Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, September 29, 2018

OPINION

B3

 Mountain Views News Saturday, September 29, 2018 

SUSAN HENDERSON

Publisher

IT’S NOT ABOUT HIM, 
IT’S ABOUT US!

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This entire Kavanaugh 
Confirmation is a mess. It 
shows the politicizing of 
the highest court in the 
land like never before. 
But more importantly, 
it highlights how little 
women are respected and 
valued in this society. We 
have been used as ‘window 
dressing’ when convenient 
and totally ignored when 
it doesn’t serve our male 
dominated society’s purpose.

 Before I go any further, let me suggest you avoid trying 
to put any ‘labels’ on me or my writing. I am not what 
has been defined as a ‘feminist’ or ‘women’s libber’. No, 
the accurate label for me is simple, A female American 
citizen of African descent. You can add to that, a mother, 
sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, intelligent, 
opinionated, mature woman who votes. And, by the 
way, I am not bashing men. Some of the most important 
people in my life were/are my Grandpas (2), my Dad, my 
brother, my uncles, my sons, my grandson. My mentors 
in business have been mostly men, so no I don’t hate 
men so any criticisms I may have are not gender based, 
they are just the ugly reality of our culture. That being 
said, it really is time for this country to start telling and 
facing the truth!

 Having defined who’s speaking, let me be clear. The 
revelations of ALL WOMEN who are now speaking out 
is not about the accused, it is about them, it is about us 
- it is about America as a society with blinders on. No 
need to dress it up. There has not been a single allegation 
made against Kavanaugh, Trump, Cosby, et al, that comes 
as a surprise to anyone BECAUSE OUR SOCIETY HAS 
NURTURED SUCH BEHAVIOR! As those of you who 
go to church know or should know, there is the sin of 
omission as well as the sin of commission. And in this 
country, while the accused may have committed the sin, 
too man of us, especially those elevated to a position 
of power, are guilty of the sin of omission by failing to 
listen to, act on behalf of and protect the victims. Our 
society only pretends to be concerned when the persons 
accused are famous. When the victim is the unknown 
little girl down the street we whisper, gossip and ignore. 
THAT IS WHAT HAS TO CHANGE.

 It is disheartening watching the country’s reaction. 
The perpetrators of abuse still don’t get it. The naysayers 
(and far too many of them are women) don’t get it, 
or they don’t want to get it. When Dr. Ford told the 
entire country that the time was now for her to speak 
up, nobody heard her. She risked everything to sound 
an alert that the person about to ascend to the Highest 
Court in the land for life was not worthy and she did it 
because it was more important to her to let the public 
know than to continue to harbor the secret.

 For those who say, why did she wait so long I say, 
unless you are a woman who has lived in this society, 
you can’t even begin to understand. There has been 
and currently is NO MECHANISM that supports girls, 
boys men and women who have been sexually abused 
unconditionally. So imagine harboring these terrible 
acts within your soul for fear of retaliation or ridicule.

 The truth is, there are those who choose to die with 
their pain within rather than deal with the reaction of 
those they love and respect. A girl who is molested by 
a family member or family friend often has to deal with 
parents who downplay, deny or ignore her. That woman 
grows up, and then has to live her life pretending that 
for instance, brother and later Uncle to her children was 
ok, while knowing that was a lie. That woman lives with 
knowing that the revelation would destroy her family 
so she kept it inside, like an undiagnosed cancer just to 
get by because our society supports burying the ugly truth 
rather than dealing with it. Better not to tell anyone, eh?

 There are those who bury the incidents as if they 
never happened. The memory keeps going deeper and 
deeper within, poisoning the victim’s connection with 
reality. They put on a public façade and never deal with 
the reality of what has happened to them. Many times 
they continue to maintain for the sake of their privacy 
a “normal” relationship if the perp happens to be a 
person of authority or relative. They develop the ability 
to just act like it never happened and yet each time a 
news report comes forth with similar facts, they quietly 
deteriorate a little more from reality every day. Again, 
society supports burying the ugly truth rather than dealing 
with it. 

 There are also those who blame themselves. Even 
in the 21st century, victims are still shamed into taking 
responsibility for sexual assaults. It was what they were 
wearing, where they were at the time, why they provoked 
the attack, etc. Such attitudes in this society furthers 
the abuse and leads to victims blaming themselves. 
American society supports burying the ugly truth rather 
than dealing with it

 Then there are those who treasure their privacy. Just 
look at Dr. Ford. No need to review what Dr. Ford has 
been going through. You’ve seen it. Come forward 
and tell your story. Be damned if you try to keep it 
confidential. You will suddenly find yourself victim 
of even more assaults. Assaults on your integrity, your 
character, your intelligence and your dignity. That 
is another reason why so many women just keep it to 
themselves. No need to make yourself fodder for critics. 
It won’t ease the pain. Our society supports burying the 
ugly truth rather than dealing with it AND WE NEED 
TO CHANGE THAT!

