GAVEL GAMUTÂ By Jim Redwine
LIFE SENTENCES
When I was an undergraduate at Indiana University I wavered between majoring in English or Psychology. I ultimately concluded a life spent seeking answers to life’s mysteries from mice running mazes held less promise than one trying to find wisdom hidden in the words of pundits. Over the years since college, I have often questioned my choice. The current hollow clanging of brass over Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford is only the most recent struggle of yin and yang between my two choices.
Attempted rape is a terrible crime and a false accusation of attempted rape is a terrible tragedy. Both can result in a life sentence of anger, fear, frustration, and loss of control. And a loss of personal control is the true source of the pain caused by either circumstance. Psychologists have cautioned parents for years to avoid pinning a child down. Such behavior can result in lifelong fear and angst.Â
And it does not take a psychiatrist to explain how being falsely accused can permanently damage a person. Most humans have been or will be falsely accused of something and can relate to the frustration of trying to disprove a negative. Such an unfortunate circumstance is made worse the greater the false accusation is spread. Of course, it is just as debilitating to be injured and to have one’s complaint ignored or disbelieved.
Unfortunately, Dr. Blasey-Ford and Judge Kavanaugh have become casualties of people who have convinced themselves that the greater good of controlling the U.S. Supreme Court overcomes any concern about destroying lives along the way. Blasey-Ford and Kavanaugh are just two white mice trapped in a maze of self-righteousness. We have seen this experiment before and will surely see it again.Â
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