Kavanaugh/Blasey Ford Sexual Assault Allegations Hearing

[SilverBeach]

Fuck America, fuck Kavanaugh, fuck Trump, fuck the Supreme Court, fuck the republicans, fuck women for Kavanaugh, and fuck Congress. Obama spent eight years as president, yet couldn't get a hearing for one nominee. Yet the orange turd has two appointments? In less than two years? Congress cut Obama's balls off. If this republican-controlled congress doesn't get voted out, this country doesn't have a chance, it will be Gilead. At least I was expecting this to happen, it was obvious that the repugs didn't give a fuck about anything but ramming through this asshole's confirmation. And the ones that could have kept this disaster from happening were too chickenshit to do so. Fucking white man can act like a bitch and it is just fine. I never though I would get to this point but I hate this fucking country.

Kavanaugh with his drunk angry ass is the one who needs counseling. I can't watch anything about this Titanic level disaster, and may be absent from these threads for a while. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

At least that murdering cop Van Dyke got convicted yesterday.

[Mecca]

I guess a Devil’s Triangle is actually Senators Flake, Manchin and Collins for not having a backbone. Thanks, assholes. 

[SilverBeach]

3 minutes ago, Mecca said:

I guess a Devil’s Triangle is actually Senators Flake, Manchin and Collins for not having a backbone. Thanks, assholes. 

Fuck them.

[Mecca]

@SilverBeachYep, fuck them. They fucked over the United States, so they can kiss my ass. There is not enough fuck yous or middle fingers to display my disgust with them. And I want to throw a glass of Southern Comfort in Lindsey Graham’s face. They all suck as far as I am concerned. 

[WiseGirl]

11 minutes ago, Mecca said:

@SilverBeachYep, fuck them. They fucked over the United States, so they can kiss my ass. There is not enough fuck yous or middle fingers to display my disgust with them. 

Truth.  

[Ais]

Bastard.

[SilverBeach]

Dr. Ford completely wasted her time and effort, disrupting her life for absolutely nothing. I feel so badly for her.

[GreyhoundFan]

4 hours ago, formergothardite said:

I'm not going to give up calling and voting, but it is so hard not to feel helpless. I have Tillis and Burr representing me, no amount of calls from me will help. It feels like even if we don't give up and we give it all we got, they have been planning this so long that it will be very difficult to fight back and win. They have stacked the odds in their favor and will keep power as their base shrinks. They don't care about the American people or America. We are dealing with power hungry people who have no morals and have realized there is nothing stopping them from doing what they want. 

I still believe the only way we can wrest true control from the horrible alt-right, teabaggers, and assorted assholes that make up the repuglican party is to play the long game, like they did. Start at the local levels, move up to the state levels. At that point, we can undo some of the gerrymandering that has made our country be ruled by a group representing the minority of people. If we take over enough state houses, we can then go after the lifetime appointment of SCOTUS justices and so many of the other horrible things that have happened ever since Eye-of-Newt's Contract on America. Unfortunately, this is going to take at least a decade, and likely more, but if we all band together, it can happen.

[Rachel333]

25 minutes ago, SilverBeach said:

Dr. Ford completely wasted her time and effort, disrupting her life for absolutely nothing. I feel so badly for her.

I feel terrible for her too, but I have to believe that what she did still matters.

[SassyPants]

5 hours ago, formergothardite said:

I'm not going to give up calling and voting, but it is so hard not to feel helpless. I have Tillis and Burr representing me, no amount of calls from me will help. It feels like even if we don't give up and we give it all we got, they have been planning this so long that it will be very difficult to fight back and win. They have stacked the odds in their favor and will keep power as their base shrinks. They don't care about the American people or America. We are dealing with power hungry people who have no morals and have realized there is nothing stopping them from doing what they want. 

Amen and true, add in the Russians and is does feel like there is NO way to combat this.

