So here’s what those watching the drama of the Kavanaugh nomination process may not understand.
The allegations against Kavanaugh won’t just disappear if, as appears likely, GOP senators do their best to pretend that there’s nothing that could be done to investigate allegations about something that occurred thirty years ago.
Even if Kavanaugh is confirmed, there will be investigative reporters doing their jobs, digging into the old yearbooks and systematically interviewing those who might have recollections of the incident or its aftermath.
And when they locate the witnesses and the information that should have been turned up in the FBI investigation that was blocked by the Republican Senators, we will then have a real national crisis to deal with.
It’s funny that Republicans seem to have a hard time with the idea that allegations of sex crimes that may have occurred decades ago can actually be investigated and confirmed.
Think of the thousands of boys and young men who were assaulted by teachers or priests, and only came forward to tell their stories decades later. Many of those allegations have now been confirmed in courts, through corroborating evidence turned up through dogged reporting and research.
The Catholic Church tried to make all the allegations go away and failed. The GOP is also going to fail. And that’s going to leave us all with a real mess.
And when it all comes out, will Kavanaugh resign?
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The girl was 15 years old, and drunk, when the alleged attack happened. Let’s suppose some guy actually did try to rape her. But her memory of exactly what happened and who did it was unclear (booz); and by the time she finally told someone about it years later, she saw the face of Kavanaugh on TV or newspaper and said “Oh, I think (guess) that’s the guy.” So now she sincerely believes the event happened; and she sincerely believes it was Kavanaugh; so she could certainly pass a lie detector test because she believes she’s telling the truth. But it was somebody else. So now Kavanaugh’s life gets ruined for no good reason.
Completely new point. Remember Anita Hill vs. Clarence Thomas? I watched that whole thing on TV. Let’s suppose Thomas did all the bad things Hill accused him of. But now he has been a Justice on the Supreme Court for many, many years. And nobody has ever accused him of doing similar bad things. And he’s a distinguished Justice who has written many well-argued legal opinions. So the fact that he was confirmed to the Court has been a good thing for America, and whatever he might have done to Hill has never been repeated and has not caused his work to lose credibility or validity. Ditto with Judge Kavanaugh. He now has had decades of good behavior since he was 17 years old. No further accusations. Hundreds of female law clerks and friends vouching for his character.
Do we believe people can improve? Can alcoholics stop drinking and maintain sobriety for decades? Can a kid grow up and keep his pants zipped? Don’t a lot of the same people now opposing Kavanaugh also argue that even convicted murderers who committed their crime at age 17 should be released from jail because they are now rehabilitated and can be valuable members of the community? Indeed, don’t we take youthful offenders to “family court” where the whole idea is to get them rehabilitated? So if those are your beliefs, then you ought to conclude that even if Kavanaugh did try to rape that girl when he was 17, he has decades of good behavior since then, is now fully rehabilitated, there have been no further accusations during his high-profile career, so let’s “move on.”
Guilty until proved innocent is NOT pono. Calling attention to problems with the credibility of the accuser is not trashing her for the pleasure of it; it’s necessary to evaluate the reliability of what she says. She was drunk at the time; she has had psychiatric difficulties since then; she reportedly refused to get on a plane to Washington and said she must travel by car because she is afflicted with claustrophobia; etc. Doesn’t mean she’s lying, but does mean she has emotional/mental problems which must be taken into account when judging whether the things she says are necessarily correct.
“Guilty until proved innocent is NOT pono. ”
Hillary ‘Benghazi’ Clinton and Barack ‘Born in Africa’ Obama agree.
Even if we’re okay with forgiving Kavanaugh, he’s not being truthful about it now. He’s not credible. That’s the main issue regarding confirmation.
One looming question:
Have any witnesses of this alleged assault been paid off for their silence? Trump has lots of experience with that. And it doesn’t always work out in the end.
