Kavanaugh sworn in

[iridescentblack]

That Kavanagh was appointed does not mean he isn't guilty. It is more likely that he was appointed because that benefits the republican party immensely from this side of the narrative.

I definitely agree. I think it goes without say, the same thing happening to a democrat would be an entirely different picture and wouldn't end well for 'said Democratic Kavanaugh look-alike'.

 

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

i find the idea that men are being falsely accused of rape all the time - as a smear - to be extremely disingenuous.

i think kavanaugh looked incredibly guilty in those hearings - and that dr ford appeared to be a very reliable witness.

the only obviously false sexual assault smear story recently was the one that came up about meuller last week.
and that has been referred to the FBI for investigation, as it should be.




what on earth are you talking about?

what "new reality"? people have always been open to accusations, for all sorts of things. always.
the only thing that has changed recently is a strong push to support and enable women to speak up against powerful men who sexually assaulted or harassed them.
i don't think that's a bad thing - and i think it is worth noting that #metoo was very much a reaction to an alleged rapist (who has been recorded boasting about sexual assault) being elected president.
it has been a very important way for people to empower themselves against a government that is quite literally run by creepy old men.

what sort of "evidence" do you think people get convicted of sex crimes on? most of the time it is one person's word against another.
for a huge list of reasons, it is traumatic to report a rape.
extremely invasive, extremely traumatic - and i can assure you, for many people, the process of reporting rape or sexual assault is often more difficult and traumatising than the assault itself.
...and then there is the court case and cross-examination if it ever goes to trial. for many, many of us, going through all of that is way more than we can face.

that is why most rapes and sexual assaults aren't reported - that is why it is considered so incredibly ignorant and disrespectful to demean and dismiss rape survivors in the way trump and others did to dr ford.

her testimony is evidence. i'm not sure what "repercussions to those who did this to him" you are expecting - but that whole comment seems to be predicated on this idea that kavanaugh came out of this smelling like roses.
he didn't. he wasn't exonerated - and to many people he looks as tainted as donald "grab em by the pussy" trump.

here's my understanding in a nutshell; the republicans' dirty tricks prevented obama from installing his supreme court pick, and now trump comes along with his own history of alleged rapes (numerous - including his ex-wife, under oath), sexual assaults, sexual harassment and obvious misogyny.

part of trump's agenda is to turn back women's rights - including the right to choose.

in selecting kavanaugh, he was attempting to select a judge who would support his agenda. fair assessment - right?

now - imagine you where a woman who was sexually assaulted by this guy 30-some years ago. would you speak up? report it? seek to find out if he had done similar things to other people?

i think that it is a total mischaracterisation to call this a political smear.
i have noticed that people supporting trump and the republicans seem to instinctively claim to be 'victims' on almost every topic these days, and this seems no different.

have you ever been close to anyone that has been raped?

i have. many, many people - including a very good friend who was raped 2 weeks ago. i even know who did it.
but she's not going to report it. most people don't.
sexual assault is an extremely confusing and difficult thing to go through, which is something that many people cannot appreciate - but if you are one of the fortunate people who have not had the experience of being sexually assaulted, you should
a) be grateful for that and b) listen closely to those who have.

the victims here are not the rich men in positions of power who might be held accountable for their actions from years and years ago - but as TLB has shown, those claims will be dismissed by a lot of people anyway.
those people will say "there's no evidence!" (even when there is - like...in this case) and then they'll say "we need serious repercussions for people who dare question the integrity of people who raped them!"

the white male victims of all of this still have the privilege their wealth and power affords them - and, of course - the knowledge that any chance of conviction is greatly reduced by the time that will of elapsed since the offence, and the lack of DNA evidence and such, if this is a "historical" accusation.

the victims here are those that have been sexually abused.
i think the continued pretence of this idea that kavanaugh was falsely accused is pretty ugly.
i watched and read a lot of the coverage around those hearings and i saw absolutely no reason whatsoever to believe him, rather than dr ford. she seemed like a very sincere witness, and he seemed to be perjuring himself and being evasive and defensive.

there are lots of examples and stats and articles i could include to support these points, but here are just a couple;

