I only needed to hear the opening remarks of Senator Susan Collins’ speech where she was to announce whether she would vote for the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to know that the news was not going to be good. At that point I shut off the CNN radio broadcast in the car, checking periodically to see if she was finished. She wasn’t and for all I know she could be still be droning on about how great Kavanaugh will be on the court, a typical politician enjoying being the center of attention. I hope she enjoys it because her time in the sun because it definitely will not last.

With Collins’s vote assured many will be calling him Justice Kavanaugh soon, but not me. As far as I am concerned, until he retires or dies, he will forever be a nasty stain on the highest court in this land. And since except for the possibility of impeachment Kavanaugh will be virtually untouchable, I suspect that many others will feel exactly the same way I do and will be looking of somebody (or somebodies) to blame.

We won’t have to look far. Republicans will pay for this atrocity for many elections to come. Not only will women and the men who support them descend on the polling places in the 2018 and 2020 elections like a conquering army, but they will also work their butts off to ensure that any other like-minded citizens also vote.

However, the next two national elections will not satisfy their anger. Every time that that the Supreme Court’s five conservative Justices unite to chip away at a woman’s right to choose, to weaken labor rights, to rule in favor of corporations over the rights of human beings, etc. we will be reminded and our anger will be restored.

Every time Kavanaugh is the deciding vote on an issue we care about we will remember that the Republicans stole a seat on the Supreme Court and then ran roughshod over a woman who had been sexually attacked to install on our highest court a man who lied under oath and displayed his political prejudice for all to see. We will be reminded time and time again for many years and that enduring anger will persist and help decide many elections to come.

Cajun    19/3/2018