AIBU in thinking a drunken 18 year old boy should not be called to account for behaviour 35 years later?

[longwayoff]

I'm conflicted. Brett Kavanaugh, nominated by Trump as a Supreme Court judge, has been accused of locking Dr Christine Blasey Ford in a bedroom and sexually assaulting her. This happened in the early 1980s when they were teens at a party and he was very drunk, she hadnt been drinking. She says she is 100 percent certain he did this. He says wasn't me guv.
Her televised evidence was upsetting and convincing. I believe what she says and feel she should have whatever she needs to help her. BUT. Drunken 18 year old boy/man. All these years later? Is that fair? To wreck his career now? Personally, I loathe Trump and all his works, so politically I'm glad to see a fail. But this is not sitting well with me. I feel I should feel better about this. Convince me please.

35 years ago she would have been treated like a "loose woman" no matter her age.
how many of you at age 15 would have reported it?.

on the good side of the scales cosby is in prison.a very short sentance and will probably get released on health reasons soon.but it's a start.
as someone who was raped in the 70s.no where to go .no help.universitys covered it up/boys will be boys.

and things are bad enough here we don't need more misogynists in the government.

we fought so hard to get the right to do what we wish with our bodies.

has anyone who has watched this noticed most of the judges are ancient.part of the old guard mens club.gotta wonder whats in their pasts,,,,,,
even if he isn't confirmed.charges being leveled is pretty unlikely.

statute of limitations is different in different places.some have none.some have ones based on age of victim at the time of the crime.some are very limited(usually the states that have removed options for abortion.)

So, by your reckoning, any 18 year old boy who locks a girl in a room and sexually assaults her whilst he is drunk should just be let off?
Or just those that avoid being reported for a while?

How on earth does any passing of time make a crime any less a crime?

The fucking internalized misogyny of several PP on this thread is really depressing

A/ Oh well then I shall tell my boys it's okay to do this so long as they are drunk and 18 years old and can find a victim who will feel suitably traumatised that she doesn't feel she can talk about it....
B/ Of maybe you are being extremely unreasonable?
I am going for B

Everyone and their granny is claiming sexual assault and I'm sceptical of what is truly real

This is exactly why women don't report sexual assualt. Everyone and their granny is referring it, because it is so prevalent, not because everyone and their granny are liars.

@missingstreetlife - I said that he should be judged on what he allegedly did to her and allegedly to the other women as he is in complete denial about what he did. It has never been investigated and he hasn’t suffered any consequences. He is going for one of the most important jobs in America and therefore has to be judged on his actions from his whole life

Let’s forget about the rape for the moment, difficult though that may be.

Look at his behaviour right now. Do we really think that a man who throws temper tantrums like that is truly the best person for a job on the Supreme Court?

Attempted rape is a crime, 18 is over the age of criminal responsibility. He is being held accountable for his actions, not sure what your issue is?
If it makes you feel better the astonishing levels of misogyny of display mean that he is likely to get his job anyway because 'nice men' don't sexually assault people and the woman involved will have remembered incorrectly.

OP my head just exploded. What is WRONG with you?

Added to which a political conspiratorist with a fine line in aggressive self pity and a remarkable ability to talk over female senators while harassing them about their drinking habits doesn't fit with my idea of what a Supreme Court judge should be.

So if a drunken 18 year old had a ons and she became pregnant. Does that give him a get out cause ?
A drunken 18 year old causes an accident ( of any cause) - OK ?
If a drunken 18 year old attacks someone ( maybe also a sexual assault of an under 16 year old ) fine again ?
No if anyone is found to be guilty of a crime. Why should there not be a punishment ?
I will say I do have a problem with people only coming forward when an ' accused ' person is suddenly in the public eye.

Can I add that I think on some level he is a liar...he may or may not be guilty of the act he was charged with but the one thing that has stuck with me and I am still shaking my head in utter disbelief is the contempt of the man who sat before the world yesterday and said...as mentioned upthread previously,,that his 10 year old daughter said they should pray for the woman....forgive me but what kind of planet has he just fell from...he is said to be a respected judge yet he believes the whole world will swallow that shite!!!! I can honestly say I recoiled in both horror and amusement that he thought that line was believable...what a prat!!! If for example my husband was accused of anything remotely criminal by god our kids wouldnt know about it...we would protect them by keeping it quiet and from them for as long as we could..if they had to know anything it would be dressed up in a way as to shield them...also if that wasnt unbelievable enough ...she must be a hell of a 10 year old cos all the 10 yr olds I have ever encounted in my 47 yrs would never ever say something as profound as that...they could tell me anything about pokemon or who was no1 in the charts or argue the toss as to why they actually need pizza 12 days on the trot for lunch but to bestow upon parents that they should pray for deliverance for this lady..no way sorry I can't buy that....10 years old???? really Judge??? If that is the level he can stoop to maybe he isnt a fit and proper person to hold office on that basis alone....unless I am totally wrong and 10 yr olds have gained unexplained wisdom and maturity rarely seen in adults?? though I doubt it!!