Why most rape victims never acknowledge what happened


basically - sexual assault can be such a confusing and disorienting experience, that people often don't even realise "i was sexually assaulted" for a long time after the assault. this is probably something a lot of people find difficult to believe, but it is absolutely true.

and another article -

Harvey Weinstein is the exception: Most accused of rape aren't charged


the people who are accused of sex crimes are still very much in privileged positions, both legally and socially.

i know someone who has been falsely accused of rape, and it made his life very difficult for several years.
i also know people who have been raped and never had the confidence, the strength, the support from friends and family - or whatever - to report it.
i also know people who have reported sexual abuse who have been through all of the invasive police questioning, had their bodies and sexual organs photographed by medical examiners for police records, been swabbed, blood tested etc etc etc - who have then been told that their is not enough evidence to press charges.

do i feel sorry for judge kavanaugh? no i do not.

i would suggest that men who have questionable sexual histories - by which i mean guys who have an issue with consent (which is not most of us - most men don't have a problem restraining themselves from raping people) - should probably opt for careers which will keep them out of the public eye...and also, y'know - away from children and other vulnerable people.

i do not think there is some kind of trend towards people falsely accusing public figures of sex crimes. i think the biggest problem is that very very few rapes actually result in convictions. #metoo is taking steps to resolve that - but even still, far too many men get away with sex crimes.

Less than 1% of rapes lead to felony convictions. At least 89% of victims face emotional and physical consequences.

i think the idea that men are being treated unfairly in all this is absolutely ludicrous.


at what point did "reasonable discourse and civil debate" include demanding repercussions for people who report sexual assaults which do not result in convictions?

with all due respect, i don't think "violence is increasing in america" because people are disgusted in their government, and they express that by demonstrating, protesting and speaking up.

that article "Kavanaugh to skip traditional walk down Supreme Court steps due to security concerns" isn't talking about the prospect of fighting, or bombings (these would be anti-trump activists, who are statistically far less likely to engage in acts of terrorism than pro-trump activists)
people using their rights - their freedom of speech and freedom of assembly - to make political statements in a peaceful manner is a pretty fundamentally accepted in democratic nations.

maybe what's really happening here is that the US government's no longer having much tolerance for its citizens expressing dissent?

The love bandit is correct.

Blasey Ford is a liar and severely mentally ill. Her story was all over the place and as someonew who has been sexually assaulted you remember all of it pretty much every single detail even decades later.

There's no actual evidence or proof that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted anyone, raped anyone, is an alcoholic, angry drunk, etc.

Kavanaugh was investigated by the FBI 7 times, and other federal agencies did the same thing and found no proof of any history of sexual assaults, rapes, etc. that were completely fabricated and made up by the lying accusers.


https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-kavanaugh-accuser-recants-1541371466

The #metoo movement is actually pushing back women's rights, and does more to hurt women and divide genders than bring people together. Silly 3rd and 4th wave faux feminists are all up in histrionics that Donald Trump actually won an election and is President, and that Kavanaugh who was smeared with false rape accusations was actually confirmed to the supreme court, while completely ignoring Bill Clinton's verified history of sexual assault and rape.

 

[alasdairm]

...as someonew who has been sexually assaulted i remember all of it pretty much every single detail even decades later.

ftfy.

alasdair

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Blasey Ford is a liar and severely mentally ill. Her story was all over the place and as someonew who has been sexually assaulted you remember all of it pretty much every single detail even decades later.

Many people repress parts or the whole of a sexual trauma. I'm sorry but your statement here, based on your own life experience and intuition, is not backed up by science.

 

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

Many people repress parts or the whole of a sexual trauma. I'm sorry but your statement here, based on your own life experience and intuition, is not backed up by science.

Actually science does back up my statement. If someone is sexually abused unless they were given a date rape drug-which in the lies and fabrications claimed by Ford did not happen as she herself said she had only one beer-they are going to remember the sexual abuse or trauma.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/...04/we-dont-repress-painful-childhood-memories

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opin...ies-not-credible-kavanaugh-column/1497661002/

https://www.apa.org/topics/trauma/memories.aspx

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Actually science does back up my statement. If someone is sexually abused unless they were given a date rape drug-which in the lies and fabrications claimed by Ford did not happen as she herself said she had only one beer-they are going to remember the sexual abuse or trauma.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/...04/we-dont-repress-painful-childhood-memories

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opin...ies-not-credible-kavanaugh-column/1497661002/

https://www.apa.org/topics/trauma/memories.aspx

I love how you link articles without reading them, thanks for making my point for me.

https://www.apa.org/topics/trauma/memories.aspx

This brochure contains some questions and answers that reflect the best current knowledge about reported memories of childhood abuse. They will help you better understand how repressed, recovered or suggested memories may occur and what you can do if you or a family member is concerned about a childhood memory.

