In 1987, Ronald Reagan placed Douglas S. Ginsburg's name in nomination to replace Lewis F Powell, Jr., on the SCOTUS. During confirmation hearings, Judge Ginsburg admitted to having smoked marijuana while in college. That resulted in Ginsburg voluntarily withdrawing his name. When Ginsburg was in college, it was illegal to smoke marijuana.
Brett Kavanaugh has been accused of attempted sexual assault when he was a high school student by a woman whose story will probably be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
It should not matter that this happened while Kavanaugh was in high school. Attempted rape is a crime and there should be no statute of limitation on it. If smoking weed was enough to have Judge Ginsburg withdraw his name from consideration for the SCOTUS, Kavanaugh's worse alleged crime should disqualify him.
At the very least this will send a message to all young men and those Americans who think "boys will be boys," and that it's okay to try to rape a young woman when intoxicated. It isn't. Kavanaugh should take responsibility for what he did. He got away with a crime in high school, but now he should pay the price, just like Judge Ginsburg did.
Kavanaugh should withdraw.
Woman who accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault speaks out in account published by Washington Post
Earlier this summer, Christine Blasey Ford wrote a confidential letter to a senior Democratic lawmaker alleging that Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her more than three decades ago, when they were high school students in suburban Maryland. Since Wednesday, she has watched as that bare-bones version of her story became public without her name or her consent, drawing a blanket denial from Kavanaugh and roiling a nomination that just days ago seemed all but certain to succeed.
Now, Ford has decided that if her story is going to be told, she wants to be the one to tell it. Speaking publicly for the first time, Ford said that one summer in the early 1980s, Kavanaugh and a friend — both “stumbling drunk,” Ford alleges — corralled her into a bedroom during a gathering of teenagers at a house in Montgomery County.
23 comments:
Shaw, this is the typical rightnut response to the Kavanaugh allegations of sexual assault:
"HIGH SCHOOL? So he tried to have sex in high school? Alert the media! Gee, I don’t know ANY boys who tried anything in high school, do you? (Sarcasm)
Did he RAPE HER? I hope not. Are we expected to believe someone who won’t come forward? Can we not ask why Feinstein’s known this a couple of months and did nothing till one week before the vote?
I BELIEVE THIS IS UTTER RUBBISH…………..Are we now going to have a hearing on THIS? Must we believe every allegation from every high school girl? We are one freakin’ SICK COUNTRY."
Yeah. The sexual assault happened in high school and we shouldn't believe the victim. That's how the Trumpanzees react to this story. It doesn't matter becuz Kavanaugh was just a kid and he's not responsible for trying to rape a young high school woman and we shouldn't believe her anyway because she probably asked for it. What's the big deal BOYS WILL BE BOYS! So if a boy did this to one of their daughters, so what!
The wingnut who wrote the screed in quotes above says the US is a "SICK COUNTRY" because it uncovered a possible sexual assault -- a freakin' crime -- by a potential Supreme. And then the wingnut uses Thomas's name? We now know that Anita Hill was telling the truth and Thomas was a sexual harasser. Al Franken got booted from the Senate for less than what Thomas did.
Anon, look at that comment, the writer doesn't have all the facts, but believes it's all rubbish. Typical uninformed naive, emotionally vapid wingnut.
"Mark Judge, a classmate of Kavanaugh’s at the all-male Georgetown Prep at the time of the alleged assault, tells stories in his 1997 memoir, Wasted: Tales of a GenX Drunk, of binge drinking at teen parties and trying to “hook up” with girls.
It was at one such gathering, Ford told the Post, that Kavanaugh and Judge, both drunk, shoved her into a bedroom. She said that Kavanaugh locked the door, pushed her onto a bed, fumbled with her clothing, held her down and attempted to force himself on her. Ford said she managed to escape when Judge jumped on top of both of them. Kavanaugh has “categorically” denied the accusations."
Take a look at the facts, Ginsburg admitted she smoked an illegal substance, Al Franken was caught on tape. Kavanaugh was accused of not raping but touching a girl 35 years ago. If he did it he should own up to it but I think you are still innocent until proven guilty and this is a difficult case to prove.
Why did she wait 35 years to say anything even though he was a circuit court judge and high profile. Why the Feinstein wait six weeks to bring this out? Aren't you sick of politics obstructing the country for no reason other than power, guess not.
skudrunner: "Ginsburg admitted she smoked an illegal substance" It was DOUGLAS Ginsburg, a HE.
skudrunner: " Kavanaugh was accused of not raping but touching a girl 35 years ago."
