Saturday, June 23, 2007

Still Foolish

In his closing remarks at the Nifong ethics hearing, Lane 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.”

The “sliding scale” employed by critics of the three accused players is quite remarkable. Take, for instance, Syracuse assistant professor Boyce Watkins. Immediately after Nifong’s disbarment, Watkins penned a column asserting, “I believe something happened in that house. The contentiousness was evident from the witnesses who saw the men yelling the n-word at the women as they were leaving the party. The men were rowdy and drunk, and even they may not remember what they did that night. Let’s be clear about another fact: Being found not guilty is quite different from being found innocent.”

Leaving aside the fact that Kim Roberts explicitly said that none of the accused players was the one in a racially charged argument with her as the party ended (indeed, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann were hundreds of yards away from the house by that point), I e-mailed Watkins, noting that in fact the three accused players had been “found innocent,” in a public proclamation.

His response? “I personally believe that Nifong was covering his own butt. I did not see the results of any investigation that showed beyond a reasonable doubt that these guys were innocent. It appeared that the innocence proclamation came as Nifong was facing disbarment. Personally, I would have done the same thing.”

I then sent another e-mail to Watkins, pointing out that the proclamation of innocence was made not by Nifong but by Attorney General Roy Cooper, and that whatever can be said about Cooper’s motives, “covering [Nifong’s] butt” was not among them. Since Watkins claimed to have not seen the results of the investigation, I sent him a link to the AG’s report.

Watkins’ response? Not to acknowledge his failure to do even minimal research on the case before suggesting that the players were merely found not guilty, but simply to change his frame of reference. In a column published yesterday morning, he proclaimed that no one “will ever be able to prove innocence beyond a reasonable doubt.” Evidently, there's no difference between being found not guilty and being found innocent, despite what Watkins himself had said three days before.

To quote Williamson, “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.”

Or take the case of Washington Post sportswriter Mike Wise. Wise recently wrote, “With all due respect to those ‘INNOCENT’ bracelets worn around Durham this year, this isn’t ‘To Kill a Mockingbird II.’”

I e-mailed Wise, suggesting that the case paralleled To Kill a Mockingbird. (Indeed, Jason Whitlock detected this point early on, and Judge Gerald Tjoflat made the comparison in his alumni speech.) I noted to Wise that, as in To Kill a Mockingbird, this case involved an unscrupulous prosecutor playing to the racial passions of the mob, and courageous defense attorneys standing up for principle.

Wise’s response? “One [accused player], in fact, is on probation right now for clocking a kid in Georgetown that he called ‘a fag.’ I don't know about you, but I never thought of the man Gregory Peck represented in the movie to be that kind of individual.”

Leave aside the fact that Collin Finnerty isn’t on probation “right now,” or that even prosecutors conceded that he didn’t “clock” anyone, or that the personal character of Tom Robinson, the man falsely accused of rape, wasn’t a major theme of Harper Lee’s novel. As I e-mailed Wise, “Gregory Peck played not the person falsely accused of rape but the lawyer willing to stand up for what was right, regardless of the color of his client or the short-term political unpopularity of his cause. And yes, I could easily see Joe Cheshire, who served as Dave Evans’ attorney, in such a role.”

Wise’s response? Not to acknowledge that he based his column on an incorrect reading of Harper Lee’s book, but simply to change his frame of reference. When another correspondent subsequently pointed out the shortcomings of his rejecting the To Kill a Mockingbird analogy, Wise wrote, “Collin Finnerty ain’t Tom Robinson. And there’s nobody remotely worthy of Gregory Peck playing them in the movie, not even Evans’ attorney.”

Oh.

To quote Williamson, “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.”

We’ve seen other examples of this “facts-be-damned” mentality. Yesterday, the pro-Mangum blog abyss2hope published a piece peculiarly arguing “alleged victims who lose public support and are labeled as an unreliable witness routinely face cruel and unusual punishment from people who claim to uphold the rights of all men. Many of those who kept saying, ‘innocent until proven guilty’ hated the fact that this woman's claim was being investigated at all . . . If people can't imagine why Nifong would want this case fully investigated for any reason other than political gain, that tells us more about their ethics than it does about Nifong’s.”

Or take N&O columnist Barry Saunders, who not once but twice approvingly published Nifong’s courtroom claim that “something happened.” When people wrote to complain about his first column, he responded, “I never said anything happened in that bathroom. I then promised to punish myself by listening to a Kenny G CD if she could show where I ever accused the men of rape.”

In December, I e-mailed Saunders, pointing to a Liestoppers post examining his reaction to another gang rape allegation, involving NCCU students in early 2001, and noted, “In the earlier case, you seemed strongly sympathetic to the plight of defendants in cases of rape; in this case, you have seemed strongly, almost bitingly, unsympathetic. I was wondering if between 2001 and now you have become persuaded by feminist legal theory on the validity of all rape allegations.”

Saunders’ response? “You may be right.”

But Saunders wasn’t accusing the players of anything.

