October 24, 2018 // October 6, 2018
What we've learned: In the world of politics, an object in motion almost never remains in motion.
This particular TWAN post is directed primarily to women, particularly to those women who felt betrayed, angry, and silenced by the confirmation of our newest Supreme Court Justice. But as always, we’re open to the thoughts and feedback of discerning people everywhere.
We’re offering a very quick TWAN quiz, containing one question and one question only. Please read the list of names below and check off the ones you recognize. It’s that easy. Ready?
In case you’re stymied, the first 13 women are individuals who came forward with stories of sexual assault against them by Bill Cosby.
And yes, the last one is a woman who came forward with a story of sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
But let's back up just a bit longer than two weeks. Try fourteen years. That’s how long it took for Andrea Constand to see Cosby brought to justice for his crimes. She first came forward with the accusations in early 2004, and in 2018 [after a mistrial being declared in 2017], she saw him convicted and sent to prison for assaulting her and two other women.
Her fortitude and determination, as formidable as it was, pales in comparison to that of Linda Joy Traitz, who came forward after decades of silence. Here’s that list of women again, this time with the timeline of the assaults:
By the end of 2015, some 50 women (50!!!) had stepped forward with their own horror stories about Cosby, and his “luck” – if you want to call it that - had finally run out. He was charged with assaulting Constand with almost no time to spare – just two weeks before the statute of limitations would have prevented it.
We have nothing but compassion for these women – for any woman or young girl who endured and survived sexual assault from any man, especially a man of significant influence and power who was clearly in control of the narrative. We are basically in awe of the strength and diligence it took for Andrea Constand – and the other women – to continue pursuing a case against “America’s Dad” in the face of what had to feel like insurmountable odds to find justice.
NBC News reported on Andrea Constand’s state of mind as follows (emphasis from TWAN): Constand said reliving the assault in court during the first trial, which ended in a mistrial in June 2017, and in the retrial, along with the criticism she took on as a result, left her feeling “traumatized all over again.” But she said she knew she had to speak out in an effort to save possible future victims from Cosby, and with the hope of helping all sexual assault victims.
She said she has often expected to find a sense of peace and closure after the assault, but “almost 15 years later, I’m a middle-aged woman who’s been stuck in a holding pattern most of her adult life, unable to heal fully or move forward.”
We find all of that unspeakably sad, and noble and sobering.
Because the Cosby trial conclusion was running parallel with the Kavanaugh hearings, we kept wondering what Christine Blasey Ford would do next. She revealed a case of sexual assault, one that has left her (not unlike Andrea Constand) victimized all over again. (Two additional women, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick, also told stories of Judge Kavanaugh’s criminal sexual behavior toward them, albeit not before the Senate Committee.) How could Ford get justice? What would be her next steps in pursuing a case against the now sitting Supreme Court Justice for his crimes?
Thank you, google. It didn’t take us long to find out exactly what she plans to do next, to bring Kavanaugh to answer for his crimes in front of a judge and jury, to do her part to advance the cause embraced by and paramount to millions of women [women who were active and vocal and relentless in their support of her testimony and her case against Kavanaugh and his crimes], to do what she could to bring an end to a long-standing era of predatory male activity and assault, and prevent this kind of crime for future victims.
Nothing. She’s doing nothing.
Unlike Constand, she does not feel compelled to pursue a case against Kavanaugh to help assault victims everywhere and focus on making this heinous activity a regrettable and shameful relic of our history as a society.
Huh. We wondered why? Undoubtedly, this took an enormous toll on her, her family and friends, and she will not soon have the anonymous life she lived prior to September 2018. The media spotlight, the relentless pursuit of her story, her history, and her life itself had to be debilitating and horrible.
We could say the same for Constand (and the other 49 Cosby accusers) but that same media toll didn’t stop them from years and years of pursuing justice.
But hey – we’re all different people. What one woman feels is justice and worth whatever the cost to her personally, another simply cannot take on. We get that. So we looked further, to see what explanation Ford herself offered for her choice to pursue nothing further. Here you go, from that same NBC News article (TWAN emphasis in bold):
Christine Blasey Ford has no further plans to pursue her sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh, according to her lawyers.
Ford only wanted to speak with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, her attorneys told CNN on Friday. Ford does not want the situation to "drag on into the next Congress should Democrats end up winning control on Capitol Hill," the network reported.
