Saturday, June 16, 2007

Sunday Hearing Roundup

Duff Wilson continued his slanted coverage of the case right up until the end. Covering an unprecedented event—the stripping of a sitting DA’s law license for misconduct in his highest-profile case ever—that culminated with a dramatic, eloquent, and extemporaneous address by Disciplinary Hearing Commission chairman Lane Williamson, who was the first person quoted in Wilson’s article?

Nifong attorney David Freedman.

Who was the second person quoted?

Nifong’s wife, Cy Gurney.

Then, almost as an afterthought, Wilson got around to Chairman Williamson’s remarks. In his statement, Williamson twice termed the case a “fiasco”—a comment that appropriately led the N&O, AP, and the Chronicle stories on the day’s events.

The quote never appeared in Wilson’s article.

What did Wilson quote?
We had a prosecutor who was faced with a very unusual situation in which the confluence of his self-interest collided with a very volatile mix of race, sex and class,” Mr. Williamson said of the media spectacle that accompanied the case in which a black woman who worked as a stripper accused three white lacrosse players.
For good measure, Wilson closed by misidentifying the attorney who delivered the closing argument for the State Bar. His name is Doug Brocker, not (as Wilson wrote) Doug Brock. Since Wilson spent so much time around the defense table at the hearing, perhaps he didn’t learn the name of the man who cross-examined Nifong.

---------

Brocker’s closing was a masterful performance—a highly organized summary of the case complete with visuals outlining Nifong’s myriad, mutually contradictory, excuses on why he didn’t turn over the exculpatory DNA evidence. Brocker’s PowerPoint slide with headshots of Nifong’s various media appearances was particularly effective.

He also delivered one of the best lines of the entire case, describing Nifong as a “minister of injustice.”

----------

Even for those who have followed the case closely, many new facts emerged from the hearing. A partial list:

The language in the non-testimonial order stating that the DNA tests would exonerate the innocent was written not by Nifong or his office but by Sgt. Mark Gottlieb.

On March 27, the first business day after he had assumed personal control of the investigation of the case, Nifong met with Gottlieb and Ben Himan. After the two summarized the case, with its many holes, Nifong said, “You know, we’re fucked.”

According to his calendar, Nifong nonetheless had already scheduled interviews with the state and national media almost all the afternoon of March 27, in which he began his defamatory pre-primary publicity barrage.

Nifong sought indictments against Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty without watching the video presentation in which Crystal Mangum “identified” them—and probably without, he conceded, even reading the transcript of this presentation.

Nifong sought an indictment against Reade Seligmann without even knowing whether Seligmann attended the party.

In his deposition to the Bar, Gottlieb claimed that Nifong and Meehan went over the May 12 report line by line. Nifong said he never read the report.

The chief staffer for NC’s Innocence Inquiry Commission was willing to testify in Nifong’s defense.

One of Nifong’s predecessors as Durham DA, now-retired judge Anthony Brannon, openly admitted that he did his best to refrain from handing over discovery, of any type, to defense lawyers.

Two Durham judges, Marsha Morey and Elaine Bushfan, declared under oath that a man soon to be disciplined on 27 matters, many of them for fraud, deceit, and misrepresentation, has a reputation for truthfulness in Durham.

In his Friday testimony, Nifong eight times referred to Mangum as the victim.

According to Nifong, his behavior in this case was typical; he rarely reads files.

Even Himan was worried by the decision to ahead with indictments.

---------

Steven D. Michael, president of the North Carolina State Bar, issued the following statement on Nifong’s disbarment:

I am satisfied that justice was done in the Nifong case and am proud to say that our system of self-regulation worked well. Mr. Nifong received a fair trial. All interested parties – but especially the citizens of North Carolina – were finally able to see all the evidence relating to this extremely unfortunate case of professional misconduct.
.
I was very impressed with the effective and thoroughly professional presentation made by the State Bar’s lawyers, Katherine Jean, Doug Brocker and Carmen Hoyme. I also thought Mr. Nifong was well represented.
.
The members of the DHC’s Hearing Committee deserve thanks and commendation as well. They presided over a very difficult case in a fair and extremely competent fashion.
.
In my experience, misconduct of the sort Mr. Nifong engaged in is very rare and not at all typical of prosecutors in our state. We deeply regret the serious harm caused to these young men and their families. We hope the decision today will lessen the likelihood that anything like this will happen again.
.
The Bar’s strong response to this situation made clear that the ethical rules restricting pretrial public comment and requiring prosecutors to turn over exculpatory evidence will be strictly enforced. Those rules are important because they ensure the fundamental right to a fair trial that every citizen is guaranteed in our constitution.

124 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hoooooo-aaaaah!

Anonymous said...

You are one hard working man. I expected you to take tonight off!

Anonymous said...

KC deserves a magnum bottle of the best French champagne!

And a good night's sleep.

What a glorious day in America!

Debrah

Anonymous said...

Yes it is a great day for America. KC 0 can not thank you enough for all you have done to bring justice to these guys.

Anonymous said...

There is an important consequence to Nifong's resignation as DA that I hope KC and others will take note of and investigate. I presume that as the highest official of the DA's office, Nifong had the flexibility to make a determination that he was entitled to be defended at govenment expense in all the actions against him, pursuant to general statutory provisions so providing for defense of public officials acting in their official capacity, and the specific immunities of DAs. Nifong will now need to petition his successor for continuing legal defense. I don't know the law in NC, but in my state, there is a specific exemption that strips legal defense from officials or ex officials in the case of willful acts of wrongdoing. The new DA could very well assert that the bar made a determination of willfullness and leave Nifong bare of any publicly-supported legal defense.

I highly encourage KC to make the NC equivalent of a FOIA request from the DA's office to find out what has been spent to date, if anything, from the public purse defending Nifong.

Unknown said...

So KC, tell us how you feel after this whirlwind week of 18-hour days.

You've done a great job on the historian side but how about a little behind the laptop screen?

I hope you got some partying in with the good folks down there [however broadly you want to define partying].

Are you going to hang around for any potential hearings with Judge Smith? I guess we'll have to keep an eye out in the news for that.

Anonymous said...

Can the NYT be sued? In particular, with reference to Wilson's egregious article of August 25, is there anything actionable there? Wilson certainly lied in writing it as he did; misquoting and misrepresenting, .. I just can't believe those slimebags are going to get off scott free, given their role in perpetuating this fraud.

Anonymous said...

When I could I watched the WRAL live stream while reading KC's live blog. I am in awe of your the accuracy and completeness of your live blog. It was excellent! You even managed to punctuate! Thank you.

Last thought - I thought Williamson't comment that none of the panel members are psychologists. He recognized what I have longed believed to be some sort of serious mental health issue. I hope Nifong gets some help. He and Crystal are quite a pair!

Anonymous said...

JLS says....,

What a week. I am much looking forward to a clamer week next week.

Still it will be very interesting to see if Judge Smith finds Nifong in contempt and puts him in jail for a short period.

Anonymous said...

At least Duff is forever outed now as the definitive example of a politically-correct liar.

Anonymous said...

Guess who changed the article on 17 june... AFTER you called him out on not quoting the term "fiasco"... yep, he is disreputable AND delusional.

Anonymous said...

Thanks KC, wonderful job throughout this entire story.

Anonymous said...

It was a riveting week and I'm emotionally drained just from watching.

KC, a sincere thank you for absolutely everything that you have done to see that justice was served.