Finally, take the North Carolina NAACP. The organization’s homepage still features an error-riddled, pro-prosecution “memorandum of law.” Visitors to the page learn about the “mountain of physical evidence, that is corroborated by, we have reason to believe, accounts of some of the men who were at the party who have cooperated with the police and the D.A. from early on.” Readers also are informed that “around 12:20, some men who saw the vulnerable Ms. M[angum] returning to the house called their friends who had taken cabs and gone to get some cash from an ATM. Some returned.” The AG's report, of course, refuted both claims, as well as several others on the NAACP site.

The NAACP homepage also features a photograph and flattering story on Rev. Curtis Gatewood, the former four-term head of the Durham NAACP. This is the same man who, in late January, denounced the State Bar for joining “the lynching mobs in Durham who have verbally lynched and sought to politically assassinate DA Mike Nifong”; the group, he contended, “wrongfully used their influence to attack the integrity of a prosecutor at the rare time he prosecutes a case which profoundly has the potential to challenge racism, classism, and sexism simultaneously.”

To quote Williamson, “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.”

140 comments:

Unknown said...

Professor Johnson,

Thank you for your tireless efforts on this. I am glad that you have rebutted Prof. Watkins' article.

Anonymous said...

He's from the School of Management at 'Cuse. How did that happen?

Anonymous said...

Admitting the truth often hurts, and it can feel like a Mikey Tyson blow right to the sternum in the worst case -- we all feel it at some point in our own lives, and it requires real character to deal with it.

That's the residual harm here, especially re: the "88" for we alum - (slightly off topic from this post, I know) - we just want a return to honesty - honesty of fact, intellectual honesty, and a naive belief that honesty is a common goal.

But hey, what do I know - I don't teach t DUKE University -

Anonymous said...

What dopes - KC - they are trying to get their names in the book. Other dopes ( AG Rud, GAil Dines for two) have written worse. didn't the judge of the DC court say "What was I thinking?" when he dropped all the charges?

Anonymous said...

Wise is arrogant and ignorant, a deadly combination and an embarrassment to The Washington Post. Let Donald Graham, the CEO of the company, know what you think of Wise.

Anonymous said...

I truly wish that all of these people had their own country; they
clearly inhabit an alternate universe. In all seriousness, a society made up of only these individuals would collapse in record-setting time. It would be an interesting study.

Anonymous said...

“Dr.” Watkins said:

“I recall watching the start of the Duke rape trial last year…”

“Since the trial took place, these guys have received high paying jobs on Wall Street…”

Emphasis mine.

Trial? What trial? What “trial” is “Dr.” Watkins referring to?

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I read this post and other related posts – it is that creepy. That people in positions of education, of journalism, and of "leadership" are this ignorant and devoid of logic and reason (and still have the … what.. ignorance? Lack of self awareness?... to step into the public eye and think they are saying something that makes sense to an educated person?)

I can only imagine the institutions & processes which allowed them attain these positions. I certainly came up the hard way obviously - by proving myself against a set of hard standards and a bar set at a increasingly higher level with each stage of my life and career - which all people had to make it over equally. These people must have had the bar set very low for them to individually attain these positions – as witnessed in the outcomes we see here and elsewhere. A privilege I have not had.

And I’d be the first to give someone a chance. And have. But know your limitations - and know how to grow and advance based off of your weaknesses.

Anonymous said...

Dr Johnson, How can you stand to correspond with such stupid, arrogant, self-rightous, WRONG-HEADED people?

Anonymous said...

If Watkins gets this much wrong about the Nifong Scandal Case, imagine what his class instruction must be like. Students at Syracuse: caveat emptor.

Anonymous said...

this Watkins clown is obviously oblivious to the facts of the case file, the NC AG report, and the findings of the DHC. His own comments cement his opinion as invalid.

Anonymous said...

KC,
While I agree with most everything you have written on this case, I think you misread Wise when he wrote "I don't know about you, but I never thought of the man Gregory Peck represented in the movie to be that kind of individual.” I think he is comparing Collin to Tom Robinson in that sentence, not to Atticus Finch (Peck's character legally represented Tom Robinson).

Regardless, keep up the great work and Thank You!

becket03 said...

Watkins' column is the worst I've seen on the case, and that's really saying something.

How can he affix his name to such ignorant views? Has he no pride? No shame?

Just baffling.

beckett

Anonymous said...

Boyce Watkins...good God. And to think, he's one of the "smart ones"!

Anonymous said...

KC - Thank you for pulling off the covers and shining the light. Thank you for your tireless efforts in uncovering the depths to which all of this goes. Sometimes my soul aches, sometimes my mind cannot compehend, but I understand the basic principles of truth and justice and your words have enlightened me as to how much, we as a nation, have given ourselves up to political correctness. How we have begun to decay at an academic level, which will infect and destroy us as a world power. We will become a nation of whining, secular groups, full of themselves and with a personal agenda. We will eventually sucumb to the rising powers of Asia. I hope your insights into what is happening in our country can change the course of that but I think that we are now outnumbered. I can see America becoming the North American France. What is happening in Durham and at Duke is happening all over our country. I am sorry to be so negative but I see no one in a position of leadership or power with the skills, motivation or desire to really change anything. I applaud your courage, your efforts and your command of the English language.

