tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post4065276506039922343..comments2024-02-24T05:19:10.949-05:00Comments on Durham-in-Wonderland: "Counselor" Cohan on Law & Procedurekcjohnson9http://www.blogger.com/profile/09625813296986996867noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-13756110266792678202014-05-04T12:15:12.732-04:002014-05-04T12:15:12.732-04:00Agree completely with Chris on the "oldfashio...Agree completely with Chris on the "oldfashioned way" comment.<br /><br />On the general point about the book & the case: I believe it's possible for someone who didn't closely follow the case to come away from the book believing the guys were innocent, because the book is stuffed with so much material (presumably based on preps from the research ass't) that provides the narrative.<br /><br />On the other hand, just listening to Cohan's comments in interviews (and not reading the book), you'd come away certain the guys were guilty and Nifong was "railroaded." It certainly seems that's what Cohan actually believes. For whatever reason (editorial pressure, legal rejection) he couldn't be so clear in the book itself--although his approach was absolutely clear to anyone who followed the case closely.kcjohnson9https://www.blogger.com/profile/09625813296986996867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-21358165741946636622014-05-03T16:44:30.355-04:002014-05-03T16:44:30.355-04:00Gary L. Wells, Brian L. Cutler, and Lisa E. Hasel ...Gary L. Wells, Brian L. Cutler, and Lisa E. Hasel wrote a chapter in the book "Race to Injustice" on lineups. They acknowledge that they are not disinterested parties. However, they are clear about the problems in this lineup: "...the identification procedures used in the Duke lacrosse case were profoundly flawed, dangerous, and nondiagnostic of the guilt or innocence of the accused individuals."<br /><br />One of the driving forces for changes in the way police conduct line-ups is the fact that 75% of DNA exonerations involve mistaken eyewitness testimony. Why anyone would want to do a rape investigation the "good, old-fashioned way" is beyond me. I doubt that Nifong wanted to do an honest investigation. What Mr. Cohan wants is less clear. One of these radio hosts should ask him.Chris Halkideshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14933976220776524122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-55521841947172239492014-05-03T13:52:53.710-04:002014-05-03T13:52:53.710-04:00Any sane cogent rational person who paid attention...Any sane cogent rational person who paid attention at the time and since knows Nifong did everything in his power to obstruct subvert and pervert justice in this case. There was DNA from multiple unidentified males in out and about Mangum. Where was the inquiry to find those potential suspects? Answer is, Nifong knew the case was bs from before the first test result. He was always only trying to cop a plea, not prosecute a real case. Illegitimate unconstitutional non-lineup lineups, witness tampering and intimidation, never interviewing the accuser on record, not taking notes of meetings, conspiring with "expert Meehan", sending goons and henchmen to elicit false testimony, engaging in outrageous canonical professional and ethical breaches, gross disreputable courtroom behavior, lying to a judge, and yet many still seek to parse words and split hairs in some pathetic attempt to exhume this McCarthyite witch hunt. Shame on Cohan and his daisy chain of positive reinforcers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-60736080563480200422014-05-03T11:45:35.285-04:002014-05-03T11:45:35.285-04:00The American Bar Association issued standards on D...The American Bar Association issued <a href="http://www.americanbar.org/publications/criminal_justice_section_archive/crimjust_standards_dnaevidence.html" rel="nofollow">standards</a> on DNA evidence. Stadard 1.2 reads in part "(d) Test results and their interpretation should be reported and presented in an accurate, fair, complete, and clear manner." Standard 3.3 reads in part "(a) A summary of all DNA testing and data interpretation should be recorded promptly in a report."<br /><br />There is also the issue of release of the unprocessed data. Standard 4.1 reads in part, "(viii) all raw electronic data produced during testing;" I don't know whether or not the defense requested this, but they might have done so in the fall of 2006. The raw data require both software and expertise to produce an electropherogram as the output, but every DNA expert whom I have asked has been unequivocal in the utility of the data in this form. I don't think that we know enough to know whether Mr. Nifong was derelict in his duty with respect to this aspect of discovery.Chris Halkideshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14933976220776524122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-2385890139424376012014-05-03T10:08:38.357-04:002014-05-03T10:08:38.357-04:00Dear KC, you teach in Brooklyn, WYNC? W York New C...Dear KC, you teach in Brooklyn, WYNC? W York New City? WNewYorkCity WNYC...