 In this country we seem to never learn from our 
mistakes. Almost three decades ago, as a result of the 
disclosures of Anita Hill regarding then Supreme Court 
Nominee Clarence Thomas, 1992 was dubbed “The 
Year Of The Woman” and saw an historic increase in 
the number of women elected to office. Senator Dianne 
Feinstein was one of those women. However, we did 
very little to support them by addressing the problems 
with sexism and abuse in our everyday lives. Yes, we 
made progress in many ways, but we went out the door 
backwards when we allowed a man who we have seen 
and heard debase and ridicule women for sport, become 
the President of our country. 

 So what do we do now? Let’s start with a little honesty. 
This problem isn’t a female/male problem, it is a societal 
problem and it is time for us to stop acting like it doesn’t 
exist. Stop sending people to represent us who don’t 
have respect for all human beings, regardless of their age, 
sex or national origin. 

 We also have to stop acting like bad things don’t 
happen. They do. I would bet that there is not one 
person reading this column who hasn’t experienced 
abuse or know of someone who has. Let’s stop 
knowing about it and work on those things that 
will help prevent it. Like, for instance, teaching and 
showing love and respect for others in all aspect of 
our lives.

 No, it’s not about Kavanaugh, really, it is about us and 
we ought to be ashamed. Quoting Sojourner Truth's 
prophetic statement in the 1800’s, I think that ‘twixt 
the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all 
talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty 
soon.” Well the fix is in. The dirty laundry is out. Time 
to stop talking and get real. #timesup


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LEFT TURN/RIGHT TURN

DICK POLMAN

MICHAEL REAGAN

 
ASSAULTING KAVANAUGH

It was a long, embarrassing day of drama, tears and ugly partisan 
bickering. 

 But by the end of Thursday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, I 
came to the conclusion that both Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey 
Ford had told the truth.

 I believed Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh never sexually 
assaulted Ford in 1982, when they were both teenagers.

 And I also believed Ford really was sexually assaulted at age 15 - but not by Kavanaugh.

Some of my fellow Republicans have made the mistake of holding up Ford’s fuzzy or selective 
memory in her testimony as proof that she was not telling the truth about being sexually assaulted.

 They shouldn’t.

 When you are sexually assaulted, as I was repeatedly as a boy by a camp counselor in 1954, it can 
permanently mess up your memory.

 The last time it happened to me, when I was 8 or 9, it occurred in the apartment of the man who 
abused me.

 I don’t remember how I got home that night. I can’t tell you where his apartment was.

But I can tell you in detail what it was like being in his dark room where he developed the photos 
he took of me.

 It does a giant disservice to Dr. Ford and the rest of us who’ve been sexually assaulted to distrust 
our imperfect memories of such a traumatic event.

 But the greatest disservice to Dr. Ford - and Judge Kavanaugh - has been done by the Senate 
Democrats who sat on her allegation for weeks and then leaked it to the national media at the last 
minute.

 For ten days Ford and Kavanaugh and their families were thrown into media Hell, had death 
threats made against them and were targeted on social media by the sleaziest operatives of both 
parties.

 Watching the Senate Democrats’ play their slime-ball politics yesterday was an embarrassment to 
the Judiciary Committee, the U.S. Senate and the people of the USA.

At times it was pathetic. 

 We had to watch grown senators acting as if they had never been in high school or college.

 We had to watch senators like Richard Blumenthal desperately trying to use goofy teen-age blurbs 
from a 1982 high school yearbook to prove somehow that Kavanaugh was a teen-age alcoholic who 
had sexually assaulted Dr. Ford in a blind stupor.

 Or using another yearbook entry to make the absurd case that Kavanaugh and his friends had 
gang sex with a specific female schoolmate - whose name Blumenthal mentioned.

 The Democrats on the committee didn’t care who their dirty tricks or sleazy accusations hurt - 
Ford and her family, Kavanaugh and his family or Kavanaugh’s high school friends.

 My greatest worry Thursday morning was that Judge Kavanaugh was going to come out and act 
like he did on Fox earlier this week in the Martha MacCallum interview - like an altar boy.

 He didn’t. He came out firing.

 He had to do something he never had to do before in his life - defend his honor from partisan dirt 
bags.

 He did an absolutely incredible job considering how hard the Democrats were working to destroy 
his reputation and stop his nomination.

 Thank God, the Republicans stopped using that dull woman prosecutor they brought in to gently 
question Dr. Ford while the Democrats on the committee took turns trashing Kavanaugh.

 That was a monumental mistake that largely let Dr. Ford off the hook.

 When the woman prosecutor began questioning Kavanaugh, the whole country was starting to 
fall asleep.

 Thank God, Sen. Lindsay Graham stepped in and delivered a powerful rant that called out the 
Democrats for their delay tactics and attempts to make Kavanaugh into a teen-age Bill Cosby.

