KAVANAUGH'S DEAD, STINKING ALBATROSS

I hope Trump's mocking of Dr Christine Ford hangs around Kavanaugh's neck like a dead, stinking albatross for his entire time on the court. I doubt there are many other nominees to the court who would not have withdrawn, if for no other reason than to spare their family the grief Kavanaugh's forced his to endure. He is in no way vindicated by his confirmation. He may have "won", but to take a seat on the highest court in the land under such circumstances seems a disgrace rather than a victory. Of course, the people of the country will suffer the consequences of the debacle. Justice Anthony Kennedy must be proud

Shocking and scary is how I'd describe Kavanaugh's behavior at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week. He demonstrated his obvious contempt for the hearing itself in his angry rant of an opening statement with references to revenge and conspiracies involving the Clintons. He gave direct answers to very few questions. Kavanaugh yelled at Sen Feinstein when she attempted to question him and never apologized.

The worst of Kavanaugh's contempt went to Sen Amy Klobuchar, who spoke of her father, who is now sober, and his struggle with alcholism. When she asked Kavanaugh if he ever had memory loss after drinking, he turned the question back on her and said, "I don't know. Have you?"

At times, Kavanaugh seemed so out of control, I wondered if he had been drinking. My father was an alcoholic who was on and off the wagon throughout his life. Sometimes he didn't drink for years, but he thought he could go it alone without AA, and, even when he wasn't drinking, he was mean and angry. Kavanaugh reminded me of my father, and to think of him sitting on the highest court of the land is devastating and frightening.

Not for one minute did I believe Susan Collins (R-ME) was "undecided". Her "undecided" act is old and tired and needs to be retired. She's Lucy with the football. Her 45 minute long speech was a load of bullshit. She believes Dr Christine Ford was assaulted but not by Brett Kavahaugh, who must be innocent until proven guilty. Collins wants to have it both ways as a case of mistaken identity by Christine Ford. Shame on her for abusing Ford again and for insulting the public's intelligence.

Was Jeff Flake's (R-AZ) apparent angst and call for a delay and an FBI investigation fake? Fake Flake? He got his delay and a mockery of an investigation that was brief, narrow, and severely limited. The FBI ignored a list of people who wanted to be interviewed and didn't even include interviews with the principals! Flake was satisfied that Dr Ford's testimony was not "corroborated" even without hearing from witnesses who told the FBI they could corroborate her story. He promptly decided he had enough cover to vote yes to Kavanaugh's confirmation.

The bar for a nominee to the Supreme Court should be set much higher than innocent until proven guilty. A justice on the Supreme Court should be above reproach and above partisanship. Kavanaugh has a history of reproaches and was blatantly partisan in his opening statement. Kavanaugh seems to have strayed from the truth multiple times during his testimony in 2006 at his confirmation hearings for the Washington DC Circuit Court and again last week. He will take his seat on the highest court in the land with indelible black marks on his reputation and suitability.

Watching Christine Ford's testimony alleging that a drunken 17 year old Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her with his intoxicated friend Mark Judge in the room was one of the most wrenching and compelling TV moments in my life. Ford was completely credible. I saw absolutely no sign of calculation or intention to make herself look good. I saw her tell the truth. I believe Christine Ford.

I BELIEVE DR CHRISTINE FORD

Why is it Dr Christine Ford and not Brett Kavanaugh, Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, who asks for the FBI to investigate her allegations of sexual assault against the nominee? If Kavanaugh is telling the truth, why wouldn't he want to clear his name instead of taking his place on the court under a cloud? Of course, lying to the FBI is a crime.

I believe Christine Ford's story. Why would she make public a false story about an alleged sexual assault by Kavanaugh when she was 15 years old, and he was 17? Ford certainly knew further abuse would follow, but perhaps even she did not envision death threats to herself and her family that  made it necessary for them to leave their home and go into hiding.

Dr Ford's description of the alleged sexual assault in her letter to Sen Feinstein:

Dear Senator Feinstein;

I am writing with information relevant in evaluating the current nominee to the Supreme Court.

As a constituent, I expect that you will maintain this as confidential until we have further opportunity to speak.

Brett Kavanaugh physically and sexually assaulted me during high school in the early 1980's. He conducted these acts with the assistance of REDACTED.

Both were one to two years older than me and students at a local private school.

The assault occurred in a suburban Maryland area home at a gathering that included me and four others.

Kavanaugh physically pushed me into a bedroom as I was headed for a bathroom up a short stair well from the living room. They locked the door and played loud music precluding any successful attempt to yell for help.

Kavanaugh was on top of me while laughing with REDACTED, who periodically jumped onto Kavanaugh. They both laughed as Kavanaugh tried to disrobe me in their highly inebriated state. With Kavanaugh's hand over my mouth I feared he may inadvertently kill me.

