The media coverage, in hindsight.
More on the politics behind this case;
It’s no secret that hugely disproportionate numbers of the innocent people oppressed by abusive prosecutors and police in this country are African-Americans. Now one of the most outrageous cases of law-enforcement abuse is unfolding in Durham, N.C., home of the Duke lacrosse case. And African-Americans are leading the cheers for the oppressors. Why? The poison of identity politics, plus class hatred of the prosecutor’s three main victims, well-off white men falsely accused of rape by an unstable black “exotic dancer,” and a deeply dishonest district attorney.
Last spring, Durham D.A. Michael Nifong, who is white, was facing a primary in a racially divided electorate. He was badly behind and out of campaign money, excepting almost $30,000 in loans from his personal funds. Then came the accuser’s allegations. Mr. Nifong responded by assuming control of the police investigation and making racially inflammatory statements pronouncing the Duke lacrosse players guilty of rape. Even as evidence of their innocence accumulated, he brought rape, sexual assault and kidnapping charges that fed the racial resentments he had stoked. The black vote put him over the top in both the May 2 primary and the Nov. 7 general election.
Black leaders—including Durham Mayor Bill Bell, the appallingly demagogic North Carolina NAACP and others—should know better. So should the powerful, identity-politics-obsessed hard left of Duke’s own faculty, 88 of whom issued a statement in April saying “thank you” to protesters who had branded the players rapists. And so should the media, most of which gleefully joined the clamor last spring.
It has been clear for many months that the rape claim is almost surely a lie. But not until the DA’s dramatic dismissal last Friday of the rape (but not the sexual assault and kidnapping) charges did Mr. Nifong enablers such as the New York Times and Duke President Richard Brodhead begin distancing themselves from his oppression of three innocent young men.
And the poor black woman is pregnant, and doesn’t want to testify. Wonder if the lacross players can not only sue the school, female, the DA and the media. There are way too many women, (black and white) who think they can get rich instantly by falsely crying rape. And with the medias position -if he, she, is black, they must be a victim, to hell with facts or truth.
A case of “big mother” in media bias….everyone knows all men are just unapprehended rapists.
I watched the live media conference held by the defendant’s lawyers the other day. This was carried on Court TV and I have to say that the two female Court TV personalities were some pissed at the Prosecutor that still insists on proceeding with the other charges in this case. A good defense lawyer will have a field day with the accuser. She has changed her story a few times now. There isn’t a jury anywhere that will convict in this case. I think that this accuser is hoping that a conviction will allow her to reap big-time in a lawsuit to follow.
Another news story stated that a DNA test was done on “evidence” on the accuser and DNA of five different men was found. None of them matched any of the defendants.
As others noted above, this woman will be torn to shreds by any competent defense attorney.
I suspect the DA doesn’t want to dismiss all the charges because of The Usual BS from The Usual Suspects on the left.
DA is caught between a rock and hard place. If they drop the charges then, as Dave points out, there will be a hue and cry, if he proceeds and loses he has proceeded with a high profile and apparently ridiculous case.
So why proceed. Because the only way out for him is to lose. He needs to put forward what he has, then innoent can be fully exonerated and the ither side has no ground left to stand on. Sad but sadly true. You need to go through the full process to yield the result you want.
White guilt’s alive and well in Canada’s public school systems: interesting, the proliferation of behaviour codes appears to be linked to some of the more egregious behaviours of some of our viz-mins. But, even when caught red-handed, so to speak, the authorities, who are worried about adverse publicity, routinely let viz-mins off the hook. Bad, bad for everyone.
In the jurisdiction for which I work, there are even official directives to diminish–in my experience, often to the vanishing point–consequences for special ed students: considering her “magical” thinking and obvious lack of intelligence, this “lady” was more than likely in that category.
So, instead of protecting these miscreants and us from their poor choices, everyone’s even more at risk. Another consideration is this: another consequence of the “Look but don’t tell” policies is that the board’s statistics do not accurately reflect certain of the mayhem occurring in our schools–just the way the boards want it, BTW.
