It's Time for Justice: Drop the charges vs. Duke lacrosse players

The Mercury News ^ | October 16, 2006 | Jason Whitlock

[zaxxon]

The charges against the Duke lacrosse players should be dropped immediately, and the people demanding the dismissal the loudest and most forcefully should be the very people who have made a living allegedly fighting against racial injustice.

I've said this before, but it's worth saying again: Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton should be in Durham, N.C., today, promising civil disobedience until the charges are dropped and prosecutor Mike Nifong resigns.

Ed Bradley and "60 Minutes" should never be mistaken for Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court. Bradley is just a TV reporter and "60 Minutes" is just a TV show, but you couldn't help but be moved by the story they aired Sunday night about the Duke lacrosse rape allegations.

The three accused players gave their first interviews, and two of them claimed they had airtight, documented alibis. The accuser's one-night sidekick, Kim Roberts, seems to have settled on telling the truth rather than trying to spin the story for fame or money. She contradicted several of the statements the accuser gave to police.

[xoxoxox]

If the election for district attorney were held today,
would you vote for Mike Nifong, the Democrat, Lewis Cheek,
the independent, or will you write in Steve Monks?

Nifong Cheek Monks Undecided
All 46 28 2 24
Men 43 32 2 23
Women 49 24 2 25
Demos 61 22 1 16
Republ 4 44 3 49
Indepe 42 30 4 24
White 34 43 3 20
Black 62 9 0 29
Latino 57 15 0 28*

* [numbers expressed as %]

DURHAM COUNTY SURVEY RESULTS

This poll was conducted for The News & Observer and WRAL by Research 2000 of Rockville, Md. A total of 600 likely voters were interviewed countywide by telephone between Oct. 16 and Oct. 19, 2006.

Those interviewed were selected by the random variation of the last four digits of telephone numbers. A cross-section of exchanges was utilized in order to ensure an accurate reflection of the county.

The margin for error, according to standards customarily used by statisticians, is no more than plus or minus 4 percentage points. This means that there is a 95 percent probability that the “true” figure would fall within that range if the entire population were sampled. The margin for error is higher for any subgroup, such as for gender or race.

SAMPLE FIGURES

Men 285 (48%)

Women 315 (52%)

Democrats 361 (60%)

Republicans 120 (20%)

Independents 119 (20%)

White 336 (56%)

Black 229 (38%)

Latino 29 (5%)

Other/Refused 6 (1%)

http://www.newsobserver.com/114/story/502352.html

[Locomotive Breath]

Good to know. I haven't heard back from him (I only just e-mailed him this a.m.) but will report if I do.

[Locomotive Breath]

Black 62 9 0 29

So much for theories I've heard proposed, including by me, about churchgoing conservative black people who are embarrassed by this whole thing and would like it to go away.

[stupid duke parent]

Duke Chronicle has several important articles today. Please take the time to read and perhaps comment there regarding the CCI meeting, Steve Baldwin and his apology for using "insensitive" remarks in his column yesterday, a Woman's Studies professor blasting Baldwin, and an article about the blogs.

[Locomotive Breath]

NORFOLK, Va. - A sailor pleaded guilty Monday to abducting and killing a Marine corporal he thought had been involved in a gang rape. The rape turned out to be a lie, but the truth surfaced too late.

Sailor kills Marine after lie about rape

remind ya'll of anything?

[xoxoxox]

The N&O election survey story

'Nifong in driver's seat'

gets a huge 36 pt, headline, 4 column

above the fold, front page treatment

along with a nice picture of the DA

in action. The Durham LYNCHING

continues, the media willingly carrying

the noose. The Committee has built

their scaffold. The peasants look

forward to the spectacle. Hoaxsters,

shysters, sham academics, corrupt

politicians- the town is a cesspool.

Very criminal friendly though.

[ltc8k6]

Yes, this train is running on Nifong's schedule, and the people with the power to stop it don't care. The jury pool is just what Nifong knew it would be. The LAX players will likely be convicted.

Durham deserves what it gets.

[xoxoxox]

"The jury pool is just what Nifong knew it would be."

Don't worry about the jury. Should this ever get that

far, the jury will be the only ones with any common sense.

[Locomotive Breath]

Please stand by...

[luv2ski]

I wrote to Stephen Baldwin this morning after reading his letter to the editor in today's Chronicle. Clearly he is being attacked on all sides. I told him that although his fellow faculty members may be criticizing him, that the parents and students were solidly on his side. He replied that it had been a little tense around there the last couple of days to say the least. That no matter what language he used, he likely would have been criticized and that for some people this issue is about racism and racism only. He said for him, it's about doing the right thing. Then he said, "that said, I am going to put on my kevlar and go to lunch." Those who show courage always have a harder path.

[jennyd]

Where can one find such paragons in possession of common sense in Durham?

[jennyd]

They need to get out of Durham.
Of course the judge has to grant the change of venue first, and what are the chances of that?

[luv2ski]

"The jury pool is just what Nifong knew it would be." Don't worry about the jury. Should this ever get that far, the jury will be the only ones with any common sense.

I totally agree. Although the comments of Durham residents posted here this morning are shocking to say the least, I still believe that a jury will be more thoughtful in their deliberation should this hoax go to trial. We all need to keep in mind that the defense attorneys will have the right to strike clueless jurors from the pool. There are many Durham residents that have been posting here and on other blogs that are clearly biased towards the defense. I don't believe that even a biased jury could convict the Duke 3 with NO evidence of rape.

[Hogeye13]

While I don't know for sure (no experience), I have heard that the "pole clinging" class you are referring to is "a really hard class". Heard she got an "A" alright.

BUT, she has to do some make up work in her "sidewalk inspecting" class to clear up an incomplete.

[SarahUSC]

Once people get in the jury box and take the oath to be a juror they take that responsibility very seriously. But in these high profile cases, especially one like this with the racial factor, things have a tendency to go haywire. People tend to be very influenced by personal feelings and sometimes disregard the evidence.

I have no idea if that would happen here, but it's a possibility. One thing's for sure - Nifong will play to any personal resentments against the players that jurors might have. He has nothing else. In a weird way he has nothing to lose, which is probably why he is so carefree and obnoxious in court.

[jennyd]

I wish I had your optimism.
The jurors are going to be picked based on them not following the case, not using the Internet, etc. So, basically, intelligent educated people are not going to make it on the jury.

[luv2ski]

If they really can eliminate potential jurors for simply "knowing about" or "following" the case, they will be forced to seek a change of venue. No one who lives in Durham would qualify under those rules. It has been in the local papers regularly for 7 months. Even if you don't buy the paper, you would still see the headlines above the fold in the boxes! That doesn't begin to address the coverage it has gotten on local TV channels. Then, of course, there's the NYT, Newsweek, ESPN, etc. I guess they'll have to move it to Bosnia!

[jennyd]

I think mainly the juror has to say he/she hasn't made up his/her mind one way or the other. But they will try to look for people who know nothing about the case, or at least haven't paid attention to the case.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

This one surprises me: Women 49 24 2 25
I expected it to be a bit lower for Nifong. I wonder how many of those polled are mothers of boys?

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

...They should be tarred and feathered, ridden out of town on a rail and removed from the academy. Their comments were despicable. I suspect they were also slanderous, but we'll hear more about that later. ....,"

---

Good Lord. THAT is the offensive remark?
And he apologized for it?
My God....he folded.