Sadly, I still feel there are many unresolved issues. Mr. Williamson noted "those who made a rush to judgment based upon an unquestioning faith in what a prosecutor had told them were made to look foolish and many still do look foolish."

I'm thinking of the Gang of 88 Fools (-1) and wondering when they will do the right thing.

This is not over yet.

Anonymous said...

I hope there is still time to dedicate the book to the potbangers and the G-88 for not waiting and for making their voices heard, thereby setting off the chain reaction (including this blog) that cooked them all today.

Nice work, KC.

Dave in CA

Duke1965 said...

12:22, I agree, there are some very serious mental health issues with Mr. Nifong..... I'm not a psychologist, but I've dealt in that area quite a bit, and I think it quite possible that Nifong has a severe personality disorder, possibly narcissistic personality disorder (NPD)..... as someone else aptly noted, he has a "template" for reality that's just bizarre. It would help explain some of his bizarre behavior, such as the apparent belief that Joe Chesire et al. would be afraid to try a case against him, and that in one of the biggest cases in memory, he wouldn't have to be incredibly prepared for every hearing and scrupulously follow the rules....... that's not rocket science, just a normal reaction to the reality of the situation. I've tried a couple big cases, and I'll tell you, preparation is everything, as Brad Bannon has just demonstrated........ it defies belief that Nifong could even begin to believe that he was "special", and that dogged preparation is for "mere mortals". That's way off. I've tried cases with NC attorneys, and they are some of the best around, bar none, their good ol' country boy facade notwithstanding. If I had to try a case against Cheshire, Bannon, et al., there is no way I would EVER be unprepared..... I guarantee you the adrenaline would be pumping 24/7, the preparation would be mind numbing......... but apparently Nifong didn't perceive the situation that way..........

Anonymous said...

So what happens with his pension now? Not to be cynical, but did he gain something by resigning before he could get canned?

Anonymous said...

"And those who made a rush to judgment based upon an unquestioning faith in what a prosecutor had told them were made to look foolish and many still do look foolish."
- F. Lane Williamson

DHC Chairman,
concluding statement of Defendant Mike Nifong's trial,
June 16, 2007

GaryB said...

elliott said...

I hope you got some partying in with the good folks down there [however broadly you want to define partying].


Yes, but I would recommend not, I say not to hire any strippers. :-)

Anonymous said...

You've GOT to check out Brodhead's statement at Duke online. "Move forward" and blame Nifong is the message.

The truth is that what Nifong did was enable those at Duke and in Durham who had less than honorable agendas. He found fertile ground there...

Ed

MikeZPurdue said...

perhaps Nifong is a megalamaniac (sp?? :) )
I thought I read somewhere where he made
a statement earlier this week, right before
the proceedings, that he can't lie (he is unable
to lie) -- maybe I misread the sub-title of
the headline -- I don't read reports ... lol :)

MikeZPurdue said...

I wanted to add that I can't wait until
a similar day of reckoning for Linwood Wilson.
Linwood deserves some jail time for his
intimidation of witnesses, and coaching of
Crystal Magnum. He obstructed justice
in so many different ways.

I hope and pray that Linwood is made to pay for
all the outlandish things he did during
this case.

Anonymous said...

Just want to thank KC and all you bloggers very much.

This was an awesome week for me following the hearing and getting so many different and some very funny takes on what was happening.
I learned alot from all you lawyering types.I was dumb coming in, but now I..... ok, still dumb, but I did learn some.

Thanks again bloggers.
See ya.

Anonymous said...

I have a feeling this is a turning of the page - this case will still go on for a while.

Anonymous said...

KC: Well done. Much of the credit for the fact that Nifong's nasty little tactics came to light are due in no small part to your relentless coverage in this case, together with the other bloggers at Liestoppers and other sites.

Mike Nifong sits as the greatest single example of prosecutorial misconduct in modern American history. This case, and the precedent created by NC, will be studied for years to come as a cautionary tale for anyone who wishes to abuse power while sitting as a prosecutor. It acts to curb abuse, and its effect (I hope) will reverberate.

I started commenting on this case when Nifong outrageously stated that if the players were innocent, why did they have lawyers? I knew the facts stank to high heaven when I reviewed them, and that statement, so contrary to American justice, to Constitutional protections, made me angry. The presumption of innocense is an absolute right enshrined within the Constitution. No lawyer makes such a comment. The moment I heard this, the immediate thought I had was "this guy is dirty as hell." It was from that comment, and the later indictment of David Evans, that my attention turned to this matter. I took, and take, it personally.

It pleases me to no end to see the measures dished out by the NC Bar in this case. It serves him right. There was no other place to go. Nifong was guilty of multiple counts of professional misconduct, and his actions have shamed the State of NC. Disbarment was the only option available to address his actions.

The next step will be the civil suits. I would pay money to attend depositions in light of the Coleman statements, the police statements and the latest hearings to watch what lies and excuses are used to justify why the actions of the Durham police officers and department do not amount to a violation of 42 USC 1983. The malicious prosecution denials should be equally amusing.

I very much hope that you will continue to blog when this happens, to document the final throes in this matter, and to enlighten the public at large as to the severity of misjustice that has occurred. The rabbit hole is deep, and we all want to see what lies at the bottom.

-Esquire-
-Maryland-

Anonymous said...

JLS says...,

As has been pointed out this week in various places, Nifong did not really create the publicity train with this case, but jumped on the publicity train created by the N&O who too often get a pass at this site. So the N&O, the pot bangers and the 88 gangsters encourage Nifong in this situaton.

Now certainly Nifong had the duty to charge or not charge based on Mangum's complaint.

In addition, I agree with michael, I would like to see investigations of:

1. Gottlieb for his very late report on the interview with Mangum last summer where her descriptions curiously in con.

2. Wilson for his witness intimidation and interview with Mangum in Dec.

Himan's testimony and reports on the case suggest to me he probably did nothing criminal. I still have not been convinced that Levicy did anything criminal.

Anonymous said...

....and despite all of this, Duke will not stand up for its own students. It will continue to bow to the bigoted hoards of professors which it now employs.

Years desperately wanting to attend Duke....9

Years desperately confused at the treatment I received while attending Duke...10, so far

Years I will go without giving one cent to Duke...??

This in complete nonsense.

Anonymous said...

We're going to hear a lot of "Well, I believed Nifong.." from the potbanging types now. But that's just their lame excuse. They were ready, willing, and eager to hate just because the accused were white, upper-middle-class, male, athletic, etc. May this case be far from over. Nifong is getting his karmic justice. May the rest follow.

mac said...

KC,

I bet a lot of lawyers would like
to share a toast with you!
Especially the ones who were involved
in this case.

Congratulations!

Anonymous said...

Anyone wonder how Newsweek plans to play this past week's events? JLS, I think if you're going to cite the N&O for its early coverage, we've got to give it credit for its turnaround.

Newsweek needs to put Lane Williamson and Doug Brocker on its
cover before I'll believe it's turned its ship....

Better yet, maybe it could recognize KC with a cover piece on the importance of non-mainstream media/blog-o-shere to this case's turnabout.

Nah. That ain't gonna happen in my lifetime.... not from Newsweek.

Anonymous said...

KC,

Your blog is thorough, measured, informative, masterful . . . the list goes on. And those who comment are almost always insightful and articulate. A necessary read for me every day for almost a year, Durham-in-Wonderland is an example that The Times and others should follow.

Thank you so much.

Susan

Anonymous said...