Your own link suggests people repress these events.

How's your foot doing? I hear shooting yourself in the foot hurts.

A competent psychotherapist will attempt to stick to the facts as you report them. He or she will be careful to let the information evolve as your memory does and not to steer you toward a particular conclusion or interpretation.A competent psychotherapist is likely to acknowledge that current knowledge does not allow the definite conclusion that a memory is real or false without other corroborating evidence.

This indicates that it's the clinician's duty to help people recover repressed memories on the patients' knowledge/understanding, and not to lead the client to jump to conclusions prematurely.

Repressed sexual trauma is a real phenomenon, backed up by your own link. Dude just read. Maybe if you read things better we wouldn't be so furious with the ignorant as shit things you say.

Do you read fiction, for fun? Are you a well read person? Or are you an anti-intellectual like Kanye West who admittedly does not read? You seem like the kind of person to misinterpret (accidentally? on purpose?) the point of an article, etc. You don't seem like a well-read person.

 

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

I love how you link articles without reading them, thanks for making my point for me.

https://www.apa.org/topics/trauma/memories.aspx



Your own link suggests people repress these events.

How's your foot doing? I hear shooting yourself in the foot hurts.



This indicates that it's the clinician's duty to help people recover repressed memories on the patients' knowledge/understanding, and not to lead the client to jump to conclusions prematurely.

Repressed sexual trauma is a real phenomenon, backed up by your own link. Dude just read. Maybe if you read things better we wouldn't be so furious with the ignorant as shit things you say.

Do you read fiction, for fun? Are you a well read person? Or are you an anti-intellectual like Kanye West who admittedly does not read? You seem like the kind of person to misinterpret (accidentally? on purpose?) the point of an article, etc. You don't seem like a well-read person.

I did read the links, repressed memories of sexual abuse are extremely rare-if they even happen at all. The link I posted said this, as well as how experts about sexual abuse said how they did not believe Ford's story either.

Did you actually read the links? Instead of just skimming them and cherry picking things you agree with.

Ford was not sexually abused, raped, or sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh and his friends. Those are made up lies and her delusions. Two other women who claimed they were sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh also recanted their claims and admitted they lied and made up the claims completely.

It was also crazy how she claimed she had been almost sexually assaulted by someone, then saw them in public and actually approached them to talk as though they were friends. There are a lot of holes and inconsistent claims in her lies like how none of her close friends who would party or hang out with her decades ago said how she was not raped, sexually assaulted, and did not even remember the supposed party Ford made up and lied about-that she supposedly just left her friend at-which is again more BS from Ford.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

I did read the links, repressed memories of sexual abuse are extremely rare-if they even happen at all. The link I posted said this, as well as how experts about sexual abuse said how they did not believe Ford's story either.

Did you actually read the links? Instead of just skimming them and cherry picking things you agree with.

Ford was not sexually abused, raped, or sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh and his friends. Those are made up lies and her delusions. Two other women who claimed they were sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh also recanted their claims and admitted they lied and made up the claims completely.

It was also crazy how she claimed she had been almost sexually assaulted by someone, then saw them in public and actually approached them to talk as though they were friends. There are a lot of holes and inconsistent claims in her lies like how none of her close friends who would party or hang out with her decades ago said how she was not raped, sexually assaulted, and did not even remember the supposed party Ford made up and lied about-that she supposedly just left her friend at-which is again more BS from Ford.

I didn't say repressing sexual memories happened at a great frequency. I said it does happen. Thanks for twisting my words.

 

[cduggles]

Dr. Blasey Ford is a clinical psychologist. Back up your claim that a Palo Alto professor and Stanford University researcher is "crazy" and a "liar", please.