One thing is for sure. If a growing number of Americans stop believing Kavanaugh’s denials, the GOP will have to turn to their usual excuse: ‘It was just high school! This isn’t fair!’ When Trump got recorded with ‘Grab ’em by the pussy,’ fake conservatives had to dismiss it with ‘It was just locker room talk!’
Whenever the GOP loses, it becomes dismissive, bitter and sticks with denial. Fake ‘conservatives’ are scared shit-less of admitting wrongdoing. Trump only tells the truth when he is cornered. And once he’s out of the corner, he goes back to the lie. Which begs the question: What if there really is a Hell?
A much-related piece today by the Washington Post.
It’s about dethroned Bill Cosby.
‘ A Cosby accuser’s powerful message for Christine Blasey Ford ‘
Kristina Ruehli came forward in 2005, among the many women who accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault. At the time, she chose to remain anonymous and was known simply as Jane Doe No. 12. A decade passed before Ruehli felt prepared to identify herself by name.
She was later elected to testify about a 50-year-old assault at Cosby’s criminal trial. Now convicted of several felony sex crimes, he will be sentenced Monday, the same day that Christine Blasey Ford was initially set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify about the assault she alleged Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh committed against her.
Ruehli, now 75, was also scheduled for court Monday as one of several Cosby accusers delivering a witness statement. The thought of facing her past, much like Ford on Thursday, does not ruffle her.
“I knew I was telling the truth about what I remember. Even under scrutiny, you have a sense of calm because the truth is behind you,” she told The Washington Post.
ahem.
Ronan Farrow is back. and he’s quoting Mazie too.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/senate-democrats-investigate-a-new-allegation-of-sexual-misconduct-from-the-supreme-court-nominee-brett-kavanaughs-college-years-deborah-ramirez
As Senate Republicans press for a swift vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Senate Democrats are investigating a new allegation of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh. The claim dates to the 1983-84 academic school year, when Kavanaugh was a freshman at Yale University. The offices of at least four Democratic senators have received information about the allegation, and at least two have begun investigating it. Senior Republican staffers also learned of the allegation last week and, in conversations with The New Yorker, expressed concern about its potential impact on Kavanaugh’s nomination. Soon after, Senate Republicans issued renewed calls to accelerate the timing of a committee vote. The Democratic Senate offices reviewing the allegations believe that they merit further investigation.
“This is another serious, credible, and disturbing allegation against Brett Kavanaugh. It should be fully investigated,” Senator Mazie Hirono, of Hawaii, said. An aide in one of the other Senate offices added, “These allegations seem credible, and we’re taking them very seriously. If established, they’re clearly disqualifying.”
There is considerable scholarly research on this topic. Copy/paste the following line into your favorite search engine and enjoy reading a wide spectrum of academic views: Might be of interest to professors who specialize in this sort of thing.
false memory rape
“The girl was 15 years old, and drunk, when the alleged attack happened. Let’s suppose some guy actually did try to rape her. But her memory of exactly what happened and who did it was unclear (booz); and by the time she finally told someone about it years later, she saw the face of Kavanaugh on TV or newspaper and said “Oh, I think (guess) that’s the guy.” So now she sincerely believes the event happened; and she sincerely believes it was Kavanaugh; so she could certainly pass a lie detector test because she believes she’s telling the truth. But it was somebody else. So now Kavanaugh’s life gets ruined for no good reason.”
I just want to point out that comments like this are exactly why sexual assault is so underreported. It’s basically the GOP rhetoric regarding sexual assault: either the victim is lying and/or they deserved it, and those victims are fully to blame for “ruining” the assaulter’s life. It’s very chilling and unnerving to read (and I won’t even acknowledge this person’s additional comment later down in the thread).
This is a good reminder for those who are victims of sexual assault to please, please reach out to someone. You don’t have to go through this alone: National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE.
She had one beer. He was stumbling drunk. His memory of the event is much more suspect than hers. In truth, he really has no way of knowing exactly what he did with her that night. I believe her.