tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post7228866726229443008..comments2024-02-24T05:19:10.949-05:00Comments on Durham-in-Wonderland: Cohan: "Why? Why? Why?"kcjohnson9http://www.blogger.com/profile/09625813296986996867noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-60290098218973050722014-04-19T21:47:29.668-04:002014-04-19T21:47:29.668-04:00Willy Cohan: Who Broke that Window?
Mikey : J...Willy Cohan: Who Broke that Window?<br /><br />Mikey : Joe did. I threw a rock at him, and HE ducked.A Duke Dadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-90808985599478309732014-04-19T20:04:59.548-04:002014-04-19T20:04:59.548-04:00"Smerconish steered clear of detailed questio..."Smerconish steered clear of detailed questions...” What a generous way of saying that he did nothing to prepare for an informed and competent interview.Nicolas Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15094228433358695581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-72864345721663740062014-04-19T01:14:17.987-04:002014-04-19T01:14:17.987-04:00"What were the dimensions and layout of the b..."What were the dimensions and layout of the bathroom?"<br /><br />This is AFAIK the only crime scene which the media was unwilling to show to the public. Bizarre.<br /><br />The house should have been preserved so that anyone who wanted to physically see the bathroom could see how impossible it was for four people to fit inside, shut the door from the inside, hoist Mangum into the air, and gang rape her in every possible way.<br /><br />However, apparently nobody in Durham (and that includes Duke, and Preservation Durham--a group devoted to Durham's history, which has had such illustrious members as Richard Brodheand and his wife, Robert K. Steel, the Dagenharts, and Professor emeritus French as members/directors)--was interested in doing so.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-73247186610132158462014-04-18T21:38:28.542-04:002014-04-18T21:38:28.542-04:00What were the dimensions and layout of the bathroo...What were the dimensions and layout of the bathroom? Does anyone know? the house is torn down now. The old small buildings in college towns tended to have small bathrooms.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-40373550693662097682014-04-18T21:20:42.974-04:002014-04-18T21:20:42.974-04:00Last night, Cohan went on to say, "By the way...Last night, Cohan went on to say, "By the way, I'm not convinced that those were the three right boys --men. I, I don't know who was in that bathroom, ok". Yet Cohan puts himself in the role of a prosecutor and asks us (the jury) to convict people that he's personally not convinced have committed a crime. Thus Mr. Cohan put himself in direct conflict with his star witness, Mr. Nifong, on the viability of bringing the case to trial. <br /><br />"I think I have a responsibility before I take a case to trial, to be personally persuaded that a crime occurred. If I don't believe that a crime actually occurred then I cannot ask the jury to return a verdict of guilty." Mike Nifong Trial (2007)<br /><br />Through words and deeds, both men have hurt innocent people, reopened old wounds, and made fools of themselves.<br /><br />I've studied and blogged about this case for eight years. Along the way, I've been fortunate to interact with some really great people from all walks of life. Some were direct participants in the case; others, reporters; still others, relatives and friends; but mostly just concerned citizens who shared a common purpose: to seek the truth. Granted, I've added little to the discussion, but I did pay attention to the details. I always looked upon the case as a learning experience. Now, this crackpot wanders in and proclaims himself the expert - the authoritative source for all things Duke Lacrosse. Well, last night, Cohan ran into some real experts. And he exposed himself as a fraud.<br /><br />KC, thanks for being a great teacher.<br /><br />sdsgoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-17600494904231153732014-04-18T20:48:20.745-04:002014-04-18T20:48:20.745-04:00Ipse Dixit
1. An arbitrary dogmatic statement wh...<b><i> Ipse Dixit</i></b><br /><br /><br />1. An arbitrary dogmatic statement which the speaker expects the listener to accept as valid, without any proof. <br />It is also called "the bare assertion fallacy."<br /><br />2. Ipse dixit denies that an issue is debatable. In other words, "that's just the way it is."<br /><br />3. The most basic way to distort an issue is to deny that it exists.<br /><br />4. An assertion made but not proved <br /><br />An arbitrary and unsupported statement that rests solely on the perceived or self-assumed authority of the individual who makes it.A Duke Dadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-20599145669038844712014-04-18T19:04:08.307-04:002014-04-18T19:04:08.307-04:00Cohan spoke at a signing in Durham yesterday. Saw...Cohan spoke at a signing in Durham yesterday. Saw a brief synopsis at Liestoppers thanks to Rusty Dog. He had the temerity to say:<br /><br /><i>"We'll never know what exactly went on in the bathroom on the night of March 13, 2006, but it's fair to say that the weight of public opinion, <b>and the press of a team of highly compensated defense attorneys took what had been a viable criminal court case and snuffed it out before the accuser could have her day in court. And before the DA could raise legitimate questions about the actions of the players</b></i>."<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.c-span.org/video/?318803-1/qa-william-cohan" rel="nofollow"><b>Q&A with William Cohan</b></a><br /><br />Airing Details<br /><br /> Apr 20, 2014 | 8:00pm EDT | C-SPAN 1<br /> Apr 20, 2014 | 11:00pm EDT | C-SPAN 1<br /> Apr 21, 2014 | 5:50am EDT | C-SPAN 1RighteousThugnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-5440072297196437882014-04-18T16:21:36.158-04:002014-04-18T16:21:36.158-04:00Why, why, why did Cohan write the book?
