Friday, February 09, 2007

Still Defending Nifong

The Herald-Sun editorial page today—at long last—criticized a North Carolina elected official regarding the Nifong scandal. The target? Governor Easley.

So, as Durham’s paper of record remains silent about the city having a “minister of justice” that the State Bar has accused of breaking three laws and making public utterances characterized by fraud and misrepresentation, the H-S criticized Easley for telling NYU Law students that he appointed Nifong as a placeholder.

The governor’s statement,” asserts the H-S, “raises troubling questions.” Why? Not, as John Hood correctly pointed out, because Easley should have made his statement the day Nifong filed to run for election.

Instead, the H-S muses, “Why would Easley appoint someone who wouldn’t make a good full-time DA? . . . In the final analysis, the comments don’t reflect well on Gov. Easley. If he’s being truthful, then he’s describing a very questionable process of making appointments.”

To the contrary, Nifong’s misconduct—acknowledged by virtually everyone except the H-S editorial staff and the Group of 88—provides a compelling example of exactly why Easley would have wanted an interim D.A. It seems the governor understood that Durham’s politics were more cutthroat than elsewhere in the state, and that appointing someone who planned to run in 2006 risked politicizing the office.

This, of course, is exactly what Nifong did—and there’s nothing “very questionable” about that record.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Even the band on the deck of the Titanic knew the ship was doomed. HS takes it to a whole new level...

Anonymous said...

KC and Bill A. Please email this old gent and welcome his to the blogs. I think he just wants to chat and had no idea what he was getting himself into. This is an eighty year old Harvard lawyer. who just looks like he is out of tune with the times.

Anonymous said...

KC and Bill A.. I mean email Professor Everett. Thank

Anonymous said...

The lesson, as it has been made so many times in this scandal, is that the people of Durham and other associated special interest groups are willing to turn their attention to any issue other than the credibility of the accuser, the crime and conspiracy perpetrated upon the Duke Lacrosse players, and their own shameful hypocrisy.

At least Amanda Marcotte deleted her ignorant posts and slithered away to a pointless political campaign where she will be sufficiently muzzled for the next year. The H-S and other agenda-driven constituencies to Durham special interests should be ashamed of themselves.

Anonymous said...

The H-S is a pathetic rag. It has no credibility whatsoever. I don't know why anyone bothers to read it anymore, except maybe for the laughs (How low can it go? Will the paper continue to lick Nifong's boots as he's on his way to jail?, etc.). The people who bought this bird cage liner are probably going to lose most of their investment, and it's exactly what they deserve.

Anonymous said...

Typical left-wing news organisation. Just like al-AP, al-CBS, al-New York Times etc.

They live in their own bizarro-world. The biggest danger they see is the republican party, and white christian males (with their "privileges"). Does anybody trust these propaganda mouthpieces anymore? (I mean outside G88 and their ilk)

Anonymous said...

see liestoppers...

§7A-66 Affidavit Filed

Durham resident, Beth Brewer, has filed a civil affidavit with Archie Smith, Clerk of Superior Court in Durham County, charging Durham County District Attorney, Mike Nifong, with willful misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings the office into disrepute. Mrs. Brewer’s affidavit, filed in accordance with the provisions set forth in NC General Statute §7A-66, requests that the Court remove Mr. Nifong from office.

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 2:49
Can we keep the left-right pissing contest away from this discussion? It seems every threat devolves into an "oh yeah? well you stupid liberals/right wingnuts (pick one)..." I was involved years ago with an effort to keep a developer from building a shopping mall on Manassas Battlefield (that's Bull Run to you guys in blue). One of the guys who was involved was a Liberal left-over from the FDR era; he probably had no idea I was a Libertarian and a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. To make a long story short, he started writing letters to the editor questioning my judgement, my integrity, and my sanity. For my part, I had overlooked his politics because I believed the cause that brought us together was of greater importance. He clearly believed otherwise. When I see posters on this blog descending into name-calling when they should be working together to end this god-awful hoax, I wonder what demons are occupying their psyches.
Outerbanx Phantom

Anonymous said...

Re: the rag-o-liner H-S, the editorial staff must all be idiots or the most sleazy bunch to slither down the pike.
Before the paper was sold the news was more balanced and the writing was on a higher level. Bet ole Greg Childress was pretty constipated when he worked for the other owners. All those years he never showed signs of being the idiot slug he and the others have been covering the lacrosse case.
Now Childress can bask in the same manure he's used to in his "community" without putting on a game face at work.
I predict the H-S will go broke. Who buys that rag anyway?

Anonymous said...

§7A-66 Affidavit Filed

Excellent news. I always liked Beth Brewer. The possibility of someone filing this kind of affidavit was discussed some time ago on LS, I believe. This is about as close as we are likely to get to an impeachment, and I am very happy to see someone take on this project. Hooray again and again for Beth.

Observer

Anonymous said...

3:33pm

Who the hell do you think you are? And what planet do you live on? As much as some of you want to have a "pissing contest" yourselves, the reality is that POLITICS has defined this case from the start.
Why would anyone NOT talk about the political aspects? Mike Nifong pandered to LIBERALS AND RACIST FOOLS OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
No one else. And by god did they respond!
This case IS politics.

Anonymous said...

If something good comes out of this mess, it is the rethink of
politized academia, credibility of left-wing media (which has been caught time after time fabricating, distorting, forging and making up news stories for political gain) and politized judicial appointments from Brooklyn to Durham and beyond.

Anonymous said...

Harvard is about to pick a well-known far left feminazi as their new president. Gang88 is gaining strength everywhere.

It is truly sad to follow the decline of american universities.

Anonymous said...

3:33 Outer...

First, many thanks for your efforts regarding Civil War preseravtion. I live some distance away and think those proximate take them for granted. Thank you. By the way, I have been a developer.

On the one hand I agree, especially given some of the rude comments, on the other, I do think the slippery political slope(s) are of importance. The group think mentality, and the lack of will to push back as evidenced from DA's office, Durham, the Gang of 88, and the media. Some liberal, others probably better labeled anarchists but complicit none the less.

Anonymous said...

The fact that Nifong is a democrat is simply a function of the fact that Democrats control most N.C. local politics. More than anything else, Nifong is a prosecutor, a government functionary, and he'd have been equally at home all these years in a Republican D.A's office, IMO.

I feel fairly certain that this case has made "stange bedfellows" of quite a few of us, and I have been happily amazed at how this community of bloggers and posters have avoided leftwing/rightwing arguments for so long.

Anonymous said...

7:36 What do you mean by that?








Sometimes, I make myself laugh...

Anonymous said...

By which part of that?

Anonymous said...

This town is Marxist/liberal democrat. Nifong is as far left as any of them. He would not be a Republican - he would probably rather tell the truth than work for a Republican city.

Beth Brewer's move has already been stayed by a judge.

As for privilege - I am waitin' for mine...

Anonymous said...

It is ten months - no motions heard, let alone ruled upon and Hudson stays this complaint within hours. I have wanted to believe that Nifong, titus, Stephens and some in the DPD were involved. Clearly, this goes through the entire justice system of NC.Isn't this Hudson the Chief Judge in NC?WTF

Anonymous said...

Outer:
Whoever you are, Bless You. I live in NC (the shame of it) but drive through Manassas and battlefield regularly to visit family. People like you are too few...preserving our natural heritage/beauty/history.