At this point in America's late teenage years, it's rather easy not
to feel any sympathy for Mike Nifong, the erstwhile district attorney
from Raleigh, North Carolina, who is the latest fraud to try and play
the race card. And as I'm sure y'all are aware, most Americans
have grown well sick of the race-mongers by now.

For that, in the end, is all Mr. Nifong's game was when it came
to the Duke University Lacrosse case. It was a game where
Mike Nifong got to manipulate the lives of three white lacrosse
players from Duke University, who got caught in the middle of
a drunken frat party where two black strippers got paid to do
their thing.

Powerful images, I imagine, must have flitted across the
disconnected mind of Mr. Nifong, as he planned his race-based
strategy for the elections of Durham County: It's still the South
in North Carolina -- er, Nawth Cahroliiiina -- you see. And it ain't
been too dang long since Mahtin Loother KING walked these here
-- these HERE -- sidewalks. And it ain't been too many crow-flyin'
days since them SLAVERY boats brought us HERE. And it hain't
been TOO long since Tawana Brawley got throwed. . . . Just think!
Here *I* am, the latest and greatest civil rights prosecutor about
to protect these here poor black folk! (Notes to self: Make voice
gravelly, and work on that Southern accent. And remember to
google 'collard' greens -- whatever the heck THOSE things are; and
get one of those 'preacher black' Sunday suits, and dig up that old
weird hat Dad used to wear. Definitely gonna need that hat. . . .).

Yup. I'd be surprised if anything much deeper than that played
into the subconciousness of Mike Nifong in the beginning. I'm
afraid that the dots were just a bit too easy to connect in this case.
You see, Mr. Nifong was counting on most people ignoring the facts
once black folks started yellin' and marchin' up and down the street
like they always do. It's worked countless times before, it was
certain to work this time too. A cushy job, prominent TV and
newspaper exposure every Black History Month, and a real genuine
civil rights reputation were practically already on the plate, Mikey
must have thought. And all he had to do is sacrifice a couple dumb,
white, lacrosse-playing lads from Duke University? Consider it done.
This story, practically wrote itself he must have thought -- the only
thing missing was a couple of Confederate flags in the evidence
room. But those could be procured, probably. . . .

Funny, but a bit of a fly seems to have gotten into Mikey's hair pomade
this time. White people stuck up for themselves; and this time it didn't
matter if the black folks marched, and it didn't matter how many times
Jesse Jackson 'spoke black-talk' to the television set, or how many
times Al Sharpton spit in the air while bellowing about racial justice,
or how many times the black stripper changed her story.

The gravy wagon came to a shuddering halt, it seems. Somebody
forgot to lard the wagon wheels for poor Mike Nifong. Imagine --
innocent white folks allowed to go free. Now, Mikey-boy tried to
move that wagon, folks. Yessirree-bob, he got his back behind those
wooden wheels -- there just had to be one more turn left for a racial
nutjob like himself, right?. It couldn't all possibly come to an end
already, could it? Wasn't there just one more turn left in those wheels
for a soul-less race-huckster like himself to earn an undeserved living?
The black folks marched! The newspapers printed anti-white agitprop!
They even sang 'We shall overcome' over at the Black Student Union
at NCSU! White Duke professors were salivating at his unbelievable
good fortune! Those boys were as white as cream-filled donuts! What
the heck was happening?!? Where was the rest of the media?!?

Poor Mike Nifong -- there just wasn't room on that gravy-train for one
more self-hating, racist white ass-clown like himself. Seems like the
white folks finally got fed up, and Nifong got stonewalled. And it
probably didn't help much for that white couple up in Tennessee to
get raped and murdered by a bunch of black psychopaths during the
trial, either. Poor Mikey. I'm struggling to find some redeeming
qualities here, but I just can't find any at the moment.

And it's probably for the best that we not forget Mike Nifong. I mean,
blatant discrimination against white folks has had its day in the sun,
and it's time to make sure no sick, racist screwballs force their agenda
on other white souls anymore. Civil rights should be . . . for . . .
everyone. . . . Shouldn't they?


Yep, it's time to remember Mike Nifong.

Anonymous said...

Brilliant. You're a great American.

Anonymous said...

It was particularly gratifying to hear David Evans, and then DHC chairman Lane Williamson, slam Nifong for the final outrage of stating that (despite all the evidence to the contrary, and the exhaustive findings of the NC Attorney General and special prosecutors) "something happened" in that bathroom that night.

I hope that this was a lesson to Dick Brodhead, and other Nifong enablers, to give up on the "something happened" excuse as a reason for allowing their personal prejudices to ensnare them in a rush to judgment web of Nifong's making.

AMac said...

John-in-Carolina looks past Nifong's disbarment by reflecting on how he introduces the Hoax to people who have not been following the news:

A major reason why Nifong got away with it for so long has to do with Duke University.

When Nifong said those things last March and April about the players being “hooligans,” ridiculed them for getting attorneys, and flat out said they must be guilty not a single Duke administrator, trustee or senior faculty member even cautioned Nifong about his remarks. Not one!

In fact, Duke’s president [Richard Brodhead] kept issuing statements saying he wanted everyone to cooperate with the police.

Those statements... made Reade Seligmann and the other players look like they weren’t cooperating with police.


("Read the whole thing")

John also provides a useful review of the March 2006 actions of News & Observer reporters Anne Blythe and Samiha Khanna in firing up the Hoax--well before Mike Nifong had chosen to sell his soul by pursuing a race-tainted strategy to win his primary election.

Anonymous said...

Since Nifong is gone, what are the odds collin would consider returning to Duke?

Anonymous said...

Nifong's "mental illness":

IMCO: You would be hard pressed to find a prosecutor - any prosecutor - who would, in private, disagree with Nifong's basic contention; Maybe it wasn't technically rape, but "something" happened.

Nifong represents the prosecutor's typical mindset, that even if the accused is not guilty of the specific charge, they're guilty of something [probably even worse!], and deserve to be punished.

And, Monday morning in countless courtrooms around the country, the "something happened" credo will go right on prosecuting the innocent as if Nifong never happened.

Note: Judge Smith can no longer avoid charging Nifong with criminal contempt.

Anonymous said...

Re: "Since Nifong is gone, what are the odds collin would consider returning to Duke?"

0 (zero)

Anonymous said...

On March 27, the first business day after he had assumed personal control of the investigation of the case, Nifong met with Gottlieb and Ben Himan. After the two summarized the case, with its many holes, Nifong said, “You know, we’re fucked.”


Hey Mike.....

we knew you knew

......that this was a bogus case, right from the start.

Anonymous said...

Happy Father's Day everyone! Highest honors to K.C. Johnson for his superb work.

Observer

Anonymous said...

HEY, BRODHEAD

What do you plan to do with your affirmative-action racists?

Isn't it time we get them off the Duke welfare rolls?

Duke Law '01

joe sweet said...

WHOA!

Lady justice has entered rehab, and her treatment thus far is going splendidly. While it's far from over there is much to be thankful about so far, and a truly miraculous recovery now seems almost inevitable.

KC, your work in this case has been absolutely splendid. Through this blog, you have allowed all participants to witness, and be a small part of, living breathing history.

Thank you so much.

Anonymous said...

Keep in mind that if nifong could have planted DNA he would have. The result would have been very different.

Anonymous said...

Will there be any impact re: Duke after what has transpired this week?

Anonymous said...

Re 12:19, can the NY Times be sued.

Well, they CAN be sued, but the likelihood of success would be practically zero. First, so much of the damage in the August 25 article comes from the way the "facts" are edited and characterized, rather than outright false statements of fact.

