To imply that because some students hired a stripper, 3 of them should expect to be publicly charged with rape by a corrupt prosecutor, have their names dragged through the mud and face a peecee lynching that could have literally destroyed their lives is extraordinarly callous.
Don't be ridiculous. I never implied anything of the sort. See #161.
Apparently, I need to be very careful to make sure every one of my posts stands on its own. People will read one post and understandably jump to conclusions about the scope of those comments.
Please understand this much: The only point I ever took up is the one where people are concerned with "restoring the boys' reputations." My comments have ONLY been concerned with the damage to their reputations and have nothing to do with any other damages they've suffered.
Yes, they were wrongly accused. Yes, the stripper should be in jail. Yes, Nifong should be in jail. Yes, the university owes them a huge apology. Yes, yes, yes, YES, YES there are a lot of wrongs that should be righted here.
But, when the question is about the young men's reputations—and, again, that has been the sole subject of my comments—by now, everyone knows they're not rapists. If they get branded as brutes or whoremongers for a few years, THAT is the risk they took in hiring a stripper. Those are the fleas they risked getting when they lied down with that dog.
Yes, right all the wrongs. But don't expect all the consequences to be magically erased. Some consequences are justly earned. In this case, that consequence is a damaged reputation. And we can all be thankful that whatever reputation we earn at 21 doesn't last forever.