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New Era for FBI
February 28, 2025

Kash Patel Responds To Pam Bondi Letter About Jeffrey Epstein Documents

"If there are gaps, we will find them," Patel said.

Feb 27, 2025   DailyWire.com
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 21: New Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel speaks after he was sworn in during a ceremony in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on February 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Patel was confirmed by the Senate 51-49, with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) the only Republicans voting to oppose him. Patel has been a hard-line critic of the FBI, the nation’s most powerful law enforcement agency.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

FBI Director Kash Patel responded to a letter from Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday that accused the FBI of lying to her about turning over its files on the notorious child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein.

“The FBI is entering a new era—one that will be defined by integrity, accountability, and the unwavering pursuit of justice,” Patel said. “There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned — and anyone from the prior or current Bureau who undermines this will be swiftly pursued.”

“If there are gaps, we will find them,” he continued. “If records have been hidden, we will uncover them. And we will bring everything we find to the DOJ to be fully assessed and transparently disseminated to the American people as it should be. The oath we take is to the Constitution, and under my leadership, that promise will be upheld without compromise.”

Patel’s response followed the letter from Bondi on Thursday in which she claimed that a source on Wednesday night told her that she had not received all the Epstein files despite the FBI’s repeated assurances that she had.

“Before you came into office, I requested the full and complete files related to Jeffrey Epstein,” Bondi wrote to Patel, according to a copy of the letter posted to X by Michael Shellenberger. “In response to this request, I received approximately 200 pages of documents, which consisted primarily of flight logs, Epstein’s list of contacts, and a list of victims’ names and phone numbers.”

“I repeatedly questioned whether this was the full set of documents responsive to my request and was repeatedly assured by the FBI that we had received the full set of documents,” Bondi continued. “Late yesterday, I learned from a source that the FBI Field Office in New York was in possession of thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein. Despite my repeated requests, the FBI never disclosed the existence of these files.”

A source who reviewed the files Bondi released told the New York Post that the documents would likely be a “disappointment” to those in the public hoping that the documents would provide new details about Epstein’s criminal scheme.

Many names from Epstein’s flight logs from Epstein’s private jet were already released as part of a lawsuit from one of his alleged victims. The names released include many famous people, including Prince Andrew of England, Cate Blanchett, Bill Clinton, Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Al Gore, Stephen Hawking, Michael Jackson, George Lucas, Kevin Spacy, Donald Trump, and Bruce Willis, according to a list published by Newsweek.

None of the individuals on that list have been charged with any wrongdoing, and many of them have claimed that they flew on Epstein’s plane for business meetings.

Epstein allegedly killed himself in 2019 while in federal custody awaiting trial for sex-trafficking.

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Today marks the three hundred and thirtieth birthday of the Frenchman François-Marie Arouet, better known by his nom de plume, Voltaire (1694-1778).

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January 01, 2025
Local's Lounge - All are welcome

Padre - Tom Miller invited you to a Microsoft Teams Meeting series:

The Local's Lounge with the ADD Irregulars - Home of Coffee Talk, Speakeasies, Schmoozes, Tea Times, Afterhours and other gatherings.

Coffee Talk - 6:00 AM Central - Daily
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Please look for notifications for Speakeasies, Tea Times, Schmoozes & Afterhours for gatherings of the gang. New comers welcome, become an Irregular today!!

Wednesday, January 1, 2025
6:00 AM - 8:00 AM (CST)
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Meeting link: https://teams.live.com/meet/9392334144614?p=4Lr3AcWswEWjbzgHsZ

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Practice Gratitude - A reprint and expanded post
Gratitude changes everything

Good Morning Digital Neighbors! Happy Wednesday Friends & Refugees, Early Birds and Later Dayers, Conversants and Lurkers, Phamily & Misfits, ADD Irregulars, WSN Curators, and Curmudgeons!  Today's reflection is one of my favorite ones from the past.  David Whyte's wonderful book Consolations - The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words.  It is a treasure trove of reflection on the gift of language and the power of words.  His reflection on gratitude is outstanding.

GRATITUDE is not a passive response to something we have been given; gratitude arises from paying attention, from being awake in the presence of everything that lives within and without us. Gratitude is not necessarily something that is shown after the event; it is the deep, a priori state of attention that shows we understand and are equal to the gifted nature of life.

Gratitude is the understanding that many millions of things come together and live together and mesh together and breathe together in order for us to take even one more breath of air, that the underlying gift of life and incarnation as a living, participating human being is a privilege, that we are miraculously part of something, rather than nothing. Even if that something is temporarily pain or despair, we inhabit a living world, with real faces, real voices, laughter, the colour blue, the green of the fields, the freshness of a cold wind, or the tawny hue of a winter landscape.