Second, the standard for libel in news coverage of so-called "public figures" (which by August the lacrosse defendants no doubt were, whether they wanted to be or not) is very hard to meet. I think you have to be able to prove that the paper recklessly (almost deliberately) disregarded the truth or falsity of what it printed. We might think this standard has been met, but a court would be much more reluctant to make this finding.

Finally, it might be hard to isolate the specific damages from that article in a sea of negative coverage and commentary (though by then, of course, much of the other negative coverage had died down or even reversed itself).

Anonymous said...

I agree about suing the NYTimes, but the N&O? John-in-Carolina says they had the only interview with the accuser and she also made wild, inconsistent claims then. If reported accurately then, people would have realized even sooner that she was not telling the same story twice, but they edited most of that out of the story.

The N&O gets worse every year, but that sounds as unconscionable, in their venue, as Nifong's actions. At least Ruth Sheehan "apologized" for her vitriol that turned out to be completely unjustified. The N&O editor hasn't.

Anonymous said...

Duff Wilson's dogged persistence in painting Nifong in a favorable light proves beyond any doubt that the once-great New York Times is no longer worthy of anyone's support. Nor is there any point in trying to reason with Pinch Sulzberger--he is determined to take the Times to the bottom of the sea no matter what. Anyone who has any respect for truth, responsibility, and honor cannot continue to subscribe to that sorry rag. The elitist Liberal snobs that seem to populate the Northeast region of our country is so culturally and ethically removed from reality, I believe they should be granted secession rights so they can continue their downward spiral into oblivion without dragging the rest of us with them. The whole fiasco that was just ended in Durham was caused by the Liberal bigotry that allowed a slimy whore like Mangum to do such horrendous damage to the real victims of the affair. Until we turn things around and reject the racism of the G89 and their weak-kneed enablers, our entire culture will suffer. Thank you, I feel much better now.

Anonymous said...

Nifong wanted so bad to take them to trial. He, I believe, figured that
if the trial was in Durham, he could get at least 6 to 8 Africa-Americans on the jury, and he also figured they would vote to convict no matter what the evidence showed, and any other jurors would go along because they would not want to viewed as "racist"
He is the delusional

Anonymous said...

There is an amazing article in today's NYT (pg 13 Week in Review) about the closing of Antioch College. This used to be an important school.

Over the years, according to the author, it change from a place for liberal indoctrination not education.

Has to be read to be believed. Just amazing. I guess Antioch had its own G88 and they achieved their totalitarian ends.

Anonymous said...

Having spent most of my life in the NY Metro (before moving down here), I can tell you that there are many elitists and leftists who honestly believe the the stereotype of the Old South prevails.

Thus, the white-on-black thing just resonates. One is left to wonder how many other cases Nifong has railroaded.

It's pretty said too, the guy was Phi Beta Kappa out of UNC, albeit in a period when most young men were in Vietnam. Perhaps being bright got to his head, and his own belief of his rightness in everything he did. As in, he couldn't lie. Sounds like a sociopath to me, or whatever the modern word for that is.

Anonymous said...

Look at Duke G88 through the prism of Antioch and you will see where they intend to direct the University.

Anonymous said...

RE Susan 05:04 AM - DIW has been a daily must-read for the past year. Thanks KC for communicating so effectively. DIW has been consistently succinct, insightful, a pleasure to read. DIW is everything the MSM is not. Thanks for all the good work.

Anonymous said...

My 8 12 post
I mangled my words in 2nd para but u get the point.

Anonymous said...

Again, Aaron Beard's coverage of yesterday's events was excellent.

He has been as good as Wilson has been bad.

When journalism schools use the Times coverage for a case study in flawed coverage, as KC has suggested, they will use Beard's coverage as a contrast.

Beard recognized the realities, and he told us what happened. Wilson was too prejudiced to recognize the reality, and he told us what the Times thought it should be.

Anonymous said...

http://www.antioch-college.edu/news/releases/index.php?id=178

Anonymous said...

Negatives:
DA's should not be elected, the NC Grand Jury is a much-worse-than-useless rubber stamp (whose deliberations go unrecorded!!!), the DPD is clearly corrupt, both local news and MSM will reject any details that don't fit a nice, lurid story, almost everybody's terrified of the black racists and femagendists, and the more clownish they are, the more terrifying they seem...

On the plus side, Duke has a President so naïve he thinks it's an acceptable excuse that he believed the DA because that DA sounded really, really sure of himself.

It's reassuring that one can earn a PhD, rise to an pretty exalted post in academia, and still remain such an innocent. Come to think of it, maybe Cooper should have announced what an innocent Brodhead was. Duke's BOT, too: they are truly wonderful innocents for keeping Dick Brodhead on.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone determined if Nifong is a Communist?

Anonymous said...

Not to excuse the 88, but the Duke president did what he had to. He didn't review DNA before he took the allegations seriously. He had to so "something" to punish the Lacrosse team and deal with the national attention. Now, hopefully, he qualified with 'if' statements any damning statements. And we don't know what events preceded his firing of the coach. Players get into all sorts of minor, but embarrassing, situations. Perhaps this was a last straw.

The 88 professors should be treated differently. Academic freedom is a bunch of crap.

Anonymous said...

Not only was the chief staffer for NC’s Innocence Inquiry Commission willing to testify in Nifong’s defense, she also claimed not to have read the AG's report of innocence. She wants us to believe that a person in her position did not read one of the most unique cases that deal with actual innocence held in her backyard, starting with a person she once worked with? I find that hard to believe.

Anonymous said...

Our college campuses have become cesspools of useless "victim" studies that started in the 60's. The divisive politicized slobs, the grossly undercredentialed - Ward Churchill as poster boy - are entrenched in those departments.

Campuses stopped being a marketplace of ideas where debate was open and failed ideas could be routed. It's shameful.

Marxism romantically still lingers on with many academics in spite of every metric demonstrating that it failed in the real world.

This is the world to which we send our 18 year olds in their formative years.

Taxpayers, parents, politicians and alumni have a responsibility to stop the rot.

Anonymous said...

FYI: Thanks so much for running commentary while the trial was going on. I live in Texas and was having to rely on Court TV and FoxNews, but they only covered portions. I found you guys yesterday and followed it along with you. Thanks again. I really appreciate you staying on top of this.

Anonymous said...

One of the things I find so interesting about this case is the unusual alliances and disalliances formed.
I am a Duke professor, an avowed liberal (I give regularly to such organizations as the ACLU, Amnesty International, etc.), yet I find so many of the posts here to assume that those who turn to this blog regularly (as I do) are of an anti-liberal bent. Similarly, despite my continued faith in liberal causes, I was and remain appalled by the entirely unwise and unhelpful actions of the group of 88, my colleagues, some of whom (not all) in other circumstances, I know to be level-headed conscientious people.
To me, this case was not about right or left, liberal or conservative, but rather of justice, and until recently, the lack thereof.

Jun 17, 2007 9:05:00 AM

Anonymous said...

Is Nifong a Communist?

Christy said...

KC, it seems woefully inadequate to simply say thank you. I've been reading your engaging and enraging blog for many months now. Would you consider putting up a tip jar, or at least your Amazon wish list?

