From September 28, 2018 / "... a moral moment in our nation ..." / Nobel Peace Prize, October 5, 2018

The 2018 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Dr. Denis Mukwege, a Congolese gynecologist, and Nadia Murad, a Yazidi survivor of rape and captivity by ISIS, for their contributions toward combating wartime sexual assault.

Watch Live: Senate To Take Decisive Vote On Kavanaugh

Women Trying To Remember What They Are Trying To Forget

When I read about the cover of the latest issue of Time Magazine just now, I made a point of looking for an image of it.  I find John Mavroudis' portrait of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford to be deeply moving.  An untitled painting of mine from 1993 came to mind as I was looking at the Time Magazine cover and reading the words from her testimony.  I traded that painting for several sessions of ongoing trauma counseling that I availed myself of from 1997 or 1998 to 2003 for help working through trauma dating from 1970 and back to my childhood.  I am still getting counseling.  I have come a long way and refuse to go backward in any way, no matter what happens.  I know that I am not alone.  I didn't always know that.

"... I am no one's pawn." (Dr. Christine Blasey Ford)

As a witness to Brett Kavanaugh's tears and rage during the confirmation hearing as he denied any wrongdoing, I am absolutely sure that he is guilty as charged by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.  I have no doubt that his tears and that rage are those of a person who knows he is guilty and and is cornered and terrified. 
 
"A good justice should be objective and fair-minded, not guided by strong preconceived opinions.

A good justice should be empathetic, not focused on oneself.

A good justice should be calm, not angry.

A good justice should show grace under pressure, not be easily rattled.

A good justice should be even-tempered, not short-tempered.

A good justice should be thoughtful, not strident.

A good justice should in the face of adversity show courage, not petulance."

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Senator Kamala Harris

What I will remember most vividly of Senator Kamala Harris' words as she spoke to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford during the Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearing:

"And I want to thank you because you clearly have nothing to gain for what you have done.

You have been a true patriot in fighting for the best of who we are as a country. I believe you are doing that because you love this country, and I believe history will show that you are a true profile in courage at this moment in time in the history of our country and I thank you."

For the record

And this.