Saturday, September 29, 2018

Gut reactions to the Kavanaugh delay


I'm trying to be adult in my response to yet another delay in Judge Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation.  I can understand why some Senate Republicans wanted a further investigation, and why President Trump acceded to their wishes.  They have a one-vote - one single vote - margin in the Senate, and at least three RINO senators who may, for their own reasons, prefer not to support Judge Kavanaugh.  If they're lucky, they may get one or two Democratic senators to support him . . . but that still means that his confirmation is not certain.  It may be that the Vice-President will have to cast a tie-breaking ballot to decide the issue.  That would be anything but ideal, and would open to question any ruling of the Supreme Court in which Mr. Kavanaugh's vote was decisive.  The Administration is bending over backwards to avoid going to such extremes, and get him confirmed by even one vote rather than risk such consequences.

Nevertheless, I'm sickened by the arrogance, dishonesty and partisanship displayed by so many Senators in recent days.  Democrats, in particular, have abandoned any semblance of decency.  They ignore allegations of sexual misconduct against their own members (some with convincing medical and other evidence to support them) and give credence to completely unsupported charges against Judge Kavanaugh - even ones where every single witness named by the accuser has denied, or at least refused to confirm, her version of events.  This is a travesty of justice.  I think Judge Kavanaugh was absolutely right when he said:





There is no evidence whatsoever to support any of the charges, allegations and accusations leveled against this man.  No evidence whatsoever.  Therefore, why is any credence being given to them?  If there is no evidence, no conviction is possible.  Don't argue to me that this isn't a court of law.  In a very real sense, Judge Kavanaugh is on trial here.  His reputation has already been damaged severely.  If he is not confirmed, his opponents will bruit it about that it was because he was guilty.  If he is confirmed, they will allege that this was in spite of his guilt, not because of his innocence.  They're even threatening to impeach him if they regain power - again, without any evidence to warrant such threats.

We live - or are supposed to live - according to the rule of law in these United States.  The Kavanaugh hearings have shown that for too many of us, the rule of law is no longer relevant.  It's become the rule of feelings, the rule of sympathy, the rule of partisan bias.  Facts no longer matter.  Proof no longer matters.  It's all about how we perceive things.  This country cannot survive that.  It really is that simple.  We cannot survive as a nation on the basis of how we feel about things.  We can only deal with reality if we're rooted in and grounded on reality.  If we're living in some fantasy existence in our minds, then reality will rear up and bash us over the head with a clue-by-four.  Reality doesn't care how we feel.  Reality simply is.  We can deal with it, or not, as we choose - but if we choose not to deal with it, it will deal with us.  Count on that.

I'm ashamed of our Senators for the way in which they've treated Judge Kavanaugh.  I'm ashamed on behalf of all who trust in the rule of law, because our trust has been betrayed.  What's more, there's a growing groundswell of anger amongst those who are watching this farce being played out in Washington.  To see a well-expressed sense of that anger, read this article, and judge for yourselves.  That anger, that bitterness, is very close to bursting out in some quarters.  Have things gone too far to be salvaged?  That remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, I'll be praying for Judge Kavanaugh and his family.  They will find precious little peace in this world until this thing is settled, and probably not much even then:  so, may the God of Peace grant them that which the world cannot, and give them courage and strength.

Peter

18 comments:

Rob said...

When Mrs. Clinton was allowed to walk on actions that everyone else goes to jail for the rule of law was publicly tossed out the window.

I feel for both the parties being abused in this political action. So very sad...



Eric Wilner said...

The delay allows the Democrats to find the little girl whom Kavanaugh turned into a newt back when she was attending the McMartin Preschool. (Which makes about as much sense as the Third Accuser's Tale.)

On the other hand... much depends on the instructions the FBI is given. With regard to the accusations against Kavanaugh, there's nothing for them to investigate. If, on the other hand, they start following other leads, beginning with the fact that Ford's lawyers unambiguously lied to the Senate about Ford's inability to travel by air? Well, then there's a great plenty to investigate.
And, hmmm. Legislators' absolute immunity from prosecution only applies to "any Speech or Debate in either House"; for actions taken off of the floor, they may still be prosecuted, no?

LindaG said...

Agree with everything said here.

kamas716 said...

If he's confirmed and then the Democrats try to impeach him, I think there's a very real possibility of this country running red with the blood of it's citizens pouring down the streets.

Paul said...

Mrs Clinton was investigated by the FBI and allowed to walk. One could say the seeds of the FBI corruption where set in place her husband was president. I would say his election was the first one the Democrats fixed. During the previous 12 years they had infiltrated the voting booths of enough local polling places and got enough dead people to change the votes by 1-2 percent in key areas. All they need.

The first president they actually cooked the books to elect was Obama. They tried with Hillary, but she pissed off enough depolorables that 1-2 percent was not enough in flyover country.

No, this circus is about to come to a close. I really don't see anyway we can get back to when the country was in balance without some kind of equalizing event. We need to get the dems down to less that 10 percent of the population to get to that point.

To the knife is about the only way out.

capt fast said...

truly cannot see any reason the FBI investigation could not be completed by noon DC time monday this week.

Billll said...

" That would be anything but ideal, and would open to question any ruling of the Supreme Court in which Mr. Kavanaugh's vote was decisive."