Anonymous said...

This is KC at his scholarly historiographic best. Unparalled excellence!

Tom ex Carolina

Gary Packwood said...

Anonymous 1:21 said...

...KC - Thank you for pulling off the covers and shining the light.
...Thank you for your tireless efforts in uncovering the depths to which all of this goes.
...I hope your insights into what is happening in our country can change the course of that but I think that we are now outnumbered.
...I applaud your courage, your efforts and your command of the English language.
::
Beautiful thoughts and I completely agree.

As this case begins to unfold fully over the months ahead I think we will see our numbers steadily increase...but Lord knows, at the moment, you are so correct. We are indeed outnumbered.

Never let the bastards grind you down.
::
GP

Anonymous said...

From Boyce's website:

"Of nearly 4,000 Finance Faculty in the U.S., Dr. Watkins is one of only 5 African-Americans teaching at a top 50-business school, and the only African-American in the country to earn a PhD in Finance during the year 2002."

He's the creme de la creme, baby!

Anonymous said...

You know what: As a college student, I watched strippers dance. I drank a beer or two when I was underage. My friends and I laughed at politically uncorrect jokes. I was "not an angel". I want to meet the young college man that was! After graduation, I became an engineer for a company that makes parts for GE aircraft engines. I am still there today. I married my college sweetheart and we tried so hard to have children. We could not, my fault, not hers. After reading and learning about these three boys, I would be SO proud to have any one of them as my son. If I see one more article about "they were not angels", I think I will puke. I would like so much to research and investigate these authors backgrounds. EVERY one of us has skeletons in the closet. The real truth is that NONE of us are angels.

Anonymous said...

Gary -- Illigetiamti non carborundum. I like your posts also. You are smart, aware and truly concerned.

Sir James Eric Watkins said...

Hello.

Join us for a poetic experience of sights and sounds: www.promiseoflight.org

Anonymous said...

So, what is a "Boyce Watkins"? The G88 are a global enterprise, and I salute Professor Watkins for at least being honest. Instead of setting this guy up for a bitch-slapping, you should pay attention to what he's saying--which is...that the metanarrative rules.

I scared the shit out of the Syracuse administration today--upset that chancellor/diversity pimp Nancy Cantor so much that she had Syracuse's general counsel call me. It was an interesting conversation.

Polanski: What do you think your corporate sponsors I contacted are going to do after they read Watkins's article? Sir, you read the article, correct? Did you notice how poorly it was composed, and how it was strung together with BS and non sequiturs? You say that Syracuse doesn't discriminate against whites. What about affirmative action? This guy doesn't have the cognitive wherewithal to teach high-achieving students.

This attorney admitted to me that certain statements in article were actionable, but he shielded Syracuse by correctly pointing out that the article in question was not work related.

I told him that since Watkins is untenured, it's time to get rid of him. But what upset this attorney the most was my accusation that his antiwhite bigotry has already affected Syracuse, much in the same way Lubiano, et al's have affected Duke. All I got was silence.

File this under developing story.

Remember, you want to screw with these people, contact their betters in corporate America. Many of these fine businesspeople have more balls in their tongue than Brodhead has in his entire craven corpse.

Polanski

MikeZPurdue said...

And, of course, another person who
continues to look foolish is Nancy Grace.
At YouTube, you can still view the
opening minutes of her show the day
the first two indictments were announced.

She looks soooo bad -- her behavior is so
erratic -- it was very hard for me to watch
as she was making such a fool of herself.
There's no way that I could ever have any
respect for her after that sickening display.

Anonymous said...

I am surprised you had any respect for her in the first place.

Anonymous said...

Sitting here in New Mexico, it is late it the East Coast. I think KC's book will be #1 Best Seller. Pulitzer. Compelling story, brilliant writer. Enlightening moral context, eye opening. You couldn't make this stuff up. What a canvas upon which KC to paint.

Anonymous said...

Sex, Lies AND Videotape!

Anonymous said...

Boyce Watkins is unfit to hold a professorship at a nursery. Not a nursery school, that would require a level of competence far above Mr. Watkins's wildest dreams; a nursery for lower order plants.

He says that "no one will ever be able to prove innocence beyond a reasonable doubt." He is admitting quite a bit here. First, he is entirely unreasonable. There is simply no evidence establishing anything remotely resembling wrongdoing beyond underage alcohol consumption (last I checked, it is still legal to use racial epiphets, otherwise the entire black entertainment industry needs to be jailed). Therefore, Mr. Watkins is admitting that he finds it reasonable to presume a lack of innocence based on the accusations of a mentally unstable part-time prostitute with a history of making false rape allegations. Mr. Watkins is an unreasonable person QED.
Second, Boyce Watkins admits that he has a limited understanding of the American public. OJ Simpson is thought not because of his race, but because of a preponderance of physical and circumstantial evidence that would lead a reasonable person to find him guilty. He has suffered because he was found LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE for the death of two people. His PR also suffers from his upcoming book, which apparently is essentially a confession to the murders. I don't foresee the Duke LAX players copping to this hoax anytime soon.
Third, Mr. Watkins admits that Syracuse University is a sub-par institution for hiring him, and will remain so until he is fired.

