The Old Broad Sounds Off
As we get older, things that we believed in once – Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy – lose their authenticity. There are so many things that I used to believe in that I no longer believe in now. I ceased believing in our Presidential elections when the election was stolen from Al Gore; that feeling was only intensified with the election of the current president. I used to teach how important it was to vote; that each person’s vote counted until it was shown to be a misnomer with the electoral college. I have had to do some changes in my own philosophy and beliefs.
But there was still one governmental agency I believed in up until the last presidential election. I believed in the FBI. After all, when I was a victim of an on-line scammer, I had contact with that agency. They didn’t do anything, but they listened. I once had a student whose father was an FBI agent. He was articulate, intelligent, and worldly. (The father – not the student.) I always felt that the FBI was to be trusted because they showed the utmost integrity in their assignments. And now, well, there is that “age” thing again, because I have lost complete faith in the FBI and realize that they are just as corrupt as any other governmental agency.
The firing of James Comey; the firing of Andrew McCabe; the obstacles put in the way of the Mueller probe have all been done by the man in the white house to stop casting aspersions on him. The “honest” people; the ones that really care about the future of America are gone, or on their way out. The investigation of the Kavanaugh case is a sham on the American public.
What happened to the investigative powers that the FBI is known for? Why did they not question others that have direct knowledge of the incident Dr. Ford takes place? Why did they not question his former roommate? Why did they question only a handful of people but not the two involved people – Dr. Ford and the Judge.
How much influence did the man in the White House have in the “investigation?” Bear in mind that I use the word “investigation” loosely. My dog “investigates” the smells on our walks better that the FBI investigated these charges. The entire thing is a sham; We, the United States, will suffer for years to come now that Kavanaugh is on the bench. I am so disappointed in those Senators that voted yes for his confirmation; I am heartsick about the women who voted “yes” for his confirmation – and particularly for Susan Collins, whom I voted for when I lived in Maine. I feel ill when I hear the Senate males say that they may not “believe Dr. Ford but she is attractive”; or the male that says that she “isn’t sure it was him”, or the president that makes fun of her by giving acceptance to her assault and questioning what she remembers. \
No, America, by the time I leave this earth, very little of what I thought was sacred will be thought of in the same way. The “land of the free” is becoming the “land of the rich”; the rights that women fought for so many years ago is being negated, and pretty soon women will be barefoot and pregnant again, and the wishes of Missouri GOP Senate Candidate Courtland Sykes to have dinner “on the table at 6:00pm every night” will be realized. I still believe in my family; my children; my grandchildren, and my dog. Everything else is waning rapidly.
Local Bus Service
Moving right along – or not, if you are waiting for a bus – brings me to my next topic – bus service in San Diego, and, more specifically, bus service to Ocean Beach/Pt. Loma.
Our elected officials are touting the great bus service we have in San Diego. I have long ago thought that they have never taken a bus to his area, and if they have it wasn’t later than 7:00pm. A case in point:
I used to be able to take a bus almost to the end of Ladera Street. The people in the area were thrilled when that route was stopped, because it was dirty, noisy and made our congested streets worse. However, that meant that if you needed to catch a bus to the Old Town Trolley station, or downtown, you somehow had to get to Sunset Cliffs and Pt. Loma Avenue, because that was where the bus line would start. There you could get on the 35 bus, continue on it to Old Town, or change to the 923 bus at Newport/Cable and continue downtown.
At the first of the year, there was a big change. In someone’s infinite wisdom, the 35 bus was discontinued at Pt. Loma Ave and the 923 emanates from there. Now if you want to go to Old Town you still have to get off at Newport/Cable and get on the 35 bus – the reverse of what was done before. OK – confusing at first, but doable. BUT, let’s say you want to go to Old Town, or Downtown, or anyplace on Saturday and/or Sunday. You are out of luck because they eliminated the weekend bus starting at Pt. Loma Ave. (True, they had eliminated the 35 Sunday bus too, but at least there was a bus on Saturday.) So how do you get someplace on the weekend? Well, you could call for an Uber or Lyft; or you could walk to Newport, or you could get one of the Lime scooters and or bikes, or you could just stay home.
