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Jeff A. Taylor reports from North Carolina on the unending misteps of the Duke Lacrosse case.
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|12.22.06 @ 8:50AM|#
"Attorney General Alberto Gonzales then, incredibly, becomes the key to protecting basic civil liberties"
Thats gotta suck.
Although depending on who's telling him what to think it could be alright. Espescially if Nifong is somehow accused of being a threat to national security.
Dan T.|12.22.06 @ 9:11AM|#
Funny how it's the prosecuter who's on trial here and not the alleged rich white boy rapists. If it'd been a group of black males who'd raped a white woman, they'd already be getting the rope ready. Justice, southern-style.
|12.22.06 @ 9:18AM|#
"Funny how it's the prosecuter who's on trial here and not the alleged rich white boy rapists."
Dan T are you really that stupid, prejudiced and self loathing? What is funny about a lynch mob in a backward southern town going after a bunch of out of towners led by a sleazy prosecutor? I don't see anything funny at all. I also don't see anything funny in a prosecutor who somehow things that because the defendants are white and the accuser is black he can throw out the constitution. When jackasses like you get on here and try justify that kind of behavior, because the accused are "a bunch of rich white boys", all you do is justify every other prosecutor black or white's efforts to railroad people. You really are a pathetic troll Dan T.
|12.22.06 @ 9:19AM|#
What planet you been living on, Dan T? Here on earth, the accused were summarily and nearly universally convicted in the media about 3 nanoseconds after they were accused, and the magnitude of the prosecuter's misconduct, and the utter weakness of his case, has come to light only slowly.
"If it'd been a group of black males who'd raped a white woman, they'd already be getting the rope ready. Justice, southern-style."
Yes, who can deny that, when it comes to inter-racial crime, whites are given a free pass compared to blacks.
|12.22.06 @ 9:21AM|#
Dan T ya got me ROFLMAO. Either yer jokin big-time or yer livin in some kind of time-warp or alternate universe.
Reality these days is that if it was black males they'd be out partyin right now even if there was video from all angles, in addition to DNA, in addition to four male whitnesses, etc., etc. etc.
Only white males deserve to be punished without proof based on the lies of a crack ho.
|12.22.06 @ 9:23AM|#
Despite the sensible urge not to federalize every issue, sometimes only another layer of government can fix bad government.
Funniest line in the piece. And yes, Dan T. is a moron.
:-|12.22.06 @ 9:23AM|#
I wanted a new bike but all Santa brought me was a troll.
|12.22.06 @ 9:26AM|#
That one goes in the "Dan T. Hall of Fame for Inflammatory Comments." I bet you were giggling when you wrote that, knowing it would take about seven minutes for someone to call you an ass.
Dan T.|12.22.06 @ 9:30AM|#
All I'm saying is instead of everyone trying this in the court of public opinion, we let the prosecuter do his job and try this case in a court of law, and a jury will determine guilt or innocence. I know that's asking alot here.
|12.22.06 @ 9:38AM|#
"Brian Meehan revealed that not only had his lab found DNA samples from five unknown men, none of whom were Duke lacrosse players, Meehan had also agreed with Nifong not to put that info in the DNA Security's final report."
So is that part of the prosecutors job that should proceed unimpeded by the "court of public opinion"?
|12.22.06 @ 9:43AM|#
I will kick the troll again. Dan, not every case deserves a jury. By your logic I could accuse you of being a child rapist, with absolutely no evidence and in fact with incriminating evidence and you would still have to go through a jury trial because we should "let hte prosecuter to his dob and try this case in a court of law". Just because someone is accused of something doesn't mean the case should go to a jury.
Sam Franklin|12.22.06 @ 9:55AM|#
i am with Dan T. in the sense that if an extra layer of government is going to come into play here, the time would be more ripe after a conviction.
While the wheels of justice grind slowly sometimes, it is just possible that North Carolina's judicial branch can take care of this problem at the jury (or judge at defendants' option) trial.