To everyone speculating about Nifong's mental state - are his symptoms not classic for the adult child of an alchoholic(ACOA)? Particularly his not being able to recognize a lie? The ACOA was told from babyhood that black was white. A meta-narrative for the family developes that becomes the truth for him. This avoiding of ugly facts is the only way to survive childhhod in such a home and it is almost impossible to shake as an adult. That is no excuse for bad, or in this case ccriminal, behavior, but it may explain the inexplicable.

Anonymous said...

You would be hard pressed to find a prosecutor - any prosecutor - who would, in private, disagree with Nifong's basic contention; Maybe it wasn't technically rape, but "something" happened.

...

And, Monday morning in countless courtrooms around the country, the "something happened" credo will go right on prosecuting the innocent as if Nifong never happened.

Indeed. And that's why people should temper their satisfaction with Nifong getting his due.

I am satisfied that Nifong is on his way to answering for his crimes but it isn't enough.

The entire system was complicit in the crime of railroading these innocent men. Police, hospitals, labs, courts, and DA investigators. And does anyone here believe none of the other DA's in Nifong's office were unaware of what he was doing here?

This affair points to a filthy, unsupervised system corrupt to its core, where the individual liberty of citizens is treated with less respect than that accorded to animals in a pound.

What's needed? I'm not sure, I'm not in that system so I don't have the expertise. One thing that leaps out at me though is each state's AG's office should have a fully staffed and funded department legally empowered and equipped to supervise county DA's, investigate complaints from the defense bar and at the mere scent of misbehavior seize cases, files and authority where necessary.

Moreover, laws should be passed making the behavior DPD, Nifong and Meehan engaged in punishable criminally.

I want Gotlieb going without sleep tonight because he knows the AG's office is about to knock on his door with a warrant for witness tampering and obstruction. I want Meehan shaking in his shoes knowing he's facing criminal penalty and loss of his anbility to do lab work for law enforcement agencies. I want Nifong's assistant DA's standing in the dock explaining why they didn't contact the AG about what they knew about Nifong's misconduct.

What needs to happen is that the people in this system need to lose their immunity for acts that are against the rules. When that happens it'll be something to be happy about.

But right now, while its great that Nifong is getting his due, across the country this very same sort of crap is happening to thousands of others.

The ONLY reason the Duke Lax 3 are on the victorious side in this case is money. Money got them high powered lawyers that were willing to go to the mat against a DA when the local public defender would most likely have taken Nifong - and every other part of this corrupt system - at face value.

Severe, stiff criminal penalties for prosecutors and cops breaking the rules. That's the first step.

Anonymous said...

Christy, that's a whole lot of empty speculation isn't it?

Is Nifong a Communist?

How many more times are you going to post your stupid question? Answer it however you like, then, please disappear.

Anonymous said...

To 8:41
Broadhed didn't do what he "had to." What are you thinking? Broadhed jumped aboard the frame express and is just as much at fault as the G88, Nifong, the DPD and the potbangers. There is no way anyone can reasonably say that Broadhed did what he "had to." Please rethink and get back to us.

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:05 : A number of posters here have pointed out that genuine liberals are not to blame. It's the Leftists that were the villains. I think a lot of us see the two as very different animals.

Anonymous said...

9:09AM:
How many times are you going to repeat this.

ACLU, Amnesty, NAACP and similar organisations are inherently anti-US, anti-white, anti-semite. In other words, they are racist, just like gang88.

This was the case liberals wanted to be true* and (with the help of New York al-Times and other professional propaganda outlets) made everything to advance it (in the context of race, class and prejudice).

* on second thought, I don't think liberals cared whether this is true or not. They just saw it as an opportunity to advance their agenda.

Anonymous said...

The loon who heads the Innocence project coming down in Nifong's camp is puzzling. Think of it this way: with people like Nifong in power, the Innocence Project gets a steady stream of clients. It's known as employment insurance for Kendra.

Anonymous said...

I posted about the school. I think any course in media relations and crisis management would advise that the school take action. Cancelling the season: appropriate. Disciplining the coach for repeated incidents: appropriate.

If he didn't measure his words regarding the alleged crime, then shame on him.

The 88 professors? much different story.

I'm not fully versed in what B.H. said, but I don't think many schools would just say "oh well, we'll discipline them if they're found guilty".

And if the defense didn't get the DNA, then surely the school could only take the statemetns of the prosecution and believe they were telling the truth.

Still, Duke is off the list of potential schools for my kid.

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:05. So where were the non-lefty libs all this time?
You know. The ones committed to justice, rights, and humanity and mushyaddablabber.
IMO, lefties pushed this and libs enjoyed it quietly.

Michael said...

I'm not sure if this was Brodhead's first release or a second release but take a look at the second to last paragraph which implies that Duke will work to repair the some of the damage.

One thing that we learned from Nifong's trial is that you're better off taking your medicine before you put everyone else through the wringer. I think that Duke would do well to settle instead of dragging things out in civil court.

Statement by Duke President Richard H. Brodhead on Disbarment of Durham DA Mike Nifong

Statement by Duke President Richard H. Brodhead on Disbarment of Durham DA Mike Nifong

Durham, NC -- Today, the Disciplinary Hearing Commission of the North Carolina State Bar determined that disbarment is the appropriate penalty for Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong’s “intentional prosecutorial misconduct” in charging three Duke students with serious crimes. The judgment of Mr. Nifong by his professional colleagues is a stinging rebuke.

At the end of the Attorney General’s review in April and now the Bar’s proceeding, one fact stares us in the face: the ordeal of the last 15 months was wholly unnecessary. It was not the result of reasonable differences of legal opinion or honest errors of judgment. Our students were accused by the community’s senior law enforcement officer with no credible basis in fact.

Evidence that could have helped establish their innocence was systematically ignored. Meanwhile, the DA continued to make inflammatory statements expressing confidence that the crimes had occurred. Repeated around the world, these statements established a “certainty” it took months to dispel.

A heavy responsibility flows from this abuse of power. The harshest and most direct harm was done to the three students and their families, who suffered from the very place we look to for justice. Other members of their team were also harmed when they were included in Mr. Nifong’s blanket accusations. Duke University was also included in the harm in having to respond to the Durham District Attorney’s assurances that a crime had been committed and the unprecedented crisis those assurances unleashed. The actions Duke took caused consternation to many in the university family, which I profoundly regret.

Finally, harm was done to the criminal justice system itself. In our society, we rely on the criminal justice system to settle disputes of fact and value. But our system only works when the public has faith in the system’s integrity and justice; and this requires that those entrusted with the law act in a way that assures us of their fairness and uprightness. We applaud the actions of the bar today -- and of Attorney General Cooper in April -- in helping to restore that elemental trust. The appointment of a new District Attorney will be another positive step.

As Duke University’s president, I resolve to do my part to repair the harm unleashed by Mr. Nifong’s actions and to move forward from this painful episode.

For more information, contact: John Burness | (919) 681-3788 | john.burness@duke.edu

Michael said...

My wife last night only knew what she heard on the radio (which was very little) though our son knew a lot more about the case as I've explained various aspects to him as I've followed the case. Last night I had my wife watch Reade's testimony from Friday morning so that she had a much better idea of the impact on the three families.

It is really hard to get across what happened in a detailed way because there are so many details and so many bad actors. I really appreciate the video on the wral.com site so that I can point others to them and perhaps they'd get a piece of understanding of the case. KC's book will make it easier to understand as complete a picture as is possible.

I think that the testimony from David Evans is a must watch too along with Cooper's show.

Anonymous said...

It is my understanding the judge (for the technically pending trial) can now send Nifong to jail for up to 6 months (at least according to TX law). Additional punishment may follow after separate investigation.