Anonymous said...

I direct everyone to Mr. Watkins's SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY WEBSITE:

http://myweb.whitman.syr.edu/bowatkin/

on this site, he uses foul language, has more about his TV appearances regarding sports than about finance, calls Cornell West one of the greatest minds of the 20th century, and shows pictures of prescisely zero white people other than those stupid enough to take him seriously by having him on their TV shows.

It is impossible to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he is not a black racist who is upset that three white people did not go to jail, regardless of their innocence.

Syracuse alums...get this guy tossed out on his rear end ASAP. I suggest writing to the corporate partners of the school of management.

Anonymous said...

face the facts. many people will always believe "something happened" because the defense version of events does not ring true. we are expected to believe that 2 strippers have left the money and a cell phone and a bag for no reason when everyone knows they get the money first? and that 2 black girls are going to pick a fight with 36 white males and start racial name calling first and that the men put money under the door, etc. and still everything was ok despite the fact the women were called the n word and bitches, etc? nothing happened and yet everyone left with a high rate of speed after the party. of course nothing happened! yeah right.

also, some of the suspicious behavior of the men involved( why lie about the number of men, why the fast exit, why was Reade omitted from all 3 captain's statements, etc) has not been satisfactorially explained as it would have been in a court situation. a trial would have established the so called lack of evidence in a public manner. Cooper standing up and giving a statement and then providing a sketchy report does not convince some people that this is not a politically motivated whitewash and that "something happened". A trial would have lead to a more satisfying vindication, IMO. Also, the not charging the stripper was questionable as were the political machinations of the defense/lax families/Beth Brewer in trying to get rid of Nifong with the bizarre election. and then the Bar action in the middle of the ongoing case was also suspicious. all of these things have made many people think that these individuals were trying to prevent the case from going to court by any means necessary because " something happened".

Anonymous said...

I thought the trolls were sleeping until I got to that last post (3:10).

Anonymous said...

KC,

In 100 years, these Marxists will make you look like a fool unless you face the metanarrative of "white males as feral beasts constantly ripping the bodices off maidens of color".

Imagine a KC Johnson in 1907, trying to defend three white men accused of raping a black women. The Marxist lie about "white men craving black women's bodies" would overwhelm you then and it will overwhelm you 100 years from now.

The lie must be attacked HEAD ON: There was never a time when white men commonly raped black women. Even during slavery times, interracial rape was more likely to be black-on-white than white-on-black. UNTIL you and other leaders like you can begin to combat this blood-libel against white men, your efforts will be in vain.

Btw, I challenge any white renegade marxist or black whatever to challenge what I just said.

R.R. Hamilton

Anonymous said...

Picture, if you will, G88 miscreants sitting around a table like lifeless zombies. Their controller walks into the room and empties a box of 88 roach-like creatures on the table. G88s open their mouths in unison. The rest is star trek history.

Anonymous said...

Researching Cults (for a course I'm developing), I ran across the following:

[Partisans] ignore facts that contradict their own sense of reality...reached totally biased conclusions by ignoring information that could not rationally be discounted...Then, with their minds made up, brain activity ceased in the areas that deal with negative emotions such as disgust. But activity spiked in the circuits involved in reward, a response similar to what addicts experience when they get a fix...
The study points to a total lack of reason in ...decision-making.
"None of the circuits involved in conscious reasoning were particularly engaged...Essentially, it appears as if partisans twirl the cognitive kaleidoscope until they get the conclusions they want, and then they get massively reinforced for it, with the elimination of negative emotional states and activation of positive ones."
Notably absent were any increases in activation of ...the part of the brain most associated with reasoning.


Sounds like the "something happened" crowd, no?

mac said...

The foolish people Williamson
refers to (like 3:10) are those
who claim that the more facts
there are that exonerate the
students, the bigger the coverup
and conspiracy!

Same folks who still believe
that the earth is flat.

Thanks for exposing these dunces,
KC.

Anonymous said...

"He's (Dr. Boyce Watkins) the creme de la creme, baby!"

It this were true - I would suggest shooting the cows...

I read his article, and it is riddled with errors in fact, clearly racist in tone and wrong headed in substance.

Anonymous said...

Are there lawyers out there who can comment as to whether Watkins's article is actionable?

Anonymous said...