If the feds want to get involved in state criminal justice they should start with the West Memphis 3. Far as I know, those goths are still in jail. Then they can move along to Cory Maye. Duke boys can get their trial while the feds clear up these riper problems.
|12.22.06 @ 9:55AM|#
let hte prosecuter to his dob
lil\' wow wow|12.22.06 @ 10:01AM|#
John, your mind sure is a lot better than your typing.
|12.22.06 @ 10:11AM|#
Lil,
It has to be or I would be in a home for invalids somewhere unable to feed myself. God, I can't type to save my life.
|12.22.06 @ 10:11AM|#
Sam...I don't think Dan T.'s argument was that sophisticated...still, you echo my point about adding another layer of government.
Systems are best designed that don't try to solve every problem. Over-zealous prosecutors are an exception to a system that tends to work very well. It makes little sense to add another layer of bureaucracy to manage an exception.
Yes, the situation sucks but his case is weak and he's an elected official. Justice does turn slowly, but I think he'll likely get his in the end.
|12.22.06 @ 10:23AM|#
I thought "let hte prosecuter to his dob" was some sort of SNL Buckwheat reference. I guess I give some contributors too much credit.
|12.22.06 @ 10:43AM|#
"Yes, the situation sucks but his case is weak and he's an elected official. Justice does turn slowly, but I think he'll likely get his in the end."
No he doesn't because the mob elects him. The average person in Durham thinks this just great. The only way he looses his job is if he looses an election. Fat Chance. This is what you have the State Bar and the State Attorney General for. But in a banana republic like North Carolina, again fat chance. There is one lesson I take from this; the next time some hipster doofus starts telling how the research triangle or Ashville is such a fabulous progressive place to live, I am going to laugh my ass off.
|12.22.06 @ 11:09AM|#
Stop feeding the troll.
|12.22.06 @ 12:00PM|#
"Justice does turn slowly"
"The mills of the gods grind slowly, but they grind small"
Unfortunately, they're grinding innocents.
|12.22.06 @ 12:15PM|#
Letting the prosecutor do his job is very important, but the whole point is that he's not only failing to do it, he's blatantly breaking the law by doing what he's doing. Dan, do you think that leaving the prosecutor alone to break the law is important? I don't understand what you're saying, I guess. Or did you not understand that the problem is the prosecutor himself?
|12.22.06 @ 12:53PM|#
Wikipedia has a great summation of the whole thing. As for myself, I hope Gonzalez investigates Nifong.
I was surprised to learn that as late as October 27, 2006, Nifong had not even spoken to the accuser.
Bob Z.|12.22.06 @ 12:55PM|#
According to Drudge the rape charges have been now been dropped, but there are still charges of kidnapping and sexual offense, whatever that is. My question is, at what point does this rise to the level of actual prosecutable criminal behavior on the part of Nifong? Conspiracy to withhold exculpatory evidence has got to be getting you in that ballpark.
Guy Montag|12.22.06 @ 12:56PM|#
That crooked D.A. just dropped the charges.
Guess the date for a recall election has passed or something.
Guy Montag|12.22.06 @ 12:59PM|#
Bob Z.,
kidnapping and sexual offense
Kidnapping can be as minor as keeping someone from leaving a room that they entered on their own. Even less IIRC.
Sexual offense could be as minor as calling the service to have her perform if those performances for money are illegal.
With this D.A. there is no telling.
|12.22.06 @ 1:11PM|#
It's hard to even know what to say about this; good thing those guys can sue to get their lives back.
This is why I believe that public officials should be subject to capital punishment for abuse of power (or egregious incompetence, either of which should be enough to get Nifong the Chair). But who would arrest and try them? It's as likely as Congressmen voting for term limits.
|12.22.06 @ 5:06PM|#
Wow, the balls on this prosecutor. Trying to hide exculpatory evidence in one of the most analyzed criminal cases in the country, going against a defense team that WAY outguns his office.
Kinda makes you wonder what he'll do when he thinks nobody is looking.
Good job, Durham, you've elected the prosecutor you deserve. Can't wait until he has your sons in his clutches.