Our local component of the Epstein affair focused on an adjunct faculty member who has now resigned. As blog readers will know, yours truly views this affair as a witch hunt that has gotten way, way out of control, as witch hunts - including the famous one at Salem - are prone to do.
Republicans thought that if all the Epstein files came out, they would embarrass the Clintons. Why they would think embarrassing the Clintons years after their political careers ended would somehow save Republican control of the House in the midterms is beyond me. So far, all they have gotten a photo of Bill Clinton in a hot tub. Democrats thought, with more relevance, that the files would embarrass President Trump - although he has shown no personal capacity for embarrassment.
The underlying truth is that Epstein was a con man who started out as a high school math teacher (using false credentials), and inveigled himself into society and academia, became wealthy, and would hold out the prospect of handing out money for research grants. In some cases, money was actually raised from Epstein, enough so that academics and others would cater to him. In some cases, no money appeared. But many of the names that were shamed - including the one at UCLA - were mainly guilty of... fundraising. And the fact that many well-known academics and others have been caught in this affair has in fact diverted what attention there was from the Clintons and Trump to all the others. It's another version of flooding the zone. There is so much to talk about that the original intent has been lost and all kinds of other agendas are being advanced.
“Unfortunately, up to 100 arts and humanities students won’t be able to earn a Life Sciences core credit by taking my GE course this Spring as a result of the McCarthyism, hysteria, and prejudice promulgated by the media, including the Daily Bruin..."*
I'm not sure the 100 arts and humanities students that won't be taking the GE Life Sciences course would know what the word "McCarthyism" refers to. But maybe there should be a GE course on that, and not just for them.
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There are a lot of reasons why this hysteria is being pushed; in fact, there are more due to recent events:
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