Anyway, jail sentence would be great news for everybody (including some tall minority felons who need a new girlfriend in jail).

The irony is that Mike Nifong can now finally (personally) provide the pleasure he kept promising to certain minority population !

"My presence here means that the sex case is not going away"
- Prisoner #762239, NC state prison, August 2007

Have a nice time there, Mikey!!
I'm sure you are appreciated. Perhaps you will be a conscientious objector, again?

Anonymous said...

9:09

"...the group of 88, my colleagues, some of whom (not all) in other circumstances, I know to be level-headed conscientious people."

I need to know;of the 88, please name those you consider to be "level headed."

Anonymous said...

I posted about the school. I think any course in media relations and crisis management would advise that the school take action. Cancelling the season: appropriate. Disciplining the coach for repeated incidents: appropriate.

BS.
There was a similar rape accusation at Duke. The accused rape happened at a party hosted by Duke african-american fraterenity/club. As you can expect, no consequences for African-American Club at Duke. The alleged victim was a white girl, accused rapist black. No death threats, no grade retaliation, no Listening Ads.

Talk about double standards.

Anonymous said...

anyone check nifong dna with the samples. that's the miss answer " he the missing DNA donor"

Anonymous said...

"And those who made a rush to judgment based upon an unquestioning faith in what a prosecutor had told them were made to look foolish and many still do look foolish."
- F. Lane Williamson

The rush to judgment was caused by the mindset resulting from the 'education' (read: indoctrination) of law enforcement and judicial personnel that "women never lie about rape;" "no drop" policies are also the result of this mindset. In turn, this sort of thing is perped by the likes of the G88 and other professional 'victim' advocates who make a career out of fomenting racism and sexism (and to a lesser extent, classism) in our society, especially in the halls of power. In this case we saw it in law enforcement, the judicial system, the Duke faculty, administration and medical center staff, and the Durham community. What happened was nothing short of a modern-day lynch mob. Not only should this type of 'education' be outlawed, the areas of academia referred to here as "Angry Studies" should be de-funded and abolished. Not only do they serve almost no useful purpose to society at-large, they do direct harm to innocent persons like the Duke LAX coach and team, especially the Duke 3.

Nifong is simply one of many. The results of Innocence Projects across the county show this via the hundreds of innocenst men exonerated of rape convictions via DNA evidence. This type of prejudice is madness and must end.

Anonymous said...

To the liberal Duke Professor at 9:09.

The problem is, your 88 colleagues were not being well reasoned people. The advertisement, the pot-banging demonstration were all well out ahead of ANY facts. There was an allegation, but no factual evidence. The university president and the militant faculty proceeded to convict the student athletes before there was a trial. Duke University has an obligation to respect and protect the constitutional rights of its students. That did not happen. Your colleagues were, in fact, leading the charge to convict students without the benefit of a trial. The lacrosse players' constitutional guarantees of presumption of innocence, right to refrain from speaking, right to counsel were not adequately protected by the university. Faculty and administrators helped trample those rights, and stood by with only token protests about respecting the rule of law from your president.

So excuse me, but where were you and the other decent liberals during all this? Did you utilize your academic freedom and tenured position to directly, publicly speak out against the rush to accuse and convict the players in the media? Did you tell your colleagues directly that they were out of line with their ad, or comments? Did you publicly support the economics faculty who stood up for the players?

From my perspective, Nifong's ability to use this case for his own political purposes was greatly facilitated by liberal academics and liberal mainstream media who chose to support identity politics, ideology, and groupthink instead of fact-based, reasoned study of an emotionally charged case.

This case is a good example of why groupthink, and identity politics is so corrosive of civil society. Look at how many of your colleagues - people you consider to be generally decent, thoughtful people - were willing to assist in sending three utterly innocent men to prison for 30 years without actually evaluating the evidence about what happened. What happened in Durham was "bad enough," and what happened on Duke's campus was, if anything, worse. Because these were supposedly highly intelligent people, the kind of people who should know better.

If you are one of the few who supported the economics department statement, you get credit for that. But, if you were willing to keep your opinions about what your colleagues were doing to yourself, you get an "F" on this project. Because the tacit support from you and many other faculty helped Mr. Nifong do what he did.

Anonymous said...

You are so right, 10:06. We all know that all it takes for injustice to prevail is for good people not to speak out.

Let us hear -- NOW -- from the liberals on the faculty who oppose the 88. It is not too late. In fact, it will never be too late to shine the spotlight on those who hate and use race and gender to accuse and support their agenda.

10:06 -- You should repost your comments on the latest thread to make sure it gets seen by all.

Anonymous said...

The solution is the terminate Duke Angry Studies department (it was rewarded few months ago and elevated to full deparmental status).

It may be difficult to terminate tenured professors (although conservative profs who quote Bible would have been fired on spot). Anyway, shutting down the whole bastion of hate speech, racism and sub-standard academic quality is something that Duke can, and should, do.

"Mr. President, tear down this department"

Anonymous said...

Followup to liberal professor at 9:09.

If your colleagues were truly decent people, they would have apologized for the 'listening ad' a year ago, when it became obvious that the case was dubious. The follow up ad, and the comments by people by Chafe were simply inexcusable, and continued the process of damning the players with faint praise of constitutional rights for all.

Now I agree that there are honest liberals on faculties. Dr. Johnson, who runs this blog is one of them. He is everything I would hope liberals truly would be: honest, careful in his research, judicious and thoughtful in his writing, and above all, willing to correct errors when people bring them to his attention. Contrast that with the Duke administration and listening ad signers.

Anonymous said...

Has any investigation determined if Nifong is a Communist?

Anonymous said...

The dumb, dumb, evil prosecutor gets caught when there are (1) a very high-dollar defense team, (2) a very high-publicity case, and (3) choirvoy and near-choirboy defendants. Had Nifong been merely evil (or maybe even evil and dumb, but just not so very, very dumb), or had the defendants been lower middle-class sons of white clerk typists and electric linemen, or had the defendants been very unattractive (maybe Ku Klux Klan members with prior records for violent crimes), Nifong would have gotten convictions. As for the ethics rules, Nifong could have limited his interviews to local media and carefully danced around the rules: "I cannot talk about this case in particular, but in general we need always to believe black women and never believe white boys." He could also have handled the DNA evidence more artfully (if nothing else, merely releasing a full report and plowing ahead with a Durham jury).

On the other side, we need to recognize that we put prosecutors in a difficult position. We always expect convictions, especially in high-profile cases, and we vote against prosecutors who do not get them. We seldom know enough to make informed judgments about prosecutorial misconduct, but we always know when an accused rapist is not convicted (it's tough being a good prosecutor).

Gary Packwood said...

KC said...

...Nifong sought an indictment against Reade Seligmann without even knowing whether Seligmann attended the party.
::
Nifong, the entire prosecution team and the Judge participated in this hoax.

Who was helping them build plausible deniability... that almost worked?
::
GP

Anonymous said...

Since Nifong is clearly out of a job right now maybe he could go work for the New York Times.

Anonymous said...

To: 9:09

Please refresh your memory on the way things were on college campuses in Germany during the late 1920s and early 1930s. If you cannot draw the necessary lessons from that I would submit it is because you refuse to do so.

To elaborate: Michael Nifong meant well. He told us so. If your actions are well-meant, it's ok even if the results are harmful. That as best as I can tell was the message of the Innocence Project.

Anonymous said...

Is Duke a state school?

