[freespirited]

The new letter, signed by 87 faculty and posted at www.concerneddukefaculty.org

Site is down. Will be interesting to see if it comes back.

[redpoll]

The site is down, but I can guess the content. There is a message there in 120-point Times New Roman font with the words, "Please don't sue our silly asses into the ground."

[Roberts]

From the "ad":

" . . no one is really talking about how to keep the young woman herself central to this conversation, how to keep her humanity before us . . . she doesn’t seem to be visible in this. Not for the university, not for us."

Funny, the more the young woman herself was made "central to this conversation", the more obvious that she perpetrated a hoax. Where is the academic outrage at the false accusation of rape for political expediency and the denial of civil rights to the accused?

[JennysCool]

"We reject all attempts to try the case outside the courts, and stand firmly by the principle of the presumption of innocence."

Oh, er, except in that ad we put our names on a few months ago. We were just kidding! Ha ha! What it was was, er, um, actually a parody of a bunch of old hippies running an ad! Ha ha! Humor is such a good thing! Ha ha! So there's really no need to put our pensions into jeopardy by filing any sort of legal action here! We've worked hard all our lives sipping green tea in various faculty lounges and, really, we're super-good people so please -- it was just a parody! Ha ha! Now move along! Thanks! Phew! That was close!

[Roberts]

From the original "ad":

"I can’t help but think about the different attention given to what has happened from what it would have been if the guys had been not just black but participating in a different sport,like football, something that’s not so upscale"

I can answer that easily. If it were the basketball team, the coach would not have been fired by the University President based on unproven allegations, the season would not have been cancelled by the University President due to unproven allegations, and the players involved would not have been kicked out of school by the University President based on unproven allegations. In other words, the presumption of innocence of the accused would not have been cast aside by the University and its President based on the unproven allegations of a prostitute who had never even been interviewed by the District Attorney or his staff.

[knuthom]

The ad has been read as a comment on the alleged rape, the team party, or the specific students accused

NOW it is an "alleged" rape. In the original ad it was "what happened to this young woman".

The whole ad is based on the presumption of their guilt. If you don't have a racially motivated rape, then the things said in the ad about racism and sexism don't make sense.

[EDINVA]

"We think the ad's authors were right to give voice to the students quoted, whose suffering is real."

Oh, puhleeze .. whose suffering is real? I'm going to take a wild guess and assume it's students who probably didn't fit in the highly competitive environment that is Duke. Maybe it's those students who should transfer to another school. Together with the faculty who gave them voice.

[supercat]

From the original ad: "To the students speaking individually and to the protestors making collective noise, thank you for not waiting and for making yourselves heard."

How is that not a request for people to rush to judgement without ensuring they have all the facts?

[skimask]

One of the legal types on Fox News was remarking about the possibility of numerous lawsuits brought the Lacrosse players and their families against Nifong. She remarked that probably when it's all said and done, it will be Duke University that will be found to have the "Deep Pockets".

It looks like the faculty is in big time damage control. Maybe they feel Duke will let them swing on their own.

[jazusamo]

included anonymous statements by students talking about racism and sexism on the campus.

Left-wing professors and anonymous statements, that sorta taxes the believability factor.

[Lancey Howard]

A whole lot of backtracking weasel words from these pathetic clowns.

[Lancey Howard]

Claremont Professor Keri Dunn vandalized her own car and then, before she was exposed as the vandal, led campus "anti-hate" rallies. The Duke professors are no better than Dunn.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

"I can’t help but think about the different attention given to what has happened from whatit would have been if the guys had been not just black but participating in a different sport,like football, something that’s not so upscale."

The above quote from the original ad struck me as illustrative of the twisted mindset involved. Since when is lacrosse an upscale sport. It requires a minimum of equipment, and a smaller playing field than football. We even played it at my high school in a poor part of rural Canada.

[Bon mots]

Sue them. All of them. They were part of a lynch mob seeking to unjustly deprive four innocent young men of their liberty, property and futures without a shred of evidence.

They should now be at great risk of losing their own.

[Herakles]

It's not just Duke; it's all of them. Can't wait for people to realize that they are wasting their money at these universities.

[HEY4QDEMS]

Dear Professors:

A simple apology would be fine.

[nopardons]

bttt

[lawdude]

Can a liberal/socialist/communist EVER admit to being wrong? Like Rather, the document may be forged but the content is accurate.

PAH...What a crock.

[saneright]

"the student statements, which feature racism, segregation, isolation, and sexism as ongoing problems before the scandal broke"

Is there any empirical evidence that exists to support these complaining students' charges or is this just something that they "feel"?

I believe the real problem is that young, impressionable students believe in the cult of victimology that is taught at institutions at Duke. You can also throw in the fact that deep down inside several of these whining students, especially blacks and hispanics, know that the only reason they were granted admission to Duke is because of their skin color. They know they don't measure up academically.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Wow, that'll help alumni contributions. If my son, daughter or grandchild ever expressed an interest in Duke, I'd certainly warn them away.

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

CYA but it's too late. I hear the defamation suits flying through the air.