Posted on 04/13/2007 12:16:37 PM PDT by RedCell
DON'T FEEL TOO SORRY FOR THE DUKIES
Mike Nifong, the North Carolina prosecutor who pursued a case of rape and kidnapping against three Duke University lacrosse players, has been found to have been reckless and deceitful in the discharge of his duties according to the state's attorney general. He abused the power the people of Durham granted him. Based on the public record of what he did in this case, he may well be properly disbarred.
The accuser in this case has been shown to be either a vicious liar or a troubled fantasist.
The three young men who she accused are truly innocent of the charges brought against them according to the North Carolina Attorney General and the investigation led by his office.
But perhaps the outpouring of sympathy for Reade Seligman, Collin Finnerty and David Evans is just a bit misplaced. They got special treatment in the justice system--both negative and positive. The conduct of the lacrosse team of which they were members was not admirable on the night of the incident, to say the least. And there are so many other victims of prosecutorial misconduct in this country who never get the high-priced legal representation and the high-profile, high-minded vindication that it strikes me as just a bit unseemly to heap praise and sympathy on these particular men.
So as we rightly cover the vindication of these young men and focus on the genuine ordeal they have endured, let us also remember a few other things:
They were part of a team that collected $800 to purchase the time of two strippers.
Their team specifically requested at least one white stripper.
During the incident, racial epithets were hurled at the strippers.
Colin Finnerty was charged with assault in Washington, DC, in 2005.
The young men were able to retain a battery of top-flight attorneys, investigators and media strategists.
As students of Duke University or other elite institutions, these young men will get on with their privileged lives. There is a very large cushion under them--the one that softens the blows of life for most of those who go to Duke or similar places, and have connections through family, friends and school to all kinds of prospects for success. They are very differently situated in life from, say, the young women of the Rutgers University women's basketball team.
And, MOST IMPORTANT, there are many, many cases of prosecutorial misconduct across our country every year. The media covers few, if any, of these cases. Most of the victims in these cases are poor or minority Americans--or both. I would hate to say the color of their skin is one reason journalists do not focus on these victims of injustices perpetrated by police and prosecutors, but I am afraid if we ask ourselves the question honestly, we would likely find that it is. Look for a moment at what James Giles endured:
I hope we all keep him and others in mind, as we cover the celebrated exoneration of well-heeled, well-connected, well-publicized young men whose conduct, while not illegal, was not entirely admirable, either. They aren't heroes. They aren't boys. They are young men who were victimized by a reckless prosecutor--and had the resources the fight him off.
April 12, 2007 | Permalink
My bad. I did a search. Honest. Please don’t sick Nifong on me.
Prepared to have thread pulled in three... two... one!
Drudge, I don’t “feel sorry” folks. You, and your ike are passing gas with words like a lot of Iowa libs at the Statehouse...
Wow... Class Warfare at it’s finest.
I saw that too. I think that Michele should go after him for calling her a Ho. What does he know about her personal life? NOTHING! He should pay!
Most of the kids that go to top flight schools work their butts off to get in and then keep up the hard work in order to do well once they are there. You can get a good education at a school like Duke, but you don't get a ticket for a free ride through life.
Sure, these three guys weren't saints. Which of us was in our college days. But they didn't deserve what happened to them, including having some ignoramus like this moralizing over their vindication.
I suppose Terry Moran lives a life of uprightness and virtue and has never partied in his life or had a glass of anything alcoholic.
Otherwise, by the logic of his article, he would deserve to be falsely accused of rape by a lying prosecutor, fired from his job, and subjected to an judicial abuse and onslaughts from the press and his former colleagues for more than a year.
Yeah, pretty much had to brush my teeth after reading it.
I hope we all keep him and others in mind, as we cover the celebrated exoneration of well-heeled, well-connected, well-publicized young men whose conduct, while not illegal, was not entirely admirable, either. They aren't heroes. They aren't boys. They are young men who were victimized by a reckless prosecutor--and had the resources the fight him off.
I went to the link to see if something was missing -- a description of prosecutorial misconduct that James Giles endured, but Terry has just left a blank with the colon in front of it.
Hey, Terry: how would you like having your life absolutely ruined. Yes, the Dukies were stupid organizing this party and behaved badly (wow! that's a first for ccollege boys) but does this deserve the ruining of their lives and those of their families? If anything, Terry, this case puts a great big spotlight on prosecutorial misconduct and the many other blemishes in our justice/legal system that will hopefully spare others. When I saw the abcnews.com link I knew this was slanted but it is also deranged.
I fault BOR and FNC for letting the POS have any of their air time, the guy uses up perfectly good oxygen.
Fact is, this was an ordinary, nothing story — until the vote-and-publicity-hungry D.A. hit a series of loud foul balls and the news media exhibited their penchant for the feeding-frenzied, 24/7 style of dogpile reporting we have come to know and abhor. So, for media-types to suddenly assert that this was a “nothing story” rings hollow.
Had they left it alone in the first place, nobody would be making a big deal over the players now. Make your bed and LIE in it.
Don’t sweat it. I just put the link there so people could conveniently find the other thread. There is already a lot of good discussion there.
no because probably no woman will get nude in front of him for whatever reason and for whatever amount of cash he offers.
John Podhoretz takes Terry apart on NRO’s Corner:
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTEzMGY2YmVkNzJkOWE4OGExNWUxMzgxZmRiMjIyMjk=
I heard they spend up to $5 million on their defense.
Another bitter Duke rejectee.
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