Monday, September 24, 2018

I Believe Christine Blasey Ford

Look, I don’t know what is going to happen when/if Professor Christine Blasey Ford goes before the Senate Judiciary Committee to recount her attempted rape at the hands of Brett Kavanaugh. And I don’t know how yesterday’s new allegation of sexual assault by Deborah Ramirez will impact the proceedings. But I know institutionally not that much has changed since 1991 when Anita Hill went before the Senate Judiciary Committee to recount the sexual harassment she faced from Clarence Thomas.

How little has changed? Well, for starters, three members of the committee back then remain on the committee today some 27 years later. They are Republican Senators Chuck Grassley (now the committee chairman) and Orrin Hatch and Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, to be exact. Back then there were exactly zero women on the committee. Today there are four: Democratic Senators Dianne Feinstein, Amy Klobuchar, Mazie Hirono and Kamala Harris. But on the Republican side it’s just 11 white dudes, per usual.

What else hasn’t changed? Well, our cultural response to accusations of sexual assault a rape sure hasn’t. Why didn’t you stop it? What were you doing? Were you drunk? What were you wearing? Why didn’t you come forward sooner? Why didn’t you, the victim, do XYZ. And, alternately, there’s the boys will be boys defense. He was just 17! How can he be expected not to assault a female classmate? Why should this one thing ruin the rest of his life? Also, he was drunk! (Notice how being drunk puts you at fault if you are a woman and exonerates you if you are a man. Funny how that works.)

But what do we have to change? Clearly, the outcome. Back then, Committee Chairman Joe Biden (yes, that Biden) essentially threw her to the wolves while overseeing the sham hearing. And Clarence Thomas was confirmed and sits on the court to this day. And even Biden has apologized to Hill and for his behavior because it is such a shameful chapter in our national discourse.

Look, America, this isn’t hard. A man stands poised, at age 53, to sit on the court for the rest of his life. His rulings will impact how this country functions on the most basic of levels for generations. How we work, how we love. Who is protected, who is victimized. What is allowed, what is not allowed.

Should a man who has a credible accusation of attempted rape against him be given the privilege of that lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land? Abso-fucking-lutely not. Should a man who has a credible accusation of attempted rape against him be allowed to shape our government for generations? Abso-fucking-lutely not.

Do I believe Professor Christine Blasey Ford? Abso-fucking-lutely yes.

4 comments:

  1. THANK YOU for sharing this video “Dear Professor Ford” #WeBelieveYou | Activists & Celebrities Support Christine Blasey Ford - YouTube.
    Another similarity between the Thomas and Kavanaugh hearings is that there were corroborating witnesses to sexual harassment by Clarence Thomas who were not allowed to testify, just as Republicans are trying to prevent other witnesses from testifying now.
    There are differences though. Clarence Thomas was accused of sexual harassment, whereas Brett Kavanaugh is being accused of sexual assault and attempted rape. He might later be accused of helping plan and participate in gang rapes.
    The FBI did do some investigating before the Thomas hearing. Trump is trying to keep the FBI from investigating Kavanaugh's sexual assault(s) and more.
    I believe Christine Blasey Ford, Deborah Ramirez, and the http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-news-brett-kavanaugh-gang-rape-avenatti-20180923-story.html allegations of Brett Kavanaugh and Mark Judge planning to ply women with alcohol and drugs in order to gang rape them.
    Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised. After all, look at who nominated Kavanaugh - Brett Kavanaugh's fellow sexual assault enthusiast Donald Trump Bragging On Tape: "Grab Them By The Pussy" | The Daily Conversation - YouTube.
    The practice of men treating women as chattel needs to end.

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  2. And to those who claim this is purely political - if that were the case, wouldn't the democrats have dragged out some women to make claims against Gorsuch????? And yet, when that man was nominated, not one comment was about his behavior towards women. Maybe because there was nothing to say....THAT TIME.

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  3. Ebiker there is a disturbing political element though that bothers me. Diane Feinstein held onto these allegations until the last possible minute. If she truly cared about Ford why wait until a week before the confirmation? She had them 2 months ago. Ill tell you why. She is hping to delay any confirmation until after the midterms with the hope the Dems regain control of the Senate. That bothers me. Senator Feinsteins behavior cannot be overlooked. It shows complete lack of empathy toward Ford and is strictly a political power play. That bothers me as a woman.

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  4. @ Karen-- I'm not an American, I don't feel either way about Sen. Feinstein, so just hear me out.

    Feinstein was between a rock and a hard place: she had no right to name Dr. Ford until such time as Dr. Ford gave Feinstein permission. If Feinsten had *publicly* proffered an *anonymous* accusation, the brouhaha of the present would seem like nothing in comparison to the caterwauling that Grassley&Co, Trump, and all the Trumpkins would've made, in re: "Unnamed sources!"

    So Sen. Feinstein didn't "sit" on that information at all, and btw, the letter was available for Grassley et al to read ages ago.

    Bottom line: going public was Dr. Ford's call to make, and the timing was hers.

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