 All in all, Judge Kavanaugh acquitted himself very well yesterday. 

Now his fate is the hands of the Senate Republicans. May God help him.

-

Copyright 2018 Michael Reagan. Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald Reagan, a political 
consultant, and the author of “Lessons My Father Taught Me: The Strength, Integrity, and Faith of 
Ronald Reagan.” He is the founder of the email service reagan.com and president of The Reagan Legacy 
Foundation. Visit his websites at www.reagan.com and www.michaelereagan.com. Send comments to 
Reagan@caglecartoons.com. Follow @reaganworld on Twitter. 

Mike’s column is distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. For info on using 
columns contact Sales at sales@cagle.com.

REPUBLICANS DETERMINED 
TO ALIENATE AS MANY 
WOMEN AS POSSIBLE

Why are Republicans so determined to stick with Supreme Court 
nominee Brett Kavanagh, soiling themselves in the process and 
alienating as many women voters as possible? 

 I see three reasons: Donald Trump views Kavanaugh as survival insurance (given his past 
writings), Trump is loathe to admit defeat, and the party’s aggrieved white men apparently 
believe in all sincerity that the female of the species is bent on destroying them, and thus 
must be fought at all costs.

 Dumping Kavanaugh at this point, now that a credible second woman has come 
forward, should be a no-brainer. There are plenty of prospective judges in the Federalist 
Society factory who’d be willing to overturn Roe v. Wade. But that would mean starting 
from scratch, with new hearings and new social calls on Capitol Hill, and the Republicans 
don’t want to stretch the timetable past the midterm elections. Especially if Democrats were 
to recapture the Senate (which is possible, but not probable). 

 Republicans know they’d look bad if they tried to hustle a new ideologue onto the high 
court during the post-election lame-duck session. On the other hand, they don’t seem to 
care much about looking bad. Their current behavior makes that perfectly clear.

 What a freak show they’ve been conducting. They’ve been trying to rush the confirmation 
process - denying Christine Blasey Ford the courtesy of an FBI review (which Anita Hill 
was accorded), refusing to schedule additional testimony (and considering Brett pal Mark 
Judge’s misogynist track record, no wonder) - because they wanted to minimize the risk of 
more horrific revelations. Indeed, according to The New Yorker, some Senate Republican 
staffers knew last week about Deborah Ramirez, the Yale classmate who now says that 
Kavanaugh waved his penis in her face. Nevertheless, in the words of Mitch McConnell, 
Republicans intend to “plow right through.”

 And their attitude is best illustrated by the Ed Whelan sideshow, a classic case of right-
wing character assassination.

 Whelan, a longtime conservative operative and pal of Kavanaugh’s, announced that Ford 
may have been attacked by someone who merely looked like Kavanaugh - an innocent 
person with no links to the incident he identified publicly. Meanwhile, a right-wing public 
relations firm known as CRC hyped Whelan’s fake news. 

 When the whole farce blew up in Whelan’s face on Friday, he abjectly apologized. Then 
Garrett Ventry, a spokesman for the Senate Judiciary Committee (actually, a CRC employee 
on loan to the committee) rushed out a statement that the panel “had no knowledge or 
involvement” in Whelan’s scheme. After that, Ventry resigned from the committee, because 
he has been accused of…wait for it…sexual harassment.

 I’ve written in the past that the GOP’s behavior in the Kavanaugh affair seems almost 
calculated to widen the gender gap and drive more women voters into the midterm 
Democratic camp. Now we’re starting to see the evidence. A new USA Today poll says 
only 31 percent of Americans support Kavanaugh’s confirmation, a new low, and that 
the hostility is driven by women voters, who now oppose him by a nearly 2-1 margin (23 
percent yes, 43 percent no). Other recent polls find a similar pattern. 

 It’s doubtful that Trump did his nominee much good by tweeting that if Ford’s teenage 
allegation was real, she would’ve promptly reported it to the police. White House aides had 
reportedly hoped that Trump would duct-tape his fingers and stay out of the fray, but alas, 
he could not resist. Surely there are still some women left to alienate. He says now that he’s 
standing with Kavanaugh “all the way.”

 And assuming that he and the misogynistic Republicans hold firm in the days ahead, 
it’s doubtful that Andrew Puzder’s outburst will help. You may remember Puzder; he was 
briefly Trump’s Labor secretary nominee. On Saturday, he lamented in a tweet that Ford’s 
sexual assault allegation was evidence that ” nothing is sacred in the Left’s pursuit of power.” 
He omitted the fact that his ex-wife accused him of domestic violence - which she described 
years ago on national TV while wearing a disguise to protect her identity.

 How can Kavanaugh possibly lose when he’s defended by the best people?

-

 Copyright 2018 Dick Polman, distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper 
syndicate.

 Dick Polman is the national political columnist at WHYY in Philadelphia and a “Writer in 
Residence” at the University of Pennsylvania. Email him at dickpolman7@gmail.com.

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