The Next Thing

     Well, it is done.  Kavanaugh is confirmed and there is really not a lot we can do right now. So, let’s take some deep breaths and get ready for the next phase, the mid-terms next month. The next big step is to be sure you are registered to vote. You have until Tuesday to be able to vote in this election, so if you aren’t registered, get it done tomorrow. If you are registered check this site to be sure your name has not been purged: https://www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/ . I check mine weekly to be sure. I am also going to vote early as soon as early voting is opened here.

     Now I’m going to vent a little. Do NOT let the gaslighting get to you. We knew we didn’t have a chance of stopping this, but did we sit on our hands and complain? NO! Well, I did complain, but I was not sitting on my hands. I have been very moved by the way we fought – together- against the GOP, for what we believe in. The protestors have been awesome. Not since this disgusting administration began have any of our protests turned violent, even when outsiders tried. That would have worked against us.

     Senator Grassly was wrong to refer to our protesters as mobs and our protests as mob rule. He was inconvenienced for sure, but our protestors were expressing our very real resistance to what is happening in our government today, and that is absolutely our right. That constitution he and McConnell like to refer to so much gives us that right. They are the party majority, but they represent all of us. The fact is WE are the representatives of the majority of the citizenship. We did no damage. We harmed no one. We made noise and we made our opinions known. That is the way of our country and we want to keep it that way. If they were governing as they should be, they would be listening to us.

     We knew we didn’t like Kavanaugh from the beginning and they knew we wouldn’t too. He doesn’t represent our values. That is usually the way with any Justice appointment. He was selected to cause as much friction between the parties as possible. We obliged. The GOP made it as much worse as possible. They decided the nominee must be rushed through the process, so he can sit on the court when it next convenes, an artificial deadline. They withheld almost all of his paperwork which is not the normal process. What they did provide was not given to the Democratic Senators until a few hours before the hearing was to begin. Completely unheard of.

     He was caught in 30 lies under oath as he testified to the committee. His answers were vague and often misleading or outright deceptive. It left me wondering what they were trying to hide. Their protestations did nothing to allay those feelings. We knew all the republicans were going to vote to confirm him and since the rules had recently been changed, there were not enough Democrats to win the vote. It did not stop our Senators from voicing their objections as was their right.

     And then the letter surfaced.

We do not need to be divided. Diane Feinstein did what she thought she should do, and I stand behind her. She said she didn’t leak it to the media and I believe that. I would really like for all of us to support her, for the strength of the party. I can’t make myself believe that Grassly would have kept it confidential if had seen it. He would immediately have begun to destroy it in all ways he could. It may be that whoever did leak it, did so at the time it was leaked to cause a delay in the process. Maybe not. The process should not have been fast-tracked in the first place.

     I do NOT think the GOP afforded Dr. Blasey-Ford every courtesy they could have. They afforded her what they had to and did it all grudgingly. They complained the entire time and kept the narrative going that the Democrats had disrespected Dr. Blasey-Ford. That is gaslighting. It is not true, and we should all be saying as much as often as need be.

     Then Kavanaugh gave what I think was a rehearsed and orchestrated testimony, designed to highlight his distress and camouflage his guilt behind his righteous indignation. He did not answer questions forthright nor honestly, he  misrepresented the law and was extremely disrespectful to the Democratic Senators who were questioning him. He set the scene for creating himself as the victim. I did not believe him then and I believe him less after all the other information came forward. I did not find him in the least bit credible.  Again, I asked, what is he hiding?

     The republicans’ attempt at respect for Dr. Blasey-Ford fell far short in my opinion, regardless of their repeated claims.  I found McConnell’s wording in his statement to the conservatist group, “We’re going to ram this through,” to be purposefully harsh in light of the national conversation that were on-going on the accusations of rape.

     The FBI investigation was so limited in scope and length as to prevent them from interviewing all the potential witnesses who voluntarily came forward with information that could have corroborated Dr. Blasey-Ford’s memories. Supposedly this was under the orders from the White House. The president denies it. I don’t believe him. What are they hiding?

     As is their way, the republicans try to blame Senator Feinstein and Michael Avenati and the protestors. They have solidified around the narrative that men are now victims, they are in mortal danger of being unjustly accused, trying to swing the sentiment away from victims of rape and sexual aggression. They repeat it. They repeat it several times in every speech or interview. This is the new way. This is gaslighting. This is becoming their reality. It is not. It is not so. It is not true. It is gaslighting. See it. Recognize it. Point it out. Do not let it become normal. This did NOT hinge on her word alone. It hinged on her word and her memories and her examination by her therapist along with all the knowledge that has been amassed by professionals who deal with rape victims on a daily basis. It was more than her word against his. Do NOT let them convince you otherwise.

     So, now we have to focus. We have to concentrate our energy on the up-coming election. Do what you can. Do what you’re good at. Get the message out. We are going to vote. They are going to make it as difficult as possible. Throughout many of the southern states they have closed 45 of 49 polling stations in districts where incomes are low and the population is more black than white. Help these people get to the polls. We have to vote and we have to vote blue or we may never get another election.