Such rulings may be deplored by the losers (does that make the Dems the new deplorables?), but if it goes 5-4, then they would have lost no matter who the 5 were.

A NICS check can be completed in about 30 minutes, but the Repubs should have agreed to this on condition that the FBI be certified as politically neutral first.

cannon said...

imagine the howls of outrage if the F.B.I. declared judge Kavanaugh innocent of all charges without even talking to him.

kinda like they did with the Hillary privet server investigation.

ZBM-2 said...

Billl, this isn't a NICS check. All that does is check a database to see if you've committed a crime. This is basically going to be an SSBI (Single Scope Background Investigation). Which, incidentally, this isn't the first time he's had an SSBI or equivalent - so the chances of anything new turning up are pretty low.


For an SSBI (Single Scope Background Investigation) the process works something like this:
This isn't some "Hey we checked a database and you don't have a criminal record". This is a "We went and talked to your old next door neighbor. And your friends growing up. And your mom. And that girl you kissed in the fifth grade. And the dude you bullied in the second grade. And your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate. And he said you did weed in the sixth grade, so you don't get a clearance."
When they did mine, they interviewed high school friends, next door neighbors, Scoutmasters (and assistant Scoutmasters), family, friends from scouts, etc.

The only thing that makes Ford's testimony remotely plausible is that she claims to have waited until 2012 to have told anyone, plus the small group of witnesses to the the supposed event (only one to the alleged misconduct, and no more than three for the supposed party, not counting Ford or Kavanaugh). Accuser number two has a very different context - more alleged witnesses, in college, plus she admits her memory isn't entirely reliable due to heavy drinking - and the third is utterly ridiculous. You can't hide one, let alone MULTIPLE gang rape parties from an SSBI. Ben Franklin wasn't wrong when he said "Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead."

The real trouble with Ford's story (and what makes it so effective as a tool) is the fact that it is impossible to prove or disprove. If it could be proven, this would already be over, and the same if it could be disproven. At this stage in the game, you can't even prove (or disprove) that a party even happened (although the fact that all the supposed attendees deny the existence of the party, and in one case even knowing Kavanaugh, would indicate that the party probably didn't happen as stated).

Basically, the FBI is going to take his yearbook, and call up a whole bunch of people, none of whom are going to know any relevant information.

Linda Fox said...

Keep in mind that the Republicans don't have the votes, yet. They need time to corral the dissidents, and keep them on board.

deb harvey said...

the answer to the corruption in government and everywhere else in he nation and the world is to pray earnestly.
God can wash away the scum and renew the nation.
He tells us to call on Him and He will answer.
our family are calling on Him desperately in another matter, but we have to wait for God's timing, which is nerve wracking, since His timing and ours are different.
i pray that the president and his family, and all God's men in government and elsewhere, be kept safe and that this nation can be purified.

SDN said...

"Welcome to the party, pal."

I am bitterly amused by people who are just now waking up to this. The accusations against Roy Moore were equally specious, complete with forged yearbook entries and accusers whose stories couldn't be verified; at least a couple working for the opposing candidate. But he's one of those icky Xtians from a hick state. Not our sort, dearie.

Donald Trump? Again, verified instances of at least two of his accusers being paid by DNC donors, coordinated by the daughter of the attorney representing one of Moore's accusers.

Herman Cain? same pattern. Clarence Thomas, same pattern.

But now, when they're using this smear against some preppie who made even RINO Romney's list of judges, everyone is aghast.

Folks, Col Schlicter is right: the Left hates you. Always has. And they will stop at nothing, until they are stopped.

https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2017/02/06/the-left-hates-you-act-accordingly-n2281602

Dantes said...

"That would be anything but ideal, and would open to question any ruling of the Supreme Court in which Mr. Kavanaugh's vote was decisive. "

That is ridiculous. There is no legal or constitutional sense in which this is correct. The insane democrats will question any ruling any Constitutionalist will make on the court if they don't like the decision.

TTB said...

The obvious reason there are no witnesses to any of the assaults and serial gang rape parties is that Trump and Kavanaugh ate them. At White House banquets, while chugging puppy milkshakes.

The utter lack of witnesses proves that.

I expect Chuck & Dianne to tell us so ‘long about Wednesday.

LindaG said...

Good one, TTB.

Dad29 said...

Maybe all y'all noticed that Trump was just fine with another FBI check; in fact, he was almost passive about it.

I think there's a reason: he KNOWS that this horsepuckey will turn around and smack the (D) Party in November. Trump is damn near preternatural with reading the American voter, and I think he's very happy with the Kavanaugh hearings no matter how they turn out for Kavanaugh.

Because he thinks it will turn out well for the (R) party.

Ken in Camarillo said...

Dad29: I think you are correct, but there is even another likely possibility. The FBI investigation may blow Ford's story out of the water. Unfortunately, the vagueness of the story may prevent definitive findings, allowing Kool-Aid drinkers room to keep pushing the narrative.

Dad29 said...

It does NOT matter what the FBI finds. Ford could be proven to be the biggest liar since Judas. Won't matter: all the (D) will vote against Kavanaugh. And since Flake, Collins, and Murkowski will also vote 'no,' he's toast.

Until the next, VERY RED, Congress is seated!!