Duke Rape Case Has Become a Parody

realclearpolitics.com ^ | December 27, 2006 | Kathleen Parker

[neverdem]

Given recent events in Durham, N.C., concerning the alleged Duke University lacrosse "rape'' case, it is now possible to declare parody dead.

How does one parody a parody?

All is not lost, however. We can celebrate the addition of a new verb to our American lexicon -- "to Nifong.'' When the moment calls for activities that need no elaboration, we already "Bobbitt,'' "Bork,'' and "Lewinsky.''

Now we can "Nifong'' someone when we want to trump up criminal charges based on flimsy evidence allegedly for political purposes. In short, when we want to screw up someone's life.

Nifong would be as in Durham County District Attorney Michael B. Nifong, who earlier this year brought charges against three lacrosse players -- Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans -- for the alleged rape of an African-American stripper who had been hired to perform at a team party.

Last week, Nifong dropped the rape charges when the alleged victim decided she wasn't sure she had been raped after all. That is, she wasn't sure she had been vaginally penetrated, a distinction required by state law for a charge of rape.

Last March, after the party, the stripper had a different recollection, telling police that she had been raped every which way. But, well, these things are difficult sometimes to keep straight. Rape being so nuanced and all.

Meanwhile, hundreds of lives have been turned inside out, none so much as the three accused players. All because, well, let's see, because the stripper said so. The absence of corroborating evidence seemed to pose no obstacle for Nifong, who ran a successful re-election campaign on the strength of his convictions.

And, of course, the story had good legs and plenty of sex appeal, if you like that sort of thing: race...

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

To "tawana" someone and to "nifong" someone are related expressions.

[Jaded]

Tereza Heinz-Kerry uses "African-American".

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Don't forget Clymer!

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

Leftists eagerly read the papers and listen to the radio and watch TV news waiting for the event that seems to fit their AGENDA. Then the event is molded and changed so that it fully fits the leftist agenda.
Events are not valuable in themselves. They are valuable only to the extent that they can serve as a symbol, a model, an archtype of some leftist dogma, such as "priviliged white boys attack underprivileged underclass people".

[EyeGuy]

"I used to use that term to protest being called "white" by the race counters."

I still do. Why'd ya stop?

BigRacism is still on the job.

[uscabjd]

Do you want to be associated with europe?

[HOTTIEBOY]

I wonder what part of Africa this stripper was born in?

Charlize Theron is African American. She's white.

Morgan Freeman is American. He's black. (and prefers to be called black)

[arthurus]

When the moment calls for activities that need no elaboration, we already "Bobbitt,'' "Bork,'' and "Lewinsky.''

and "Clymer", don't forget clymer.

[uscabjd]

Not as funny as one might think. I have several friends, as white as I, who are from Mex or So Amer. They are "Hispanic" and "spanish speaking" and are given preferences. In one case, one is a Jew who's parents fled from europe and landed in so amer long enough for him to be born there.

[GoldenPup]

Nifong should be disbarred and prosecuted.

[RexBeach]

Well, my families came from there, so the link is not only factual but inevitable. :)

How about Virginian-American?

[river rat]

Nifong, by using this skank's obviously contrived claim to secure his election victory --- and the early racist demands by the black community and their "leaders" -- together with Duke University's "leadership" determining guilt before a trial ------- has cast an ugly cloud over the judicial system..

The 3 young men, who were rushed to the gallows of public opinion --- should soon be collecting budget breaking awards from the City of Durham, the county, the state and Duke University...

Personally, I hope it wipes out the entire black community's welfare allotment....

Semper Fi

[upchuck]

And let's not forget our own FReeper Bommer who rapped about John sKerry and his wife Taa-raa-za:

Then I married a rich Republican loaded with cash
Momma T's the perfect woman and the perfect wife
An African-American who's rich and who's white
It's not easy being married to someone so rich
And a lot harder waking up to this ugly b****!

LOL!

[JLS]

That is a pretty funny rap. Sadly this is not a funny case in the least bit.

[an amused spectator]

How about Scooternifonging?

