As in the case of the # MeToo movement , it is not easy to express your personal verdict on the Kavanaugh question without being subjected to other people ’ s judgement and your own values being questioned . You can ’ t escape the trolls .
FROM THE PUBLISHER ’ S DESK
At this point , the Brett Kavanaugh saga is no longer just about Roe vs . Wade . After all — as civil rights attorney Anita Arriola has pointed out — Roe vs Wade has been on the precipice of destruction even without the Kavanaugh factor due to accumulating layers of curtailing provisions that lawmakers in every state , Guam included , have tacked on to abortion laws .
Now America is debating on an unsettling question . What do you make of the Brett Kavanaugh situation ? The question about his moral character has eclipsed his ideology as he headed for his confirmation as a nominee to become associate justice of the U . S . Supreme Court .
We find ourselves discussing it over lunch .
Christine Blasey Ford , a psychology professor , accuses Kavanaugh of sexual assault . She alleged he pinned her to a bed at a party , tried to strip her naked and covered her mouth with his hand to muffle her screams . It was a long time ago . She was 15 . He was 17 . Booze was involved .
When you consider the age factor , you think twice before you pass judgement . “ Can you hold a stupid 17-year-old accountable for his stupid action ?” a lawyer friend of mine asked . “ But at the same time , oh man , it is a horrible accusation . It was a horrible crime .”
As in the case of the # MeToo movement , it is not easy to express your personal verdict on the Kavanaugh question without being subjected to other people ’ s judgement and your own values being questioned . You can ’ t escape the trolls .
Were it just a simple case of toilet papering , pickpocketing or minor theft , it could ’ ve been easier to shrug off as youthful folly . At some point in our teens , we had engaged in some forms of mischief — some are truly embarrassing , others may be criminal . As adults , we look back and strike ourselves with remorse . But in the case of Ford ’ s accusation , oh man , it is indeed horrible .
“ Where is justice if he gets away with it ?” another friend of mine said .
Remember Anita Hill ?
Some ideologists insist it is political . “ Why only now ?” You have to remind them that Ford first exposed this information to the Washington Post in 2012 — though anonymously then . Personally , I am inclined to believe that no sane woman would risk public humiliation just to be part of a political orchestration .
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Contrition
“ We really have no way of telling if she was making this up . I mean , I value Roe vs Wade and I definitely do not like Kavanaugh getting on the Supreme Court but if this is political , it is not fair ,” yet another friend said . “ For the process to be fair , both parties should be heard .”
You can close a debate with that .
But even after the confirmation process is completed
— Kavanaugh may or may not get the nod — but this scandal will be judged by history and remain a reference of integrity .
While reading related articles , I stumbled on a Chicago Tribune column by Mary Schmich , who wrote about her friend ’ s idea of an ideal world , in which moral conflicts can be reconciled :
“ I wish we lived in a world where a man could say that he did a terrible thing when he was a kid , and he didn ’ t realize until many years later how truly horrible it was , and that it shaped his life in ways that made him go out of his way to help victims of similar assaults , and that he had often thought of contacting the woman to apologize for his terrible behavior as a drunken youth ,” Schmich wrote , quoting her friend . “ I wish we lived in a world , where that sort of reparation was expected of someone who does something horrible and whom we expect to live to regret it , and I wish we could forgive , without taking anything away from the horror of the assault .”
But where is Kavanaugh ’ s remorse ?
As in the case of the # MeToo movement , it is not easy to express your personal verdict on the Kavanaugh question without being subjected to other people ’ s judgement and your own values being questioned . You can ’ t escape the trolls .
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