[MarblesMom]

All I can offer up at this time

[freethemall]

6 hours ago, SPHASH said:

A big FUCK YOU to all the Stein voters and Democrats that sat out the 2016 election and Putin.  Thanks to them we now have a drunken, rapist asshole on the Supreme Court who will overturn Roe v Wade.  FUCK YOU KAVANAUGH AND TRUMP!

 

[fraurosena]

This is the type of arrogance that gives them the idea that they can do what they want. 

Oh, how I’d love to see the look on their faces on November 7, when they realize that this time, a blue hurricane blasted them all out of office and cleansed Congress of the Repugliklan red rot.

#Novemberiscoming

[frumperlicious]

7 hours ago, fraurosena said:

This is the type of arrogance that gives them the idea that they can do what they want. 

Oh, how I’d love to see the look on their faces on November 7, when they realize that this time, a blue hurricane blasted them all out of office and cleansed Congress of the Repugliklan red rot.

#Novemberiscoming

Your lips to god’s ears. Not that I believe in god. 

I took myself hiking and angry hiked for hours up rocks. And cried some too. 

[WiseGirl]

1 hour ago, frumperlicious said:

Your lips to god’s ears. Not that I believe in god. 

I took myself hiking and angry hiked for hours up rocks. And cried some too. 

I'm pretty sure my hiking looked like an angry toddler or teenager stomping around to show my displeasure. It didn't help me any that my own Gen Z child said they haven't been paying attention...and because of some learning issues can't really comprehend it and the ramifications. My niece on the other hand wants to make sure I take her if we ever need to leave the country.  (Not that I think it will happen, but honestly some days I feel like we are moving closer to a set up for Gilead than away from something like that). Unfortunately,  my niece and her friends will still be too young to vote in 2020.

Disclaimer I fully realize I am rambling and so, so angry right now. I hope and pray a blue tide will come, but I worry red will come out in big numbers. And as for that arrogant sob McConnell I hope someday he and his fucking cronies get theirs. 

[laPapessaGiovanna]

Sorry people, I haven't read every article and document posted so I have some questions. Were the FBI inquiry results made public? Did they interview Mark Judge?

On a different note, change won't happen without passing through the men taking responsibility and admitting fault for their side of the rape culture. I'm sad and ragey in having to say this, because those are not their stories to tell and because women's words should suffice. But reality is that they have to admit culpability and say so out loud like this. TRIGGER WARNING.

Spoiler

I was both an observer and a participant in a teenage rape. I was 17, and it was 1969, about a year before I would be drafted into the Army.

I went to a small Catholic school in Pittsburgh called St. Justin, for the children of mostly blue-collar workers, and I had been invited to a party by a friend from another Catholic high school. Many football players from that school would be there. I wasn’t very popular with these boys at the time, so I went; I wanted to be friends with them. I knew a few of them and wanted to get to know the rest. These boys were from the suburbs, and their parents mostly had more money than mine.

I don’t remember the month it occurred or the exact town it was in, but I remember that the party was in an upper-class suburb south of Pittsburgh. I don’t remember how I got home. These details don’t matter to me. What I remember clearly was the rape. Recalling it, for me, is like remembering where I was when I found out that President John Kennedy had been assassinated. There is a before and an after.

At one point, a boy told several of us to go outside and look through a window into the basement because another boy, a football player, had taken a girl there. (There were far more boys than girls at this party.) When we peered through, we saw the girl passed out on a sofa, her feet facing us. As the boy approached her, he waved to us, smiling. He proceeded to remove her jeans and then her underwear. It was the first time I had seen a girl naked. He climbed on top of her and penetrated her. She immediately woke up and tried to fight him off. At this point, we all scattered in the yard. No one said anything. There was just nervous laughter.

Eventually, we all went back into the house. I don’t remember anyone drinking, other than the girls. I did not drink anything. We must have gone into a bedroom, because the next thing I recall is standing with about 10 other boys around a bed on which a different girl had passed out. Everyone was touching her through her clothing. I placed my hand on her leg and quickly removed it.

One boy kept turning the lights on and off. When they came on, everyone removed their hands from the girl’s body. In the dark, everyone put their hands back on her. Everyone would laugh. It was some kind of game, and we all seemed to understand the rules. This happened four times, and then we all left the room. I’m glad it didn’t go further.

