Do you value our Constitution? The First Amendment?

They base our democracy upon the thoughtful exchange of differing views in a free marketplace of ideas. To work, citizens are implicitly required to give reasoned consideration to opposing views.

This column is addressed to those who continue to support Brett Kavanaugh’s rise to our Supreme Court. And if you stop reading further now, you are part of our country’s biggest current problem: those from either political party who ignore, or react only with hate to, opposing views.

Let’s here ignore Dr. Ford’s and Ms. Ramirez‘s accusations. Instead, let’s focus upon Kavanaugh’s testimony under oath about his past drinking and about the meaning of words in his yearbook about drinking and sex.

Can we all agree that to be truly honorable and principled, one must act that way at all times, even when difficult or inconvenient to do so? Can we agree that no one who has committed perjury, a crime that blatantly disrespects our legal system, should be a judge in our country, much less a Justice on our Supreme Court?

That a perjurer –– whether Republican, Democrat or Independent –– simply cannot be trusted to behave honorably while sitting on any court?

Kavanaugh testified under oath as to the meaning of certain terms in his yearbook. He testified that “boofing,” a gross way to unconventionally consume beer, refers to flatulence. He testified that the “devil’s triangle,” which refers to sex acts involving two men and a woman, is a drinking game.

And he testified that numerous references to an unfortunate girl named Renate, which included a photo of eight football players (including Kavanaugh) entitled “Renate Alumnius,” and a verse suggesting she was a cheap date, were all a tribute to a girl they greatly respected and admired.

His high school chums have since acknowledged that these words all meant what they always mean. They also acknowledge his prodigious past drinking, which he denies (even though his yearbook’s entry as the “Biggest Contributor” to the heavy-drinking “Beach Week Ralph Club” speaks volumes).

The very intelligent Kavanaugh would apparently have us believe that he has had extraordinarily convenient changes of memory, changes which substituted untruths uniformly less embarrassing to him, in his pursuit of extraordinary power as a Justice on our highest court.

That, my friends, is perjury. And I oppose having any perjurer on our Supreme Court, no matter what their politics.

Please don’t claim to be honorable and principled if you continue to support a perjurer sitting on our Supreme Court. Your justification of your position is blatantly partisan, dishonorable and unprincipled.

Your unwillingness to apply basic requirements of truth and justice to all of your choices, as truly honorable people do, speaks volumes about who you have become.

But that does not have to be who you are tomorrow. I hope you will reconsider your position.

Like the hundreds of law professors who, after initially supporting Kavanaugh, realized from his testimony that he lacked the candor and judicial temperament required of a judge, so withdrew their support.

Like the National Council of Churches, which represents more than 100,000 Christian churches but withdrew its support, asking instead that his nomination be withdrawn. Some people, and some organizations, did put honor and principle above partisanship.

A democracy that works requires self-evaluation and critical thinking by all its citizens, no matter what their party. Please consider engaging in this enlightening process, and returning to the land of honor and principle. (Democrats, this means you, too.)

Carl Kiss is a semi-retired attorney who lives in Enterprise.