them as an example and as a teacher and as a cheerleader. 

My mom and dad and little sis and I regularly hit the road for Bethesda, to Aunt Jean’s house, which felt like a second home because she made it that way.  It was a place I could overeat and oversleep and listen to conversations that were way over my head.  When her kids applied to schools, it seemed like they were aiming for Harvard and MIT, at the very very least, unless they could do better. 

I had so much ice cream with Regina over the years, it felt fitting that when we came to see her in Jupiter, Florida, we all went out for ice cream and it was great.  A truly good time.  Regina was always there for me and that meant the world.  And I know she meant the world to my mom, who never stopped bragging about her sister.  She said “You know, our house was one of the biggest in the whole neighborhood.  We had a lot of floors and a lot of bedrooms.  But we picked the smallest room on the highest floor, and we shared it.  Because that’s the way we liked it.  We always wanted to be together.  Jean is a wonderful sister.”  We will miss you Aunt Jean.  

Eulogy

Jewish tradition requires that a formal eulogy be delivered.

Regina exerted tremendous energy throughout her life in bringing and keeping family and friends together. She traveled from her home in Bethesda to New York, Boston, California, Florida, Egypt, Switzerland, France, and Mallorca for family reunions, visits to grandchildren, college reunions.

Regina was a diligent scholar and helped imbue her children with the values of reading, preparation, and on-time delivery of schoolwork. Regina showed us by example how to welcome friends and neighbors into a home. Regina showed us by example how to balance the roles of individual, spouse, and parent, never spending so much time on one role that she neglected the other two. She loved, appreciated, and supported fine art, literature, performance art, classical music.

Regina was always ready to explore new areas. She visited China, India, and Southeast Asia, for example, while her husband preferred the comforts of familiar destinations. Regina learned to play pinball and pool at age 90 from her grandsons. Regina was the one who said that it was time to move into a senior community where it would be easier to socialize while our father Nat would have stayed in our Glen Echo house from inertia.

Regina was patient and never succumbed to the distractions of the Internet and cable TV. She would go with me to the Palm Beach County Public Library in Jupiter and pick out a stack of large print books and then read them from cover to cover.

Regina was generous with her time and money. She taught at Washington Hebrew Congregation every weekend for many years. She taught art to grandchildren and any other children who happened to be around. She donated to conventional charities, never discouraged when I pointed out that the CEOs of those charities were paying themselves over $1 million per year. She donated her time and efforts within the Maplewood senior community to organize art exhibitions and hands-on arts and crafts events.

She was a beloved wife to Nathaniel for 65 years, never succumbing to the prevailing divorce culture despite her strong independent streak. She was a reliable loving mother to us even when we didn’t deserve it. Regina didn’t hold grudges and she didn’t complain about own challenges, even when her joints began to fail and required replacement.

Regina had many fine personal qualities that I will strive to emulate.

Graveside Mourner’s Kaddish (facing east)

Exalted and hallowed be His great Name. (Congregation responds: “Amen.”)

In the world which He will create anew, where He will revive the dead, construct His temple, deliver life, and rebuild the city of Jerusalem, and uproot foreign idol worship from His land, and restore the holy service of Heaven to its place, along with His radiance, splendor and Shechinah, and may He bring forth His redemption and hasten the coming of His Moshiach. (Cong: “Amen.”)

In your lifetime and in your days and in the lifetime of the entire House of Israel, speedily and soon, and say, Amen.

(Cong: “Amen. May His great Name be blessed forever and to all eternity, blessed.”)

May His great Name be blessed forever and to all eternity. Blessed and praised, glorified, exalted and extolled, honored, adored and lauded be the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He. (Cong: “Amen.”)

Beyond all the blessings, hymns, praises and consolations that are uttered in the world; and say, Amen. (Cong: “Amen.”)

May there be abundant peace from heaven, and a good life for us and for all Israel; and say, Amen. (Cong: “Amen.”)

*He Who makes peace (Between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur substitute: “the peace”) in His heavens, may He make peace for us and for all Israel; and say, Amen. (Cong: “Amen.”)

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As we prepare to celebrate 2026 let’s look back on some losses in 2025.

Brigitte Bardot, an icon of pre-Islamic French feminine beauty, died at 91. Still-funded-with-federal-tax-dollars, but in no way “state-sponsored” NPR:

In her 2003 book, Un Cris dans le Silence, she disparages immigrants, gays, French schools and contemporary art. She called Muslims “invaders” and railed against the killing of animals in the name of religion. She apologized in court in 2004 but also doubled down on what she called the “infiltration” of France by Islamic extremists.

(The percentage of France’s population who follow Islam is approximately double what it was in 2003.)

Here’s my favorite image from this New York Times collection. Just look at the beautiful golden hair (also, the lady in the photo looks okay):

Maybe we need to watch The Truth (nominated for an Academy Award back before the Academy banned movies made by white people)?

George Foreman, the oldest person to ever win the world heavyweight championship, died at 76. The father of 12 was also a big Donald Trump supporter, as it happens. The eponymous grill was actually developed by Michael Boehm and Bob Johnson. The latest version (Chinese-engineered?) might be an engineering miracle since they say it can be thrown into the dishwasher and also that it is nonstick. I don’t know how that is possible given that dishwasher detergent is abrasive (Google AI: “dishwasher detergents are chemically and physically abrasive, designed with strong alkaline ingredients and sometimes mild scouring agents to break down tough food, fats, and stains, which is great for dishes but can damage delicate items like knife edges, aluminum, and wood handles over time. While gels are generally less harsh, powdered and tablet detergents often contain stronger abrasives, making handwashing best for items you want to keep pristine”). Maybe we can credit Foreman as a miracle worker?

On the opposite side of sentiment regarding Donald Trump, Rob Reiner was murdered by his son, a sad example of heritability of personality. Reiner was addicted to hating Donald Trump and paranoid about what might happen if Trump were to become or continue as President. The son was also an addict and, apparently, paranoid, but with a different addiction and a different target for his paranoia. Big Five personality characteristics, such as conscientiousness, are heritable at about 50 percent. Abnormal personality, such as schizophrenia, is heritable at an even higher rate (maybe 80 percent).

Prunella Scales, who appeared in Fawlty Towers, died at 93. Maybe we need to re-watch the show?

Frank Gehry died at 96, which is how I learned that he was born “Frank Goldberg”. Imagine if his career in architecture were starting today and all of the far-wilder stuff that he would likely do with 3D printing. A photo taken of the Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles after picking up a Robinson R44 helicopter:

(Remember that Jews sunk the Titanic, a magnificent ship that Arab-Palestinian engineers created. The perpetrators were Goldberg, Rosenberg, and Iceberg.)

James Watson, dead at 97, was the only famous person who died this year with whom I was personally acquainted. I remember him as being passionate about the potential for the World Wide Web to transform education at a time when hardly anyone in academia was interested. Maybe the hoped-for transformation is finally upon us with AI? (Watson was canceled for revealing his belief that genetics is a key determinant of intelligence and that there isn’t any reason to expect the same median IQ in different races of humans.)

The toughest loss for me was, of course, that of my mother (see Obituary of Regina Greenspun, 1934-2025).

Readers: I hope that you didn’t lose anyone you loved in 2025 but that if you did you will spend some time today remembering them.

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