Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Selena's Source?

In her screed against the lacrosse team in Sunday's New York Times, Selena Roberts passes along the following nugget:
As a Duke professor mentioned, “There is a ‘let it end’ sense to it because the case has been so screwed up.”
Not a demand to end the case because innocent people were prosecuted.
A let it end’ sense” because Nifong screwed up.” The implication: maybe a rape occurred, maybe it didn't, but the prosecutor's mistakes mean that people should let” the case end.

To make sure that readers know her belief that it's unclear whether or not a rape occurred, in her next sentence, Roberts quotes the accuser's father, Travis Mangum, who says he still believes his daughter.

During her jaunt to Durham, Roberts sat on a panel with two professors: Group of 88 extremist Grant Farred and anti-lacrosse stalwart Orin Starn. Which of the two was her source for the suggestion that
“because the case has been so screwed up,” rather than a lack of evidence, is why the case should go away?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

At least someone at Duke is admitting that the case was "screwed up". This is slightly better than the earlier statements from Duke that the case might not go forward because of Nifong's "miss-steps".

This case cannot end until the NC Attorney General's office (or the United States Justice Department, if need be) declares that there were no crimes committed by the Duke lacrosse players, BUT that there were serious crimes committed, and that these crimes were committed by Nifong and Mangum.

A false allegation of rape is a serious crime, and should be prosecuted as such. And an attempted railroading of innocent men, particularly when done as part of a scheme for personal gain, such as the winning of an election, is a serious crime, and should be prosecuted as such.

Anything less than a prosecution of Nifong and Mangum will be justice left undone.

Anonymous said...

If she doesn't volunteer her source for such BS, let her answer in the context of a libel lawsuit.

Anonymous said...

KC, as you have sometimes acknowledged, we all have to accept the eternal whines of those who will say "Well, the white boys got off the hook because of their rich daddies, but ... SOMETHING HAPPENED to that poor, black, victimized, valiant single mother!"

Just as there are still morons, liars and psychos who believe (or loudly claim to believe, foaming at the mouth) that Tawana Brawley was raped in the woods for a week by a half-dozen bad white policemens.

Reality check: The most we can hope for is to achieve justice; we cannot persuade eveyone to accept what justice really means.

But, please keep on trying, and keep on holding their feet to the fire -- especially those (like NY Times reporters) with enough brains to know how phony and contemptible their arguments are.

Anonymous said...

I've labeled this the Boss Hog defense. The enablers intent is to paint Nifong as incompetent with the implication being a competent investigation would have revealed evidence that "something happened".
It was discussed at Liestoppers earlier this month. The thread can be readhere:http://z9.invisionfree.com/LieStoppers_Board/index.php?showtopic=2342

Anonymous said...

Rational people know that the sports pages of a newspaper are not the place to discuss the membership requirements of a private club even if the club involves sports. Who a private club admits as members is the business of the private club. Period. The New York Times sports section lost any remaining credibility (and it wasn't much) as a sports section a few years ago when it crusaded for months to force Augusta National to admit women as members.

In the Nifong Scandal case, Roberts proves that she is a Janey-one note -- here she revisits her theme that all white males over the age of 12 that are associated with sports are evil because of the rampant sexism they exhibit.

Taking up where she left off in Georgia -- that there is no way Hootie should be allowed to get away with preventing women from joining a prestigious golf club, she moves to a new cause with the same ol' tune -- that there is no way the Duke Men's Lacrosse Team should be allowed to have parties that have their brand of entertainment, even if that entertainment is completely legal.

Roberts needs to come to the understanding that she missed her calling. She has no business writing about sports. She was born to write an advice to the lovelorn column in Ms. Magazine.

Anonymous said...

I think that a lawsuit just might bring out the miscreant here. Roberts really is showing us what she really is: a liar.

Anonymous said...

These morons insisting that 'something' happened but, b/c of Nifong, that something will never be revealed, are forgetting that an EXTREMELY competent State AG is thoroughly reviewing all of the evidence with a fine tooth comb, has interviewed CGM several times, as well as defense lawyers and several of the un-indicted players (latter 3 are action items Nifong chose not to do). However Nifong screwed up, the new prosecution is painstakingly reviewing all details of the case knowing it will be scrutinized in great detail by the public and media... "Nifong screwed the case up for the victim" is BS. The are getting it straight now. Whatever happens to the case now is what should have happened the first round.

Anonymous said...

Is this not akin to a thief wanting the case to end whilst still in possession of the stolen property?

The steps that remain include complete exoneration, formal and public apologies, reimbursement and restitution, and punishment of the truly guilty.

No wonder these folk that stole the good names of the LAX students and coach want to have it end now!

Anonymous said...

10:38
You assume that "those (like NYT reporters) with enough brains ...know how phoney and contemptible their arguments are.

I wish it was that simple. People who base their entire life on certain presumptions come to suffer from cognitive dissonance. No matter how intelligent they are, they refuse to consider any evidence that lies outside their weltanshaung .

What is needed is a large dose of intellectual honesty and a competent therapist. I doubt that certain NYT reporters have access to either.

Anonymous said...

What happened at the Starn Golf Gig? How many showed up for the lies. Nifong got his hand caught in the cookie jar - I quess that is messing up.