I don'...Why, why, why did Cohan write the book?<br /><br />I don't know what Cohan wrote, but whatever it was, was bad enough.No Justice, No Peacenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-2884164439464470622014-04-18T14:26:09.662-04:002014-04-18T14:26:09.662-04:00Cohan wondered why no one wanted to talk to him. W...Cohan wondered why no one wanted to talk to him. We'll never know. We do know from the known facts of the case, anything AG Cooper and his investigators told Cohan, Cohan would have discarded.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-29160486229980633332014-04-18T13:38:58.803-04:002014-04-18T13:38:58.803-04:00After hearing part of Cohan's interview on Dia...After hearing part of Cohan's interview on Diane Ream, I pulled a few on-line articles concerning the case and eventually bought UPI. It is difficult for me to understand how anyone with the slightest understanding of criminal law or the court's could conclude that there is something to write about from the Nifong/Mangum side. But maybe Cohan does not have said slightest understanding.<br /><br />I believe that mine is not an uninformed perspective, as a federal prosecutor for more than 30 years. Nifong's abuse of his office is shocking and idiotic. A few examples like his performance is why the rest of us spend a large part of our working hours fighting baseless claims of prosecutorial misconduct.<br /><br />I can only speculate that Cohan is seeking fame and fortune by the only means at hand and that Nifong has gravitated towards the few people who will still speak to him. Sad.<br /><br />Thanks for the updates, MAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-76431232428528118122014-04-18T13:32:45.355-04:002014-04-18T13:32:45.355-04:00Jim in San Diego has questions similar to mine. W...Jim in San Diego has questions similar to mine. Will Cohan come to one day regret his participation in such a complex and doomed project like propping up a corrupt, disbarred former prosecutor, (I forgot perjurer!)? It would seem that an intelligent man would have read this blog and the UPI book and known what he was up against. I for one, would never try to outwit KC. I've seen and read what he can do. Is Cohan that ignorant, or was he paid more than any of us know?skwillihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17216150339054413310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-58386860292198332612014-04-18T12:40:18.094-04:002014-04-18T12:40:18.094-04:00"Sapienza [Universita di Roma] researchers An..."Sapienza [Universita di Roma] researchers Antonio Filippini and Carla Vecchiotti have demonstrated that a biological print on an object or person could have simply been transferred there by others...As our hands do not contain sebaceous glands, the touch DNA that is found on objects can only have been transferred there by our hands, from another part of our body. Most importantly, however, this also means that it could be someone else’s DNA. Consequently, a genetic profile identified on an object is not necessarily that of the hand that touched it." <a href="http://en.uniroma1.it/archivionotizie/how-reliable-touch-dna" rel="nofollow">link</a> This may be relevant to the question of how DNA was transferred to the fake fingernails.Chris Halkideshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14933976220776524122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-55506986396302308712014-04-18T12:22:41.385-04:002014-04-18T12:22:41.385-04:00In the Howard case Mr. Nifong took a page out of t...In the Howard case Mr. Nifong took a page out of the book of prosecutorial improv. He invoked the unindicted co-ejaculator (see links <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/magazine/dna-evidence-lake-county.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0" rel="nofollow">here</a> and <a href="http://www.skepticaljuror.com/2010/11/unindicted-co-ejaculator.html" rel="nofollow">here</a> )<br /><br />At the NYT Andrew Martin wrote, "Why prosecutors sometimes fight post-conviction evidence so adamantly depends on each case. Some legitimately believe the new evidence is not exonerating. But legal scholars looking at the issue suggest that prosecutors’ concerns about their political future and a culture that values winning over justice also come into play. 