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.

So what? Women are only credible if they accuse homeless,unemployed,single men with nothing to lose? Or should victims make a tally of how much "damage" they do before coming forward?

Funny how the men never have to think about what they have to lose and the damage they are doing to their own life/reputation.

It always makes sense to look at who has the most to gain and lose from the position they are taking. The Dr has gained little from coming forward apart from notoriety which unless she is an exceptional actor she doesn't seem to want. The Judge has everything to gain from the position he is taking and everything to lose from any other position.

@Cubtrouble why does it matter? What the victim does is not relevant. Or at least it shouldn't be .

Of course he should be held to account. It was sexual assault, not stealing a fucking traffic cone.

Bestseller It was illegal 35 years ago to sexually assault another person in the same way it is now. The laws and what is acceptable have not changed that much best, I am surprised you feel he should not be accountable. He was an eighteen year old man at the time, not a child, not a little kid or a young teen, but a fully grown fully accountable adult.

cubtrouble she was followed to bathroom, which I think from the way she described it was an ensuite.

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

Right, and I'm sure if Ford had reported it to the police all of Kavanaugh's friends would have nodded their heads and said 'Oh yeah, he did take her upstairs and try to rape her. You should probably arrest him and put him in jail.'

Are you kidding?

They'd have closed ranks and thrown her under the bus.

Yes you are BVU- baffles me how you don't know that.

No one questioned the men coming forward about their priests or their football coaches 30 odd years later. No one.

She hadn’t been drinking. At a party full of people why did she go off to a bedroom or cupboard with a drunk person?

If you're going to attempt to blame the victim it's always a good idea to read her statement first.

"Early in the evening, I went up a narrow set of stairs leading from the living room to a second floor to use the bathroom. When I got to the top of the stairs, I was pushed from behind into a bedroom."

Was just wondering why she waited 35 years, until he was famous and she has her testimony all over the media.

She hadn’t been drinking. At a party full of people why did she go off to a bedroom or cupboard with a drunk person?

Jesus

@YeTalkShiteHen
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.

THIS!!

@CubTrouble - she went to the bathroom alone and she alleges he and a friend pushed her into a nearby bedroom and locked the door

I believe her. Not only was she a credible witness, but she's evidenced that she's been talking about this for years. She shared it with her husband, a friend and a counsellor several years ago. Oh and she passed a polygraph test. Do I think a man who sexually assaulted a woman as a teenager (aside from the fact that this was likely not a one off) should be barred from holding one of the highest positions possible? Yes. This is a job that requires you to have an impeccable character - a job that can impact the lives of millions. A couple of PPs are commenting on the timing. It's specifically BECAUSE he was about to be given this role that she's come forward because she felt she couldn't be silent while a man who abuses women is given this power. I read somewhere that she and her husband sat down and discussed two options; coming forward or emigrating. Lastly, he's not just being held accountable for 34 year old crimes. If he's guilty of this then he's also guilty of perjuring himself in front of a grand jury. That's a crime he's committing right now. There's a reason Mark Judge refused to testify

@Shannaratiger
Was just wondering why she waited 35 years, until he was famous and she has her testimony all over the media.

Because he's about to be appointed a job for life which directly effects millions of citizens and he should therefore be beyond reproach.

If there are no consequences, the behaviour is going to be repeated - today's "drunken 18 y/o" will look at what yesterday's "drunken 18 y/o" has been (or is about to be) allowed to get away with and take his cue from that.

So a drunk 18 year old man who tries it on with a girl/woman and is told no should just go ahead and rape her with impunity as it should have no bearing on his future at all?

When appointing a Supreme Court Judge, surely "hasn't sexually assaulted anyone" is a basic job requirement?

How many times have you got drunk and raped someone OP? Personally I have never done that, because I have always known that it's completely morally incomprehensible. As I suspect have you, as I suspect has everyone on this thread. Being young and drunk isn't an excuse, we all know not to rape someone, it's pretty much hardwired into me.

If he'd robbed a bank or committed murder would you be saying the same thing? He commited a major crime at 18 and as far as I'm concerned has been living on borrowed time since then, he's only achieved what he has because he was lucky that he was never arrested for the crime he committed. His career should never have started, so I'm more than happy for it to be 'ruined' now. We don't know how much his victims lives have been affected by what he's done, he's got away scott free for 30 years and managed to build a good career despite committing a violent crime at 18.

he most definitely should be facing the loudest music possible. Being a 'lad' or a 'jock' at high school college is no excuse for his alleged actions. Not only for what he did to Dr. Ford - which was despicable, and I believe her 100% - and allegedly others, but also because his behaviour in the hearing yesterday was equally despicable. Weasel words, belligerent, angry, not answering questions, resorting to his god and status as coach of daughter's basketball team (which I hope cues large list of parents removing said daughters pdq). All of these make him unfit to hold office.

We are all liable to be held to account for our past behaviour.

This man in particular has put himself forward to judge and represent others and at the highest level, and that means that his past and present behaviour should be open to the most rigorous scrutiny.

I'm the mother of sons, including an ambitious one, and I was once a teenage girl and young woman. I want him to be safe, and I want girls and women to be safe with him. That means making sure he understands, really understands, consent, and that drinking to excess or using drugs can put his own safety and the safety of others at increased risk. He's my dearly loved son, with all his imperfections. I want to remain proud of him and for him to be proud of himself.

Yes, if he ever behaves as this man has allegedly behaved, at 18 or otherwise, sober or drunk, I would expect him to be held to account for it.

As I posted on another thread, whatever my politics, whoever I believe after the testimonies, the allegations against this man should be investigated by the FBI fully and fairly to all parties before the final vote.

what have i just read OP? you serious?
historical sex assault just forgotten. ok then.

I’ve not read the full thread, and I suspect someone has probably made this point. But if he has been convicted of sexual assualt at the time (or any time between then and now) he would not even be in consideration for a lifetime appointment to the SCOTUS. This is extremely important. If he is appointed he will have significant impact on fundamental issues such as abortion, LGBTQ rights etc for decades to come. He his hard right and will swing the political persuasion of the panel to the conservative side of life. The next chance the president (whoever that might be) will have to change that will be when a seat opens up. That not happens when a SC Justice dies. It is extremely important that he is not appointed if he is not suitable/appropriate.