NO. You're wrong. Kavanaugh is accused of sexual assault. Read what the woman described. He threw her on the bed and turned up the radio so her screams could not be heard, and he put his hand over her mouth. He tried to remove her garments. That's not just "touching."
A person is "innocent until proven guilty" ONLY IN A COURT OF LAW. Look it up. We can decide if we believe Kavanaugh or the woman and decide if we think he's guilty or not.
The woman did not know that this attempt raper would be taped to be on the SCOTUS, that's why. When he was appointed as a circuit judge or any other judgeship, that did not make national news.
Feinstein was told by the woman NOT to report this, and Feinstein honored that request. Then the woman decided the accusation is too important not to go public.
skudrunner: "Aren't you sick of politics obstructing the country for no reason other than power, guess not."
Oh please, skud. Did you go to your fainting couch when the Goopers denied President Obama his choice for the SCOTUS? Merrick Garland? Did you? That was shitty politics by the Goopers, and now you're asking me if I'm sick of playing politics?
Do you even pay attention to what happens? Or are you interested ONLY when the Goopers get caught ?
Garland was never denied anything because it didn't come up for a hearing or a vote.
So, in your eyes, kissing a girl when you were 17 is sexual assault and it was so traumatizing that you didn't report it for 35 years.
I believe Feinstein was told that she wanted to remain anonymous not to keep the letter secret.
If you have never had a teen age boy come on to you you must have been raised in a convent or had no appeal, which I don't believe is the case.
skudrunner:"Garland was never denied anything because it didn't come up for a hearing or a vote."
S.K. Wrong. Mitch McConnell vowed he would take no action on Garland's nomination. He blocked President Obama's nominee for political reasons. Period. And he's tried to push through Kavanaugh for political reasons. McConnell is a beast.
skudrunner: "So, in your eyes, kissing a girl when you were 17 is sexual assault and it was so traumatizing that you didn't report it for 35 years. "
S.K. Like a typical privileged white male, you diminish what happened to this woman because "boys will be boys." This was NOT just a kiss. According to the victim, Kavanaugh threw her on the bed, turned up the music so her screams could not be heard, then he covered her mouth as he tried to undress her and rape her. Okay? You, like so many men, never believe the victim and make excuses for the sexual assaulter. It's sickening.
Do you have daughters? How would you react to hearing that a high schooler jumped on your daughter, stifled her screams and tried to undress her so he could rape her? That's not just trying to kiss. That's sexual assault, and we women are g-d sick of men making excuses for young men who can't control their sexual impulses. What Kavanaugh allegedly did was a CRIME. And you're making excuses for him. Shame.
skudrunner "I believe Feinstein was told that she wanted to remain anonymous not to keep the letter secret. "
Yes, that was what she said initially, but the victim changed her mind and gave Feinstein permission to make her identiy known. FACT.
skudrunner: "If you have never had a teen age boy come on to you you must have been raised in a convent or had no appeal, which I don't believe is the case. "
S.K. I NEVER had a teenage boy try to commit rape. Never. I didn't hang out with those kinds of creeps. This was not just a boy trying to kiss a girl and shame on you for making excuses for the wretched behavior of the pig who was drunk and tried to rape her. Shame. That attitude is what's wrong with the rape culture in this country and why the POTUS has not been hounded out of office for his sexual assault behavior.
The GOP will pay dearly for this disgusting reaction to the victim. The #MeToo ovement will not let this go and get forgotten, the way Anita Hill's testimony was during the Thomas hearings for SCOTUS. No more!
I have to admit when I heard something came up about his behavior in high school I was like “oh, c’mon now”, then I read her account — truly terrifying. She actually had the thought that he was going to inadvertently kill her (by smothering her). She was in therapy for years trying to figure out why she couldn’t have a normal relationship with a guy. A little more than trying to cop a feel or a kiss.
Possumlady, read our friend skudrunner's reaction to this allegation: it was just a kiss; all boys do it; why didn't she come forward sooner, etc., etc. like most men, he sees nothing wrong with a drunken high schooler trying to undress a young woman while he and his friend held her down against her will. She feared for her life, and Kavanaugh got away with his beastly behavior. Kava aught is on record saying young people should take responsibility for their poor choices. Now is the time for him to make good on that claim.
This was one of the comments on an article about Kavanaugh testifying today:
A few questions for Judge Kavanaugh....
.... Would you allow your daughters to be alone in a room with the Pussy Grabber-In-Chief?
.... How would you react if the Pussy Grabber-In-Chief molested your wife/mother/sister/daughter?
...... Do you think god is working through the Pussy Grabber-In-Chief when he prowls the dressing rooms at teen beauty pageants?
... The Pussy Grabber-In-Chief said, "when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.”