If anyone checks out this woman’s school record–if there IS an official record (and I’m not even mentioning Canada’s despicable Young Offenders’ Act, which would have kept her well under the radar)–they’d probably find that she practised mayhem and deception, with impunity, long before this incident. Rather than learning that such behaviour would not be tolerated, she more likely discovered that she could not only get away with it, but make the lives of her victims a misery. What power!
I hope her latest treachery finally gets her and her victims what she deserves. But I don’t hold my breath: if this were Canada, I’d just think Caledonia.
Kyrie eleison.
Dropping the rape charges doesn’t mean that the rape didn’t happen. That’s irrelevant. All the matters is what the prosecution can prove. The prosecution believes that it can’t prove that rape, which includes proving penetration, but believes it can prove sexual assault and kidnapping. Hopefully, if the accused are found guilty, they’ll be thrown in jail. If they are not proven guilty, then they are to be considered innocent (until proven guilty). That’s the law.
Thanks,
Scott Hughes
Personal Self-Defense Blog
The media sharks smell blood and are on another feeding freinzy just like they always do
I saw one media broadcast that said ” she said she had been penetrated by a male sexual organ” the height of political correctness and lunacy, everyone knows they were talking about a weewee.
anyway the DNA (from 5 different males) could be checked against the rest or maybe her johns downtown in her place of employment.
I hope the lacrosse players realize justice is for sale.
lawyers are inordinately expensive and a serious criminal case can drag on for more than a year. they are looking altogether a minimum of perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 MILLION in legal fees to ‘prove’ their innocence.
and THAT is a well know fact on the street. set up the target, cry rape and wait for the out of court settlement offers to slide under the door.
its ALL about money. money for the ‘victim’, money for the defense attorneys and what ho, money for the entire legal cystem seeking fodder to justify its existence. and money into the coffers of the msm to sell sensational news stories.
get it now? its ALL about MONEY.
The thing is that all they have now is the word of the um, “young lady”. No physical evidence will hold up, as she claimed to not have been “involved” with anyone in the past week. DNA from 5 other men, may, perhaps, provide another explanation for the edema and other trauma that apparently was visible on her body.
So the prosecutor didn’t feel comofrtable relying on her word that the vicious perpetrators penetrated her with their tools of male oppression, but will proceed with her completely truthful other accusations based solely on her word.
I think the over under on the civil rights verdict for each individual accused is $10M. Promising young men had their rep destroyed, and Duke as well as the Durham government will be in the dock. Will be great to see Duke’s lawyers argue that none of their grads are worth anything, so that they don’t owe any money for being part of their defamation!
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer bunch of people. The LAX players’ lawyers are going to feast on these schmucks, as they have already been doing in pre-trial hearings. Niwrong had no clue what he was getting himself into, but he now realises that these kids don’t have your usual PD types you can get to plead out in 5 minutes. Watch for Niwrong’s wife to have title to all of their assets… unfortunately the assignment won’t stick, as it was done in expectation of judgement during a conspiracy to use the colour of authority to violate the civil rights of the accused. I love the smell of dirty underwear in the morning!
It’s interesting to note that the “retraction” doesn’t get nearly the press that the original story received.
I saw the retraction featured on about page 25 of the local newspaper. The original story made page one
What ever happened to the concept of evidence?
Not least of all, character over word of one mouth?
Perhaps they never heard of the concept of witnesses. Even the Camera betrayed the Women’s versions. She had a few stories that never lined up to begin with.
Seems this case has been prosecuted for racial reasons, devoid of any real proof, to make it political. A headline could read: “Hot DA makes name by protecting a black Lady from rich rapist frat white boy’s”.
Does the DA expect all Women tell the truth? If she was assaulted why go after these guys ? When even the DNA is not theirs but others ? Why not find them, than prosecute them who did have DNA on her?
This whole thing smells like a dead rat in a swamp. A put up show for political gain. The MSM got a PC story they could lie for a month on. Making innuendo their byline. All the while these guys have gone threw hell with there families. With money spent trying to defend them against a rabid DA looking for power . A Media completely empty of any morality, but feeds to the public in a state of emotional vampirism, a story involving sex, rape, college, sports, money, drink drenched youth. All the ingredients of a witches brew of injustice. Cooked up in the slime pits of the media with official political sanction to persecute individuals without a smidgeon of evidence.
