It is devastating that anyone would say, “Boys will be boys,” to excuse the behavior that Christine Blasey Ford alleges (“When boys will be justices,” Page A1, Sept. 23). If someone pushed your 15-year-old daughter into a bedroom, put his hand over her mouth, and tried to take her clothes off, would you find that excuse acceptable? If your 17-year-old son came home and said he had been at a party where he did that same thing, would you pat him on the head and say, “Boys will be boys”?
Everyone has the right to an opinion as to whether, if in fact Brett Kavanaugh attacked this woman (and is now lying), it would disqualify him from being a Supreme Court justice. However, there should be an investigation, including witnesses, so that as an electorate we can arrive at fact-based opinions and then communicate those to our elected officials in Congress who will vote on his candidacy. That’s how it works, or at least how it’s supposed to.
Whether it is an investigation into an alleged sexual assault or making public a Supreme Court nominee’s legal writings (or, for that matter, a presidential candidate’s tax returns), we should demand transparency and facts. To do less is an abdication of our responsibility as citizens.
Anita Waldron
Franklin
