The Supreme Court Appointment and Me Too Movement

Let me start off tonight talking about The Me Too movement #MeToo because I think there are way too many people using this movement to take revenge on people and not for what it was intended to do. So what is the Me Too Movement? Why was it even started and when? Well back in October of 2017 #MeToo went viral on social media because of the widespread abuse, sexual harassment, going on especially in the work place. It didn’t start because one morning a group of women woke up and decided they wanted to make a lot of noise and start yet another commotion in this country. No, it started following sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein. This movement was started to help women come forward, to encourage them not to hide and to stand up and tell their story so others who have faced such harassment or assault would know they are not alone.

The history of Me too goes back before 2017, as far back as 2006 when social activist Tarana Burke started using the phrase on, you ready for this, Myspace social media network. That’s how long ago this started. She didn’t start using this phrase because of all these stars that have adopted her famous quote, but she did start to use it because she was inspired by a 13-year-old girl she was unable to respond to. This young girl needed someone to talk to and she found Tarana whom she confided she was sexually assaulted. Later, after she had time to think about it, Tarana has said she wished she had told this young girl, “me too.”

Fast forward to 2017 when actress Alyssa Milano started encouraging women to use the #MeToo to draw attention to sexual assault and harassment. We all must admit this is a good cause because no one should feel as if they are alone, but you know it’s not just women who are assault and sexually harassed. Since this movement started a year ago we have had more actresses come out with their stories about what happened to them some 25 years ago or more while they were working their way up the ladder of success. I am not saying it is right under any circumstances, but I am saying, why wait this long and for many of these women coming out, till their careers were on a spiral down. It brings in the question did this really happen or are they just looking for fifteen minutes of fame.

Ok, so now everyone is pissed off at me, a woman who can think this way. Well I’ll tell you why I feel this way because waiting all this time to come out and approach or accuse this person who allegedly attacked, harassed, or abused these women does not give the men or women accused of such actions the ability to prove their innocents but it does cast a shadow on their character. One they cannot clear because the evidence is long gone. I know it is not easy for someone to come forward and say they have been abused. Some step up immediately, others find the need to hide, they change the way they do things, they adjust their lives and keep it buried. Some find it necessary to talk about to keep sane and be able to live in the world around them while others find the only way they can live in this world is to keep it hidden for fear of what others may think. Yes, even in this day and age when we should be more open and understanding of those who have been bullied, harassed, abused, and assaulted, there are still those small-minded people who look down their nose at people in these situations.

This #MeToo movement is for anyone who has truly been assaulted, harassed, bullied, abused in any way shape or form. We have children, women, and men of all walks of life who have been put through this hell and are ashamed because to them, they allowed this to happen. This is how society has made them feel and it’s time we stop and start offering a helping hand to someone we think could use a shoulder to cry on or just someone to confide in. Someone who could help them understand they are not alone.

Now, you can see I do understand the Me-Too Movement. What I don’t like is the BS that is going on in this country today. Women are being allowed to come forward 25, 35, 40 years after a so-called assault and accuse someone of sexual assault, drag their names all through social media and the news and ruin a person’s life with no physical evidence to speak of.

Let’s look at the craziness surrounding the appointment of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Yep, that’s right, nod your head because you knew this is where I was headed from the beginning.  What a career the Judge has had. We know he graduated from Yale College cum laude, with a degree in American History. From there he went on to Yale Law School. He started his career as a law clerk and then went on to postgraduate fellow working under Judge Starr. When Starr moved on from D.C. Circuit to the Office of Independent Counsel, Kavanaugh followed him. Now, here’s a kicker and probably one of the many reasons the Democrats don’t like him, Kavanaugh assisted Starr in his investigations concerning President Bill Clinton. He even played a lead role in drafting the Starr Report.  If you think back to Clinton’s time as President you will remember this report urged the impeachment of none other than President Bill Clinton, who did assault and sexually harass women in the Oval Office!!!!!