To see the full, miraculous essentiality of the colour blue is to be grateful with no necessity for a word of thanks. To see fully the beauty of a daughter’s face is to be fully grateful without having to seek a God to thank. To sit among friends and strangers, hearing many voices, strange opinions; to intuit inner lives beneath surface lives, to inhabit many worlds at once in this world, to be a someone amongst all other someones, and therefore to make a conversation without saying a word, is to deepen our sense of presence and therefore our natural sense of thankfulness that everything happens both with us and without us, that we are participant and witness all at once.

Thankfulness finds its full measure in generosity of presence, both through participation and witness. We sit at the table as part of every other person’s world while making our own world without will or effort; this is what is extraordinary and gifted, this is the essence of gratefulness, seeing to the heart of privilege. Thanksgiving happens when our sense of presence meets all other presences. Being unappreciative might mean we are simply not paying attention.

Paying attention- LOVE IT. One of my most frequent reminders in my preaching. We get more out of life by paying attention and not simply existing. a priori state of attention that shows we understand and are equal to the gifted nature of life. The gifted nature of life- hold on to that thought, the gifted nature of life makes all the difference in what we think about our story.

that the underlying gift of life and incarnation as a living, participating human being is a privilege - EVERY SINGLE PERSON IS PRIVILEGED - some more than others, but every single one of us. A personal philosophy built on the dialectic of privilege & victimology will lead to legions of unhappy and resentful souls, and not because they lack privilege, but because they lack the appreciation of the gift of living. To focus on what you lack will never help you discover what you possess and what is unique about you. To be a someone amongst all other someones - welcome to LIFE, Digital Neighbor. 😁 The people I love the most and care for the least are still someone amongst someones. It is not always easy to remember that when thinking ill of those you care for the least.

We sit at the table as part of every other person’s world while making our own world without will or effort; this is what is extraordinary and gifted, this is the essence of gratefulness, seeing to the heart of privilege. Thanksgiving happens when our sense of presence meets all other presences. Amen.

Thank you all for allowing me to sit and share at your table.  I have been so blessed by the people God or fate has placed on my life path and I have been delighted that these digital paths have opened up my horizon so wonderfully.  I greatly appreciate the personal sharing, the cultural commentary, the political ranting and wrangling, and above all the shared laughter and memes.

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Gratitude for freedom
Gratitude changes everything

Easter Monday – Gratitude for Freedom

Good morning, Digital Neighbors!  Happy Monday and Blessed Easter Friends to all you good souls on Locals and Substack.   Yesterday ended up being a catch-up day after Mass and brunch with my sister’s family. It was a great day to celebrate the joy of the Risen Lord.   I caught up on some sleep and some of the issues I missed while away from the time drain that was my typical internet habit.  I am sure I will return to some active consumption, hopefully with a more intentional attitude than I had before my Lenten media abstinence.

I caught up on some of the Douglas Murray – Dave Smith JRE and much of the debate that followed on it.  I have read a couple of Douglas Murray books, and I watched many hours of his interviews and appreciate his common sense and insightful commentary.   The internet, as divisive and drama driven as it I always is, seems to have fallen into the Dave Smith is dunce and Douglas is right or Murray is an elitist and credentialist who doesn’t believe in free speech.

I will still have to take some time before I have a more comprehensive understanding of this, but I tend to tilt towards free speech absolutism in the arena of public discourse and debate.  I am a fan of self-determined groups deciding among themselves the degree of free speech that they want to share within their group.  After all it is a voluntary group, and one is free to leave the group if you disagree.  If you don’t have freedom of association then you have even bigger problems than lack of freedom of speech. *cough* *cough* All the proponents of groupthink and herd feel demand conformity of thought or silence of opinion.

I have added this clip from the Darkhorse Podcast which has always remained one of my favorites for honest and critical thought.

I think Brett and Heather are very fair minded in this clip.  Can one admit they are ever wrong, mistaken or ignorant on a topic?   Brett and Heather fall into the circle of based conversationalists like Gad Saad, Scott Adams, and our gracious hosts at RR and Phetasy. Each has their own style but are all directionally pointed towards freedom rather than compulsion.  There are many others, but Scott is an adamant critic of calling out the arrogance of the experts. Some experts are reliable because they keep asking questions and offering critical thought. They are not only knowledgeable about their subject, but they are also capable of self-criticism and humble admission of error. It makes one more credible, not damaged goods. If someone has repeated and consistent errors most of us will stop listening to them. Some experts are not reliable because their commitment is to their preconceived and pre-committed ideas.  Such idealogues can be charismatic and convincing, but in the end, they champion a cause and not the honest discussion of the topic. It happens in every field. It used to just be religious institutions that compelled thought and behavior for centuries, now it can be any group with real or perceived authority and power. Just ask the Enemedia and Academia.

