Jeffrey Epstein and the cost of conspiracy theories
Trafficking in wild conspiracy theories like QAnon and Pizzagate, even if beneficial in the short run, always backfires in the long run.
I have never had a problem believing that Jeffrey Epstein killed himself, and I wonder if the conspiracy theory that he was murdered allows us to look away from and ignore a much bigger national human rights scandal. That scandal is this: We as a society do not care at all about people in our prisons and jails. We do not care when they die, and we do not care about their human rights. Our society thinks prison rape is funny, and that rape victims got what they "deserve."
This is why no one should have been surprised in the least by the Abu Ghraib scandal in 2004. It was not shocking. It was expected. When you look at how we treat our own people convicted of (and sometimes only accused of) crimes, why would we treat foreign terrorists any better - especially less than three years removed from the September 11 terrorist attacks? Furthermore, conservatives have railed for years about an incompetent bureaucracy. Is it really so difficult to believe that the system failed to protect Epstein from himself, as was the case in other high-profile cases and with many other cases no one ever hears about?
As to the infamous alleged "Epstein client list," it does not exactly exonerate Republicans even if was conclusively proven that no such list ever existed. MAGA Republicans, including Donald Trump, have been winking at Epstein conspiracy theories (and QAnon generally) for over a decade.It never mattered whether it was true or not, as long as it could be used to politically damage Democrats.
The QAnon theory - that the Deep State ran an international child sex trafficking ring, was always total nonsense. Remember, QAnon originated on infamous troll site 4Chan. Pizzagate was always a complete and total fabrication, one that ruined innocent people's lives and almost got innocent people killed when a heavily armed man showed up at the famous pizza parlor to "rescue" the children in the basement. He found there is no "basement" where the hostages are kept, and he was searching a closet.
Epstein was a criminal and a predator, and that is well-documented. Had he not committed suicide, it would have been fully appropriate - and necessary - for him to face the death penalty for his crimes. But the conspiracies surrounding him were blown up to QAnon-level proportions. MAGA Republicans knew this but let it fester and grow for their own benefit, especially in 2016 and 2017.
Now it is time for accountability, and encouraging these conspiracy theories is harming the very same MAGA Republicans who knew they were false but were encouraging them from the very beginning for their political gain. This is why you should not traffic in conspiracy theories, even if it harms your political enemies. Eventually, it comes back to bite you. Obviously, questions should be asked, but we should be careful (especially in light of the Ninth Commandment) about spreading accusations about criminal activity. This is especially important when the allegations involve the most heinous crimes imaginable.