'From across the room a very drunken REDACTED said mixed words to Kavanaugh ranging from "go for it" to "stop."
At one point when REDACTED jumped onto the bed the weight on me was substantial. The pile toppled, and the two scrapped with each other. After a few attempts to get away, I was able to take this opportune moment to get up and run across to a hallway bathroom. I locked the bathroom door behind me. Both loudly stumbled down the stair well at which point other persons at the house were talking with them. I exited the bathroom, ran outside of the house and went home.

I have not knowingly seen Kavanaugh since the assault. I did see REDACTED once at the REDACTED where he was extremely uncomfortable seeing me.

I have received medical treatment regarding the assault. On July 6 I notified my local government representative to ask them how to proceed with sharing this information . It is upsetting to discuss sexual assault and its repercussions, yet I felt guilty and compelled as a citizen about the idea of not saying anything.

I am available to speak further should you wish to discuss. I am currently REDACTED and will be in REDACTED.

In confidence, REDACTED.

We now know that except for the final two lines in the letter that refer to Dr Ford, REDACTED is Kavanaugh's high school friend, Mark Judge, who has written extensively about his drunken years at Georgetown Prep in Wasted: Tales of a GenX Drunk and God and Man at Georgetown Prep.

The loathsome responses of GOP Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and other GOP senators on the committee are disgusting. Grassley, with great condescension said, "I don't doubt that she believes what she says, and in fact, I have a responsibility to give deference to that, at least until I hear it, and to make a determination afterwards if it is possible to make a determination."  There, there, dear. We'll pretend to listen, but your testimony is unreliable and won't change anything.

Orrin Hatch (R-UT) said Ford was "mixed up" and “there’s no question in my mind she was coached by special interest groups. Her story’s too contrived. It’s so slick it doesn’t compute.”

Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said, “This has been a drive-by shooting when it comes to Kavanaugh....I’ll listen to the lady, but we’re going to bring this to a close.”

Dr Ford doesn't remember certain details like how she got home or the exact date of the party, but she remembers quite clearly the details of the alleged assault and that Kavanaugh's friend, Mark Judge, was in the room. Is that unusual? Not at all. She was traumatized, and it is common that peripheral details of an incident that causes trauma remain hazy.

Why in heaven's name would Dr Ford or anyone believe the GOP senators on the Judiciary Committee would give her anything resembling a fair hearing?

The latest in a still developing story from the New York Times:

Dr Ford “would be prepared to testify next week,” so long as senators offer “terms that are fair and which ensure her safety,” according to an email her lawyers sent to committee staff members.

In the email, obtained by The New York Times, the lawyer for Christine Blasey Ford said that testifying Monday — the timetable Republicans have set for a hearing — “is not possible and the Committee’s insistence that it occur then is arbitrary in any event.” The lawyer reiterated that it is Dr. Blasey’s “strong preference” that “a full investigation” occur before her testimony — wording that stopped short of demanding an F.B.I. probe and suggested she is open to testifying without one.

MEANDERING RUMINATIONS ON SPEAKING OF THE DEAD AND MORE

I watched part of the McCain funeral service at the National Cathedral this morning. I could have done without Joe Lieberman and Henry Kissinger, but I didn't get to choose the speakers, nor should I. Obama was wonderful, but he always speaks beautifully. He made me shed a tear or two.

What does it say about the rotten state of the country when I feel the slight trace of a twinge of nostalgia for George W Bush?

Further ruminations about speaking of the dead led me to think that if public words must be spoken soon after the death that we look for moments of grace in the lives of the deceased. Find those moments, many or few though they may be, and speak of them. History will judge the rest.

Then I thought about Trump, and I couldn't come up with a single moment of grace in his public life. As I pondered further, I became angry, more so at Trump enablers than at Trump.  El Naranja Grande is such an impaired human being that I'm certain he is incapable of change. He must be restrained.

Thus the duty falls to people in government and citizens outside government who have a measure of power to exercise that power to restrain Trump and protect what's left of our democratic institutions. The people of the country and, indeed, the entire world deserve no less than protection from further damage inflicted by a president with such grave impairments.

Don't misunderstand me. I'm in no way letting Trump off the hook, but no thinking person looks to him as having a part in rooting out the rot in the country. I'm furious at the enablers, the American Vichyites, who failed and still fail so miserably to do their duty.

Thus endeth my ruminations.

RIP, JOHN MCCAIN

For all his flaws, and he had many, I believe John McCain cared about our country. The symbolism of his requests to former presidents Barack Obama, a Democrat, and George W Bush, a Republican, to speak at his funeral seems powerful to me. He campaigned for the presidency against both men and lost. I believe at the end of his life he wished for Americans to come together, not at all an ignoble wish.

May God give comfort, consolation, and peace to all who love John.

