I found today rather disturbing. The extended drama at the Senate hearings exposes that we run amok with info, but haven’t a clue what to do with it. The real problem with surveillance is that it is self-defeating. Evidence is the promised benefit, but it is all just data looking for interpretation, and all kinds of people are ready to provide one.
Both testimonies were dramatic and evocative. The picture painted of Kavanaugh that includes reckless nookie hunting drunken frat boy, to responsible teen, to maligned progressive employer, cautious precedent conscious jurist and unhinged partisan appointee busts open the Myers-Briggs categories. It also means that society finds itself in situations where compelling stories can be made about you, your personality, from any and every feature of your life, and there will be folks motivated to make, promote/profit and believe them.
It use to be some things were safely backstage, leaving the front stage stable. Now elements of the former explode onto the latter. What’s left is scattered debris from which one is expected to make a sensible whole. Don’t think we’re at all prepared to deal with the consequences of this and a personality quiz won’t help.
I watched yesterday and this morning to the senate judiciary and concur, facts are of little value without interpretation. Moreover, the question of what needs interpreting is raised. On one hand there is testimony as it relates to events decades ago, but to me it relates more importantly to the comportment of individuals in whom trust is to be placed. Kavanaugh disqualified himself with his obfuscations, irrelevant tirades and conspiracy theories (It was the Clintons!). A justice on the supreme court? I think not! But wait, no one asked me.
K’s statements were very emotional in his defence and rightly so because he stood to lose the trust of his wife and two daughters, his extended family and friends, his religious community not to mention the respect of colleagues and co workers over so many years and most of all he was going to lose a prestigious much sought after place in American judicial history. He wimpered openly like that creepy l7 year old he was compelled to resurrect. Just behind him sat his wife whose face portrayed complete sympathy for him and trust in his words throughout. She was particularily noticeable in her calm, confident and tender expressions contrasting yet complementing her husbands defensive grimaces of anger, outrage, frustration and righteousness. The tv media framing of this was not an accident.
K teared up, he snuffled, with tightly drawn lips in a muscular frown, he looked just like the proverbial deer in the headlights at midnight out alone on the highway. He shamelessly pitched in everything he had, everything that was of real value to bolster his credibility. A lot of his answers were deflections or were framed by deflections and he repeated stock phrases over and over again. Where there is smoke there is fire it is said and K by protesting so hotly on the one hand seemed to be well on his way to saving his bacon, certainly with Trump and the party faithful, yet in doing so he unwittingly exposed his lie for anyone who cared.
K is an industrious man and had clearly rehearsed intensively beforehand and incorporated feedback from his advisors. The thrust of his statement was carefully aimed away from Ford to the Dem’s claiming the nature of this accusation was really a political one, a cynical smear job, a Dem set-up to make Trump and the Party look bad before midterm elections. One soon realized his testimony was an open rally call to all Republican voters far and wide to stand up and load their guns.
Reading from his statement he used what he said were his daughter’s words as the bridge to forgive Ford and pity her. He said Ford was not lying she just suffered from PTS, poor thing, and got her guys mixed up. (Hey why not! Wasn’t Patty Hearst PTS when she became an armed bankrobber for her kidnappers back in the day after they sexually assaulted her.) K is a conservative Catholic and just like an American friend of mine in NYC who is also Catholic and Trump supporter,they comprise a base that adhere’s to a conflicted agenda whereby they will support Trump no matter what violations or incompetent decisions come to the surface about his personal and professional doings as long as he delivers on legislation that dove tails with Church policy concerning, abortion, birth control, sex education, Gay marriage, assisted suicide, Muslims and multi culturalism to name a few. Trump by delivering K to a life time position in the Supreme Court will have also delivered the goods to these particular supporters whose votes he values so much.
In American politics looking out for your vested interests first with the aim of influencing the passage of government legislation is the name of the game.For many this stuff is not hypocritical and opportunist, it is righteous, heroic and plain smart. In this Trump and his supporters are joined at the hip.
You can bet on K getting his majority vote to the Supreme Court after the one week limited FBI investigation into the Ford accusation.
As for Christine Blasey Ford, she will join Anita Hill as a historical footnote for future reference in related revelations that are destined yet to come down the road.
A last word on Judge K and the Frat Boys:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/03/opinion/kavanaugh-supreme-court-lies-integrity.html