This is why I keep saying government is our enemy, not friend. We need one but by goodness we ought to be on them 24/7 to have at least the outward appearance of Impartiality with ethics.
When justice is sundered for agendas, political or individual, we all lose in my opinion. Could be you next someone hates or uses the law to get revenge? Or just plain good old fashioned publicity, or attention. Like one Alberta city Counselor we can name a little while ago.
Scott,
If you ever have sex with a woman, even in a “mousey whimpy way”, there is no way you wouldn’t have DNA evidence remaining. Even if you, Scott, are neutured, there would still be volumes of DNA remaining.
In the grand and imaginative rape lie the whore told, there is no way three drunken boys, in a small confined space, nt using condoms, while she fought so aggressivley that she broke five finger nails, be penetrated vaginally, orrally, and rectally, NOT leave any trace of DNA.
Where’s the blood, skin, tears, saliva, scat smears, vaginal fuilds, hair, etc…?
Nothing was found in the bathroom or on any of the boys. The multiple DNA evidence found on the who were from many many men and women but none matched the innocent boys on the Duke Lacrosse Team.
I’s sure you’d like to have the entire Duke and NCCU football team tested to see who’s the father of this whore’s third bastard child, but testing 200 men is expensive.
I do admit that I could be wrong. You (scott) could be able to have sex in a mousey whimpy way that doesn’t leave and traces of DNA, but only you would know how to do it… are you a eunich?
Every girl | 12.26.06 – 7:16 pm | #
Heard a bit of Adler today while travelling. He had on a very tough policeman, from the San Francisco force, who has started a web site where he outs judges who make outrages decisions. He says it is time to hold judges accountable for their decisions to turn violent offenders out to re offend. Maybe he should include stupid DAs, who want to get re-elected, or run for govenor or president. Just remember this case when you listen to the media vilify Bedard. Maybe the husband is lying, and has taken a page from the cases where women have lied during custody battles.
The moral of the story is its’ ok to rape a black stripper because she is a slut and sluts don’t deserve justice.
BTW thanks Scott for going against the hateful garbage that has been posted in this thread. I am reminded of the famous Germaine Greer quote:
You have no idea how much men hate you.
Gee Tanya, do you know something nobody else does? Maybe you should pass on the information to the DA. Real moral of this story is that bleeding hearts like you believe everything you read in the MSM and have made up your mind based on emotion and not evidence. Prove me wrong.
Throughout this thread I keep reading about how this woman is a slut, and a whore that wants money and how the duke boys are innocent. None of us was there and it is quite horrible to pass judgment in this way.
What you all seem to forget is the lack of a conviction does not prove a rape did not take place. Bathrooms can be cleaned and just because she couldn’t identify the perpetrators does not mean she was not raped. It seems that everybody is far too willing to villify a woman for not being pure and innocent. The focus here should be on whether these “boys” are guilty or not. The number of sex partners or the father of her child has absolutely nothing to do with determining their guilt or innocence.
The fact is rape is an under-reported crime and the villification of rape victims is a contributing factor. She isn’t the one on trial, the alleged rapists are.
Like I said before, if you are a potential rapist (and I say this to potential rapists everywhere) it is OK to rape someone who is a “slut” because they had it coming. Unless the woman is sexually pure, rape is not a crime. Nobody will believe that a “slut” could get raped. They will be so busy picking apart her clothing, attacking her for having too many sex partners or maybe saying that she is “uncovered meat”. If you don’t want to get raped you better stay in your room and in your hijab because all men are rapists. Get it now?
No, Tanya, I don’t get it. That would be because your logic is askew. (What “conviction”? This case hasn’t even gone to court!) Also, because I’m able to think for myself.
I’d say that sda posters are very concerned about legitimate accusations of rape. The problem here is that this case sounds completely bogus.
In a case like this, the physical evidence is crucial. Your suggestion that the bathroom just got cleaned up enough to eradicate the evidence is ludicrous. (How about the apparent lack of evidence on the person of the alleged victim?) We’re not talking what’s visible to the human eye, Tanya. We’re talking highly sensitive, scientific equipment which can detect mere traces of biological evidence. It seems that not even mere traces were found either in the bathroom or on the body of the victim or the accused.
