About two weeks ago, news broke that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had allegedly sexual assaulted Dr. Christine Ford while under the influence of alcohol at a high school party in 1982. Kavanaugh had already been through the required hearings of the Judiciary Committee of the Senate when this event had become public, which caused the committee to reopen the hearings on September 27th. Republicans seem to think this is a tactic to take him and his reputation down, while Democrats feel that he should not even be considered for the seat in the court.

I stand with Ford.

Why? Because I am sick of this wave of sexual assault victims being silenced. Victims are constantly labeled as liars and almost immediately get shut down. It’s time that we open our ears and listen to their stories.

During her testimony, Ford was straightforward with every single answer. Staying calm and collected, she answered every question to as much depth as possible. She didn’t see any reason to dodge any comment thrown at her by the Judiciary Committee. Ford stated that her intentions were not to keep Kavanaugh out of office, but to get the word out. She felt that it was her duty to let the people know about her story.

Dr. Ford put everything on the line for this: her privacy, her career as a professor at both Stanford and Palo Alto, EVERYTHING. Do you really think such an intelligent woman like her would become public about such an issue if she had been lying?

Contrary to her, Judge Kavanaugh exploded at the Senators. He became defensive rather quickly when he was questioned by the committee. He beat around the bush on almost every question. He lashed out in front of everyone, which that alone should not be the behavior of someone who is being considered for a seat in the Supreme Court.  

While it is understandable on why Kavanaugh could be angry, it is the fact that he cannot control his temper and be professional in front of a group of Senators, who are essentially determining his future as a judge.

Separate from this specific situation, sexual assault has become a major issue in our world today. It seems to have become the norm to automatically shut a woman down when they speak out about their experiences. I am absolutely fed up with society believing that it is okay to silence these victims. We are continuously saying we need to put an end to this problem, yet when we hear about something this serious happening, we seem to assume that it is ridiculously out-of-pocket.

It is time we resolve this problem and encourage sexual assault victims to share their stories without being afraid. These issues should be treated with seriousness and responsiveness. Together as a country, we need to support others going through these difficult times.

What happened to “innocent until proven guilty?” People across the globe fight for their rights, but when they have the opportunity to use them against someone else, they don’t even hesitate.

The Republican Party can’t seem to get a break. Donald Trump wins the election and everyone goes crazy throwing the words ‘racist’ and ‘sexist’ around like they are ‘please’ and ‘thank yous’. And now, after 36 long years, Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh is being accused of rape and other sexual indecencies by former high school acquaintance Christine Blasey Ford. Is this because it actually occured or because Republicans are being given a harder time to earn political roles?

I stand with Kavanaugh.

Christine Blasey Ford’s testimonies are recently known to be emotional and heart-touching, but they lack what is important – credibility. Ford first states that since the event was from long ago, it is hard for her to remember exact details.

Ford shared, “I don’t have all the answers and I don’t remember as much as I would like to.”

Moments later, she is asked to recall the night of the incident.

“I was pushed onto the bed and Brett got on top of me. He began running his hands over my body and grinding into me. I yelled, hoping someone downstairs might hear me and I tried to get away from him but his weight was heavy. Brett groped me and tried to take off my clothes, but had a hard time because he was very inebriated and because I was wearing a one-piece bathing suit underneath my clothing,” Ford explained.

I alone cannot even recollect what I was wearing last week, so that should be a red flag that this is a false accusation. What makes things even worse for Ford is the fact that she previously stated that she couldn’t remember that 1982 summer night well, then proceeds to provide every last detail.

Ford continued and said, “I believe he was going to rape me. I tried to yell for help. When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from yelling. This is what terrified me the most and has had the most lasting impact on my life. It was hard for me to breathe and I thought Brett was accidently going to kill me.”

If this event had such a negative impact on her life, why is it 36 years later that she is speaking about it. I respect women with a burning passion, but for someone to attempt to ruin someone’s reputation, especially after Brett Kavanaugh was nominated to the Supreme Court, is just flat out cruel. It has been made clear throughout these testimonies that the allegations against Kavanaugh are ruining his personal life, which upsets me greatly.