Oh! But wait. You decided you wanted to go to a ball game at Petco; or you wanted to see a play at the Lyceum, or you want to see a movie, or…..Great! Fun! Enjoy. You have to leave Pt. LomaAve/Sunset Cliffs Blvd. by 6:36pm, because that is the last bus from that spot. Not too much of a problem – and you can’t do it on the weekend.
But how are you going to get back?
Certainly not on the bus, because the last 923 bus leaves downtown at 6:38pm and arrives at Pt. Loma and Sunset Cliffs at 7:26pm. I always find it so uncomfortable to be wearing a formal outfit while on the back of a motorized scooter .
To the city officials that are touting our wonderful bus service; that offered “free” bus rides last Tuesday so you can see how wonderful our bus system is, need to start riding the bus to and from work; to and from leisure activities; to and from daily commutes. Maybe then the realism of what is really happening in San Diego can be addressed. In the meantime, don’t complain that the monies are going to cars for hire services, because they sure as hell aren’t going to the Metropolitan Bus Lines.
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Exactly what was the FBI suppose to investigate? The FBI investigates crimes and incidents involving federal statues not local or state crimes. They have no criminal jurisdiction in this alleged matter. Secondly, the alleged victim cannot recall the date, times, or place of the event other than it was a party at a house. All four the the people she named, one being one of her closes female friends, do not recall such an event.
As was clearly stated in the senate judicial committee hearing by then Senator Joseph Biden years ago, the FBI does not reach conclusions, they conduct background investigations, talk with parties who know the subject, and produce reports for the committee. Take it from the former Senator and Vice President https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a5F5wsul_Zo
Disagree completely with you, Robert. It was to be an investigation. There was no investigation. I am not asking for a conclusion as you define it. But I am asking that people be interviewed; that the two parties be interviewed. It is obvious that you are a male that refuses to accept that what happened to Dr. Ford actually happened. I only hope it doesn’t happen to your sister, your mother, your daughter, etc. because only then will you believe a woman.
As was stated the FBI does not investigate anything they conduct a background check. And with this person seven checks over the last 20-30 years. Amazingly none of these claims ever surfaced previously. In addition it was the Democrats on the committee who chose not to participate, it was our Senator who hid then leaked (yes she denied leaking it) Dr. Ford’s accusation. It’s all a right wing conspiracy, right?You folks needs to stop smoking, inhaling, injecting, huffing, or absorbing whatever you’re doing.
Whoa Robert- you’re painting yourself into a corner…kinda like Kavanaugh did! The FBI investigation, or call it a background check if you want, was a narrow and cursory follow-up, as specifically directed by the WH. No one can argue that. It was choreographed to provide those members of the committee who were in favor of confirming Kavanaugh a dialog box to say “See? We’re fair-minded. And we are allowing 1 week for further inquiry so we can justify disregarding everything we’ve heard in testimony this week”!
While I don’t agree with Judi’s blame of the FBI, they simply executed the extent of what they were allowed, to suggest that the report was non-corroborating is ridiculous! There was nothing IN the report.
The larger point is that Kavanaugh fully revealed himself, his character, and his nature, in his testimony! An immature, entitled and overly opinionated man who knee-jerked in the wrong direction! And there’s nothing independent about him! Frankly, and sadly, it really wasn’t about Ford and whether he did or didn’t. I believe that, likely, he honestly doesn’t remember the incident, because it wasn’t remarkable to HIM, just part of his obnoxious behavior patterns when he was 17. And he clearly hasn’t matured much in the 35 yr interim…
The POINT is, it was a job interview and he showed his true nature to everyone on that committee, FBI report or not. If he had owned even HALF of the disclosures, if he had said he honestly couldn’t remember, if he had not STUPIDLY lied about the definitions in his year book and calendars, if he had avoided aggressively offending a member of the committee by rudely asking what her drinking pattern was…. that might have shown a different man.
And you drill down on the whole hiding/leaking thing- really? Ford was pretty clear that it was not her choice to reveal her identity, so what are you partisan-blaming the whole hiding thing on the politician?
There’s no right-wing conspiracy- its all perfectly transparent to anyone paying attention. And all I can say, having listened to and watched the hours of discourse myself, and the shameful behavior of not only this unsuitable judge but almost everyone in the Senate chambers, is that you must have been smoking something pretty good yourself to have missed the obvious story and the actual facts!