When George W. Bush was elected President Judge Kavanaugh joined the administration as White House Staff Secretary. He was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit by President Bush in 2003. He has been investigated by the F.B.I. six times in his career as he moved up from one position to another. During the 2003 to 2018 time period he was found to have perhaps the most conservative voting record on the D.C. Court in every policy area.

He built a career for himself in the political arena and at any time over the years Dr. Ford could have stepped forward and made her accusations however, she chose to wait till he was nominated for Supreme Court Justice. Why? Why wait when you could have stopped him from moving forward years ago? Why wait and go to Senator Feinstein with a letter and ask her not to make it public? Why not have her talk to the committee in private and have them investigate this before it got to the point it is today?

The waiting, the timing, the inability to remember what happened, when, and where makes this hard to accept at face value. We are at a place in this country today where people are all for Dr. Ford and against Judge Kavanaugh or all for Judge Kavanaugh and all against Dr. Ford. My God even on this we cannot have an in between. At first, I was upset the Republicans have put voting on hold again and again to give her a chance to speak but then I thought about it. Let her talk, let her say her peace and have her time to be questioned but I implore the Committee to not handle this with kid gloves when she takes the stand because I know you will not handle Judge Kavanaugh with kid gloves and she should be put through the same harsh questioning. No holds barred in order to get to the truth on both sides.

Judge Kavanaugh could end this tonight if he so chose to but he is holding his ground. He is standing on his merit, his record, his reputation as a good man, a family man, and a man who loves his country and our Constitution. He is not hiding away trying to make negotiations with the Committee. He wants the truth to be told. He is willing to come forward and speak to them and he has not laid blame on anyone even though we all know this is the work of the left.

Dr. Ford has put off testifying time and again. Now she is to come forward on Thursday. I hope she does but if she doesn’t I hope the Committee puts and end to this farce and steps up to take a vote. It is time to stop playing political games. Did anyone ever think the Dr. is afraid to come forward and testify, not because of Judge Kavanaugh, but because she would or could be lying under oath. I do not disbelieve this happened to her, but I do question who she chose to point the finger at 40 years later.

The nomination committee has been more than understanding of Dr. Ford’s feelings and situation, but you must admit all the stalling, all the demands, only make you question more if she has total recall of what happened, if she is laying blame on the wrong person, or if she is just looking for her 15 minutes. I don’t know what she could bring to the hearings as proof this took place, but I do know he has an impeccable record to stand on and she had more than enough time over the years to step up and stop him in his tracks. If she really and honestly felt this man did such a thing to her then why wait?

Again, we need to hear both sides or rather the Committee does because in the end the vote is theirs to make. As for the craziness following this circus it hurts the #MeTooMovement. People who have been abused, assaulted, bullied, sexually assaulted, humiliated in the work place are less likely to come forward because of the fear they will not be believed. Unfortunately, in today’s society, women can come out and make these accusations some 40 years later and the men are automatically doomed. They are found guilty in public opinion and not given a chance to be heard. This is why I feel both parties need to be heard. It’s easy to say I was sexually assault by so and so 25, 35, 40 years ago but not easy to prove it, yet these women get to wave that magic wand, and ruin the lives of people who have no evidence in their defense because this is now a he said she said BS story that the news media loves.

So the next time someone uses #MeToo, instead of jumping on the band wagon, why not ask them if they understand why this was started. Why not ask them if they know about that 13-year-old girl who confided in Tarana Burke. If they say they don’t know anything about it then they don’t understand the #MeTooMovement. They don’t understand what so many are going through in this world and they don’t understand you can’t just cry wolf and ruin someone’s life because you need to have your 15 minutes of fame. Let’s stand together for the truth, for justice, for good old fashioned American values and morals and let’s not pass judgement on someone because someone else knows how to weave a story.

May God Bless America and may Lady Liberty hold strong!