You say that, in the case of rape, sexual history has no bearing at all. Sometimes it does. In this case, the alleged victim, who seems to be a fairly irresponsible and even reckless type, doesn’t sound like a very reliable witness to me. That doesn’t mean she WASN’T raped: however, given the evidence reported so far, it just DOESN’T SEEM likely. And, unlike you, who seem to be on automatic pilot here–you sound like a doctrinaire feminist who works at a rape crisis centre–personally (vs the judicial system, which is required to assume innocence), I’m not inclined to give benefit of the doubt to a person who doesn’t appear to deserve it. If she’s innocent, that will be proven in court.
BTW, as you pass judgment–negative–on sda posters, you claim that passing judgment’s a horrible thing. Double standard, Tanya. (I don’t share your apparent sensitivity. Debate means using one’s discernment and making judgments: in general, this is a very good thing! We need much more of it in Canada. If we had, I believe there’d be far fewer brainwashed individuals who seem to believe every fairy tale–lefties and Liberals–or nightmare–feminists–they hear. So, let’s hear it for judgment!)
Check out the information available, Tanya. Next, put your brain–vs propaganda–in gear. Then maybe YOU’LL get it.
“So why proceed. Because the only way out for him is to lose.”
I am a prosecutor myself, and that position is just plain out of the question. Damn whatever other consequences: a prosecutor’s duty is to seek justice, so one who proceeds in bad faith is beneath contempt. Nifong should be disbarred.
Tanya, I have to say I take personal offense at your suggestions. My job is to punish the guilty but it’s just as equally to ensure the innocent remain free. The presumption of innocence is not a technicality: it is one of the few things between a free society under the rule of law, and a police state.
“She isn’t the one on trial, the alleged rapists are.”
Witness credibility is ALWAYS an issue, in EVERY trial: that’s hardly specific to sex crimes. But I suppose you’d just have all men locked away as rapists, and to hell with due process.
I believe my remarks were misinterpreted. I am in no way condoning putting innocent people in jail. I am decrying the fact that this woman is being judged by people in this thread for her appearance and her sexual history.
OK great, I agree with you that witness credibility is important. But what I often wonder about all rape cases everywhere is why the victims have all the details of their sex lives splashed around the media and yet this same thing does not happen to the alleged perpetrators. We have heard all about the fact that she is a stripper and had multipe sex partners. I mean look at some of the vile, hateful things posted in this thread alone:
“There are way too many women, (black and white) who think they can get rich instantly by falsely crying rape.”
“young lady”
“its ALL about MONEY.”
On and on people judge the victim for the number of sex partners she had, her skin color, as if those factors had anything to do with the rape.
But why aren’t the frat boys being judged as well? Does anybody know how many sex partners the accused rapists had? Does anybody judge them for allowing beer-fueled mayhem at their frat house every weekend? Does anybody judge them for the act of hiring strippers in the first place? None of these things are even mentioned at all.
I am not speculating on whether these particular “boys” are guilty or innocent. I am more pissed at the way that rape victims get judged by the media, as though it were impossible for so-called slutty women to get raped. This kind of garbage is the reason that so many rape victims do not report the crimes against them. Very few innocent perfect rape victims exist. This kind of garbage also gives men already inclined to rape the impression that if they choose the right victim, nobody will believe her.
Also, the idea that women cry rape to get money is freaking laughable. The amount of public humiliation that any rape victim goes through is enough to keep far too many rape victims both male and female from reporting the crimes against them. Not only that, the conviction rate is extremely low for rape. How many times do we hear that a mans’ life will be ruined if he is falsely accused and convicted for rape? But we hardly ever hear the other side, how many lives are ruined by unreported and unconvicted rapes?
I find it frighteningly sad that you find my views so controversial that I sound like a “feminist working in a rape crisis center”. Are you trying to tell me that the only people sympathetic to rape victims are feminist extremists? That is indeed frightening! I would hope that rape is the sort of crime that everybody would be opposed to.
I believe my remarks were misinterpreted. I am in no way condoning putting innocent people in jail. I am decrying the fact that this woman is being judged by people in this thread for her appearance and her sexual history.