Michael said...

re: mb @ 9:58

I didn't even know of the concept of no-drop until Blinn testified.

Someone here said that it works well but it appears to me that it works well to generate more employment for police departments, jails and prosecutors.

Look at how much time and energy this case took for people with at least some resources to fight it. Can you imagine those with few resources and the amount of time that they have to spend going here and there? And learning what they have to do? A lot of these people need the time to work and just make a living and tossing hand grenades into their lives takes a toll on their entire family.

Maybe KC can do a writeup on this nodrop stuff (sounds like a soup at a chinese restaurant) and how dangerous it can be. It amazed me that someone at Actual Innoncence can't see that. Even after testifying in the railroad job. She seems to think that Mike Nifong is a great guy and that his nodrop policy is great. When the damage that it caused is sitting right in front of her. Is this person blind?

Anonymous said...

9:09

Still waiting for names of the "level headed" members of g88.

Then, on the other hand, perhaps you are not really an instructor at Duke University.

Maybe you're Dick Brodhead?

I need to know.

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

ACLU, Amnesty, NAACP and similar organisations are inherently anti-US, anti-white, anti-semite. In other words, they are racist, just like gang88.

Amen to that.

Amazing the number of sheeple that, failing to evaluate the politcal agendas, the selectivity in what causes these groups will defend, their hypocrisy, still think they are virtuous organizations.

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 10:06

/applause

Indeed liberal Duke professor. Where were you and your so-called liberal colleagues? Where are you now? My guess is you're a coward and are afraid to confront your supposed "liberal" buddies.

Why don't you get some of your "liberal" bretheren out on the steps tomorrow at Duke and have a news conference condemning the group of 88 and their continuing behavior?

We won't hold our breath.

Anonymous said...

NY Times basher:

Do you have any idea how stupid you sound? Yes, the Times, along with most MSM, lies about black failure (the real Duke story: groupthink Durham blacks, an immoral "honor student" and dumb racist professors), but the Times has other attributes.

A poster noted that there was a good story about Antioch in Week in Review. International and national coverage is excellent, decent arts coverage, 1st-rate science reporting, etc.

Enough about Nifong.

The real thugs in this case are Mangum, Durham's black community, G88 and Brodhead.

Nifong just went along for the [bumpy] ride.

Polanski

Anonymous said...

The silence of the libs vis-a-vis the G88 and the pot-banger crowd is analogous to the silence of 'moderate' Muslims in the face of the behaedings and homicide bombings carried out by their jihadist brethern.

Given the mindset of most libs, it's not difficult to see them reveling in more than just a bit of schadenfreude over the presumed guilt of those rich white boys.

One thing's certain - neither of my kids will even remotely consider Duke. The apologia of the G88 has shown beyond a doubt that Duke, like so many other institutions of 'higher learning,' is a cesspool of Marxist multiculturalism informed by a lynch mob mindset.

Anonymous said...

Other places to avoid:

Harvard, Yale, Princeton--get it?

Alumni have to pressure administrators. Have you ever heard of a person with a 3-digit IQ defend black studies?

I haven't.

Polanski

Cedarford said...

Anonymous - You say you are a liberal, a Dufe Prof, and an ACLU member. And you express dismay that this was not seen as a bipartisan effort to vindicate the accused.
Well, there are exceptions such as yourself, but the facts are that conservative media and blogs were all over this - while at liberal MSM and feminist blogs - use of the liar's name is still banned.

As for your beloved ACLU, not a peep out of those Marxists. We all know that if it had been blacks accused of raping a white women on such specious evidence the ACLU would have been all over it.

Frankly, from past ACLU efforts to undermine the 2nd and 10th Amendments and it's selective interpretation that the 1st Amendment requires eradication of Christianity from the public sphere, I have little respect for any ACLU member. They are dangerous and seditious.

One Spook said...

Anon at 9:09AM, a Duke Professor and self-admitted Avowed liberal," writes:

"To me, this case was not about right or left, liberal or conservative, but rather of justice, and until recently, the lack thereof." "...the group of 88, my colleagues, some of whom (not all) in other circumstances, I know to be level-headed conscientious people."

BINGO! That was an excellent assessment, so please do us all a favor and initiate action that condemns those colleagues whom you deem worthy of your regard. Take public action in the strongest fashion possible.

Gather some other like-minded "Duke liberal professors" and take out an ad to publicly castigate that gang of 88 even as they condemned innocent students.

The professional peers of Nifong have spoken and condemed him for his illegal behavior, and it is past time for the Gang of 88 to be likewise condemned by their peers.

It is only by taking such action that can you strike a blow for the "justice" you purport to favor.

I've been on vacation and missed most of the fun, but I hope this ruling against Nifong is only the beginning of a thorough house cleaning in the Durham community and Duke University.

One Spook

Anonymous said...

9:31 inre' Crisis Management. I posted this several months ago - the admin. at Duke has failed at this as well...

Managing the Crisis You Tried to Prevent - Norman Augustine,

“There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune:
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries…” – Julius Caesar, Wm. Shakespeare

Six Stages of Crisis Management,

1. Avoid the Crisis: “...chronic carelessness stems from a blind spot common among executives - and especially chief executive officers: They actually believe that they are in control of their companies’ fortunes…Make a list of everything that could attract troubles to the business…Discretion and privacy can be critical to avoiding some kinds of crisis...”

Brodhead and the Gang of 88 fail.

2. Preparing to Manage a Crisis: “…should view and plan for the inevitability of a crisis in much the same way one views and plans for the inevitability of death and taxes not out of weakness or fear, but out of the strength that comes from knowing you are prepared to…play the hand that fate deals you.”- Steven Fink “We must make plans for dealing with crises; action plans, communication plans, fire drills, essential relationships…”

Elevating the AAAs frauds to Dept status, and electing a Gang of 88 bigoted racist to lead the faculty hardly rates as properly preparing to manage a crisis. Encouraging the students to meet with the DPD without counsel and allowing the police into the dorms are, we may soon discover, criminal.

3. Recognizing the Crisis: “…If you can keep your head when all about you are losing their, its just possible you haven’t grasped the situation” – humorist Jean Kerr. “ Companies sometimes misclassify a problem, focusing on the technical aspects and ignoring issues of perception…”…”Are you going to believe what you see, or what I’m telling you?” – Groucho Marx

It is clear the leadership believes the race/gender/class warfare b.s.

4. Containing the Crisis: “…stop the hemorrhaging. This is the phase in which the tough decisions have to me made and made fast…”

This assumes one has a leader to make the tough decisions. Duke does not have a leader.

5. Resolving the Crisis: “In this stage speed is of the essence...seek out independent experts who took (take) the facts to the public…”
Lethargic efforts by an inept administration that not only allowed the story to be presented by fraudulent liars, but continues to do so in spite of the overwhelming evidence that another liar manufactured a story.

6. Profiting from the Crisis: “Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes” – Oscar Wilde,,…”If a company has handled the previous steps flawlessly (that is, has not somehow managed to make the crisis even worse), the sixth stage offers an opportunity to recoup some losses…”

“The bottom line of my own experience with crisis can be summarized in just seven words: tell the truth and tell it fast.” - Augustine

The lack of leadership, transparency, governance, and allowing a small, vocal fraudulent minority to be the voice of the University is pitiful. Duke deserves everything it has coming.

Character is judged by ones action and inactions. In this crisis Duke has earned an “F”.

Anonymous said...

Is Duke a state school?

Anonymous said...

