ANDREW HARNIK / AP

In my lifetime, I’ve seen two wars, two political assassinations and two assassination attempts, two political scandals: Watergate and Monicagate, as well as several terrorist attacks and two recessions.

And now once again I find myself in the middle of another seismic social shift in a country reeling from political and cultural turmoil.

We live in chaotic times. Our country has been in a constitutional crisis since January 2017.

There. I said it, even if the media pundits won’t. They carefully parse their words when discussing the proverbial tipping point of a constitutional crisis.

The Tipping Point

We reached that tipping point long ago when Donald Trump revealed Israel intelligence to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador shortly after he was sworn into office to uphold the Constitution of the U.S.

It’s worth repeating that Donald Trump admitted to giving the Russians, an adversary of the U.S., highly classified Israel intelligence — a radical departure from U.S. policy and norms of the past.

Since delivering his very dark inauguration speech on January 20, 2017, Trump has shown contempt for the constitution and rule of law, for the mainstream media, and our institutions that he continues to undermine; his words enabled by a complicit Legislative Branch controlled by the GOP.

In addition to controlling the Legislative and Executive Branches, next week, the GOP will control the Judiciary, too, if they get their way and ram Kavanaugh’s confirmation through the Supreme Court nomination process without the usual due diligence and transparency.

If accusations of predatory sexual behavior aren’t enough to derail Kavanaugh’s confirmation, the GOP majority will likely vote to confirm him to the Supreme Court, a lifetime appointment that will affect every American for years to come.

What We Know And Don’t Know About Judge Kavanaugh

Kavanaugh, an extreme partisan Conservative who served as a lawyer in the Bush administration, has a long paper trail from his work as a GOP lawyer and operative, thousands of documents the Senate Republicans refuse to disclose. Which prompts the question: what are they hiding?

The Republicans’ lack of transparency as well as other disturbing revelations about Kavanaugh during the hearings, should be a red flag to voters along with his alarming description of birth control “as contraception-abortion-inducing drugs.”

This disturbing slip-of-the-tongue, as well as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s credible allegation of sexual assault, should alarm all Americans who believe in the rule of law and individual rights.

With lingering questions about Kavanaugh and…

• His role in decisions on torture implemented during the Bush Administration.

• His handling of stolen documents from Senator Leahy’s office during Judge Thomas’s confirmation hearings in the 90s.

• His beliefs in unlimited presidential powers.

• His support for corporations over workers.

It’s obvious why the GOP would want to prevent the public from seeing documents relevant to Kavanaugh’s background while ramming his confirmation through the process.

Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court will affect:

• healthcare
• gun laws
• equal rights
• Social security
• voting laws
• workers rights
• immigration reform
• the environment
• a women’s right to choose
• corporate campaign donations
• the endangered species act

One Branch Away From Political Domination

Kavanaugh’s far-right beliefs will likely tilt the court toward a conservative majority on every case that comes before the Supreme Court, based on his testimony in front of the judiciary committee and the few documents leaked to the public over objections of the Republican-controlled committee.

But of all the troubling disclosures of Kavanaugh’s extremist partisan views, perhaps the most concerning and revealing is his decision as a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He voted against the majority decision in the case of an undocumented immigrant teen seeking an abortion. He was one of the three dissenting votes from Republican-appointed judges, in a 6-3 decision that ruled in favor of the teen.

To say that Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court could have devastating consequences on our country is an understatement. Not only is he a man of questionable character whose radical conservative views don’t align with the views of most Americans. Not only would his decisions affect the Trump/Russia investigation (which has resulted in five guilty pleas and several convictions to date), but it could reverse 50 years of progress in equal rights, women’s health issues, Medicare and Social Security. Just some of the many consequential issues in our lives.

We, as Americans, have an obligation to voice our objections and concerns to Kavanaugh’s confirmation in what should be a people-powered democracy.

If we remain silent, we give others a voice. Now is the time to speak your heart to the powerful minority who make decisions for the majority.

Call GOP senators and demand they request an FBI investigation into Dr. Ford’s allegations. Tell them to release ALL the documents on Kavanaugh’s years in public service.

Questions about Kavanaugh’s character and truthfulness must be answered before the Senate votes on a lifetime judicial appointment that could adversely impact every American’s life for years to come.

Call the GOP minority and tell them how you feel.

GOP Senate Judiciary Committee members:

Chuck Grassley (IA): 202-224-3744

Orrin Hatch (UT): 202-224-5251

John Cornyn (TX): 202-224-2934

Mike Lee (UT): 202-224-5444

Ted Cruz (TX): 202-224-5922

Ben Sasse (NE): 202-224-4224

Jeff Flake (AZ): 202-224-4521

Mike Crapo (ID): 202-224-6142

Thom Tillis (NC): 202-224-6342

John Kennedy (LA): 202-224-4623

You can also contact Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell at 202-224-2499.

Thanks for listening!

I would love to hear what you think about all this crap.