I recall the jocks ignoring me for most of the party, and eventually, I went home. I never saw those boys again, and the friend who’d invited me has since died. I hadn’t known either of the girls, and I never saw them again, either. A few months ago, I attempted to find the boy who had committed the rape, searching for old yearbooks and documents at the public library. But I wasn’t successful.

I knew then, and I really know now, that I had committed a crime. I have felt guilty about it my whole life. I get angry when I think about my teenage self and those boys I wanted to impress. In recent days, listening to the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford brought back these memories. I feel a lot of compassion for her. What she says she went through was so similar, and I know she’s telling the truth.

There were years when I didn’t think about that night. Serving in the Army made me forget about it, as did my college life and career. I was too busy to dwell on a teenage rape I witnessed.

But the guilt always remained, and the memory was still there. Even though I worked as a newspaper reporter and wrote a column for 12 years, I never wanted to write about the incident. Guilt had turned to shame. I began to dwell on it again only when all those women came forward about Bill Cosby, whom I had admired as a comedian. That’s why I told my wife and three boys around the dinner table one night that I had once witnessed a rape. We talked about it and concluded that it could still happen today. We discussed the Steubenville, Ohio, football players who abused a 16-year-old girl.

I wonder what happened to all the other boys who saw what I saw through the basement window. Do they think about it? Do they remember like I do? This could have been a normal weekend for them.

I wonder about the girls, how they survived that night. In 1969, there was nobody to turn to. They certainly wouldn’t have gone to the police — at the time, a subtle notion persisted that an assault was always the girl’s fault, that she shouldn’t have gotten herself into that position in the first place. They wouldn’t have told their parents, who would probably have scolded them. They are about my age now, 67, and I wonder if they had families. If they remember this night. If they told their daughters.

I wanted to tell this story because I believe it’s time for men to tell the truth about the ways they’ve abused women and what our role has been in creating a culture that tolerates this. We all have seen things; we’ve all heard other men talk. I remember sitting in a bar with some acquaintances about 30 years ago when one of the men, a local magistrate in a poor area of West Virginia, bragged about a system he had when pretty girls were charged with a DUI. He said that sometimes he would take them back to his office and offer them a deal. He would drop the DUI charges if they gave him oral sex. I squirmed in my seat. Was he just talking, locker-room style? Did it really happen? It didn’t even occur to me to report him to anyone.

My boys are 19, 17 and 11 years old. What I teach them about the treatment of girls is simple: respect, respect, respect. If they witness something like I did, go to the authorities. This is no time to worry about being a snitch. My two older boys are more aware about consent issues than I was at their ages. I reminded them that I was the same age when I witnessed the rape; my very first vision of sexual contact was a rape. My sons agree I was a foolish, immature teenager. They know I would never do anything like that again. They see how I treat their mother, which might be the best lesson I can give them.

Still, I wish I could apologize to the two girls at that party. I shouldn’t have watched. I should have helped. I hope they read this and take some small comfort from it.

I wanted to be one of the boys, those nice kids from a good Catholic school. And I let that overtake my conscience. What I got instead was five decades of guilt.

It's time for #IcontributedToRapeCultureToo

[SilverBeach]

12 hours ago, Rachel333 said:

I feel terrible for her too, but I have to believe that what she did still matters.

Please help me out. In what way will it matter? I can use the encouragement.

 

Self-care today, going for brunch and a play with DD (Legally Blonde-total escapism). Also shared quality time with the mister last night. He's a news junkie but agreed to forgo it for my sake.

[Audrey2]

@laPapessaGiovanna, here's my version of the FBI probe:

Darn, we really, really want Kavenaugh on the Supreme Court, but all of these pesky women are coming forward. Now that twit, Flake, and others want the probe. I know, let's limit it to one week! we don't want to give anyone else the chance of coming out of the woodwork with more accusations. Even better, let's just talk to his buddies will tell us what a great guy he is. We don't want to talk to anyone who might say anything negative about him, so we'll just use his best references, then say that we did a probe and we didn't find anything else!