TWAN – as usual – waitaminutewaitaminutewaitaminutewaitaminute.
To borrow phrase: What difference does it make? What difference does the outcome of the midterm elections make to the sexual assault charges you brought against Brett Kavanaugh for his predatory and unwelcome assault against you in the 1980s? Was it a crime or not? Is it only a crime if it gets him unconfirmed for the Supreme Court? Is it a non-issue if he gets confirmed?
If you listen to the public support and unending support for Ford, you have to believe this entire exercise was NOT politically motivated. It was one woman calling into question – and rightly so – the worthiness and character of a person being vetted for a very significant job in our government. And he is far from safe from prosecution, even as a member of the Supreme Court. Although it turns out, even being convicted of a crime doesn’t mean he or she would automatically lose their position on the Court. That’s up to the members of Congress. Regular readers won’t be surprised to learn we looked it up:
From an NBC News affiliate: A detailed explanation of impeachment procedures and qualifications [of a Supreme Court Justice] can be found in a 35-page research document by the Congressional Research Service.
Published in 2010, it details numerous cases involving previous judges who have been impeached and what happened to them.
To save readers a wall of text, we're breaking it down into some main points:
Maybe she was just exhausted. After years of living with this traumatic and horrible experience, she chose to reveal her story, first to her Senator, and then to the nation. Maybe she tried to make a difference. Maybe she chose to speak up because of the significance of his appointment and when her efforts to stop it failed, she chose to admit defeat, try to reclaim her life, and move on.
Maybe not.
What we've learned: In the world of politics, an object in motion almost never remains in motion.
This particular TWAN post is directed primarily to women, particularly to those women who felt betrayed, angry, and silenced by the confirmation of our newest Supreme Court Justice. But as always, we’re open to the thoughts and feedback of discerning people everywhere.
We’re offering a very quick TWAN quiz, containing one question and one question only. Please read the list of names below and check off the ones you recognize. It’s that easy. Ready?
- Beth Ferrier
- Tamara Green
- Barbara Bowman
- Joan Tarshis
- Linda Joy Traitz
- Andrea Constand
- Theresa Serignese
- Judy Huth
- Jennifer Johnson
- Lisa Lotte-Lublin
- Chelan Lashaan
- Jennifer Thompson
- Chloe Goins
- Christine Blasey Ford
In case you’re stymied, the first 13 women are individuals who came forward with stories of sexual assault against them by Bill Cosby.
And yes, the last one is a woman who came forward with a story of sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
But let's back up just a bit longer than two weeks. Try fourteen years. That’s how long it took for Andrea Constand to see Cosby brought to justice for his crimes. She first came forward with the accusations in early 2004, and in 2018 [after a mistrial being declared in 2017], she saw him convicted and sent to prison for assaulting her and two other women.
Her fortitude and determination, as formidable as it was, pales in comparison to that of Linda Joy Traitz, who came forward after decades of silence. Here’s that list of women again, this time with the timeline of the assaults:
- Beth Ferrier - 1984
- Tamara Green – 1970s
- Barbara Bowman - 2006
- Joan Tarshis – 1969
- Linda Joy Traitz – 1970’s
- Andrea Constand - 2004
- Theresa Serignese– 1976 (She was 19 years old.)
- Judy Huth – 1974 (She was 15 years old.)
- Jennifer Johnson – no date specified – testified in the Andrea Constand case
- Lisa Lotte-Lublin – 1989
- Chelan Lashaan – 1986 (She was 17 years old.)
- Jennifer Thompson – no date specified
- Chloe Goins - 2008
- Christine Blasey Ford – early to mid 1980s
By the end of 2015, some 50 women (50!!!) had stepped forward with their own horror stories about Cosby, and his “luck” – if you want to call it that - had finally run out. He was charged with assaulting Constand with almost no time to spare – just two weeks before the statute of limitations would have prevented it.
We have nothing but compassion for these women – for any woman or young girl who endured and survived sexual assault from any man, especially a man of significant influence and power who was clearly in control of the narrative. We are basically in awe of the strength and diligence it took for Andrea Constand – and the other women – to continue pursuing a case against “America’s Dad” in the face of what had to feel like insurmountable odds to find justice.