How about StarrTripping?

(That's where YOU commit a felony punishable by jail time, and the accusers get smeared, slandered and prosecuted...).

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

historically black North Carolina Central University ....

---

How many articles mention NCCU without the words "historically black?"

None.

Just one of the unimportant details which bugs the hell out of me.

[gcruse]

There's that and the risible substitution of dancer for stripper.

[rhombus]

Why'd ya stop?

Now I just won't answer

[justshutupandtakeit]

Sounds good unfortunately for your plan the newspapers would not run your ads. Never in a million years. Now if the prosecutor was Republican then you would be accomodated and there would be no need to run the ads since they would be doing all they could to destroy the Republican for free.

[Dallas59]

Tawana Brawley

Origins of the case

On Saturday, November 28, 1987, Brawley, who had been missing for four days, was found lying conscious but unresponsive in a garbage bag several feet away from an apartment she had once lived in, her clothing torn and burned, her body smeared with feces. She was taken to the emergency room, where various slurs and epithets were discovered written on her torso with a black substance described as charcoal.

A detective from the Sheriff's Juvenile Aid Bureau, among others, was summoned to interview Brawley, but she remained unresponsive. The family requested a black officer, which the police granted. Brawley, described as having an "extremely spacey" look on her face, communicated with this officer with nods of the head, shrugs of the shoulder, and written notes. The interview lasted 20 minutes, during which she uttered only one word: "neon." Through gestures and writing, however, she indicated that she had been raped repeatedly in a wooded area by three white men, at least one of them a police officer. A sexual assault kit was administered, and police began building a case.

Public response

Public response to Brawley's story was at first mostly sympathetic. Bill Cosby, among others, pledged support for her. Articles about Brawley captured headlines across the US. Public rallies were held denouncing the incident. However, racial tensions also climbed, and when up-and-coming civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton, with attorneys Alton H. Maddox and C. Vernon Mason, began handling Brawley's publicity, the case quickly took on an explosive edge.

Under the wing of Sharpton, Maddox, and Mason, a full-fledged media sensation was born. The three claimed that the entire case was a coverup going all the way up to the state government. They named New York prosecutor Steven Pagones specifically, calling him a racist and a rapist, among other accusations.

Grand jury hearings

By the time of the grand jury hearings, six men had been accused of rape. After seven months of examining police and medical records, the jury determined there was not enough evidence to charge these suspects with a crime.

In the decision, the grand jury noted many problems with Brawley's story. Among these were the results of the rape kit, which did not indicate sexual assault. Also, despite her claim of having been held captive for days, Brawley was not suffering from exposure, was well nourished, and appeared to have brushed her teeth recently. There were no burns on her body, despite her clothing being charred. A shoe she was wearing was cut through, yet she had sustained no injuries to her foot. Testimony from her schoolmates indicated that she had attended a local party during the time of her supposed abduction, and one witness claimed to have observed Brawley climbing into the garbage bag. An ex-boyfriend of Brawley's told Newsday that Brawley had admitted making the attack up.

A total of 180 witnesses were called during the hearings. Brawley herself never testified.

Aftermath

Brawley and her mother had both been subpoenaed to testify in front of the grand jury, and refused to do so. This may have prompted Brawley and her family to move hastily to Virginia, taking with them a "defense fund" of $300,000 which had been contributed by well-wishers. There is still an outstanding warrant against the two for ignoring the subpoena, and they are subject to arrest in New York state should they ever decide to return.

The case still hangs over Sharpton, particularly following his entry into mainstream politics (his race for the 2004 Democratic Presidential nomination involved his addressing the convention from its podium), not merely because he defended Brawley's story but for the unfounded accusations he leveled, and, according to some of his critics, his "playing the race card".

Maddox was later disbarred after being accused of billing and abandoning clients in an unrelated series of incidents.

In 1997, Tawana changed her name to Maryam Muhammad.

In 1998 Pagones was awarded $345,000 (he sought $150 million) in suit for a defamation of character that he brought against Sharpton, Maddox, and Mason.