Roll out the guillotine

To say Judge Brett Kavanaugh has been accused, judged, and convicted in the court of public opinion is an understatement.  Rule of law be damned.  In fact, Judge Kavanaugh’s accuser and her enablers have obliterated any fairness or equity as these apply to the foundational legal belief mandating that everyone in society be considered innocent until proven guilty.  Senate Judiciary Committee members Senators Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar, both former prosecutors, have decreed that reasonable doubt does not apply in the case of the accuser’s claim of sexual assault.  Incredible as it may sound, her accusation doesn’t need to be proven, either.  In summation, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford simply made the accusation, therefore it must be true.

A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing is not a court of law; however, respect for the rule of law is crucial to democracy, as it mandates that everyone is entitled to due process.  As tasked, the Judiciary Committee is convened to “advise and consent” regarding the president’s nominees to the Supreme Court.  Suffice it to say there are numerous steps in the committee’s process, before the nominee ever appears before the entire body of the judicial committee for questioning.  At the appointed hour, Judge Brett Kavanaugh dutifully appeared, answering numerous questions for several days.  And that’s when the pleasantries ended – cut to the chase!  Shortly after the close of testimony and several days prior to committee vote, Senator Dianne Feinstein entered into the record a letter she had received from California congresswoman Anna Eshoo, supposedly written by Dr. Ford, accusing nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault 36 years ago.

To date, committee chair Chuck Grassley has yet to see the letter.  As parsed by the media, the written accusation is vague and unsubstantiated (no police report was filed at the time of alleged assault), thus raising reasonable doubt as to the accuser’s truthfulness.

According to Senators Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar, there is no reason to doubt what Dr. Ford is claiming.  In their collective opinion, Judge Kavanaugh is guilty, and it’s now up to the Senate Judiciary Committee to determine if he is fit to serve on the Supreme Court, based on the accusation.  Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has also determined that it’s a cut and dried case, also based solely on the fact that Dr. Ford made the accusation and therefore must be believed.  Nothing is left to do other than to roll out the guillotine and execute the guilty party.

Thankfully, Chairman Grassley hasn’t lost his mind and will continue to oversee the next phase in this poorly scripted soap opera.  

In every U.S. court of law, the accused is granted the right to face his accuser.  The accused is also presumed innocent until proven guilty – which requires substantiated evidence and the testimony of eyewitnesses.  The burden falls to the accuser to provide evidence in order to prove the accusations, not the other way around.   It’s called due process.

It’s critical to understand that the long respected rule of law is being rewritten in order to validate Dr. Ford’s accusation, in addition to accommodating any future testimony on her part.  In plain speak, she wants her own set of rules in trade for her testimony. 

 Make no mistake: crafting this debacle began months ago and was set into motion just after Judge Kavanaugh’s formal questioning ended.  Senator Feinstein admitted publicly she’s been aware of Dr. Ford’s letter since July.  Not surprisingly, and days after the accuser’s revelation, Senator Feinstein also stated that she can’t attest that the information contained within the letter is truthful.  In other words; Senator Feinstein is attempting to establish plausible deniability.  Sorry, Senator, but it’s a little late for that – it was you who unleashed the maelstrom.

Unbelievably, the accusation itself has eclipsed any facts relevant to the alleged incident.  Judge Kavanaugh has eagerly agreed to another round of questions before the judicial committee.  Understandably, he wants to clear his name and salvage his reputation.  Whether or not Dr. Ford shows up to offer testimony is yet to be determined.

The overriding goal is to ensure that Judge Kavanaugh is not confirmed to the Supreme Court, and by whatever method it takes.  Apparently, all it takes is an unproven accusation to undermine democracy.

To say Judge Brett Kavanaugh has been accused, judged, and convicted in the court of public opinion is an understatement.  Rule of law be damned.  In fact, Judge Kavanaugh’s accuser and her enablers have obliterated any fairness or equity as these apply to the foundational legal belief mandating that everyone in society be considered innocent until proven guilty.  Senate Judiciary Committee members Senators Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar, both former prosecutors, have decreed that reasonable doubt does not apply in the case of the accuser’s claim of sexual assault.  Incredible as it may sound, her accusation doesn’t need to be proven, either.  In summation, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford simply made the accusation, therefore it must be true.

A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing is not a court of law; however, respect for the rule of law is crucial to democracy, as it mandates that everyone is entitled to due process.  As tasked, the Judiciary Committee is convened to “advise and consent” regarding the president’s nominees to the Supreme Court.  Suffice it to say there are numerous steps in the committee’s process, before the nominee ever appears before the entire body of the judicial committee for questioning.  At the appointed hour, Judge Brett Kavanaugh dutifully appeared, answering numerous questions for several days.  And that’s when the pleasantries ended – cut to the chase!  Shortly after the close of testimony and several days prior to committee vote, Senator Dianne Feinstein entered into the record a letter she had received from California congresswoman Anna Eshoo, supposedly written by Dr. Ford, accusing nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault 36 years ago.

To date, committee chair Chuck Grassley has yet to see the letter.  As parsed by the media, the written accusation is vague and unsubstantiated (no police report was filed at the time of alleged assault), thus raising reasonable doubt as to the accuser’s truthfulness.

According to Senators Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar, there is no reason to doubt what Dr. Ford is claiming.  In their collective opinion, Judge Kavanaugh is guilty, and it’s now up to the Senate Judiciary Committee to determine if he is fit to serve on the Supreme Court, based on the accusation.  Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has also determined that it’s a cut and dried case, also based solely on the fact that Dr. Ford made the accusation and therefore must be believed.  Nothing is left to do other than to roll out the guillotine and execute the guilty party.

Thankfully, Chairman Grassley hasn’t lost his mind and will continue to oversee the next phase in this poorly scripted soap opera.  

In every U.S. court of law, the accused is granted the right to face his accuser.  The accused is also presumed innocent until proven guilty – which requires substantiated evidence and the testimony of eyewitnesses.  The burden falls to the accuser to provide evidence in order to prove the accusations, not the other way around.   It’s called due process.

It’s critical to understand that the long respected rule of law is being rewritten in order to validate Dr. Ford’s accusation, in addition to accommodating any future testimony on her part.  In plain speak, she wants her own set of rules in trade for her testimony. 

 Make no mistake: crafting this debacle began months ago and was set into motion just after Judge Kavanaugh’s formal questioning ended.  Senator Feinstein admitted publicly she’s been aware of Dr. Ford’s letter since July.  Not surprisingly, and days after the accuser’s revelation, Senator Feinstein also stated that she can’t attest that the information contained within the letter is truthful.  In other words; Senator Feinstein is attempting to establish plausible deniability.  Sorry, Senator, but it’s a little late for that – it was you who unleashed the maelstrom.

Unbelievably, the accusation itself has eclipsed any facts relevant to the alleged incident.  Judge Kavanaugh has eagerly agreed to another round of questions before the judicial committee.  Understandably, he wants to clear his name and salvage his reputation.  Whether or not Dr. Ford shows up to offer testimony is yet to be determined.

The overriding goal is to ensure that Judge Kavanaugh is not confirmed to the Supreme Court, and by whatever method it takes.  Apparently, all it takes is an unproven accusation to undermine democracy.