KC excellent job. I thought getting out of Durham would make the guys safe, not so it seems. At least the legal system in other states can't go after them on innuendo.
Your book will be a necessary read for anyone with young men going to college.
These points are similar to what all but one African American writer have said about this case.
I've lost complete trust in the media, but I'm glad there are people like you to at least attempt to find the truth.
Can you quit your day job and start journalism like Thomas Friedman? You'd be a breath of fresh air on the times editorial page. Or a regular for CNN.Blanaced and fair people need representation in biased media with large audiences.

Anonymous said...

I would respectfully disagree with KC on one point. ABYSS2HOPE is not a pro-Mangum blog. It is merely a whinefest dedicated to a mentally unbalanced woman. She was 'date raped' by her boyfriend which has 'messed with her head' for the last 15 years. She's clearly some daddy's princess who has never been treated in the fashion that she deserved. I read several days worth of entries and the whole mess is just her inner moologue run amok. One passage had to do with the failure of the legal system to assume that the 'victim' is also innocent until proven guilty. (I swear that is what she wrote. I read it three times). Do psychiatrists make blog calls? 'Cause someone needs a visit.

While I'm not belittling the emotional pain involved in actual rapes, its clear from her incoherent scrawl that she has issues that have yet to be (and probably won't be) worked out.

Not pro-Mangum, just pro-CRAZY

Anonymous said...

I think Professor Boyce might have done well to have his significant other lawyer friend look over this slanderous, factually incorrect piece before publication. I suspect she might have told him the same thing she shouted at DA Nifong when he spouted his nonsense on national television, namely, "You can't run your mouth like that!" Also, she might have been able, let's hope, to straighten him out on the details of how the DNA evidence indicated Mr. OJ was guilty and the Duke LAX defendants innocent--just for starters. Yes, I do believe Professor Boyce has made actionable comments. Too bad he did not stick to finance. One hopes he knows a lot more about that subject than he does about the law and Duke LAX.

Observer

Anonymous said...

Those who are predisposed to seeing the world in black versus white refuse to yield if even the slightest shade of gray exists. One BIG lesson this hoax has handed us is that there is a very self-serving, sinister, and cynical side to America, and it's well-represented in the media. Racism is clearly universal, not merely inflicted by one race upon another, but by all races against whomever. And it's worse than "foolish," it's tragic.

Anonymous said...

A troll asked, "why the quick exit [from the party]?"

First, Dave Evans was worried about a noise violation, and put a quick end to the party. But if you don't believe that, here's a more selfish and practical reason:

Kim Roberts ("the second dancer," for people like you who aren't very acquainted with the facts) stated that, before she drove away, she hollered at the house, "Hey you assholes -- I called the police!"

[That would be the calls when she lied to 911.]

Tell the truth (if you are capable): If you're at a party and you know the cops are on their way, are you gonna stick around? Especially if there's underage drinking going on?

So the quick exit doesn't mean squat. It sure doesn't stand as proof for the "something happened" morons and ignorami.

Anonymous said...

I find it appalling that the same kind of ignorance and use of stereotypes that fueled racism 50 years ago are on vivid display in Dr. Watkins article.

Anonymous said...

But wait, there's more! Really.

Watkins has penned a second article, posted this morning on the same site KC links to. (see side bar on right, More Stories)

Nifong, Duke And The Dirty, Dirty South -- Why We Still Just Don't Get It

No change of sentiment from Watkins is evident in response to the "volume of hate mail" Watkins receive over his previous article.

Some made the point, rightfully so, that the North Carolina Attorney General had proclaimed the Duke lacrosse Players to be innocent. "Isn't that cute", I thought. "I'm sure his statement gives people a lot of confidence, no matter how false that confidence may be".

Also, let's be clear: the south is horrifically, undeniably and disgustingly racist. Hence, the credibility of the entire justice system is as weak as that of the drunken frat boys.

Anonymous said...

Ransom Stoddard: You're not going to use the story, Mr. Scott?
Maxwell Scott: This is the west, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.

From John Ford's "the man who Shot Liberty Valence" 1962

So this case will join the list of legends that will show you which side of truth people sit on such as
fake moon landings
twin tower explosions caused by USgovernment
stolen votes in ohio
myth is very strong in this country
do you think Nifong could get convicted in Durham? of anything?

Anonymous said...

KC:

After all of this, are you still on the Obama bandwagon? Please tell me you've come to your senses.

WINDBAG

Anonymous said...

12:20

maybe he should be appointed the Dean of the School of Mismanagement

Anonymous said...

3:10

Dr. Watkins, I presume...

Anonymous said...

I don't find these crazy comments, by those who want to still find some guilt in the Duke players, difficult to understand. Several factors are at work:

1. PC indoctrination has been in progress for... how long? ... 50 years? Actual guilt of the defendants is not the issue for those defending their PC indoctrination. Class guilt is the issue. The Duke boys are guilty of being white, male and (probably) hetero.

2. For those working for newspapers, adherence to PC is a job requirement. PC was drilled into them in journalism school. Diversity, that cover word for racial and sexual quotas (and disdain for white, hetero men) is the official creed of the journalism business.