This thread...

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Priest, you know lying to congress is a huge crime, why would Ford put herself in a position where she could go to prison for her lies? It's more likely she told the truth, knowing that it happened to her and all and it was the truth.

No one here is (at least I'm not) calling for Kavanaugh to leave office.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Also Kavanaugh is already going to vote against the death penalty maybe in a case. WTF man. I believe in the death penalty. You are a rapist and your decisions are shit.

source

Lethal injection is SO PEACEFUL. The drugs they give you to go under, i.e. fentanyl and midazolam, feel fucking amazing. When I went under in the OR I never wanted to live again; I would have been totally content with just dying right there and it would have been so peaceful and beautiful. It's almost too kind to give such criminals a really pain free way out, but it's NOT TORTURE. It's NOT PAINFUL, unless they don't administer the needle right, primarily because people are really bad about finding veins if they're not an IDU. It's a skill you gradually acquire over years of daily IV drug use or work in the phlebotomy field. If the regulations were that someone had to be a decade + long experience and expert in the field of phlebotomy to administer the needle, then there would be no problems with this method for the death penalty.

I'm so for the death penalty and it just upsets me they think they're stacking the supreme court with conservatives when really they're just going to be flops and vote always to upset me. Great. Great progress for the world.

Incompetent people (at least enough of them) always float to the top, people. Never forget that. There's an endless amount of people who are intelligent, over-qualified who won't get ahead in life. Every time I encounter this in life I'm utterly disgusted and normally hide my distaste for what's going on.

 

[invegauser]

as someonew who has been sexually assaulted you remember all of it pretty much every single detail even decades later.

we don't have beef. i'm just following along and learning more about you from what i read of yours near when i first signed up.

(this next part is quiet embarrassing for getting slack from people, like it's not possible but better to have the info out there and get laughed at then not.)

i was raped by a woman not more than a few years ago. (this trial i went through really put me through the ringer of life) i was not under substances that would make me forget like roofies. i remember every detail about it, that's why i lost a lot of respect for her, think more poorly of her and question some of the behavior by the world today but did not become jaded by it.

i have been with at least 3 women who have been raped without using substances to forget. one or two of them have forgotten due to repressed memories. the others do remember as much as an individuals memory works. one i was with did get drug raped, she suffers in her own way without the memories of said event.

what the body, soul and heart remember even when the brain doesn't is traumatic. i would have to talk it through with them and/or be more attentive sometimes with these women lest i get a knee in my groin from them reacting to a traumatic experience.

these are my personal experiences and cannot be backed by science but are true from being close to people.

What does "Republican" even mean right now

i kid, i kid. i actually hated republicans growing up then i learned two things. 1. i understood what hate really means. 2. republicans bring balance to the system and vice versa. i actually agree with some of the points they have but not their over all views just like i do with democrats.

i agree with your comment on them being a trump cult but prefer to look at it as anyone who supports trump, not just republicans. gotta suck up a lot internally to talk with a trump supporter face to face.

in selecting kavanaugh, he was attempting to select a judge who would support his agenda. fair assessment - right?

right!

@CH: it would be impudent to call for his seat right now imo too. i would think it would be better to give him enough rope to hang himself with while we figure out how to kick trump to the curb, kavanaugh can go with the rest of the trash on garbage day.

 

[swilow]

Ford was not sexually abused, raped, or sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh and his friends. Those are made up lies and her delusions.

Oh yeah? Prove it.

You can't because you cannot know this- you're talking nonsense as usual.

 

[zephyr]

*sigh*

I dunno man, theres only so much anyone can do especially not being detectives and really only druggie messageboard druggies. None of the hurt and pain caused to the people involved in this incident achieved anything and thats politics for ya.



As much as I too feel some posts around are absolute rubbish sometimes, gotta give credit for anyone willing enough to have a crack at joining in despite the discouragement.



I dont agree with some of Priests views yet his arguments hold weight. He gets major credit points and a free set of steak knives for taking time to join in like anyone else.

Kavanaugh’s impact on the Supreme Court and the country may not be as profound as predicted.

Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court has been widely predicted to plunge the court – and American law with it – into a new conservative era.

