The Democratic Party rejected the Constitution, the principles of due process, and the rule of law in its persecution of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), established as a check on government excess, has become its enabler.
And in the process, the ACLU is engaging in a 21st century version of McCarthyism, and is promoting others to join it.
The ACLU has always boldly and bravely supported the rights of unpopular causes.
All that changed when President Donald Trump nominated Judge Kavanaugh to the U.S.Supreme Court. A week ago, the ACLU took the unusual step of publishing a statement opposing his appointment. "The ACLU’s board of directors, deeply concerned by the allegations raised in recent weeks, has made a rare exception to its longstanding policy and voted to oppose the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court," Susan Herman, president of the ACLU, said in a statement.
It went on to describe the claims as "credible allegations of sexual assault."
The "allegations" referred to were those made by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.
As an organization purporting to promote civil liberties, the ACLU should know that every person accused of a crime carries with him the presumption of innocence.
Bare accusations mean nothing without clear and convincing evidence.
Although Dr. Ford’s story varied from one telling to the next, one thing remained consistent: Three additional people were also in attendance — Kavanaugh’s friends Mark Judge and Patrick "P.J." Smyth, and Ford’s lifelong female friend, Leland Keyser.
Without exception, every single one had no recollection of the party or the incident. In addition, Keyser claimed she had never met Kavanaugh. "Simply put, Ms. Keyser does not know Mr. Kavanaugh and she has no recollection of ever being at a party or gathering where he was present, with, or without, Dr. Ford," said Howard Walsh, her lawyer.
Despite the total lack of corroborating evidence, the ACLU stepped up its attack, and launched a $1 million ad campaign that included a video comparing Kavanaugh to Bill Cosby.
A former ACLU officer and board member was appalled over the depths to which the organization had fallen and to which it ignored its purpose — to promote civil liberties.
"They are not civil libertarians. They are serving a different master now," said former ACLU vice president Michael Meyers, who served on the group's national board from 1981 to 2005.
"It's hypocrisy. It's bald-face hypocrisy. It's outrageous hypocrisy. It's a violation of everything we believe in as civil libertarians. It's appalling, shocking. It's unacceptable."
It’s also evocative of McCarthyism, a mid-20th century (late 1940s to 1954) period in our national political history named after the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wisc., who built his career on ferreting out communism and communists.
His allegations brought down numerous powerful people during that period with just the hint that they may be communists.
The question "Are you now, or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party," was enough to ruin the careers of men in government and the film industry.
It also ended the careers of tenured college professors, and it’s already happened to Kavanaugh.
He taught a once-popular course at Harvard Law School. Early this week he bowed to pressure from students, faculty, and alumni over the baseless accusations and cancelled his association with Harvard. "Today, Judge Kavanaugh indicated that he can no longer commit to teaching his course in January Term 2019, so the course will not be offered," said Catherine Claypoole, the law school’s associate dean and dean for academic and faculty affairs.
Kavanaugh felt forced to resign from his association with Harvard over mere "suspicion" of bad behavior, just as professors were fired during the 50s for suspicion of being Communists.
Modern day McCarthyism.
Had the ACLU not taken the unusual position of calling for the Senate to vote against confirming Kavanaugh because of what it inaccurately referred to as "credible allegations of sexual assault," it’s doubtful that Harvard students and alumni would have mounted a protest.
But if credible evidence doesn’t exist, why did the ACLU mount its campaign?
It revealed its true purpose Thursday.
"Never forget: This is not Donald Trump’s America," the ACLU tweeted. "This. Is. Our. America. #StopKavanaugh"
Translation: It’s not about Kavanaugh; it’s about Trump.
It’s not about civil liberties; it’s about politics.
It’s not about an unprovable 36-year-old incident. It’s about power.
And that should frighten the bejesus out of everyone.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to BizPac Review and Liberty Unyielding. He’s also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter, who can often be found honing his skills at the range. To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.
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