3. People are loathe to give up deeply held beliefs. Blacks (along with gays) are the annointed sacred martyrs of the left. If your only goal is to win, then the purpose of all political action is to produce martyrs. Mangum was supposed to be another sanctified martyr. Some people will never let go of attempting to portray her as a sanctified martyr.

4. The desire for racial revenge is not negotiable and has nothing to do with innocence or guilty of individuals.

You'd better get used to it. The academic and popular left will be pouring out its own treatises and books proving that Mangum is a martyr and that the boys are the class enemy.

Anonymous said...

Didn't Dante write about Syracuse NY in Purgatorio?

Anonymous said...

Boyce Watkins

apparently you have absolutely no belief in innocent until proven guilty.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. I will declare you innocent of ignorance until proven guilty. However, at the rate you spew your racist drivel, you will have proved me wrong before I can even complete this post.

BTW, obviously racism still exists in the north also. You're there, right?

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately for the Lacrosse team and the young men, this case will have a shelf life that lasts for a very long time because it exposes the fraudulent nature of the race, gender, class warfare frauds.

I hope this article inspires them to legally go after those that are and have been the most vocal in espousing the lies.

The press will never see them as innocent so it really becomes a matter of swatting flies or squashing roaches once they reveal themselves.

In an odd twist, it appears the quick settlement with Duke may have hobbled those within the AAAs to rethink what they will say, but it clearly has had the opposite impact outside of Duke with the race-baters.

Anonymous said...

That Syracuse "assistant" "professor" merely pens the strongly held believe of many elitists. The nearer you get to NYC, and the nearer you get to the most liberal, the more strongly the prejudicial thinking that all people in the South are hood wearing, black hanging, racists. Hell yes.

I sit on my rocking chair in a hood, with my shootin iron, sippin on a mint julip every day. Not.

I, like most people I meet in Carolina, am a Carolina transplant. I spent many years in NC, and points across the very Deep South, and have yet to encounter the institutionalized racism that some still wish existed (so it would prove their small mind to be right).

Anonymous said...

The very foundation of Watkins's article is a laugher. My e-mail to him earlier this morning:

Dear Professor Watkins:

As anyone who has been paying attention to the Duke rape hoax surely must know, the attorney general of North Carolina declared the three Duke lacrosse players not only not guilty but also INNOCENT of all charges--INNOCENT not because the accused were choir boys but because NO CRIME HAD OCCURRED. So your comparison of this case with Mr. Simpson's crumbles at the outset unless you are maintaining that in O. J.'s case NO CRIME HAD OCCURRED.

Are you also maintaining that Crystal Mangum, given sufficient financial resources (go ahead, call Jesse Jackson), would prevail in a civil action against the three Duke players? Really? Where far less than "evidence beyond a reasonable doubt" could generate for her a huge payday?

I'm not "angry"--only astonished that someone who teaches at Syracuse University could even remotely put O. J.'s case in the same box with that of the Duke players. Because I have had several relatives and friends who have attended Syracuse University, and still love their university, I am also sad--just as I'm sad for my son, who graduated from Duke and must now live with the knowledge that his university has granted tenure to men and women incapable of treating their own students fairly and decently.

Sincerely,

Anonymous said...

I have learned many things in this case.
One of them is that I should never, NEVER again read anything in any newspaper as the truth.

Anonymous said...

We are all entitled to our own opinions (including Watkins); however, none of us is entitled to our own facts. In the face of "damn the facts" drivel from the likes of Watkins, the 88, and the silent majority faculty sympathizers at Duke, there is only one thing to do: hammer home the facts. Keep it up KC! Kudos.

Anonymous said...

The Road to Serfdom - Friedrich Hayek (scroll down)

The Road to Serfdom

#3 "The "Planners" promise Utopia"...the Gang of 88, the Academy, the theorists, the Intellectuals, the frauds who omit inconvenient facts and truths

#4 "But they don't agree on One Utopia." They eat their own. Vince McMahon should think about televising a NAACP vs. Feminist fight. By the way what happened to that girl that claimed rape after the Duke hoax?

#7 "They try to "sell" the plan to all." Thank you Mr. Watkins. This is why there needs to be ongoing lawsuits.

#8 "The gullible find agreement". Many who are put forth as intellectual are in fact useful idiots. (See #7 above)

#9 "Confidence in planner fades" Where it not for a booming international economy we would have big problems. Thanks to capitalism and ironically Wall Street, these failed Utopian ideas only have traction with a few people. This is why they and the MSM focus on failures instead of success. If the machine is broke, it needs to be fixed. Of course the machine is running fine and it is a lie that it needs to be replaced.

#16 "Your thinking is planned" The committee Brodhead created to drive cultural initiatives is another reason why he should be fired.

#17 "Your recreation is planned.” Quite interesting given the context of this blog and the pure hate espoused. (See Peter Woods, Kim Curtis, etc.)

#18 "Your disciplining is planned" Ask KC Johnson about his efforts to secure tenure. Ask any with views outside the orthodoxy?