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-3862238404894965912014-05-03T10:06:46.511-04:002014-05-03T10:06:46.511-04:00Actually, Cohan's book has racked up more 1 st...Actually, Cohan's book has racked up more 1 star reviews than all the other books on the Duke Lacrosse case combined, including The Last Dance for Grace.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-61430230790273247832014-05-03T10:03:22.299-04:002014-05-03T10:03:22.299-04:00For comparison's sake, Until Proven Innocent g...For comparison's sake, Until Proven Innocent gathered only four i star reviews in 4 years, It's Not About the Truth gathered five 1 star reviews in 7 years. Rush to Injustice has yet to be reviewed on Amazon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-81165547734981838372014-05-03T09:55:22.980-04:002014-05-03T09:55:22.980-04:00Cohan's book has four 1 star reviews on Barnes...Cohan's book has four 1 star reviews on Barnes and Noble and on reviews on Books a Million.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-24787564032782509542014-05-03T09:51:33.406-04:002014-05-03T09:51:33.406-04:00Cohan's book, as of a few minutes ago, has gat...Cohan's book, as of a few minutes ago, has gathered 50 one star reviews. That is 50 one star reviews in the space of less than a month. That must be some kind of record.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-32543092361234854752014-05-03T06:33:28.710-04:002014-05-03T06:33:28.710-04:00KC
"because the fact a test result that says...<b>KC</b><br /><br />"<i>because the fact a test result that says that Evans, plus <b>two percent of the sample pool</b></i>"<br /><br />KC, can you refresh our memories - how large was the sample pool that DNASI used? That was one of the items that Brad Bannon had to glean from the mythical 1800 pages that Meehan/Nifong dumped on the defense, wasn't it? RighteousThugnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-84561103475214133832014-05-03T00:01:20.649-04:002014-05-03T00:01:20.649-04:00I feel so strongly about this because I'm a re...I feel so strongly about this because I'm a retired USAF officer and I know that the recently released Obama administration report claiming that 26,000 sexual assaults occurred in the military in 2013 is also a complete lie. <br /><br />Nifong is a Democrat, and a coward who avoided service in Vietnam by claiming conscientious objector status. He obviously, later in life, had no problem also claiming a moral objective in railroading innocent young men to further his political ambitions. <br /><br />It's high time someone called him on his cowardice, and also high time someone calls this administration on it's moral cowardice. 1 in 5 girls in college in America are not being raped. 26,000 girls in the US military were not raped in 2013. <br /><br />The truth will set you free. Embrace it.<br /><br />Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06044914606281823582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-71920191531648661892014-05-02T23:36:00.846-04:002014-05-02T23:36:00.846-04:00By the way, here's the federal report:
http...By the way, here's the federal report: <br /><br />http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/report_0.pdf<br /><br />The 1 in 5 stat is on page 2.<br /><br />- RickAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-47113378804510235322014-05-02T23:23:43.405-04:002014-05-02T23:23:43.405-04:00Additionally KC - you are a professor at a college...Additionally KC - you are a professor at a college, right?<br /><br />Are 20 percent of the young women on your campus being sexually assaulted? <br /><br />The Obama administration says so. Is that true?Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06044914606281823582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-12807436327467898382014-05-02T23:19:59.352-04:002014-05-02T23:19:59.352-04:00KC - the Obama administration just released a repo...KC - the Obama administration just released a report that says that one out of every five women who attend college in the US are sexual assault victims. <br /><br />You have written on numerous occasions here that you are an Obama supporter. <br /><br />Given this federal report, basic logic says that you shouldn't be surprised that people still believe that the former Duke lacrosse players are guilty of rape. After all, all these girls the Obama administration claims are being raped aren't raping themselves, right? Someone must be.<br /><br />What do you think about the Obama-directed study, headed by Biden, that says that 20 percent of the women who attend college in the US are victims of sexual assault? Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06044914606281823582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-7036182500165693472014-05-02T20:59:18.197-04:002014-05-02T20:59:18.197-04:00Highdesert 2006 -- FWIW, the most serious infracti...Highdesert 2006 -- FWIW, the most serious infractions I could find in regard to the Duke Lacrosse team prior to the rape allegations were incidents of public urination and hitting golf balls at buildings.<br /><br />That's nowhere near as bad as Iowa wrestlers hunting rabbits on campus without a license ;)<br /><br />Lance the Internnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-47966488429076375582014-05-02T20:10:29.856-04:002014-05-02T20:10:29.856-04:00Highdesert 2006 said...