OK great, I agree with you that witness credibility is important. But what I often wonder about all rape cases everywhere is why the victims have all the details of their sex lives splashed around the media and yet this same thing does not happen to the alleged perpetrators. We have heard all about the fact that she is a stripper and had multipe sex partners. I mean look at some of the vile, hateful things posted in this thread alone:
“There are way too many women, (black and white) who think they can get rich instantly by falsely crying rape.”
“young lady”
“its ALL about MONEY.”
On and on people judge the victim for the number of sex partners she had, her skin color, as if those factors had anything to do with the rape.
But why aren’t the frat boys being judged as well? Does anybody know how many sex partners the accused rapists had? Does anybody judge them for allowing beer-fueled mayhem at their frat house every weekend? Does anybody judge them for the act of hiring strippers in the first place? None of these things are even mentioned at all.
I am not speculating on whether these particular “boys” are guilty or innocent. I am more pissed at the way that rape victims get judged by the media, as though it were impossible for so-called slutty women to get raped. This kind of garbage is the reason that so many rape victims do not report the crimes against them. Very few innocent perfect rape victims exist. This kind of garbage also gives men already inclined to rape the impression that if they choose the right victim, nobody will believe her.
Also, the idea that women cry rape to get money is freaking laughable. The amount of public humiliation that any rape victim goes through is enough to keep far too many rape victims both male and female from reporting the crimes against them. Not only that, the conviction rate is extremely low for rape. How many times do we hear that a mans’ life will be ruined if he is falsely accused and convicted for rape? But we hardly ever hear the other side, how many lives are ruined by unreported and unconvicted rapes?
I find it frighteningly sad that you find my views so controversial that I sound like a “feminist working in a rape crisis center”. Are you trying to tell me that the only people sympathetic to rape victims are feminist extremists? That is indeed frightening! I would hope that rape is the sort of crime that everybody would be opposed to.
If this is a double post I apologize. My internets is being moody. 🙁
“I would hope that rape is the sort of crime that everybody would be opposed to.”
Of course everybody is opposed to rape, don’t be silly. I believe the majority here take umbrage to the smell of this case and you don’t.
You’re being offensively judgmental, Tanya, by putting words into other people’s mouths.
I don’t think there’s anything frightening about what I said. E.g., I conceded that “sda posters are very concerned about legitimate accusations of rape.” We are.
But you say, “Are you trying to tell me that the only people sympathetic to rape victims are feminist extremists? That is indeed frightening!” I suggested nothing of the sort.
Suggesting the opposite, you also said, “I would hope that rape is the sort of crime that everybody would be opposed to.” Yes, indeed, I’d agree with that. And I’m sure I can say that everyone at sda considers rape a heinous crime too.
So, Tanya, the reference to feminist extremists is the result of your apparent extremism. (Psst . . . Sometimes understating or at least using more moderate language, while avoiding misrepresenting the words of others can be much more effective and persuasive than maliciously attributing nonsense to people with whom you disagree.)
You obviously feel very strongly about this issue and appear inclined to go easy on the woman making the accusations, even though, in this particular case–which is what this thread is about–she appears to be an most unreliable witness. ???
You can’t go very far without having a “Tanya” so willing to wield the title of victim to blungent the heads of anyone with a mind that asks, is the accuser telling the truth?
• According to the FBI, one of every 12 claims of rape filed in the United States are later deemed ‘unfounded,’ meaning the case was closed because the alleged victim recanted or because investigators found no evidence of a crime.
• Howard County Police classified one out of every four rape allegations as unfounded in 1990-91.
• The National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers says around 600 teachers a year are falsely accused – a trebling since the 1989 Children’s Act.
• Citing a recent USA Today article, discussing the miracle of DNA and FBI studies of sexual assault suspects, DNA testing exonerated about 30% to 35% of the more than 4,000 sexual assault suspects on whom the FBI had conducted DNA testing over the past three years.
• Purdue sociologist Eugene J. Kanin, in over 40% of the cases reviewed, the complainants eventually admitted that no rape had occurred (Archives of Sexual Behavior, Vol. 23, No. 1, 1994).
• 1985 the Air Force conducted a study of 556 rape accusations. Over 25% of the accusers admitted, either just before they took a lie detector test or after they had failed it, that no rape occurred.
