Who Will Judge the Judge?

Whew!  Last week was the week that was!  Regardless of whether you are Republican or Democrat, it was equally painful.  We cried with Dr. Ford and witnessed the raw wrath of Brett Kavanaugh.  We witnessed the rage of a once well-respected Senator, Lindsey Graham, self-destruct his own reputation of behaving in a moderate manner.  His audition for Attorney General went over well with his future boss.  We witnessed two ordinary ladies tell a sitting Senator their unbridled views.   Then we witnessed something we haven’t seen in years, a Republican and a Democrat working together for the good of the country.  We all experienced a feeling of hope.

OF ALL the things we witnessed last week, the one thing that is indelible in my hippocampus (I learned that from Dr. Ford) was the shock and awe testimony of Brett Kavanaugh to the Judiciary Committee and the world.  He was so full of anger, hostility, and insolence.  In a real Hearing, he would have been held in Contempt.  No joke, I became afraid of him while sitting in my own home watching on television.  

THERE HAD been much talk about Kavanaugh’s drinking habits and his proclivity to become a mean, belligerent drunk.  That brought back a memory buried deep in my hippocampus. I looked at Kavanaugh’s face and saw my father. You see, my daddy was the greatest, sweetest, kindest man you’d ever meet, until he got drunk. I don’t recall ever seeing him drunk in public, he saved that for his family.  He didn’t like beer.  He liked Early Times whiskey.  He could guzzle a half pint of Early Times without taking a breath.  That’s why his friends called him “Half Pint Willie.”

INDELIBLE IN my hippocampus was a night when I was no more than eleven years old. I don’t remember the date, day, or time.  I don’t remember if anyone else was in the house. My Daddy came home sloppy drunk with that mean look in his eyes.  As things between he and my Mama escalated, I hid, as I always did.  When I heard things escalating and the familiar vitriol in Daddy’s voice, I stood on the porch and watched through the window.  He held her by her arm.  I picked up a hammer, and in my mind, there was no doubt that I was going to hit him on the head with that hammer if he hit her.  This reaction was totally out of character for me but somebody had to stand up to him.  Just as I was moving toward the door poised with the hammer, he let her go.  For this reason, I hate angry men, drunk or sober. For this reason, Brett Kavanaugh scares me.

I HAVE always felt secure in that our Supreme Court Justices were the purest of the pure in our government, with the exception of Clarence Thomas.  However, I’ve always had confidence in Thomas that when a decision was made by this court, it was made in accordance to our constitution and by precedence. Not for political reasons.  In Kavanaugh’s opening statement, he castigated Democrats and said, “What goes around, comes around.”  That was a definite threat.  That is a disqualifying statement, among many others that he made.  I will always question Kavanaugh’s motives in any of his rulings if he is confirmed.

FORGET WHAT’S been alleged about Kavanaugh and answer this serious question.  If you were ever in a situation where a judge, at any level, was making the final decision that would have lasting and detrimental consequences to you or your family, would you want that Judge to be Brett Kavanaugh?  

WE’LL NEVER know the truth about Kavanaugh. Trump lies, we all know that.  But the lie he is telling right now is the biggest and most harmful lie to date, and will have a lasting effect on our judicial system, our Justice Department, women, and cause a divide in the country that may never heal.  Trump insists the FBI has free reign to investigate the serious allegations made against Kavanaugh.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The list of witnesses provided to the FBI by the White House shows they are authorized to question one friend of Dr. Ford’s, three good friends of Kavanaugh’s, and only one other accuser, Ms. Ramirez.  The names of the witnesses Ms. Ramirez may reveal are not even on the list.  Neither are his classmates from high school or Yale.

WE HAD one shining moment of hope last Thursday when we learned the FBI would be investigating all the allegations against Kavanaugh.  Don’t give Jeff Flake too many accolades because I heard the words he spoke in the hearing regarding the request for the FBI investigation.  He added the words “with limited scope” so quietly I don’t think it was even heard by many people.  I heard it and said, “Uh-oh”!  I knew in that instant Trump had approved the motion and that the FBI investigation would be controlled by those words, “limited scope.”  And limited it is.  The investigation is a farce, a sham, and I’m scared.