Ping. Ruth sees the light.
Duke Lacrosse Controversy
Sheehan:
Published: Jan 01, 2007 12:30 AM
Modified: Jan 01, 2007 02:33 AM
It's time to drop charges
Ruth Sheehan, Staff Writer
Every time I think the Duke lacrosse case cannot get any more excruciating to watch -- it does.
There was a moment of hope right before Christmas, when we got word that Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong was dropping charges.
Finally! I thought. Nifong has come to his senses and is putting us all out of our misery -- from the three men charged in the alleged sexual assault of a dancer at their stripper party to the alleged victim herself.
But as it turned out, Nifong dropped only one of the charges in the case -- rape -- leaving the sexual assault and kidnapping charges to stand. These are charges, like rape, that could put the men behind bars for life.
Nifong's explanation for dropping the rape charge only added to the excruciation factor: The accuser said she now cannot remember whether a penis was involved in the alleged attack.
I cringe just typing the words.
As the victim of a date rape more than 20 years ago myself, I can attest that there are some details you can train your mind to glance over.
Whether a penis was involved is a detail one is unlikely to forget.
What kind of dimwitted fools does Nifong believe us, and the potential jurors, to be?
I ask this, of course, from some experience.
I was one of the hopelessly naive who fell -- hard -- for Nifong's original depiction of the case.
In statements the State Bar now says violated ethics rules, Nifong described in detail the horrors of the alleged gang rape, including an attempted strangulation and racial insults.
Like others, I was outraged. And I wrote about it. I make no apology for that. It is not my job to wait for cases to be resolved and then walk through the aftermath and shoot the dead.
Then came the first pieces of contrary evidence.
I wrote that if this woman turned out to be lying, her identity should be revealed and she should be punished to the full extent of the law.
I still believe that -- no matter how messed up the woman is, no matter how far she has gotten in over her head, or for what reason.
Unfortunately, the law simply does not provide an adequate remedy for false charges.
Then again, neither does it provide a commensurate remedy for district attorneys who, among other things, have withheld evidence. (In the Duke case, it appears that Nifong may have withheld DNA evidence that would have undermined the rape charge. He dropped the charge after that came to light -- a coincidence, I'm sure.)
In the spring, I wrote that we may never know exactly what happened in the lacrosse players' house. That may be the only statement I can salvage from my earliest columns on this case.
But at this point, we know all we need to about Nifong's case.
I am no legal expert. But it doesn't take one to see that this case should long ago have been turned over to an independent prosecutor. In fact, it doesn't take a legal expert to see that the charges, at this point, should simply be dropped.
Not just the rape charge. All the charges.
Today is the first day of a new year.
Let this excruciating exercise in injustice end.
Ruth Sheehan can be reached at 829-4828 or rsheehan@newsobserver.com.
http://www.newsobserver.com/1185/story/527545.html
http://www.heraldsun.com/opinion/hsletters/
Duke lacked courage
I have to agree with Gordon Grunte's comments [Letters, Dec. 20] regarding how Duke University's leadership handled the initial phase of the lacrosse story. My wife and I were upset with the lack of reason and courage exhibited by Duke's leadership during that period and how they turned on and punished the entire team.
The only words of reason and support for these young men (the true victims) came from some of their fellow students. It was clear that many team members were guilty of bad judgment and poor behavior and that they probably violated team rules and Duke policies.
But regarding the rape charge -- to anyone with an open mind and an understanding of our legal system, it should have been obvious that this case lacked merit and smacked of political opportunism. As one who loved the university even before I was fortunate enough to attend it (MBA,1981), I had always admired the tradition of Duke's leadership and vision, as exhibited by leaders such as the late Terry Sanford.
This great university, its students, faculty, alumni, the Durham community and the great state of North Carolina need better leadership at Duke.
STEPHEN RICHARDS
Clemens
January 1, 2007
There is no doubt that a Durham jury would convict these students in a heartbeat.
This case does not call for a new district attorney, it calls for immediate dismissal! NOW!
Some light, maybe. She says the accuser should be named BUT she does not name her.
These cowards have no problem naming the Duke students - repeatedly - but can't bring themselves to name the false accuser.
Is it because she is black? Is it because half the men in Durham have had some of their DNA in her?
Well, well, well. And Happy New Year to you too Ruth Sheehan.
NIce that she is big enough to admit being taken in.
" What kind of dimwitted fools does Nifong believe us, and the potential jurors, to be? "
" Finally! I thought. Nifong has come to his senses.."
This must be an early April Fool's joke.
The very same Ruth Sheehan led the mob with torches and pitch .
Her March 27 column -" Teams' Silence Is Sickening " was a beaut.
" Members of the Duke men's lacrosse team:
You know.
We know you know....
Whatever happened in the bathroom at the stripper party gone terribly terribly bad,
you know who was involved.
Every one of you does.
And one of you needs to come forward and tell the police.
I can see the team going down this path,
justifying its silence.
And it makes me sick...
Because, of all the occupational hazards that must come with stripping,
one of them should not be rape.
But who was in that room is something the police need to know.
Now....
They shouldn't have to wait for 46 DNA samples to be returned.
Every member of the men's lacrosse team knows who was involved,
whether it was gang rape or not.
Until the team members come forward with that information, forfeiting games isn't enough.
Shut down the team."
"Ruth sees the light."
Well, that's awfully white of you, Ruthie.