OP is a goady fucker. Lit the grenade, chucked it and scarpered.

I’m grateful for this thread though. I’ve been feeling very angry about this news story today - I have a horrible feeling Kavanaugh is going to be elected - and it’s good to find that lots of other people are feeling as angry as I am.

Hasn’t he stated that he wasn’t even at the party (ok I know this misses the point if the thread)

I didn't realise the date of the party had been established?

Yes, you are being unreasonable. Would you be saying the same if he'd murdered someone - oh, it was a long time ago and he was young and drunk.

God give me bloody strength.

I heard her giving evidence on the radio. It was harrowing. Do I think it should impact on his career now? Absolutely. It was bad enough that he got away with it at the time.

I doubt her story because she can do a lot of damage to him

This is also why women hesitate to come forward. The type of entitled guy who assaults women may well go on to be successful professionally and personally and have a lot to lose from the revelation of his abuse.

Whether you doubt her or not, Kavanaugh displayed aggressive, obfuscating, dishonest attitudes that are not those of someone remotely suitable to be a judge, let alone a Supreme Court judge. That was what was at stake yesterday.

The part that is missing here is that the message should be made clear that if something happens you need to report to the police when it happens. You will be heard and treated with respect

HAHAHA good one.

If only that were true.

Laila Rouss has posted on her social media after she plucked up the courage to speak to the police a year after she was taped by someone she knew.

The police told her to basically go anyway and forget about it.

*go away

Can you imagine how it felt to her seeing this man up for this position knowing what a sleazebag he was.

At the end of last year I was threatened verbally and physically by a local man in a horrible way over a playground tussle between our dc. I felt scared. I still do. He's feted as a lovely kind family man by other parents who said i made it up, when I know he's actually a really violent scary person. It's nearly killed me seeing others talk him up when I know what he did (the police believed me but I decided not to pursue it).
So I do understand why she's done this. And she's really brave.

We all know the US police system is even more unfair than ours. In 1982 in the UK no one would have done anything if she had reported it. They wouldnt have in 92 or 2002! and it would have ruined her teen life reporting it, and maybe her parents social standing. If you read her full statement you can see she belonged to a very piviledged set of people. As did he.

I hope times are changing and our daughters don't have to face this. 30 years ago when I was a teenager I do think young men took advantage because it wasn't challenged. But of course not all men even then!

People who think that sexual assault is ever excusable (he was drunk, he was young, she was drunk, she was wearing x, y, z) make me fucking sick.

If it's exactly as she claims then no, that was abhorrent (and illegal) behaviour at the time and it's just a shame it's taken so long to bring it to justice.

However, 35 years is a really long time for anyone to be completely clear on the facts which must bring an element of doubt.

I do think some of the harassment cases from long ago are unreasonable. Whilst that was awful for the victims too, they were it was different times (thankfully changed) and people do need to be judged on what the law was and what was considered reasonable behaviour at the time even of it's cleary unacceptable now.

How dare you ask to be convinced. Did you ask the same of Saville, who had been abusing for years, or Cosby?
A man who 19 times has blocked this investigation. A man who will not let investigatory authorities anywhere near it.
Christine Blasey Ford is June. She is a hero.

The biggest issue as far as I can see is that he is about to voted in as the Associate Justice in the Supreme Court, an extremely powerful and influential position within their legal justice system. A position that requires impeccable integrity and honesty, you would expect nothing less.

Any such person with criminal prosecution(s) hanging over them is not only going to have a problem with credibility, that goes without saying, but the very fact that a man with allegations and potential prosecutions hanging over him, not to mention an FBI investigation should not be even running for such a position.

It is entirely immaterial whether the alleged assault happened last week or twenty five years ago. You can not commit an offence of this nature, and expect the clock to wind down so you are able to walk away scot free.

I found the victim's statement credible and honest. I found his hysterical outbursts and general dramatics amateurish and lacking in credibility. I am amazed he is a Judge of any kind.

He should step down immediately.