As a wealthy, privileged, white male, has this been your experience?
The Republicans won't have enough time to vent another nominee before the elections, so they will push this nominee through no matter what. This is the power of majority and if you don't think they will just look at their history of dirty politics. Denying Obama his Supreme Court pick is just one example.
Trumpers = Bloated immoralty and rampant hypocrisy.
possumlady, I'm sorry to say none of that matters to the 30 percenters who continue to support the immoral pig in the White House. They will march into Hell with Trump as long as he gives them what they want. What's left of the GOP has no standards, except their double standards, which allows them to tell themselves that Trump is making America great while he trashes it in plain sight.
Jerry, I think you're right, but I also think Professor Ford will have a convincing story to tell, and the white priviledged males in the Senate will have to decide if they believe an attempted rapist is going to be on the SCOTUS.
RN, Sadly, yes.
Smoking marijuana and attempted rape were enough to disqualify a scotus nominee previously. Smoking marijuana today would not be disqualifying. Now we may be deciding that attempted rape isn't disqualifying. It has already been decided that sexual harrassment isn't. I wonder if it was rape and not attempted rape if that would make a difference or if the republicans would still try to push him through. tRump has been accused of rape (a "savage sexual assault" according to his "alleged" victim). Although most people are probably not aware of that. Certainly everyone knows that he bragged about sexual assault and White women voted for him anyway.
The $24k question: If Ford had no intention of coming forward, why’d she take a polygraph in early August?
We don't know if she "had no intention of coming forward" -- ever. Maybe she thought about it and took the test as insurance in the event she did decide to reveal her identity.
There may be other women out there who knew Kavanaugh as a drunken frat boy who, like many young men, believe young women are theirs to do as they please, even attempt to rape them.
Trying to cast aspersions on the victim is never a good idea. And in this age of #MeeToo, it won't work.
Regarding the comment by "Lee Arnold", the book by Mark Judge (the a classmate of Kavanaugh) "Wasted: Tales of a GenX Drunk" contains a reference to a character named "Bart O'Kavanaugh". As per the book, this "fictional character" passes out drunk and throws up in a car.
The Independent UK (excerpt): [According to Judge] "There's never any excuse to rape, a crime that I think is almost akin to murder because the rapist kills a part of the human soul. And yet what women wear and their body language also send signals about their sexuality". ... [However] Two years earlier, in an ode to "sexy" pulp novels, Mr Judge lamented "social justice warriors" who confuse rape with innocent demonstrations of masculinity.
Even you said "accused". You display such righteous indignation in you post but I guess since it is a man he is guilty until proven innocent.
Yes I do have daughters and they are strong enough to say no and if the boy continued to tell authorities. I have not raised them to be victims but to be strong women and that has worked very well.
Hope you are watching Rachel Maddow interview Hillary Clinton right now, very interesting.
skudrunner: "You display such righteous indignation in you post but I guess since it is a man he is guilty until proven innocent."
I've read far too many stories about how young women are not believed when they report sexual assault and how the young men who commit those crimes often get away with them if they're family is rich enough. So I tend to believe the females. Also Dr. Ford had nothing to gain by coming forward. She's already had to go into hiding to escape the death threats she and her family are receiving.
Congratulations on raising strong daughters. But in a comment to me you speculated that if I hadn't been attacked sexually by a boy when I was a teen, I must have been raised in a convent.
Worse than a convent. I was raised by a Sicilian father. If any teenage boy tried anything like that my father would have given him an example of Sicilian vengence. Also, I did not hang out with drunken teenage boys. So no it never happened.
Scud said: Yes I do have daughters and they are strong enough to say no and if the boy continued to tell authorities. I have not raised them to be victims but to be strong women and that has worked very well.
Well, you can only hope nothing has happened to them. My niece is one of the strongest people I know — doesn’t take sh*t from anyone. She broke up from her boyfriend of 5 years about 6 months ago. She just informed her mom that he used to scream at her and knock her around when he had too much to drink. This started the first year they went out. So she stayed silent and put on a strong happy face for FIVE YEARS!
This is the problem. Everyone thinks they raised their kids so they would never assault someone or be the victim. Is it any wonder girls/women don’t report these things? For all you know Skud, something like this could very well have happened to your daughters and they are too ashamed to tell you because you tell everyone how strong they are and they’d never let that happen to them.
Just think about that.
Possum... you think DJT raised his kids not to assault anyone? Does the apple ever fall far from the tree...
Dave, I thought DJT has gone on the record bragging that he never even changed a diaper on any of his kids so I doubt he had any interest in their upbringing beyond wondering how large his young daughters’ breasts would become. His sons though seem to love to assault wildlife!
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