'They are attached to their convictions,' Garrett says, 'and they don’t want to see their work called into question.'" Brandon Garrett is professor of law and the University of Virginia and the author of the book "Convicting the Innocent."Chris Halkideshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14933976220776524122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-67465883950552065492014-04-18T05:24:32.847-04:002014-04-18T05:24:32.847-04:00"Why? Why? Why? If there’s nothing to hide—if..."Why? Why? Why? If there’s nothing to hide—if it were me, and this had happened to me"<br /><br />Where does this idea come from? That innocent accusees should pour their hearts out? It seems obvious to me that an innocent person accused of a crime is going to mistrust the whole damn system and everybody in it, and everyone who defends it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-46672623061314830812014-04-18T01:57:20.571-04:002014-04-18T01:57:20.571-04:00"Cohan nonetheless denied that 'there was...<i>"Cohan nonetheless denied that 'there was justice' in the case, since (at 0.46) 'justice is something that we find out through a legal process.' "</i><br /><br /><br />There was a legal process as provided by North Carolina law.<br /><br />Nifong began a legal process to prosecute three men accused of a crime.<br /><br />The State Bar brought charges against former District Attorney Nifong when it believed that Nifong's prosecution of the men was illegal. The Attorney General took over the prosecution after charges were made against Nifong.<br /><br />That is a legal process.<br /><br />After a lengthy, thorough investigation of available facts and evidence, the Attorney General determined that no charges would be brought against the defendants, because no crime, as alleged, had occurred; not in the house; not in the bathroom; --- nowhere on earth.<br /><br />That is a legal process.<br /><br />Further, the Attorney General declined to prefer charges against the accuser for her demonstrably false accusations.<br /><br />That is a legal process.<br /><br />Justice was done. <br /><br /><br />One SpookOne Spookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00592774438681904368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-54206585457647042242014-04-18T01:15:38.295-04:002014-04-18T01:15:38.295-04:00The mystery deepens:
Why did this man, William ...The mystery deepens: <br /><br />Why did this man, William Cohan, whose resume shows 17 years on Wall Street, and three fairly well received books on business, ever venture to write a 600+ page book on an eight year old rape hoax?:<br /><br />Item: Cohan has no intellectual apparatus, or apparent interest, in genuine investigative reporting.<br /><br />Item: Cohan knows less than the informed layman about some of the most fundamental issues of a rape prosecution, and has made no apparent attempt to educate himself about: <br /><br />(1) The ethical obligations of a criminal prosecutor; <br /><br />(2) The functions of the legal system; <br /><br />(3) The role of DNA as evidence to prove/disprove physical contact between two human beings. <br /><br />Item: He has made no attempt to verify facts critical to his effort. The list of knowledgeable witnesses who both dispute Cohan's claims about them, and confirm he made no attempt even to contact them, grows:<br /><br /> --Lane Williamson wrote just days ago that (a) Cohan's reporting of his role as head of Nifong's disciplinary hearing was totally wrong, and (b) Cohan made no attempt to interview him.<br /><br /> --Jim Coman reported soon after "Price" was published that, (a) "[Cohan"s] characterizations of his and Mary Winstead's role are figments of his imagination, and (b) Cohan made no attempt to contact him.<br /><br /> --Robert Steel, who did talk to Cohan, disputes the most significant thing Cohan claims he said.<br /><br />We have seen this "head in the sand" behavior before from someone who had a duty to investigate the truth. This is exactly how Mike Nifong behaved when he refused to interview Crystal Mangum, and refused to let the defense attorneys present evidence of innocence to him. <br /><br />What, pray tell, is the real relationship between William Cohan and Mike Nifong?<br /><br />Item: Cohan does not recognize or worse, does not care, that witnesses may be biased; that there is an accepted methodology to proving disputed facts in a court of law which is intended to prevent injustice to any party; that you do not start with a conclusion and ignore inconvenient facts which contradict your pre-selected conclusion.<br /><br />This is in no way a complete list of William Cohan's shortcomings as a reporter investigating a long closed rape case.<br /><br />The investigative report I really would like to see would be how William Cohan ended up writing this dishonestly hyped book, when he in fact has no background or qualifications to do so?<br /><br />Jim PetersonJim In San Diegohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06959286127760699852noreply@blogger.com