The Big Orange Divider-in-Chief was not welcome at the funeral.

HAVE YA MISSED ME? HAVE YA?

Have ya missed me? Have ya? I probably won't be back to regular blogging any time soon, but the daily multiplying scandals in Trump Swamp, along with the crash and burn of yet another special session of the Louisiana Legislature in the effort to pass a fucking workable budget was just too much even for quickies on Facebook.

Shame on you, GOP members of the Louisiana House. What happened in the legislature Sunday was a mockery of governance. The GOP will not participate in governing. Their only plan is to stop John Bel Edwards (D) from being elected to a second term and not raise a penny in taxes to lift Louisiana out of shithole status, at or near the top in the bad stuff and at or near the bottom in the good stuff.



Rep. Alan Seabaugh (R) in the final minutes of the session: “Yes, I am trying to run out the clock.” Disgusting. On to another special session which will cost the taxpayers $60,000 per day of money we don't have and possibly result in another crash and burn.

In the midst of the Slough of Despond, two stories lifted my spirits a bit, just a bit.

The first from the Washington Post:

The Pentagon’s investigative watchdog has initiated a probe into Navy Rear Adm. Ronny L. Jackson, the White House military physician who withdrew from consideration as President Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs amid allegations of improper conduct.

Dr "Candyman", the flim flam doctor who gave us the report on Trump's "excellent" state of health and made me laugh out loud is being investigated. If Trump had not nominated this incompetent to head the Dept. of Veteran Affairs, he may have been continued to conduct his shady business as usual in the White House. No second star for you, Admiral Jackson. Everyone who works in the Trump Swamp runs the risk of her/his life turning into shit.

The next story is from MSN:

President Donald Trump can be deposed in a defamation case a New York Judge ruled Tuesday.
Summer Zervos, a former contestant on “The Apprentice” claimed Trump kissed her and groped her while she was a contestant on the show in 2007. After Trump repeatedly denied her claims, calling her a liar, Zervos filed a defamation claim in January 2017, just days before his inauguration. Zervos was one of more than a dozen women to accuse President Trump of sexual misconduct during his campaign.

Geaux, Summer Zervos!

Ah, schadenfreude. Good to see you.

"GET OUT" - THE MOVIE

Generally, I don't watch horror movies, because the stresses of ordinary life are enough. When I was younger and more resilient, I enjoyed the thrills and chills, but over the years, I stopped. Last week, I watched "Get Out". Either I did not know, or I had forgotten it was a horror movie, but I love that the film slipped through the filter.

Watching the oh-so-liberal white family and their white friends patronizingly check out their daughter's new black boy friend was wickedly funny. Added to the mix were two mysterious black servants, one in the kitchen, and the other on the grounds. I completely missed the clues there.

Because I don't want my post to be a spoiler for a movie I highly recommend, I won't say more. Kudos to director and writer Jordan Peele and to the actors, especially Allison Williams as the white girlfriend. The the film won the Oscar for best screenplay, but I suspect it didn't win best picture because it tells hard truths about racism, truths that many of us don't want to hear. In the fantasy America of today, nothing is ever about race.

TRUMP'S FOX & FRIENDS RANT, APRIL 26, 2018

Quotes from Donald Trump's phone rant on Fox & Friends yesterday that may have got him in trouble.

1. With Melania whose birthday was yesterday when he was asked about his gift to his wife:

Well, I better not get into that, because I may get in trouble. Maybe I didn’t get her so much.

I'll tell you what. She has done — I got her a beautiful card. You know, I'm very busy —

And then Trump proceeds to rant for 30 minutes.

2. With Special Counsel Mueller about James Comey:

He put a lot of phony stuff. For instance, I went to Russia for a day or so — a day or two because I own the Miss Universe pageant. So, I went there to watch it, because it was near Moscow. So I go to Russia — now, I did go there — everybody knows. The locks are there, the planes are there. He said I didn’t stay there a night. Of course, I stayed there. I stayed there a very short period of time, but, of course, I stayed. Well, his memo said I left immediately. I never said that. I never said I left immediately.

In his memos from his meetings with Trump, Comey wrote that Trump stated more than once that he did not stay overnight in Russia. Whom do you believe? Whom will Mueller believe? I have my problems with Comey, but I don't believe he lies. Trump, on the other hand, well you know...

3. With Trump and Michael Cohen lawyers who are arguing in court in the Southern District of New York that the material seized in the raid on Cohen's home, office, and hotel room is under attorney client privilege:

And I don’t know his business, but this doesn’t have to do with me. Michael is a businessman. He's got a business. He also practices law. I would say probably the big thing is his business, and they're looking at something having to do with his business. I have nothing to do with his business.
....

