Dr. Christine Blasey Ford

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony resonated with #MeToo survivors and empowered us.  She is a true profile in courage.  She taught us all why victims never forget and perpetrators fail to recall which was summarized brilliantly by Andy Borowitz:

The hippocampus, which [Dr. Ford] referred to as the place in her brain where the attempted rape is indelibly engraved, is also the part of the brain that is disabled by blackout drinking of the sort done by Kavanaugh and Judge.

Sadly, GOP senators ~ except for Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who is also a #MeToo survivor ~ conveniently ignored why Brett Kavanaugh couldn’t remember what Dr. Ford will never forget.  By definition, a boy who is inebriated to the point of blacking out will have no recall of what he did while wasted.

100%

Sen. Amy Klobuchar has witnessed more than her fair share of black-outs, and she called him on it.  When he belligerently and disrespectfully attacked her, I instantly knew he was an abusive alcoholic.  His college roommate confirmed it.

Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter.

Every survivor has these flashbacks indelibly etched in our hippocampus.  They trigger PTSD episodes.  We may not remember where or when it happened.  But, we sure as hell know who is the perpetrator.  And, we engage in a myriad of behavior ~ like insisting on two front doors to our home ~ to protect ourselves from future harm.  We need to feel safe, or we won’t heal.

Brett Kavanaugh’s facial expression is familiar to abuse survivors.

Brett Kavanaugh’s testimony triggered horrendous PTSD for me.  His facial expressions and self-righteous anger and pretense of being the true victim were all clear indicators that he’s inordinately abusive behind closed doors.  He’s the kind of entitled guy who will abuse the power entrusted to him.

The hearing has been characterized as “he said” vs. “she said.”  That’s not what was going on.  Our perpetrator-in-chief wants a guy on SCOTUS who will deny women equal protection under the law.  Our perpetrator-in-chief wants a guy on SCOTUS who has promised him a “get out of jail free” card.  Our perpetrator-in-chief wants to shut down the #MeToo movement and intimidate survivors into silence.  Our perpetrator-in-chief wants to destroy the checks and balances that are at the heart of our democracy so that he can become our nation’s first dictator.

After being cornered in an elevator by a pair of courageous survivors, Sen. Jeff Flake called for an FBI investigation.  We cheered until it became obvious the investigation was a sham.  The perpetrator-in-chief made sure that witnesses who could and would corroborate Dr. Ford’s testimony would not be interviewed.  The perpetrator-in-chief made sure Kavanaugh’s other victims would not be heard or their stories corroborated.  In particular, the perpetrator-in-chief made sure the FBI wouldn’t talk to Michael Avenatti’s client who had ample evidence of Kavanaugh’s predatory personality as well as a gang rape.

This is why women remain silent.  This is why Dr. Ford was reluctant to testify.  And, this is why I predict a pink tsunami on election day.  Survivors believed Anita Hill in 1992, and we believe Dr. Ford today.  Let’s