12 years on the bench of has been labeled as nation’s “2nd highest court”, more than 300 opinions, many folllowed by the Supreme Court. Not one complaint about his scholarly or legal work. The highest rating from the independent ABA ever and more documentation than all previous nominees combined. You folks argue about an alleged incident with no proof he was involved, no nothing at all from 36 years ago. You folks are pathetic when you don’t get your own way.
“You folks are pathetic when you don’t get your own way.”
Sort of like when a baby of a man who has gotten everything he wanted in life is suddenly outed for past behavior and the other side does EVERYTHING possible to hamstring a proper investigation let alone do the right thing and make him rescind his nomination (gee this doesn’t sound like only Kavanaugh does it)? EVERYONE knows the only reason they still voted him in is because they wanted their way. If they didn’t vote him in, there wasn’t enough time to get a different conservative justice through the confirmation process.
And I know what Kavanaugh was like in HS because I grew up in Bethesda and went to his rival all-boys high school which is also Fords brother school. I know plenty of people who went to Prep and other schools during those years. I also know exactly what the culture is and how the partying was. Even if you don’t believe he assualted her, he lied repeatedly about things as minuscule as booting and the Devil’s Triangle.
What’s pathetic is people like you bud.
Well, Bud, it was the ABA who endorsed him as a well qualified nominee, their highest rating.
As to the statement regarding Bethesda. I’ll take your word you were part of it and may even known teenage Kavanaugh. What I find interesting is that no one in these tight knit communities seems to recall this incident. Or the Avenatti fiction of weekly gang rape trains of teenagers in the Sumer of 82. Gossip like that not only would have spread like a wildfire burning a forest. But grown exponentially huuuuuuuuuuuge. Just another hole in the whole storyline.
Well we can certainly agree that Avenatti interjecting himself in the equation hurt democrats and Ford’s testimony. The third woman was not very credible.
I’m not surprised that everyone cannot recall it.
1. She ran out of the small party right after it happened. No one there would have been privy to what had occurred. And if Kavanaugh/Judge were in fact guilty of what they did, they never would have brought it up.
2. Parties really did happen all the time. Every weekend night, and senior year a lot of weekday evenings. I vividly remember specific moments from dozens of parties over my HS years, but I couldn’t tell you for the life of me where the houses were or exactly who was at each party.
3. Those that may know something might feel they have nothing to gain and everything to lose computationally if they came forward. Sad but true.
Oh, right- you mean the same “independent” ABA that clawed back their endorsement? Many Senators stated that they would consider other, conservative nominees, so why the recalcitrance over THIS one? Oh wait- it wasn’t about the man and his temperament, it was all about the mid-term elections, right? And that pesky Democratic conspiracy!
A man who dragged his children into his testimony. A man who showed such belligerence, even sober, it astounded the nation. A man who cited lifting weights and frat behavior as qualifications for the job.
Not one complaint about his previous scholarly briefs??! Oh right- you mean not one complaint from conservatives with a higher agenda. Let’s see, everyone wants to get rid of affordable health care, everyone wants to axe all citizens’ right to engage in the civil contract of marriage, and no one in the country wants equality for employees. And we won’t even bring Roe v. Wade onto the list. And certainly everyone in your world wants the President to be above the law, right?
But what do we know about justice? We’re just “pathetic” “smokers” who never get our own way.
The purpose of the confirmation hearings, like any job interview, is to assess temperament and fitness for the position. And you actually believe that is what this man demonstrated: honesty, impartiality, humility, fairness, civility, and maturity for a lifetime appointment. I can only hope you aren’t a judge….
The ABA never “clawed back” or changed the endorsement. They merely asked the FBI to do what they did.
Not one complaint about his scholarly work from the parties involved in his cases. Because if there was, the main stream media would have been all over it. Not one complaint about his behavior on the bench and hundreds of former employees, friends, associates and peers all praising Judge Kavanaugh’s character both on and off the bench. In addition, the 65 women, many his former law clerks, who endorsed him. These are well educated women, many professionals, some not also regarded him as a good person. A quote from their letter: “Many of us have remained close friends with him and his family over the years. Through the more than 35 years we have known him, Brett has stood out for his friendship, character, and integrity. In particular, he has always treated women with decency and respect. That was true when he was in high school, and it has remained true to this day.”