"they, like the lacr...Highdesert 2006 said...<br /><br />"<i>they, like the lacrosse team, were known for very serious infractions</i>"<br /><br />That is simply not true about the Duke Lacrosse team, esp the 2005-2006 team.RighteousThugnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-7011493431366275112014-05-02T19:50:24.145-04:002014-05-02T19:50:24.145-04:00Highdesert2006, again...
Just to be clear...I nev...Highdesert2006, again...<br /><br />Just to be clear...I never said lacrosse jocks were BMOC...I was drawing a link to their behavior and interactions with authority in the same way that wrestlers have also been portrayed, not their place in the hierarchy of sports at Duke or anywhere...same with wrestlers...maybe I was not articulate enough for the twitter/text world, but I think I said that wrestlers were sometimes known as rowdy, loutish and in need of a cotillion...not that they, nor lacrosse, was a big deal on campus...heck, when I was a kid I can recall the then lacrosse players at Duke simply playing on a dusty parking lot above Duke Stadium (which of course is no longer there) with simple chalk marking off the field of play and goals marking the end boundaries...more like a pick-up game...anyway, just understand that what happened in Durham was incredibly misguided on the part of the legal authorities, and again, this view of mine is in no way intended to imply that I condone the behavior of the lacrosse team...in terms of how they got in the mess in the first place.Highdesert 2006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-7984739599434867482014-05-02T19:42:38.584-04:002014-05-02T19:42:38.584-04:00Dear Trial Junkie,
Well, I was curious as to just...Dear Trial Junkie,<br /><br />Well, I was curious as to just how long it would take someone out there in the great realm of the cyber world to jump on something I, or anyone else said...trust me, I in no way am trying to defend Dook basketball players or any other athletes, but simply drawing a singular comparison with another so-called non-revenue sport (wrestling)...football and basketball at Iowa are certainly "big-time" but wrestlers held (and may still hold) a somewhat lesser, though known place in the sports world of that campus, and they, like the lacrosse team, were known for very serious infractions, which in many ways never made it to the light of public day, all I was saying or trying to say that the record of the Dook lacrosse team in terms of their interactions with Durham and Dook authorities is matched in other places and by similar minor sports, as are the "major" sports...which is in no way to say that the other big-time sports participants were innocent...nor did I say that...as a UNCCH graduate (a very elder grad btw), I have no illusions about just who are innocent or guilty or whatever...witness the crap that has been unfolding in Chapel Hill over the past several years...and trust me, as someone who witnessed Art Heyman et. al in the olden days of Dook basketball, well I hope you get my point. <br /><br />In my comments this morning, I was simply trying to make an observation regarding the disconnect I have experienced with my surmise of the whole sordid episode, even as it is told in the book,and then the bizarre book tour unfolding before us all...its as if, from my view, Cohan did not write the book, at least based on his subsequent commentary...because for me, the book is an incredible indictment of Nifong, Mangum and Dook...pardon me, Duke.<br /><br />As a rather retro older guy, I find it so interesting that when one seeks to post a comment, and attempts to be civil and measured, there are always those few out there who just can't resist either missing the point or simply piling on...you sir, or ma'am, truly underestimate what I know about collegiate sports and also what is fair and just...as the recent Vanderbilt rape scenario shows, things are truly amiss everywhere, and let's not even get in to FSU's stellar quarterback and his love for crab legs...the latter certainly not being in the same league as rape and sexual assault.<br /><br />So, to conclude...rather than trying to argue with me...or somehow accuse me of overlooking other similar issues as they exist among many so-called student-athletes, I suggest you step back and see if we might have a conversation.