Nominee Brett Kavanaugh

It is likely that many of us ended up in situations we were greatly affected by many years ago - I know I was. However I wouldn't dream of 'going after' the other person 1. after all this time 2. because I put myself in that place, it just got out of hand so I consider I was 'consenting' but mismanaging and that is / was / and always will be my responsibility

No caro as we are often reminded “it takes two” and a pair of boys will always have the upper hand on a girl,on her own. Just “putting oneself in that place” dies not excuse the behaviour of the other party. .

I am now 70. When I was a child my mother took in lodgers to bring in extra money. Most of them were men who were absolutely fine however at one stage we had a newly married couple staying. My bedroom was next to their room and at night I would often hear the wife repeatedly saying “no”. Here I can only surmise she was refusing to have sex with him. My mother allowed him to build a shed in our garden to breed budgerigars and one day he would nvited me in to see the birds. There was one chair in the shed where he sat and eventually pulled me to sit on his knee. His hands eventually moved from around my waist to lower down. When they started to fondle my pubic area I felt very unhappy so jumped off him and ran out of the shed. I was too embarrassed to tell my mother what had happened but felt quite disturbed by it for several years. If that man was now in the same position as BK I would certainly expose him. I don’t remember exactly when this happened but the details are quite clear after some 60 years.

Very mixed feelings about this. As the nominee he has to be above reproach. She's an intelligent educated woman so hard to believe she would make it up, especially knowing the grief it would inevitably cause her. But it was many years ago and memories are not always reliable and clear. I consider myself reasonably intelligent and 'on the ball', but I've had the odd occasion when I think I've remembered something from the past but found myself wondering if it had really happened as i recall it or did I imagine/dream it. But certainly nothing as traumatic as she is alledging, which presumably is something she would have no doubt about. He did come across as bullish at times, but no-one gets to his position by being a shrinking violet. And if the claims are false he has a right to be angry and indignant. Truth is I don't know who to believe. But can't help thinking many of us are tempted to believe the worst of him because he's a Trump nominee - myself included.

Exposing himself at a party when he was in his teens (one of the complaints) should not be held against him. Lots of boys do stupid, offensive things when they are young and getting to know their drinking limits. However, gang rape, that's different. I don't know whether he did it. I didn't hear her testimony but I heard his and I can't help thinking an entirely innocent man would welcome a proper investigation and, if only for the reputation of the American Justice System, would want to know that everything had been done to ensure that his integrity was not in question upon appointment.
Reading between the lines, there is evidence that this is a man who changes considerably when he has been drinking and becomes incredibly angry even as an older man, not just in his youth. Is this the best person for such an important job?
I agree with B9exchange. As a person who experienced the same, I can tell you that I might not have had a nervous breakdown or appeared so terribly affected outwardly to my friends but it never leaves me. With all this Jimmy Saville, Weinstein et al business, it comes back in waves. I can't remember every little detail because of the length of time, trying to bury it and my brain cells dying off but it doesn't make it any less true.

Granvee. Why bring a persons skin tone into it?.

Jaycee5’s point about changing the system to fixed terms for American Supreme Court judges is very pertinent, the whole system over there appears bizarre. ?

I watched the entire proceedings and Professor Ford did not convince me. She said she was terrified to appear at the hearing and used a trembly, tearful voice when giving evidence. This is a professional woman used to public speaking as a teacher who has obviously risen up the ranks. She seemed to be enjoying herself at times. If you look objectively at the evidence she could not give any accuracy as to year, month, exact house of the offence, how she got there and how she got home. All three people she named did not back up her story. Even if you want to believe her account she had no corroborative evidence of the offence.

Much as I dislike Trump and the very conservative views of Kavanaugh, I could understand his anger and despair of having his family dragged through the mud on very dubious grounds. The Democratic party were desperate to disqualify him and held onto the Professor’s evidence hoping to bring it out too late for any further investigation so that it could be used to influence his appointment and the mid term elections.

I am an early feminist. We fought for equal recognition and salaries but the “me too” women who are too scared to slap a man’s hands away annoy me. We were much tougher in my day! Like many of you I thought Kavanaugh showed far too much anger but I cannot support dismissing his candidacy without probable cause and this is trial by media and is a dangerous road to travel.