• 1996 Department of Justice Report, of the roughly 10,000 sexual assault cases analyzed with DNA evidence over the previous seven years, 2,000 excluded the primary suspect, and another 2,000 were inconclusive.
• Linda Fairstein, who heads the New York County District Attorney’s Sex Crimes Unit. Fairstein, the author of Sexual Violence: Our War Against Rape, says, “there are about 4,000 reports of rape each year in Manhattan. Of these, about 50% simply did not happen.”
• Craig Silverman, a former Colorado prosecutor known for his zealous prosecution of rapists during his 16-year career, says that false rape accusations occur with “scary frequency.” As a regular commentator on the Bryant trial for Denver’s ABC affiliate, Silverman noted that “any honest veteran sex assault investigator will tell you that rape is one of the most falsely reported crimes.” According to Silverman, a Denver sex-assault unit commander estimates that nearly 50% of all reported rape claims are false.
Now let me be clear. I don’t know enough about the Duke rape case to pass judgment on it. I do not believe all men should be locked up and I never stated that. I simply object to the portrayal of rape victims in this thread. Judging her because she is black and a stripper is wrong. Saying that her accusations are unfounded based on her colour or her occupation makes no sense. Are you trying to say that strippers don’t get raped? The amount of hate thrown her way is simply unacceptable. I do not in any way think that all men should be locked up and I don’t see how asking people to be respectful is hateful towards men.
As for your assertions about rape. Your statistics are very interesting but like all statistics they must be examined carefully. For example, your claim about DNA testing exonorating rapists. Did it ever occur to you that perhaps the wrong man was convicted? This is a terrible triple tragedy. First of all, a rapist gets off scott free and is free to rape other people. Then an innocent peron gets convicted of a crime and rots in jail. And the womans’ claim of rape gets treated as though it were fake. DNA exonerating a falsely convicted man does not mean a rape did not occur! In the Milgard case for example, nobody would deny that the victim had been raped and killed because Milgard got exonerated. Unless she were still alive, then maybe you guys would feel free to judge her for her clothing or being alone on the street. Who knows. Throwing hate at rape victims harms all rape victims.
I love your one out of twelve stat as reported by the FBI. There are lots of reasons to recant a rape. Having to retell a painful and humiliating experience to multiple male investigators would be a horrible experience for any woman. If you have the feeling that no one believes you, you just might have a good reason to recant your story. Again, recanting does not mean the rape charges were unfounded. I am surprised that only 1 out of 12 women decide to recant. It reveals that there is a tendency for rape victims to blame themselves for what happened.
If I was a feminist extremist I might suggest that the Duke boys have their sex lives put on display. They should have the hard drives of their computers seized so that we can see what kind of pornography they like. If they have any porn on their computers, it is automatic proof that they are rapists. If they ever have sex they must be rapists. They allowed beer-fueled mayhem at their house every weekend so they must be rapists. After all, aren’t they witnesses in a trial? Shouldn’t their credibility be tested to make sure that they aren’t lying? But since I am a reasonable person that only wishes that justice be served and people stop hating on rape victims, I will not make such outrageous suggestions. You see, I realize that your sexual history has absolutely nothing to do with your credibility. If an alleged perpetrators’ sexual history is irrelevant than so should the alleged victims be considered irrelevant.
Duke lacked courage
——————————————————————————–
I have to agree with Gordon Grunte’s comments [Letters, Dec. 20] regarding how Duke University’s leadership handled the initial phase of the lacrosse story. My wife and I were upset with the lack of reason and courage exhibited by Duke’s leadership during that period and how they turned on and punished the entire team.
The only words of reason and support for these young men (the true victims) came from some of their fellow students. It was clear that many team members were guilty of bad judgment and poor behavior and that they probably violated team rules and Duke policies.
But regarding the rape charge — to anyone with an open mind and an understanding of our legal system, it should have been obvious that this case lacked merit and smacked of political opportunism. As one who loved the university even before I was fortunate enough to attend it (MBA,1981), I had always admired the tradition of Duke’s leadership and vision, as exhibited by leaders such as the late Terry Sanford.
This great university, its students, faculty, alumni, the Durham community and the great state of North Carolina need better leadership at Duke.