Belief Is A Funny Thing

For the past couple of weeks (particularly the past couple of weeks), we've seen the signs.

I'd like to, I really would, but belief is a funny thing.  It requires evidence.  I have several beliefs that I hold dear.  For some I have evidence, for some I don't.  Those require faith.  I am a Christian, after all, and faith is the bedrock of my salvation.    I can testify to my faith, but non-believers will scoff. 

On the one hand, I've known some women (personally, not professionally) who would rather climb up a tree and lie to you than stand on the ground and tell the truth.  Three of them come to mind, and they were so toxic that I soon removed them from my social circle.  Their drama was simply so unrelenting, so hurtful, and so unbelievable that I quit associating with them.

I'm also a cop.  I've been a cop for 37 years. I've run a sex-offender unit and I have investigated claims.  Many of them proved true and we were able to obtain convictions.  Some of them did not prove true and we were unable to obtain convictions.  That's how the law works.  It is a hard thing to tell a survivor that while she may be sincere, her testimony compelling, her story heart-wrenching, that we simply cannot move forward.  We have no corroborating evidence.  Belief is one thing, proving it is something else.  Reasonable doubt is a tough standard, but it is the standard that has kept us civilized for hundreds of years.  Which brings us to the Kavanaugh conundrum.

In that case, there is no corroborating evidence, either testimonial or physical, so we must presume innocence.  Many have rightly pointed out that this is not a criminal inquiry, but that it is a job interview.    This argument is specious, because there are simply some questions that you can't ask in a job interview.

So, we're left with the political.  The Supreme Court is supposed to be above politics, (which is also a specious argument in my opinion) but the Senate is not.  The Senate is all about politics, and I feel that they correctly reflect the partisan mood of the country.  For better or worse, this is the Senate that we have today.  Is Kavanaugh the best pick?  Well, he's Trump's pick and that's what matters in this case.  Honestly, I don't know one thing about Brett Kavanaugh.  Supposedly, he's a good man, a solid conservative and has wide experience in the judiciary.  Can he serve credibly as a Justice?  We'll see.  I've been disappointed in the Supremes before.