My first thoughts in any of these situations that happened in the past are what did the victim do following an assault. Maybe I have missed something and I am sure someone will put me right and the person /victim did make a complaint at the time but other than that why wait until now.

Mark Judge is now an alcoholic who has made some money writing about his frat days. He was Kavanagh's best friend and has written about the way they behaved. It is very unpleasant and the forum for and manner of her questioning was horrendous - but he has not had due process which is important and it is not something that he can disprove. He is obnoxious and I would not want to be judged by him. The system is wrong. Maybe supreme court judges should sit for a fixed term and then have to be reappointed.

Totally agree GranVee, He comes across as a very arrogant man who bullies his way to get what he wants.
Hopefully time will be taken to make the decision on him becoming a Supreme Court Judge. I understand that once appointed the job is for life so there will be no getting rid once he is in office.

I think he is a white man from a wealthy family who feels a sense of entitlement. Sadly he probably can't remember it, as I suspect this was "normal" behaviour for him. She is happy for it to be investigated by the FBI he is not. I felt he was just "paddying" because he's used to his own way.

Anniebach Harvey Weinstein is a very different case. There were reports to the police going back 30 years and their HR department has been heavily fined for the way they handled reports. One actress was asked to wear a wire and he admitted it. Then DA Vance decided not to prosecute and accepted a $10,000 donation from Weinstein's lawyer - Google 'Weinstein and DS Vance' and you can hear the recording and Vance trying to excuse it. He was also older and using his power. Women learnt that there was no point reporting Weinstein. Over 60 women have accused him including of rape.

What an undignified unedifying spectacle the hearing was. And this is a judge?? Belligerent, angry, arrogant and rude - I am obviously very naive to expect someone with the position of one of the most important legal positions in the USA, to be able to put his points calmly, clearly and without sniffing, sobbing and ranting. This is Trump's America, I hope our British judges would have more dignity.

I have been following what’s happening in America on the investigative news channel msnbc for more than a year now. You can get it on the internet. Good programmes on msnbc are the Rachel Maddox Show, the Last Word and the Eleventh Hour. Msnbc supplies all the background, and what has been going on has to the best soap opera ever. On YouTube I enjoy Stephen Colbert’s humorous monologues.

It is likely that many of us ended up in situations we were greatly affected by many years ago - I know I was. However I wouldn't dream of 'going after' the other person 1. after all this time 2. because I put myself in that place, it just got out of hand so I consider I was 'consenting' but mismanaging and that is / was / and always will be my responsibility.

This case has opened my eyes to the fact that America is clearly not a democracy, it is ruled by members of the Supreme Court Who are there for life. Quite shocking.

Judge Kavanugh is to be investigated, NanKate.

I’m so glad rhe Republican senator Flake had the guts to ask for an FBI investigation, however a week will not be sufficient but at least it is something. I hope they investigate all 3 cases but I think he only asked for Prof Christine’s to be done.

It’s obvious the Old Boys’ Network is still going strong in the US unfortunately.

Wonder what an effect all this will have on female voters in the November elections...

Sparklefizz she herself says that she had her bathing costume on underneath and that's why nothing more intimate happened.
Because when lying on a bed you can't get a bathing costume off if there's a struggle going on. It works like a chastity belt.
I'm quite sure the whole thing happened and its doesn't sound good but I think 36 years on, is just too late to prove anything one way or the other.
I feel sorry for her and am afraid she has now ruined her own life now.

I think he did it but was too drunk to remember. I found it telling that he has done his best to discredit his 'friend' who is the only potential witness.

As someone who was sexually assaulted 48 years ago, I assure you that you never forget, it damages you. If the perpetrator were now to be about to be awarded a top job as a judge, I hope I would have the courage to speak out to protect women who might have their cases come up before him.

I don't know which of them is lying or telling the truth. But please don't suggest that an assault when you were a teenager doesn't count.

She didn’t say she had just been swimming, probably was going swimming later or wore in incase there would be a decision to go swimming

He doesn’t appear to be a judge does he? Admittedly the whole circus would be very upsetting on a personal level, but he should have tried to sound more stable.

So further checks and investigations are to be made.
Good