Note the picture in slide #18 and remember this isn't theory it is a study of Nazism and Communism.

Anonymous said...

Dr. Watkins,

I can only believe that you find merit in Roy Pearson's $54million lawsuit against the Korean couple. That would be your style.

Your claim that those in the south are nothing but racists only goes to prove that you haven't been to the south. I have a suggestion for you--please get in a plane and fly south. Way south. Consider Antarctica. The penguins might listen to your racist rants.

New York does seem to attract the super liberals who seek to advance their own agendas. Is there a liberal magnet up there or something. Maybe someone can find a reason magnet for your office in Syracuse. There is no reason there now. You are living, breathing, fire-breathing proof of that. Troll, no. Jihadist, yes.

Cool your rhetoric (or at least check the facts) before you do permanent damage to yourself. CGM is in hiding due to a credibility problem. Her own father realized that the first time she cried rape, it was false. She needs help. She has an excuse. What's yours?
AF

Anonymous said...

Since we are on the topic of "Those who made a rush to judgment based upon an unquestioning faith in what a prosecutor had told them," I think it might be a good time to remember our old friend Houston Baker, who was probably the worst and the most foolish of the lot. As we know, the confidential agreement between the three players and Duke University protects all Duke faculty members from legal action, but Baker is now at Vanderbilt. Hmmm, that could get interesting...

If you don't remember how bad his comments were, the Duke Chronicle was calling for his resignation back in April of 2006:

http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2006/04/14/Columns/Houston.We.Have.A.Problem-1852601.shtml

Anonymous said...

no justice, no peace

Thanks for posting the 2008 Democratic platform on this blog

Anonymous said...

KC your blog stands as witness to the truth. My hope is that every law school in the nation makes this case required reading in Criminal Law and Torts. My guess is that in the future, when this case is fully disected by saner legal and academic minds, the writings of newspaper editors and the lunatic fringe will fall away into the dust bin of history.

Anonymous said...

"Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University." - Article tag line.

It has been my experience that those who earned a Ph.D. don't want to be called Dr. Instead they use the Ph.D. behind their name to demonstrate bona fides among peers.

I'd be curious to hear other's opinions regarding the same, especially those who have a Ph.D.

He also has a number of "forthcoming" publications and does not link to what he has published. “Forthcoming” does appear to be familiar. Who was it within Duke that has so, so much forthcoming work due? Though I must say, unlike those at Duke, he does appear to have some interesting titles published. That is likely due to the Finance Dept. bar being significantly higher than AAAs and Women Studies.

Boyce Watkins, Ph.D. publications

I'll have to read some of those if I can find them.

Anonymous said...

This guy Watkins is evil---I think we can agree here that its evil to disregard truth and distort facts to carry public opinion. He's also horribly racist, isn't it? But I suggest that we ignore him, at least publicly, because we fuel the flames and feed Nifong when we show interest in folks like Watkins. When Nifong made his comment in court, that the young men were guilty of "something", I knew he planned to build his future on this untruth. It will be a Watkins who will give Nifong his next job and they will go to their graves proclaiming these boy's guilty "of something"---irrespective of their obvious (to honest observers) innocence.

I would write to their sponsors and employers but not give them public or personal attention for their essential deceptiveness, deliberate distortion and hatred.

I am so sorry for the Duke 3. They surely will be hounded by "whispering campaigns" for the rest of their lives. Nifong got the hook in them, he delivered his prize to the vicious. They in return will take care of Nifong until he is dead. History will judge them to be no better than the folks who stood by one Dr. Joseph Mengale of Auschwitz fame.

And its folks like us, seekers of truth and justice, who must prevail or our great country will be great no more.

Anonymous said...

Watkins email is:

boycewatkins@blackathlete.com

Anonymous said...

Watkins email is: boycewatkins@blackathlete.com

Anonymous said...

My email to "Prof" Watkins.

Dear Mr. Watkins,



I recently had the misfortune to read your column regarding the Nifong case. In short, there is only one question which needs be asked: What planet have you been living on for the past 15 months? Your article comes across as nothing more than a racist rant from a very ill-informed man who did no research regarding the thorough investigation carried out by the Attorney General. Your comments fit the mold of those people which Mr. Lane Williamson characterized in his statement at the conclusion of the Nifong hearing. Namely, “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.” Your statement asserting “I do not believe these guys were innocent.” is simply further evidence of your blind ignorance. Your statements regarding the “acquittal” of the three students is only additional evidence of the same. These students were found to be innocent by the Attorney General. Did you conduct an investigation which found something to the contrary.



In short Mr. Watkins, you are a disgrace to your race and Syracuse University. Further, you are an insult to all victims of sexual violence who must now think twice before coming forward to seek justice. This is a direct result of the actions of the so-called “victim”, the actions of a rogue prosecutor and finally, the actions of people like you who continue to play the race card in direct defiance of fact and common sense. You should truly be ashamed of your actions in penning your column and in your inaction in researching the events prior publishing the column. Most fools are indeed self made! Just ask Mike Nifong.



