http://www.heraldsun.com/opinion/hsletters/
Stripping not proper job
James Coleman, professor of law at Duke University, calls it racial insensitivity to call the alleged victim in the lacrosse indictments a "black girl near the bottom of society." This is blunt, but what is more incredulous than the press calling a murderer a gentleman or a woman who strips for a living a lady? Professor Coleman himself panders to a segment of so-called sexually liberated women in echoing the oft-heard distinctions differentiating the alleged victim from others as "apparently a talented student and mother" who (has no other choice), but "dances to support herself and her child." I believe a large majority of women of all races still think this is not a proper job for any woman, and especially a mother. The alleged victim was either never told, or did not take seriously, the age-old warning that if a woman puts herself in an atmosphere inviting sex, it will almost certainly guarantee advances, unwanted or otherwise. I think we can call that a fact.
KRIS CHRISTENSEN
Durham
October 25, 2006
http://www.newsobserver.com/100/story/502604.html
Nifong in driver's seat, but many still undecided
Benjamin Niolet, Staff Writer
DURHAM - Mike Nifong has a double-digit lead heading into the November election for district attorney, according to a survey of likely Durham voters.
The poll, commissioned by The News & Observer and WRAL-TV, asked 600 likely voters in Durham County whom they would vote for in the district attorney's race. Of those polled, 46 percent said they would vote for Nifong. The incumbent's total far exceeded the 28 percent of respondents who said they would vote for county Commissioner Lewis Cheek. Two percent of those polled said they planned to vote for write-in candidate Steve Monks.
The poll, conducted between Oct. 16 and Oct. 19, found that 24 percent of those surveyed remained undecided, enough to change the outcome of the election, the most heated district attorney's race Durham has seen in years. The debate in a county that sees more than 50,000 new criminal cases every year has been almost entirely about charges leveled against three Duke University lacrosse players accused of raping an escort service dancer at a March party.
The poll, conducted by Research 2000 of Rockville, Md., has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Nifong, who has been highly criticized for his handling of the affair, has tried to emphasize his long career beyond the single case. He said Tuesday that the intense focus on the lacrosse case has come from a small but vocal group, many of whom will not be voting Nov. 7.
"The people that are likely to have that kind of strong feeling about the lacrosse case and who believe it is the only thing that is truly of importance are not likely to be Durham residents," Nifong said. "I think I really have never thought that a DA's race for the vast majority of the electorate would be a single issue."
Cheek is a Democratic stalwart who got his name on the November ballot through a petition drive. But he later announced that he would not serve if elected, because he cannot leave his private law practice.
If voters choose him, the governor would have to appoint someone to fill the job for two years. A group of Durham residents formed a political action committee to campaign for just that result.
Cheek's backers and Monks said they were particularly interested in the number of undecided voters.
"I think a good portion of those undecided voters are probably undecided between Monks and Cheek," said Beth Brewer, spokeswoman for the Committee to Recall Nifong-Vote Cheek.
Monks said Cheek's backers cannot win.
"These undecided people, they know who Lewis Cheek is. They're not undecided over whether they're going to vote for Lewis Cheek or not," Monks said. "They want to vote for someone who is going to serve. Their obvious frustration is, either it's Mike [Nifong] or is Monks a viable candidate?"
Jackie Brown, Nifong's former campaign manager and one of the four organizers who helped get Cheek on the ballot, said the poll results could help change the election.
"Hopefully, this poll will be a wake-up call to the undecideds. I think it will energize some of the folks who would otherwise stay at home -- otherwise they're going to have four more years of Mike Nifong."
The election comes at a time when voters appear to be unhappy with government on a state and national level. The poll found 66 percent of Durham's likely voters are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country, and 61 percent disapprove of the performance of the state legislature over the past two years.
Cedric Moses, 23, plans to vote. But he's not sure what to do in the district attorney's race.
"I'm just sitting back, waiting," said Moses, an electrician. "I just haven't decided yet."
He has heard people say that there's not a good choice among the three. For now, Moses said, that might be true.
"I'm just holding out to see who I trust the most," he said.
(Staff writers Michael Biesecker, Matt Dees and Jane Stancill contributed to this report.)
NIFONG - 46%
CHEEK - 28%
MONKS - 2%
Staff writer Benjamin Niolet can be reached at 919-956-2404 or bniolet@newsobserver.com.
Staff writers Michael Biesecker, Matt Dees and Jane Stancill contributed to this report.