<div dir="ltr"><div style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Helvetica Neue","Segoe UI",Helvetica,Arial,"Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:13px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;list-style-type:none;margin:0px;padding-left:0px"><div class="gmail-msg-body gmail-P_wpofO gmail-iy_A" style="font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;line-height:normal;overflow-x:auto;padding:2px 0px 0px"><div class="gmail-jb_0 gmail-X_6MGW gmail-N_6Fd5" style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:24px;padding-right:16px"><div style="line-height:normal;overflow-x:visible;padding:0px"><div id="gmail-yiv3280485553" style="line-height:normal;overflow-x:visible;padding:0px"><font color="black" face="arial" size="2" style="font-family:arial;line-height:normal;overflow-x:visible;padding:0px"><div style="font-family:arial,helvetica;font-size:13.33px"><div id="gmail-yiv3280485553AOLMsgPart_2_ba2d40e6-f7a4-4c03-a972-00b92c8b2644"><div class="gmail-yiv3280485553aolReplacedBody"><font color="black" face="arial" size="2"><div style="font-family:arial,helvetica;font-size:13.33px"><div id="gmail-yiv3280485553aolmail_AOLMsgPart_2_9883f865-fbe3-45cb-80a7-9fd7ec925486"><div class="gmail-yiv3280485553aolmail_aolReplacedBody"><font color="black" face="arial" size="2"><div style="font-family:arial,helvetica;font-size:13.33px"><div id="gmail-yiv3280485553aolmail_aolmail_AOLMsgPart_2_deccb706-622c-453b-a99f-3f5e5c667c16"><div class="gmail-yiv3280485553aolmail_aolmail_aolReplacedBody"><font color="black" face="arial" size="2">In Supreme Clarence Thomas-lynching fashion, Kavanagh's performance yesterday appeared to be well orchestrated and rehearsed first with flashes of self-righteouds anger and indignation at his and his family's reputation "totally and permanently destroyed," to pouting, whimpering, simpering self-pity at recalling his mother and father, (I thought Senator Grassley might give him a box of tissues), continuing on to his adamant denial of ever having done "this" but confessing that maybe he drank a little too much beer in his youth ("legal at age 18" at the time) as possibly his worst youthful transgression, ending the day's testimony of worthless Congressional hearings supposedly to evaluate whether he is worthy of being appointed a Supreme judge for life of legal conduct of American life. Nary a question from Senators about the ethical and moral character pf his role in his political careers advising and implementing policies concerning sexual abuse and torture of U.S. captives in Iraq and dark sites throughout the world, or inconsistencies in his moral compass while pursuing faults of others.
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<div>Whereas he was careful not to impugn the character or contest the veracity of his accuser (done a disservice by the trivial questioning and remarks of her partisan supporters), he dismissed her as mistaken or a confused victim of someone else. He couldn't be an abuser, demonstrating chivalorus decorum toward women by not labeling her a liar. He established in his reply to Texas Senator John Kennedy that he believes in God (worked for his one-time boss, W. Bush, when he was running for president), so he couldn't possibly tell a lie (or sexually assault this woman or anyone). </div>
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<div>I wasted a couple of hours watching the Kabuki theatre (as Francis Boyle aptly called it)<span style="font-size:13.33px"> but I simply had to witness it for myself, which I must say lived up to expectations of a stellar Clarence Thomas performance! I am surprised that my email box was not filled with commentary from the usual blogs critiquing this event. Maybe they boycotted it--and missed an outstanding performance, or else were so repulsed they couldn't believe what they saw (my box was nevertheless filled with 45 appeals for donations to the usual political organizations as a platform for their fundraising, which I had to delete)</span></div>
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<div>Midge O'Brien </div>
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