I listened to the New York Times podcast, The Daily, just now. Apparently, many
of Cavenaugh's classmates from prep school and Yale have come forward to refute
the picture he attempted to present of himself at the Thursday hearing. They
did so reluctdantly, after having initially held back. Their reason is not so
much his vehavior back in high school, but his lying about it and his inability
to take responsibility for it. They don't think that a member of the Supreme
Court should be someone who is an obvious liar. Some think that he was not
lying about the incident with Dr. Ford, not because it didn't happen, but
because he blacked out when he drank excessively, and he most likely doesn't
remember it. But then there's all the other lying and cheating that he did to
get himself appointed to a federal judgeship. And there's the incident in which
he refused to shake hands with the parents of one of the students who had been
killed in the Parkland shooting. This is not just a man who was a wild youth
attending prestigious schools. This is a truly flawed human being.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2018 10:46 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Devil's Triangle
Miriam,
Differently, not above.
All I really know about Kavanaugh's youth is what has been reported by some of
his schoolmates. For certain he attended an all boy, Catholic school. The
cost for such private schools has never been at an affordable level for Lower
and Middle Working Class families.
I've not been around the private Catholic schools since my nephew graduated in
1990, but many of the kids in my neighborhood, growing up, attended Catholic
schools in the 50's. After the 8TH grade, the boys went to Seattle Prep or
O'dae, and the girls attended one of two All Girls schools. Time has robbed my
brain of their names. But these families struggled to pay for their children's
private education. The girls attending private Catholic high schools seemed to
behave about the same as the girls in public high school. But among the boys
in my neighborhood, a different attitude toward girls developed. My eldest
sister, a dead ringer for Grace Kelly, but with the personality of the Wicked
Witch of the West, was courted by every boy even close to her own age. But
most of the boys attending public school treated her, and all of the girls,
with some measure of decency and respect. But by and large, the boys from the
Private schools treated, and talked about the girls as objects to be conquered
and bedded.
When Paul, a neighbor boy from a very fine family, decided to grope my sister,
she pulled away and ran up our back steps, ready to flee into the house. Paul
called her names and picked up some dog droppings and flung it at my sister,
hitting her in the chest. Poor, dumb Paul.
There he stood, among two other boys and myself. My sister exploded feet first
from the top step directly into Paul's chest, driving him to the ground. She
then punched him several times, jumped up and explained that if this ever
happened again she would really work him over. She then marched inside,
leaving a very damaged Paul, both physically and emotionally. "If any of you
spread this around," he threatened us, "I'll kick the crap out of you." At
which we all began chanting, "Paul was whipped by a girl. Paul was whipped by
a girl."
I joined in, but I never said that until I was fifteen, my sister could whip me
with one hand tied behind her back.
Of course that was only one incident, but it was the typical attitude which
seemed to be engendered among the Private Boys. I still stay in touch with
several of these neighbor boys. Most became successful and prospered beyond
their parent's modest economic level. Two have become Judges, one retired as
the Principal of a Seattle High School.
Another became a well known Talk Jock in Seattle. All of them seemed to be
upstanding citizens, good husbands and fine dads. At least looking in from the
outside.
To my knowledge, none of them had cheated on their wives or molested their
children, or the friends of their children. And perhaps Judge Kavanaugh is
just such a man. But I doubt it. I doubt it because, despite growing evidence
to the contrary, he remains the vision of perfection.
Of course none of this answers your question. But I think some people see
themselves as above the "Commoners". It's not that Judge Kavanaugh grew up
reaching for the stars. Many of us do that, some reaching their goal while
others of us fall short. But it's that attitude of Privilage that Judge
Kavanaugh projects.
Through watching him on TV, which was the way I first learned to dislike Donald
Trump, I found Judge Kavanaugh to have an "attitude"
that he was talking to his subjects, not to his peers. In short, I would plead
no contest rather than appear before him in court.
Carl Jarvis
On 10/2/18, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
So you're saying that Cavenaugh was living above the common folk
during high school and college?
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Monday, October 01, 2018 9:17 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Devil's Triangle
My grandma Ludwig used to say, "poor folk have poor ways". We seem
to forget that "Rich folk have Rich ways". We working class folk
believe in the work ethic, and dream of a job, a home, and a family.
The Ruling Class teach their children that they are superior beings,
and can expect to live above the common folk.
Even though we use the same words, they mean different things to the
Classes.
Carl Jarvis
On 10/1/18, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
And, if you were listening to Cavenaugh's testimony on Thursday, when
he was asked about this phrase which appeared in his high school
yearbook, "Devil's Triangle", he said it was a drinking game. Well,
according to the journalist from Shadow Group who researched the
phrase, it actually refers to two men having sex with a woman
simultaneously while making eye contact with each other, rather than
with the woman. And the reference to the female name from
Connecticut, that meant that a lot of the boys had had sex with her.
Apparently, this is the preparation for leadership that goes on in
elite private high schools in the Washington DC area. And this school
is a Catholic Jesuit school as Cavenaugh repeatedly reminded us.
According to a USA Today article, the girls in the private Catholic
girls' school with whom the boys attended dances and parties, were
referred to by them as, "the whores on the hill".
Miriam
