{"id":211,"date":"2018-10-08T18:03:07","date_gmt":"2018-10-08T19:03:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malvinartley.com\/blog.malvinartley.com\/?p=211"},"modified":"2018-10-15T20:41:08","modified_gmt":"2018-10-15T21:41:08","slug":"tracking-the-wreckage-of-the-kavanaugh-express","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malvinartley.com\/blog.malvinartley.com\/2018\/10\/08\/tracking-the-wreckage-of-the-kavanaugh-express\/","title":{"rendered":"Tracking the wreckage of the Kavanaugh Express"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saturday, October 6 was a bad day for America. By \u2018America\u2019, I mean the majority of the American people. It was a great day for Republican operatives and hard right conservatives, and anyone who just wanted to stick it to Democrats and \u2018liberals\u2019. I put liberals in quotes because what is called the liberal left in the US is really neither, but that\u2019s a topic for another discussion. Why I say it was a bad day for America is because of the vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States) seat and his consequent installation in the SCOTUS. I had seen it coming, like watching a train wreck in slow motion. I just didn\u2019t want to say at the time because of the sentiments I was seeing all over social media, from all sides. We\u2019ll get to why I think the vote was against the American people in a bit, but first to the astrology to tell why I thought he would be confirmed. His hypothetical chart with transits is below (bigger<\/a><\/span>), even though the time of day for his birth doesn\u2019t matter much in this instance:<\/span><\/p>\n

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October 6 was a good day for Brett \u2013 can we call him Brett? The vote took place just prior to 4:00<\/a><\/span> PM, EDT in DC (Washington). The first thing that stands out is the transiting Jupiter square his Sun. It has been said that there are no \u2018bad\u2019 transits of Jupiter (except in cases of disasters and disease, in which case it only adds to the troubles), and that was certainly true in this case. It added to his sense of optimism and greatly bolstered his chances. In addition, we see several significant trines by transit \u2013 the Moon approaching to trine his Jupiter (further optimism, and similar to the Jupiter transit), the Sun to his Mercury\/Venus conjunction and Mercury to his Sun. Saturn was on the anti-Vertex, indicating a win for conservatives, but also the dark mood surrounding the vote. Mars was conjunct his Venus, giving him more magnetism. The transiting Moon also activated the natal trine between his Jupiter and Uranus\/Pluto conjunction, giving a sense of invincibility. We\u2019ll get to that indicator a bit later on.<\/span><\/p>\n

As to the vote itself, he was confirmed at 4:00 PM on the dot<\/a> <\/span>(vid, starting at 30:00) \u00a0by VP Pence. That chart is below (bigger<\/a><\/span>). The vote was split along party lines<\/a><\/span>, 50 to 48, with a couple of surprises. One Democrat voted to confirm, and one Republican voted against. The most prominent features of the chart are firstly, the Mars\/Ascendant conjunction which is square to Venus, the latter having just turned retrograde, and several key midpoints. Venus square to Mars can indicate difficulties between the sexes, along with the retrograde Venus, and Kavanaugh\u2019s Senate hearings were certainly marked by that. The vote was also a snub against women, as the current Republican dominated Congress does not favor women\u2019s rights, and the general tone among more conservative commentators was that the entire Christine Ford testimony was simply a cheap trick by Democrats to otherwise discredit their chosen candidate. But as usual, the midpoints give us a more in-depth picture at what actually took place here and what it represents for the long term.<\/span><\/p>\n

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To begin, the Mars midpoints are more important in this case, with Mars being conjunct the Ascendant\/horizon axis. Mars is at the midpoint of the \u2018illness axis\u2019[1]<\/a>, which points to a lack of energy, a lack of imagination (this refers specifically to Democrats in this case) and weak creative powers in general. It also points to the illness that has beset our political process in the US. This confirmation will tend to stifle those things, especially creative potential. Mars at the midpoint of Moon\/Saturn gives a more pointed emphasis on the disadvantage to women, pointing to separations and illness, a lack of determination, soul conflicts and self-control to the point of torment. This being said, I have heard it often said that Ebertin\u2019s readings of midpoints tend to be quite negative, which they can be, but I find in mundane astrology they are often otherwise accurate and descriptive.<\/span><\/p>\n

We won\u2019t cover all the midpoints here, as we could go on all day about them, but another one worthy of note is the MC=Sun\/Pluto, which points to the \u201cexperience of physical interference or violence with psychical or emotional consequences\u201d. There were large protests outside the Senate during the vote, as well as during the hearings, with several people being arrested. Further, the MC=Saturn\/Uranus points to, \u201cMaking the highest demands upon one’s own strength, rebellion, provocation<\/em>. – The act of separating oneself from others<\/em>.\u201d This was a very divisive process. Kavanaugh\u2019s confirmation was seen by many in the US as a provocation by the Trump administration. As an interesting note, the Mars\/Ascendant conjunction in the vote is the opposite polarity of Trump\u2019s Mars\/Ascendant conjunction in Leo, and this vote may, in fact, eventually work against him. We\u2019ll see why directly. But that brings us to why this marked a bad day for Americans.<\/span><\/p>\n

I have touched on why the primary reason why Kavanaugh being seated in the SCOTUS is not good for the nation in a previous post<\/a><\/span>. That reason, among others, was first touched upon by Ted Kennedy<\/a> <\/span>(starting ref: S5307) \u00a0in another confirmation vote for Brett in 2006:<\/span><\/p>\n

Nothing in Mr. Kavanaugh\u2019s record suggests that he would be willing to keep the executive branch in compliance with the law on these matters [referring then to the environment]. More generally, nothing in his record suggests that he would be able to avoid the partisanship and politics that have marked his brief career. In fact, partisan politics is the only area in which Mr. Kavanaugh\u2019s qualifications cannot be questioned. He has been deeply involved in some of the most bitterly divisive political events in the last decade\u2014and always on the same side. At the Office of the Independent Counsel, Mr. Kavanaugh authored the infamous Starr Report<\/a><\/span>, wrote the articles of impeachment against President Clinton, and investigated the tragic suicide of Vince Foster<\/a><\/span>. As an Associate White House Counsel, Mr. Kavanaugh worked to support the nomination and confirmation of Jay Bybee<\/a><\/span>, the author of the notorious\u2014but then still secret\u2014torture memo. He also was personally responsible for drafting the executive order that made<\/span> presidential records less accessible to the public and the press<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This order was so restrictive that one observer said it would \u2018\u2018make Nixon jealous in his grave.\u2019\u2019<\/a><\/span> We gave Mr. Kavanaugh an opportunity to prove that he was independent and impartial in spite of his<\/span> partisan past. I personally noted that this was my chief concern with his nomination<\/em>, and I know that my colleagues did the same. Mr. Kavanaugh refused to specify the issues and policies on which he would recuse himself<\/em>\u2014in spite of the fact that he was at the center of a number of executive policy directives in recent years. His answers to our questions resembled political talking points more than they did the answers we would expect from a nominee to such a prominent lifetime position in the Nation\u2019s Judiciary<\/em>. He has shown nothing to suggest that he will stand up to the President when his duties require it<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The comments of the other senators are there as well. But here is the primary point: The SCOTUS is supposed to serve as a check and balance \u2013 the third branch of government, for the benefit of foreign readers \u2013 both against the Congress and against the executive branch of the US government. That has been especially important in the past few decades, and most especially since 9\/11 and the Cheney\/\u2018W\u2019 Bush administration. Just to be clear, Kavanaugh has ruled in favor of:<\/span><\/p>\n