<br /><br />Best, Highdesert2006Highdesert 2006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-32366465653730159662014-05-02T18:29:07.651-04:002014-05-02T18:29:07.651-04:00"In other words, did Cohan have an agenda tha..."In other words, did Cohan have an agenda that did not include having to tell the truth?"<br /><br />Lying?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-56976922039774515302014-05-02T13:16:18.046-04:002014-05-02T13:16:18.046-04:00I wonder what readers think Cohan's intent was...I wonder what readers think Cohan's intent was in writing this book? I wonder if he meant to bury Nifong and Magnum, while talking sympathy...intended to be cavalier towards the students to fit his narrative...to help his agenda to de-stain Duke University and the 88 professors who responded shamefully. In other words, did Cohan have an agenda that did not include having to tell the truth?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-62806704186017073882014-05-02T12:37:12.462-04:002014-05-02T12:37:12.462-04:00To Highdesert,
As Anonymous 10:04 am said, Duke b...To Highdesert,<br /><br />As Anonymous 10:04 am said, Duke basketball players are the BMOC, not lacrosse players. KC Johnson and Stuart Taylor reported in their book that Duke basketball players had a party with strippers not long before March 13, 2006. <br /><br />Why do you think only college wrestlers are "not the best of citizens?" Do you think college basketball and football players never exhibit bad behavior? <br /><br />By the way, I'm a long-time sports fan as well as someone who follows trials.<br /><br />Trial JunkieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-49578894802957900222014-05-02T11:42:13.632-04:002014-05-02T11:42:13.632-04:00@ guiowen 11:00 AM
Cohan's friends are doing ...@ guiowen 11:00 AM<br /><i> Cohan's friends are doing what they can to help him</i><br /><br />The large majority of favorable reviews (3-5 stars) are by people who reviewed just ONE book (Cohan's). [click on "See all my reviews"] <br />I agree with guiowen -- these are likely Cohan's friends and paid rent-a-critics.A Duke Dadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-75272360308653941422014-05-02T11:40:09.106-04:002014-05-02T11:40:09.106-04:00Norah Rudin and Keith Inman wrote in 2007, "T...Norah Rudin and Keith Inman wrote in 2007, "To re-visit the conventional raison d’être for interpreting low-level DNA profiles to in[f]er contact, the literature so far indicates that:<br />1. Where there is a known single habitual wearer, that person tends to be detected as the major source of DNA on a garment; minor profiles may also be detected from individuals with whom the habitual wearer has had close contact as well as from unknown sources.<br />2. The examination of evidence for handler DNA can reveal DNA of people who have, or have not, handled the item; the stronger profile may, or may not, be the person who last handled the item; An inference of direct contact between an individual and the item may or may not be supportable, depending on the circumstances of the case."<br /><br />Mr. Cohan seems to be drawing an inference based on the lack of Matt Zash's DNA on the fingernails. I don't think any inference is warranted.Chris Halkideshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14933976220776524122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-70254997890321293072014-05-02T11:28:59.359-04:002014-05-02T11:28:59.359-04:00KC, you are a better man than I. You can listen to...KC, you are a better man than I. You can listen to the broadcasts without having a coronary, and then reply with facts in a clear and concise manner.<br /><br />Keep up the good work. Cohan truly is a lying jerk.William L. Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01802990642236807359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-53132266247471253282014-05-02T11:00:26.118-04:002014-05-02T11:00:26.118-04:00I just read a favorable review (on Amazon), giving...I just read a favorable review (on Amazon), giving the book 5 stars, which reads, "I was familiar with the case, and have followed Duke for years, and wondered how it turned out ..."<br />Are we supposed to believe that someone familiar with the case, who has followed Duke for years, DIDN'T know how the case turned out?<br />I guess Cohan's friends are doing what they can to help him.guiowenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11904401455585682885noreply@blogger.com