9:17AM
"The entire system was complicit in the crime of railroading these innocent men. Police, hospitals, labs, courts, and DA investigators. And does anyone here believe none of the other DA's in Nifong's office were unaware of what he was doing here?"

Your entire post is dead on. Good job. Unfortunately, none of this will be touched by the State of NC, and so THIS Nifong will be stopped, but the others will continue. Nifong cannot be made into a scapegoat. He is a product of the criminal justice system.

Anonymous said...

Is Duke a state school? Is Nifong a commie? Come on - google is your friend. Go away and learn something.

Anonymous said...

Once again, we have posters whose livelihood is not threatened by their "duty", calling out those whose livelihood would be, for Not Doing their "Duty". This stuff is easy to write, when you yourself are not affected. I don't care about the ADAs, the DPD or Durham. Justice has been done - an effort to prolong this case will not work.

Anonymous said...

Love - goggle is your friend. Good laugh.

Anonymous said...

2:40 - Yes. Let's put this behind us and move on.

Anonymous said...

Yes, let us now go live in a happy land, full of marmalade and rainbows. All of us except we poor b*stards who still reside in Durham or North Carolina, and live in very real fear of wrongful prosecution and without the means to resist it. For us this is a daily threat and the knowledge that justice sort of prevailed, by the narrowest of margins, according to Brad Bannon's speech yesterday, is a faint reassurance.

Anonymous said...

We should all just move along now, there's nothing to see here. Justice has been done, OK?

Anonymous said...

Not sure if it is time to 'move on' or not, seems to me that is up to the victims, and not us.

I am sure they have good people representing their interests and will be following good advise.

Anonymous said...

When the feckless stumblebum and his 88+ minions have been dealt with, THEN justice will have been done and we should move on.

Great job, KC.

trinity60

Anonymous said...

"Justice has been done - an effort to prolong this case will not work."

Sounds like it is up to 2:40.

Gary Packwood said...

Nifong has been wearing the lightning rod, but if Nifong assumes everyone's sins there can be no lessons learned.
::
GP

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Has any investigation determined if Nifong is a Communist?

The jury's still out on Mikey "Animal Farm" 'Fong, but there's little doubt about the Group of 88 being a bunch of radical, pinko commies who deserve to continue their reign of white-bashing intolerant hatred in Cuba.

Adios Wahneenha!

Anonymous said...

Once again, we have posters whose livelihood is not threatened by their "duty", calling out those whose livelihood would be, for Not Doing their "Duty".

My oh my. When I was in the USMC I wouldn't have put duty in scare quotes. See - I know this is going to be hard for you but - duty is something you do because its the right thing to do even though its hard. Even if it puts you out personally.

Even when it hurts you personally. Even when it sucks. Duty is something you have to do ANYWAY.

This stuff is easy to write, when you yourself are not affected. I don't care about the ADAs, the DPD or Durham.

Well of course not. You care about your own fat ass. You don't care about the injustices perpetrated every day by the likes of Nifong, Smith, Gotlieb, Wilson and all the rest on people with no resources to fight in this country.

After all, you have plans to go have a nice $300 crab supper tonight. Wouldn't want to put that fat bonus at risk! Gotta keep those country club dues up! Go along to get along, after all, they're all guilty of something!

And if the rest of us have to live in a country where Nifongs and Gotliebs have control over our liberty, well, that's OUR problem, not yours.

You wouldn't know duty if it hit you in the face. The word duty was invented to educate people of your ilk.

But by all means, move along folks, nothing to see here.

Nothing but a bunch of scumbags that even NOW can't admit the filthy corruption of the system from which they personally profit.

Nifong junior is what you are. You aren't even up to Nifong's standard of scummy.

Anonymous said...

5:38

Well said. Semper Fi!

Anonymous said...

5:38 Not in this case, it is not. Reporting the inproper proceedures to your superiors is the chain of command. Or do you prepose going over your superiors head? I don't think so.
I have fought this injustice from the 1st day - in every way possible, including money. Your post could not be more off. Can you answer the "duty" question without personal insults? No - Why am I not surprised?

Anonymous said...

Or do you prepose going over your superiors head?

That is exactly what you do. You stand up for what is right because it is your duty.

Do you understand that a Marine is expected to disobey an unlawful order from his immediate superior?

Have you ever considered the implications of that fact and how it applies exactly to what you are explaining away?

I don't think so.

No. Obviously you don't. That's because you do not understand the meaning of the word duty.

People of far less means and status in our society stand up and do what's right in the face of terrible consequences every day.

They don't do it because it is easy, or because they can make a buck off it. They do it despite the fact that they will suffer personal consequences and in the hope that the system will do them right.

They just understand that it is their duty to do so.

Anonymous said...

Please share with us, when you went over the head of your superiors - please tell the result. I know everything about the Marines and jumping the chain of command is not encouraged. The people whose "duty" to intervene and end this farce did it.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone really believe the faculty of Duke, particularly the Gang of 88 has suffered anything from this? If anything they appear quite "proud" of what they accomplished by "speking truth to power" by acting like a liberal lynch gang. I sure hope the families get to drag the school through the muck on a long, costly law suit. I want to read about this for years to come. Maybe by then some of the "group" will have changed their view and do the right thing by apologizing. It's a pretty simple step. I just
can't figure out why they won't apologize to the families. Pretty sad, really.

Anonymous said...

Does Nifong ever read a report or actually view the evidence in any way? Does he ever interview a witness or does he just send Linwood(!) to do it - and not record it.

I'm just trying to figure out what the heck Nifong did all day in this case - besides give interviews. Sit in his office with his feet up on the desk watching game shows?

By his own admission he is totally incompetent and utterly clueless. I guess that's how he was trying to come off since the other possibility - which I strongly believe is the correct one - is that he is a corrupt liar who was engaged in a total frame-up.

Anonymous said...

"The people whose "duty" to intervene and end this farce did it."

Ummmmmm...that would be Brad Bannon, Joe Chesire and Jim Cooney. And that only worked by the hair of their chinny chin chins.

Otherwise, the three innocent men would be facing a jury trial in Durham. Good as dead regardless of the outcome.

Nobody else had any duty to stop the atrocity?

Apparently, in your world, possibly Durham, that is the way it should be.

Anonymous said...

The NC Bar

Anonymous said...

By one vote.

Anonymous said...

"Finally, it’s worth considering two cautions expressed by Jim Cooney in the post-hearing press conference. Though the case ended as it should—with the AG’s declaration of actual innocence and Nifong’s disbarment—this was a very close call. First, the defense demanded and then closely examined Meehan’s underlying DNA data not as a matter of course but only because the DNA was the only evidence even remotely implicating Brad Bannon’s client, Dave Evans. Had Mangum picked a lacrosse player other than Evans, the DNA conspiracy might have passed unnoticed. Second, the State Bar’s grievance committee voted to charge Mike Nifong with ethics violations by a mere one vote, with grievance committee chairman Jim Fox casting the tie-breaking vote."

Anonymous said...

What I find very interesting about some of the bloggers is an apparent assumption that the LAX players are right-wing Republicans--or even further right--like the bloggers themselves. Miscarriages of justice are neither Republican nor Democratic...

And certainly Amnesty International is not anti-American.

Brian said...

Great work K.C. from top to bottom.

Nifong hasn't go what he deserved yet. I can't wait to read the civil complaint. I hope they plead and prove an intentional tort (which is pretty clear now) so Nifong can't get the judgment discharged in bankruptcy.