Arriving at approximate truths in public discourse takes time, is messy and requires some humility to admit when you went down the wrong path and committed too much energy to being in error.  I don’t know that most of humanity can embrace such raw honesty and humility. Imagine spending years on a particular cause to find out you are wrong? It is too easy to think that one has wasted their time and effort, but if you are honestly seeking is it ever a waste of time?  I don’t think so.   5 years down the road and I am happy that I asked questions during Covid. It opened the door to more questions and patience.  

·       I appreciate experts, but I don’t take their opinions as Gospel.

·       I appreciate questions asked in a critical manner.

·       No one and no idea are above question or criticism.

·       Yes, even dumbasses can ask critical questions of experts and should not be dismissed because they are a dumbass.  One can acknowledge their history of error, incompetency or ignorance, but if they have an honest question, its dismissal reveals the dishonesty of the expert.

·       Experts can be blind to their bias just like any of us. Experts can lie just like any of us.  Experts can be joyfully mistaken.

·       Arriving at the shores of understanding and approximate truth/testable reality takes time.  I am suspicious of anyone demanding immediate compulsion of thought and subsequent behavior.

Sorry, more than I wanted to write on a Monday morning.  Thank you if you took the time to real. Comment always welcome.  

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Easter Sunday - Morning Light
Gratitude changes everything

Easter Sunday

Good morning, Digital Neighbors!  Happy Sunday and blessed Easter Friends & Refugees, Early Birds & Later Dayers, Phamily and Misfits, ADD Irregulars and WSN Curators & Contributors!    I have been mostly off-line during Lent and I had gotten out of the habit of daily posting on the Report and on Phetasy prior to Lent. I still lurked about but was not very engaged in posting or even liking posts.  Most of my focus had been on Padre’s and sharing my thoughts and various posts there.  Over these next 49 days between this Sunday and Pentecost I hope to share some thoughts and musings on gratitude and thanksgiving.  We will see where the Spirit leads me in my morning rambles but know that I come back to one of my on-line homes at the Report and at Phetasy and I am thankful for the hospitality and leadership of Dave Rubin & Bridget Phetasy. 

During 2020 and all of its madness the communities of the Rubin Report and Phetasy became places of connection, community and healthy conversation (sometimes laced with a bit of ranting and fist shaking at the absurdities of the Covid Czars and flunkies) apart from the constant compelling and compliant droning of the Enemedia.  Demanding conformity in thought & behavior while preaching “diversity” seems about as hypocritical as one can get. The Cabal is all about hypocrisy and completely blind to it.

I think back over these five years and I am thankful for all the fine souls I met through Locals and its various communities.  Some of these people I have had the chance of talking to in real life and meeting. It has been a profound blessing to me. Locals became the home of free speech and common sense.  Those two issues go along way towards good conversations and even meaningful disagreement or variances of opinion.  The maturity level attracted to Locals is a real blessing. I am not talking about the humor and the memes, but rather about no one losing their SH over disagreements or other emotional implosions that I have seen in other communities in the past. I know these communities are not perfect, but Locals was a vast upgrade from FB and other social sites.  If there were people I didn’t care to read I either ignored them or simply blocked them and it was without the drama that became so commonplace on other platforms prior to Locals.

Living in the heart of gratitude means taking nothing for granted. I do my best to remember and practice the giftedness of each day and not forget the blessing and joys that come from that attitude.  I am far from succeeding but I do see progress when I let go of my expectations and begin trusting and accepting more of life as it unfolds.  It is not easy to work on serenity, I am tempted to spend too much time trying to control things I can’t and too little effort ignoring things I can change.  But no matter what, I am blessed and thankful for another opportunity to take a swing at living and loving.  Have a great Sunday Digital Neighbors!  Know of my prayers, appreciation and love even if I don’t visit as much as I used to and spend too much time tending my home community @ Padre’s.

 

MORNING LIGHT

Each day the soul decides whether or not

to enter yet one more time into this carousel,

blinks open the body’s eyes to nearly morning light,

lifts the head in glory to God’s vast sky,

climbs the legs out of bed to keep moving

on this journey to understanding the mystery

and beauty of being alive.   – Barbara Schmitz

 

Gratitude Prayers: Prayers, Poems, and Prose for Everyday Thankfulness (p. 33). Andrews McMeel Publishing. Kindle Edition.

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