NBC News reported on Andrea Constand’s state of mind as follows (emphasis from TWAN): Constand said reliving the assault in court during the first trial, which ended in a mistrial in June 2017, and in the retrial, along with the criticism she took on as a result, left her feeling “traumatized all over again.” But she said she knew she had to speak out in an effort to save possible future victims from Cosby, and with the hope of helping all sexual assault victims.
She said she has often expected to find a sense of peace and closure after the assault, but “almost 15 years later, I’m a middle-aged woman who’s been stuck in a holding pattern most of her adult life, unable to heal fully or move forward.”
We find all of that unspeakably sad, and noble and sobering.
Because the Cosby trial conclusion was running parallel with the Kavanaugh hearings, we kept wondering what Christine Blasey Ford would do next. She revealed a case of sexual assault, one that has left her (not unlike Andrea Constand) victimized all over again. (Two additional women, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick, also told stories of Judge Kavanaugh’s criminal sexual behavior toward them, albeit not before the Senate Committee.) How could Ford get justice? What would be her next steps in pursuing a case against the now sitting Supreme Court Justice for his crimes?
Thank you, google. It didn’t take us long to find out exactly what she plans to do next, to bring Kavanaugh to answer for his crimes in front of a judge and jury, to do her part to advance the cause embraced by and paramount to millions of women [women who were active and vocal and relentless in their support of her testimony and her case against Kavanaugh and his crimes], to do what she could to bring an end to a long-standing era of predatory male activity and assault, and prevent this kind of crime for future victims.
Nothing. She’s doing nothing.
Unlike Constand, she does not feel compelled to pursue a case against Kavanaugh to help assault victims everywhere and focus on making this heinous activity a regrettable and shameful relic of our history as a society.
Huh. We wondered why? Undoubtedly, this took an enormous toll on her, her family and friends, and she will not soon have the anonymous life she lived prior to September 2018. The media spotlight, the relentless pursuit of her story, her history, and her life itself had to be debilitating and horrible.
We could say the same for Constand (and the other 49 Cosby accusers) but that same media toll didn’t stop them from years and years of pursuing justice.
But hey – we’re all different people. What one woman feels is justice and worth whatever the cost to her personally, another simply cannot take on. We get that. So we looked further, to see what explanation Ford herself offered for her choice to pursue nothing further. Here you go, from that same NBC News article (TWAN emphasis in bold):
Christine Blasey Ford has no further plans to pursue her sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh, according to her lawyers.
Ford only wanted to speak with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, her attorneys told CNN on Friday. Ford does not want the situation to "drag on into the next Congress should Democrats end up winning control on Capitol Hill," the network reported.
TWAN – as usual – waitaminutewaitaminutewaitaminutewaitaminute.
To borrow phrase: What difference does it make? What difference does the outcome of the midterm elections make to the sexual assault charges you brought against Brett Kavanaugh for his predatory and unwelcome assault against you in the 1980s? Was it a crime or not? Is it only a crime if it gets him unconfirmed for the Supreme Court? Is it a non-issue if he gets confirmed?
If you listen to the public support and unending support for Ford, you have to believe this entire exercise was NOT politically motivated. It was one woman calling into question – and rightly so – the worthiness and character of a person being vetted for a very significant job in our government. And he is far from safe from prosecution, even as a member of the Supreme Court. Although it turns out, even being convicted of a crime doesn’t mean he or she would automatically lose their position on the Court. That’s up to the members of Congress. Regular readers won’t be surprised to learn we looked it up:
From an NBC News affiliate: A detailed explanation of impeachment procedures and qualifications [of a Supreme Court Justice] can be found in a 35-page research document by the Congressional Research Service.
Published in 2010, it details numerous cases involving previous judges who have been impeached and what happened to them.
To save readers a wall of text, we're breaking it down into some main points:
- While justices can be accused, tried and even found guilty of any crime, they won't lose their Supreme Court seat because of any sentence.
- The only way a justice on the Supreme Court can be removed is by impeachment and subsequent conviction.
- Like in cases involving the president and vice president, impeachment of a justice requires a majority of the US House of Representatives to approve the "impeachment" and then a 2/3 "supermajority" of the US Senate would have to convict the justice.
Maybe she was just exhausted. After years of living with this traumatic and horrible experience, she chose to reveal her story, first to her Senator, and then to the nation. Maybe she tried to make a difference. Maybe she chose to speak up because of the significance of his appointment and when her efforts to stop it failed, she chose to admit defeat, try to reclaim her life, and move on.
Maybe not.