Well, he [Cohen] has a percentage of my overall legal work — a tiny, tiny little fraction. But, Michael would represent me and represent me on some things. He represents me — like with this crazy Stormy Daniels deal he represented me.

If Trump's relationship with Cohen was mostly business, there is no attorney client privilege for much of the material caught up in the raid that has to do with Trump. No lawyer on earth is capable of stopping Trump from being his own worst enemy with his own words. Under the bus, Michael.

The statements are a gift to to the prosecutors in New York, and the second statement is a gift to Michael Avenatti, Stormy Daniel's attorney. Trump said when he was previously asked by members of the press that he knew nothing of Cohen's $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels for the relationship he claims never happened.

The NY prosecutors wasted no time in including Trump's comments in the court record. For Avenatti, this was the first time Trump mentioned Stormy Daniels' name and slaps down his claim that he knew nothing about the payoff.

What made my day was the expression on the faces of the Fox & Friends hosts when Trump went into the final stage of his rant. They squirmed in dismay and finally cut him off mid-sentence with,

We could talk to you all day but it looks like you have a million things to do. 

Trump responded,

Well, you could have...

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

As I watch the young people speaking in Washington DC and the great crowds all over the country in the March For Our Lives against gun violence, I am crying. My fervent hope for the young people and for all of us is that politicians hear their passionate cries for life and freedom from fear of gun violence and do something about the goddam guns.

Politicians, break loose from the grip of the vile NRA and do your job to protect the people you were elected to serve. Many of the young people will be eligible to vote come election time in 2018, and they want an end to the gun violence. The kids want to feel safe in school. All Americans want to feel safe at movie theaters, concerts, churches, malls, and night clubs.

One young woman just said, "I learned to duck before I learned to read."

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

CHURCH, ATTENDANCE, CHRISTIANITY

Since my blog has been very much neglected, the few who still read probably don't know that I stopped attending church about two years ago. The physical struggle was just too much. Since I'd been a church-goer all my life, what surprised me was that I didn't miss church at all except for the hymns. I very much enjoyed congregational singing.

I pray at home and meet God in my house and in my heart, and that seems enough for now. I try (and often fail) to live out the heart of the Gospel, which is love, as Jesus preached in the Two Great Commandments:

Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:36-40)

and the Golden Rule:

‘In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.' (Matthew 7:12)

Jesus was only ever a Jew. He was born a Jew, and he died a Jew. His teachings are rooted in the Hebrew Bible, and he never intended to found a religion. One of my touchstone verses in the Hebrew Bible is Micah 6:8:

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Love, kindness, and humility are what Christianity is about, or it is nothing to me.

AT THE MOVIES IN MY HOUSE IN JANUARY 2018

A list of movies I watched recently and recommend, along with brief descriptions, is below.

"Funny Face" - rated 4 stars

Though "Funny Face", directed by Stanley Donen, was very good, I thought it would be better. What struck me as I watched again after a long time is that once again, the male lead, Fred Astaire, was nearly 30 years older than the female, Audrey Hepburn. Astaire is still amazing, but it appears Hollywood assumes female dancers of similar age can no longer dance.

"The Artist" - rated 5 stars

I watched the movie last night and loved it. The film, directed by Michel Hazanavicius, won a number of Academy Awards and other well-deserved film awards in 2012. The French romantic, feel-good, silent movie in black and white, like the olden times, even before my olden time, is a delight. In the French style, with subtle and ironic touches of humor, the film includes musical accompaniment and what I just learned are called intertitles (filmed, printed text edited into silent movies) when necessary. Since the expressions and movements of the actors reveal quite a bit, not many intertitles were necessary. Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo star in the film, with our own John Goodman in a strong supporting role.

"Loving" - rated 5 stars

The movie, directed by Jeff Nichols, tells the tender, moving story of the long, painful period in the lives of Mildred and Richard Loving, played by Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga, an interracial couple who married in Washington DC, but could not, by law, be married in their home State of Virginia. After living in DC for a while, the Lovings moved back to Virginia but lived in constant fear of arrest. Mildred decided to write a letter to Attorney General RFK about their plight, and he referred them to the ACLU. When the two were arrested, the ACLU defended them and took their case to the Supreme Court. The rest is history in Loving V. Virginia, the ruling that overturned miscegenation laws in the entire country.

"Room" - rated 5 stars

"Room", directed by Lenny Abrahamson, is the story of a young woman who was abducted and held in a shed for 7 years during which time she is sexually abused and gives birth to a boy she calls Jack. After 5 years, she begins to plot their escape. The film was difficult to watch, so much so that I had to stop and take a break, but I recommend it highly. "Moonlight" was the same, but I have the film in my queue to watch again. I'll do the same with "Room". Brie Larson stars as the mother, and she is excellent in the role, but the truly amazing performance is the boy's, with Jacob Tremblay as Jack.