Kavanaugh said, “This has destroyed my family and my good name….a good name built up through decades of very hard work and public service at the highest levels of the American Government. This whole two week effort has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit, fueled with anger about President Donald Trump and the 2016 election.”

Ford’s timing couldn’t have been better. First she waits over 30 years to report Kavanaugh, which just so happens to be the time where he was nominated to the Supreme Court. If that isn’t suspicious, I don’t know what is.

Kavanaugh added, “I am not questioning that Dr. Ford may have been sexually assaulted by some person, in some place, at sometime, but I have never done this.”

People who are being questioned don’t typically show compassion towards the other party. Kavanaugh shows nothing but respect to Ford throughout the process.

Kavanaugh also appears to be very willing to continue the hearings in any way that will provide evidence, or lack thereof.

He said, “I will do whatever the committee wants. I wanted the hearing after the day of the allegation came up. I wanted to be here that day, but instead, 10 days passed.”

Yet again, another observation that weakens Ford’s argument. The 10 days that were passed up provided her with ample time to ‘strengthen’ her case, which doesn’t seem very fair.

The topic of the issue is not one to joke about. Rape is a serious problem that occurs way too often. The credibility of Ford’s story should be what the decision is based on. She doesn’t seem to agree with this, as she constantly sucks up to the senators.

“I am happy to answer any further details if you want me to.”

“I wish that I could be more helpful and that others can be more helpful and that we could collaborate in a way that would get more information.”

“I am just happy to describe them if you wanted me to and I am happy to not, just whatever you want.”

First of all, isn’t that the reason you are here, to recount in detail when, where, how, and why you were sexually assaulted by Brett Kavanaugh? Why wouldn’t they want you to provide all that you know? Second of all, blaming others for not being “more helpful” isn’t a smart thing to do when you are trying to get people to believe and support you.

Another part of the hearing that discredits Ford’s entire testimony is when she was asked to explain how she was “100%” sure that it was in fact Kavanaugh who sexually assaulted her. Instead of simply answering the question, she decides to provide lesson on neuroscience.

Ford responded, “Just basic memory functions, and also, just the level of norepinephrine and the epinephrine in the brain that … encodes that neurotransmitter, encodes memories into the hippocampus.” (separate quote)

Although intelligent sounding, this response completely avoided the initial question, and was most likely generated in that 10 day time period.

When Kavanaugh is asked a question or requested to comment, on the other hand, he is prepared with a plausible statement.

“This has become a national disgrace. [Ford] has replaced advice and consent with search and destroy. The behaviors of several of the Democratic members of the committee at my hearing a few weeks ago was an embarrassment. Last minute smears, designed to scare me. I wanted a hearing as soon as possible…to clear my name,” he stated.

Am I wrong to say that this statement is accurate?

This whole case was sprung upon everyone, which supports the statement regarding last minute smears. And he did say multiple times that he wanted to begin the hearings before they actually began.

One last reason, out of many, why Ford’s case has crumbled and burned, is how quickly she was to correct her mistakes. You would think one would be careful and completely honest while submitting something as serious as sexual assault, but when reviewing them publicly, Ford is quick to spot errors and correct herself.

“So there is one correction…I have misused the word bystander,” Ford made clear.

After reading one text message, Ford realizes that this “bystander” wasn’t actually in the room when the sexual assault happened. That makes sense…not.

When reviewing the letter written on July 30th, 2018, Ford once again has corrections and clarifications to make, a total of three this time, as she stated, “Let me take a minute to read it. Don’t worry I read fast…..ok, so I have three areas I would like to address.”

Like I said before, writing a letter regarding a possible case of sexual assault should be thoroughly written. Why is she waiting until now to explain what she wrote months ago.

Overall, the senators might need more time to review the evidence provided, but it has been made clear in my mind that Brett Kavanaugh is an innocent man. Christine Ford is just trying to take an opportunity away from a hardworking individual. If she so happens to be telling the truth however, she is doing it all for the wrong reason.

I stand with Kavanaugh.