So why is the standard to believe one, without any corroboration, physical evidence, and story inconsistencies and not the word of 65 others women who have known him for 35 years. We are also asked to suspend all rational thought to believe the Avenatti spun up fiction from an attention seeker and her fame seeking television porn lawyer. They both are sooooooo credible. Come on.
Yeah, super obvious Ford couldn’t wait to tell her story and bask in the limelight! You continue to hit on the credibility of Ford, who wasn’t interviewing for any job, rather than the behavior of the man who was. Like I said, why not just take Ford out of the equation altogether, and then look, without the partisan glasses, at what is left? Just a self-absorbed liar and evader, supported by a shameful collection of anything-but independent thinkers, exhibiting the usual “club behavior”. Ugh, smells like a locker room…
And Tyler has the right view-I don’t think Kavanaugh does remember it- probably the only thing he didn’t lie about. Because it was just one evening in a hazy, boozy period of years, and nothing remarkable happened to HIM, or others who may have been there, that night.
And if we DO put Ford back into the equation, what WAS corroborated by hundreds of other abuse victims who subsequently communicated with their Senators, and by professional counselors who treat these victims, is that the ONE thing victims do remember is WHO. How offensive of people like Susan Collins saying she believed Ford, but that she had the wrong guy…what on earth did Ford have to gain by choosing him as the WHO? Or are we back to theory of the Democratic conspiracy? Come on yourself.
Robert – You have just repeated the exact words used by the Republicans on the Judiciary Committee and by Trump. And they’re simply not true. For instance, the claim “All four the the people she named, one being one of her closes female friends, do not recall such an event” has been disproven. This was a sham and whitewash of an “investigation”. An embarrassment.
Thank you Frank for recognizing it correctly repeated the facts. Here are some other facts: Senator Feinstein consealed Dr. Ford’s accusations for weeks in an attempt to delay a nonination before the Committee. Others on one side of the aisle tried repeatedly to delay the committee’s progress. But much to their chagrin, and if I may quote an arrogant former President Obama, “Elections have consequences,” he told then number two Republican Rep. Eric Cantor. “And at the end of the day, I won. So I think on that one I trump you.” Quite poetic, don’t you think? President Trump, trumps Obama at his own twisted game of oneupsmanship. And, now with the so called leader of the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, demanding incivility. And former Attorney General Eric Holder parroting her. Yours is the party of rage and violence.
“Yours is the party of rage and violence”
REALLY? Have you listened to a Trump rally?
Great column as always, Judi.
Thank you, Gil.
I enjoyed your thoughts on both the state of national politics and mass-transit. Back in my student days in the late ’60’s and early 70’s, I made use of public transit in the city. Based on your experience, it doesn’t sound like the convenience of this system has improved, particularly in some of the beach areas. I fear you’re holding the FBI unjustly accountable for performing a minimal follow-up on the Kavanaugh investigation. Any background check falls under the authority and purview of the Executive branch. The limit and authority for inquires the FBI can and cannot pursue is set by their client, in this instance the President. There was no political upside for demanding a comprehensive investigation in this instance and that is what we saw. To pillory or question the professionalism of the FBI in this instance, is unjustified, in my opinion.
What was the FBI supposed to do? They were hamstrung by the WH. Wray even came out today to say as much, admirably. Why so quick to turn on them for an isolated incident, largely out of their control, in an organization so massive that it’s irresponsible to brand it collectively.
The FBI was hamstrung by the White House, that’s true. Wray – who went to Yale with Kavanaugh – was even at his confirmation hearing in support.
Can you provide evidence he was there in actual support and not in an official capacity?
How’s this, Tyler and Peter. From Rolling Stone:
“The FBI director just confirmed that Trump limited the scope of the investigation into allegations that Kavanaugh committed sexual assault. This confirms what we already knew: The investigation was a complete sham.”
Thank you Judi! You spoke out for me and millions of others who share your frustrations. No denying the sham.
Kavanaugh never took a lie detector test. Why didn’t he ?
Because they have been ruled by the courts as unreliable and inadmissible. Polygraphs have one real purpose, to be used by a skilled interview and interrogation specialist during an interview of a suspect. To be used as a tool to coax a confession. If you understood the psychology of interrogation, as Dr. Ford who prepared a client for a polygraph examination does, you would better understand. One of the many inconsistencies that slipped out during Dr. Ford’s testimony.