Stand Up

Stand up for what you believe. Say so to others. Do this and make a difference.

That’s what Dr. Ford did. She did so once she knew Kavanaugh was on the short list of Supreme Court nominees. She wanted to sound an alarm that he was tainted by a physical sexual assault she was certain he had done to her. She wasn’t getting back at him; she was protecting the Supreme Court and our nation. She stood up at the right time. Not an easy choice. Not without incredible pain and suffering on her part.

Then other women stood up and said their truth. To anyone who would listen. Radio and TV audiences. Newspapers, Twitter, Facebook. The nation heard these testaments of pain and horror. Friends, too, learned of horrible acts committed many years ago upon their person. We learned of many such stories.

I was stunned by this. Yes, I learned of these personal accounts from friends. I talked to my daughter and learned that she knew of others as well. An awakening to a problem much larger than what I had thought. Much larger. Horrendous.

The nomination process selected Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court judgeship. And other women came forward. Dr. Ford was not alone.

Then America’s women announced their resolve to hear truth from coast to coast. And it was. Men heard. Not all of them agreed; some were unwilling to listen. But congressmen and women and senators, too, heard and reacted. Soon a movement gave its evidence to the entire nation.

Two women confronted senators with their story and outrage that their stories may not be accounted weight in the Kavanaugh testimony. One of these senators was Flake of Arizona.

He was shaken. He could not ignore the sound of innocence and truth. And abuse. The starkness of it.

He asked the process to be delayed. It was. The vote count projected for the Senate floor was too close. Senate leadership yielded in the face of the math. So did the President. The process was delayed for more examination of the background and facts by the FBI. As it should have been all along.

We are in the time-out of this process. We do not know the photo finish at the end. It will come. We all have hope.

In this time of pause we learned the power of truth. We heard the power of women. We heed it. And await the outcome.

Stand up. Make a difference. Always.

October 3, 2018