So hard NOT to despair for our country

As a country, the US van has driven to the brink and is dangling over the edge. We are more divided than ever, as evident by the Kavanagh hearings. When Dr. Ford's allegations came to light and she was scheduled to have her say to the Judicial committee, many of my friends had already concluded that she was a  "liberal operative" who would say anything to ruin this good man's reputation. Then the hearing began with what appeared to be a miracle. She was humble, kind, apparently nonpartisan and BELIEVABLE. In comparison, Mr. Kavanagh's testimony could not have been more of a contrast. (Just watch Matt Damon's portrayal on SNL, which is funny as hell and eerily accurate.) He came across as arrogant, aggressively scary, and worst of all, extremely partisan. Not an admirable quality for a judge to the HIGHEST COURT IN THE LAND, who we all hope will be at least somewhat unbiased.  As my mother always said, "You only have one time to make a first impression." I had never seen either Dr. Ford or Judge Kavanagh speak before, and they made very strong and opposite impressions to me. In spite of her compelling testimony and the judge's angry rants, late in the day it appeared that the Republicans who held most of the cards were still going to vote for his nomination. Then, a second miracle - Jeff Flake agrees that the FBI needs to investigate further. The president and Senate leader allowed for a "limited" investigation. What does limited mean? They were given one week to investigate, and were instructed on what they could and could not investigate. In the meantime, our president, who had initially said he would allow the FBI to do their job, angrily denying that they were trying to direct this investigation, went out on the road complaining to his "base" (oh how I hate that word) about Dr. Ford's "unfair" accusations. So, let's just call a spade a spade - this FBI probe is just a bandaid on a compound fracture. It might look like some action is being taken, but let's not kid a kidder.This is a sham to appease the few people who have the power to deny this man's appointment. Another thing my mother used to say was "I was born at night, but not LAST NIGHT!" If Judge Kavanagh wins this appointment, the red white and blue van will crash to the rocks below. And the radio will broadcast as the van free falls, "The stock market rose again by 50 points."