Many years ago, I believe it was Marv Selden, the comptroller under Governor Bob Ray, who said it first (although many others have said it since), the cover up of a bad event is always worse than the event itself.
A woman has come forward toward the end of Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. She is accusing Judge Kavnaugh, who is seeking a seat on United States Supreme Court, of improper sexual conduct while attending a private high school.
Let’s assume for a minute that the circumstances described by Dr. Ford, 30 plus years ago, was exactly as she remembers it. Let’s further assume that Judge Kavanaugh, after thinking about what had happened a few months or even a few years later, then approached Dr. Christine Blasey Ford with a true heartfelt apology. In addition to his contrition, he had also done a few other things to atone for his actions that evening, i.e. giving to a battered woman’s shelter, taking classes in sexual harassment, etc. With all that done, I believe the black mark on his reputation might have been lessened dramatically or possibly might even have gone away.
Instead, he unequivocally denies the event took place. I find that really hard to believe for one small and one large reason. The small one is that we all know that prep school and college are full of over-imbibing events that many of us would just like to forget. In fact, Judge Kavanaugh has readily admitted that. The notion which he and others have espoused is the belief that says “what happened in X school, stays in X school,” is a true cop out. The bigger issue is, even though it is getting better for women to come forth, many in society still give them a hard time when they come out to tell about an unwanted sexual encounter.
In my view, no woman in her right mind would make up stories about the trauma of such an event, and certainly no one with Dr. Ford’s background.
The simple fact is that when we do something we should really regret, we need to face up to it and atone for our actions. If instead, we attempt to sweep it under the rug, forget about it, and deny it happened, it will never go away.
The Judge now has two remaining options. He missed the best option by not atoning for his behavior some years ago. The first option, is continuing to lie about the event and move on with a cloud over your head which will never go away, confirmed or not. The second option is to back out of the process, while atoning or not –his choice.
Point being, the best option by far was to deal with the issue years ago. We should learn from this event as to how we should operate in our own lives.
by Dick Goodson
Photo via Flickr
Posted 9/24/18
3 Comments on "As Always, It’s The Coverup And Lies That Will Sink You"
Same with Watergate. And as egregious as Judge Kavanaugh’s actions were and subsequent denials are, it seems that Republicans KNEW beforehand – and are STILL pushing to get him on the Bench.
This is not acceptable for a person; it damn-well isn’t acceptable for a Party!
Of course Judge Kavanaugh has to completely deny everything that Dr. Blasey Ford has said that he did. Why? Because of the second person in the room. When two seventeen year old males enter the room of a fifteen year old female at the same time and one of then proceeds ro sexually assault the fifteen year old female, the overwhelming liklihood is that the two males are working together, and that their object is not sexual gratification, but the kind of humiliation for the female that will result in her being eliminated as a perceived threat to the males. And how might these two males have come to perceive the female as a threat? Well, in the case of a fifteen year old Christine Blasey, it is likely that she was perceived as being both really smart and forthright in her speech.
When Senator Grassley insists on an exceedingly quick timeline for Dr. Blasey Ford’s testimony and absolute,y refuses to permit an objective investigation by the FBI of what she has accused Judge Kavanaugh of having done back in high school, he is making himself the third male in the room. Shocking, yes, but then who would have thought that such a small hand could work the puppet that Senator Grassley has become?
A whole lot of assumption of guilt here. How about “innocent until proven guilty”? People who she claims were present, both male and female seem to be in agreement that it didn’t happen. Need more proof to convince me either way.