The main areas of concern include reproductive rights, LGBT rights, affirmative action, environmental regulations, criminal punishments, gun rights and voting rights.

But these prognoses fail to heed some fundamental distinctions among the decisions of the Supreme Court, and may create a mistaken impression of the court’s power and the inevitable trajectory of American law.

Simply put, Supreme Court rulings are often not the last word on a matter.

https://theconversation.com/kavanau...ry-may-not-be-as-profound-as-predicted-106304

Article posted as it popped up on my feed, raises more questions than it answers but more along the lines of the constitution itself, not anything about Kavanaugh himself.


He isnt that much of a big deal according to this and the one concern is ability of the court to be able to rule undemocratic laws as democratic and therefore over ride any other court in doing so, making these undemocratic laws unchangeable forever.

How is that even possible?


Anyway, dunno if this is even relevant as the whole thing died down real quick so the conclusion drawn from that is much ado about nothing.

Or maybe not. Having different constitutions all over the place seems really dumb to me.

 

[zephyr]

I'm posting this before I have opened a PM from a fellow blr who has come under attack in this forum as this popped up on my feed and us regarding Kavanaugh.

If this is of interest, then read this.

I am very disturbed at the content.

I don't know if its credible and am not saying it is by posting, that is better judged by Americans, what is the opinion of others as my opinion is = this is fucked!!!!

hile the name of Brett Kavanaugh has fallen out of the headline news cycle, the religious right has not forgotten that his recent addition to the Supreme Court now means they likely have five votes to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to ban abortion. While the endless churn of outrageous Trump stories occupies national headlines, anti-choice activists and politicians are swiftly moving to pass laws that they clearly hope will lead, perhaps within a year, to vacating the current legal protections for abortion rights.

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http...NNim46z35OVzD8OZRj5ctVCjWuzi1xxE-WU3pEON9&s=1


Stop feeding Trump the troll

Look behind him

See this.

 

[Xorkoth]

Oh I see it, why do you think I was really against Kavanaugh? The Supreme Court now is balanced in favor of the people who want to take away civil rights. Real shit is going on in this country, it's why everyone is so upset. Some people are upset at our direction with stuff like this, and some people have been convinced that stuff like this is a good thing.

 

[zephyr]

Well, as it seems the regime is forming and now having read this PM from this comrade blr, unfortunately is also mirroring a similar regime here. So speaking out is potentially dangerous yet ultimately the only thing that will make said formation of regime as difficult as possible .


If states actively seek to remove civil rights America is not a democracy and I suggest you leave and move to a country that will accept immigrants fleeing a regime. Come over here, leave America.

 

[Xorkoth]

Well, you know, you're born somewhere, it's your home and you love it. It doesn't mean you don't see the bad, and it doesn't mean you don't see the good. I don't wanna leave, it's home and I love it.

 

[invegauser]

@zephyr: too many posts between you and some here to quote. i wouldn't do you like that miss zephyr.

what i can say is living here sucks, but it's not the worst. in addition to what Shadowmeister posted it's also important to fight for what you think is right in this world and to do the best you can while societal collapse is happening around you to maintain some semblance of what life could actually be like.

basically living in america right now is pretty harsh but that doesn't mean anyone should give up.

two personal notes: 1. i'm lucky america lets me live here, australia wouldn't even look at me crosseyed, silly and once. 2. if all the right kind of people leave america then it will become the bad thing every other country talks of it as. where do you think it will head to first in tearing things apart in hopes of domination? australia is in the top five for sure.

 

[zephyr]

Why do state laws over ride federal and why are there different constitutions which higgle piggle each other?


Actually, thats too complicated really.


There just seems to be an exercise of futility passing laws then overturning and all that inconsistent nonsense, civil rights do include freedom of speech and with that talking and open talk should either hash things out if done in a healthy way as adults in both govt and as mrmbers of the public.

If you live in a state thats being a bit of a cunt then give it legs and move.




Canada seems ok. Move there.


Banning abortion has not happened yet, as the previous article indicates, there are hard leaning right wingers already before kavanaugh.

This is democracy, yet not as this is a position for life and should be on a term basis like presidents.

Oh well. Good luck.

This system is very complex, more of a reason to have more thought into who gets to run for president.


The system allowed this, so vote him out for a start.