[Mecca]

4 hours ago, SilverBeach said:

Please help me out. In what way will it matter? I can use the encouragement.

 

Self-care today, going for brunch and a play with DD (Legally Blonde-total escapism). Also shared quality time with the mister last night. He's a news junkie but agreed to forgo it for my sake.

I know this was not directed at me, but I watched an interview with Professor Blasey Ford’s attorneys. They said Ford has zero regrets about coming forward.

Speaking for myself as a survivor, it matters to me to see a woman have the strength to do what she, herself, would call the right thing and testify. It makes me want to fight harder for her and for other women that come forward. I want to fight harder and harder to make Ford’s words matter. We need to swing the Senate because they are the ones that vote on Judges and not just Supreme Court judges. We need to swing our local and state governments. Yesterday was awful and it still awful today, but we can’t lose focus on the bigger picture. Change starts from the ground up, and I am ready to tackle it head on. 

 

[Vivi_music]

As a canadian, I feel bad for America. This is horrible. Horrible for survivors, for justice... for everything. Damn.

But I hope you will take to the streets ladies. We are with you here up north! Make us proud.

[GreyhoundFan]

8 hours ago, WiseGirl said:

Disclaimer I fully realize I am rambling and so, so angry right now. I hope and pray a blue tide will come, but I worry red will come out in big numbers. And as for that arrogant sob McConnell I hope someday he and his fucking cronies get theirs. 

There are more of us than them. We have to make sure every Dem comes out and votes, no matter what. We also have to push for independents to get out and vote. The few people I know who are true independents have been disgusted by the anointing of Kavano.

I was watching this week's Bill Maher. David Jolly (R-Former FL) was on. When asked, he said Susan Collins caving signaled the end of the moderate wing of the Rep party. Personally, I think that wing had broken off years ago. It's going to be interesting to see if she gets a strong Dem challenger next election, since so much money has been raised to fund a challenger if she voted yes on Kavanope.

And, as far as McTurtle, since the people of Kentucky will never stop foisting his nasty ass our way as long as he draws breath, my greatest joy will be to see him demoted to MINORITY leader.

[47of74]

3 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

There are more of us than them. We have to make sure every Dem comes out and votes, no matter what. We also have to push for independents to get out and vote. The few people I know who are true independents have been disgusted by the anointing of Kavano.

I was watching this week's Bill Maher. David Jolly (R-Former FL) was on. When asked, he said Susan Collins caving signaled the end of the moderate wing of the Rep party. Personally, I think that wing had broken off years ago. It's going to be interesting to see if she gets a strong Dem challenger next election, since so much money has been raised to fund a challenger if she voted yes on Kavanope.

And, as far as McTurtle, since the people of Kentucky will never stop foisting his nasty ass our way as long as he draws breath, my greatest joy will be to see him demoted to MINORITY leader.

I'm boycotting Kentucky as long as Mitch McFuckstick is in office.  I'd rather go 10,000 miles out of the way or spend $10,000 more to avoid Kentucky in my travels.

[WiseGirl]

Sorry, yes, this was discussed elsewhere and yes, I did miss it. 

This was discussed in another thread by fraurosena, but I'll leave it anyway because it just boggles my mind how deep ties many of these Republicans seem to have with Russia.

Quit wasting my time ... when you too are in Russia's pocket, Ms. Collins.  

https://www.democraticunderground.org/1016217265In 2012, Sen. Collins married Thomas Daffron of Jefferson Consulting Group, a lobbying firm. Dig into his work and you'll find connections to Russia, offshore banking and more in a jiffy.

Edited October 8, 2018 by WiseGirl
Noting it was posted already

[AuntK]

On 10/6/2018 at 7:43 PM, Ais said:

Bastard.

Actually, I think "bitch" is more appropriate!

[Ais]

3 hours ago, AuntK said:

Actually, I think "bitch" is more appropriate!

Very true, I stand corrected!