J A R

West Bloomfield, MI



Ps: If you’re about to point out an error in your salutation, forget it, it was quite intentional.

Anonymous said...

As these fool continue to spread their hate and continued lies, the cash register just keeps clinking for the Duke 3. As their lawyers prove damage against Nifong and the rest, they won't have to do much research. It's all in the open.

Gary Packwood said...

K.C. said..

...To quote Williamson, “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.”
::
Is Williamson also telling us to remember that a prosecutor can only act on what s/he learns from others?

Should the DA have unquestioning faith in information s/he received from an ADA, CrimeStoppers, Duke, The Women's Initiative (Duke/Durham), Durham Crisis Center and members of the Durham City Council?

We have yet to learn what Nifong was told and whether or not he had unquestioning faith in his sources.

Perhaps a younger DA might have demonstrated the values of so many young people today. They just don't trust anyone.

I have learned from younger people not to have an unquestioning faith in the information I hear or read from people who hate young white male athletes or frat guys.

Who was feeding information to Nifong; what were they saying and what information did they promise him for the future?

::
GP

Anonymous said...

A little note that I dropped in the mailbox of Post columnist Mike Wise:

Dear Mr. Wise:
Your May 29th column on the Duke lacrosse case was just brought to my attention. I grew up in the Washington area and loved the sports section. The quality of writing was second to none. I would read the great sports column "This Morning by Shirley Povich" and revel in his insights and fine writing. He always had the facts straight and wrote with clarity and honesty. I left the area thirty years ago and now live in New York and wonder what happened to my fabulous sports page.
I read your column on the Duke case and wondered what happened to accuracy of the past. Your opinions are not based on fact but based on opinion. Now, I am learning that the Duke students are not deserving of the "innocent bracelets", "the players are not martyrs" (despite the findings of the Coleman report that clearly stated that the team had the highest GPA, community involvement, and best behavior on campus in regard to race relations), and that there are no similarities in the case to "To Kill a Mockingbird" (my favorite movie with a remarkably similar plot to the Duke lacrosse case).
I still occasionally read the Post sports page on the internet. It might be a good idea to recall Shirley Povich's thoughts on writing - "Good writing" he said, "was hard work."
Did you really work hard on your column entitled "Continuing Conflicts"? Did you really do your research?
Your response would be greatly appreciated. Maybe I am just being nostalgic, but I long for a time when the Post sports section was beyond reproach.

Anonymous said...

If the people we're seeing and hearing are the best the Black community can produce, then they've got a long way to go. Yeah, I know, the trolls will call me a racist and other endearing terms reserved for those who speak the truth that is so embarrassing to Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Boyce Watkins, the Gang of 88, and the NCNAACP. They and Nifong deserve each other.

Anonymous said...

I spent many years in NC, and points across the very Deep South, and have yet to encounter the institutionalized racism that some still wish existed (so it would prove their small mind to be right).

I am a white Northerner and top-10 B-school grad. I had plenty of capable Black friends in B school, any one of whom makes Watkins look like a trash collector in comparison.

And, unfortunately, alongside the many fine people I knew in North Carolina during the 5 years I lived there, I *did* find entrenched racism in some places -- including in some places of power and influence.

Good thing there are the Cheshires and a lot of other good decent people to bring changes there.

Anonymous said...

To 9:32 am:

My great-uncle, Charles Aikin, who died in 1974 was a professor of political science at the University of California for 40-plus years and eventually was professor-emeritus. According to my parents (I barely remember him) he refused to be called Dr. He, instead, instructed students to call him Prof. Aikin.

JLW in Ohio

Steven Horwitz said...

I also do not like being called "Dr." I much prefer "Professor." The "Dr" reflects a short period of hard work to get the equivalent of a union card. "Professor" is what I do.

Anonymous said...

10:30

Before you cast that stone.....I lived in the north for a while and actually found MORE racists there than in the south

Unfortunately for the black community, they will be judged by the radical few like Watkins, et al. Is that fair? Definitely not.

10:19

Don't forget the Black Panthers. They have become so emboldened that they even threatened Reade in court (and the eunuch Stephens let it go)


10:11

You didn't recognize the research. You weren't paying attention. It came straight off Boycie's articles (and I use that term loosely)

Jungle Jim said...

Please see my post about Marcella Chester's ridiculous brainfart:

http://provocateurjim.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Like Steven Horowitz 10:47, I prefer the title Professor because that's my job. A physician and an attorney also have doctorates in their respective fields, but we are in completely different disciplines. It is my experience that many of those who put Ph.D. after their names are the newly-minted assistant professors (like Watkins) who don't have much else to fall back upon. And the ones who love to be called Doctor are the instructors who in fact do not have doctorates.

Michael said...

A very timely post. I've seen articles here and there of those still
hitting the three accused, particulary in the academic community, and
it's pretty disturbing to see the poor level of research from those
teaching our kids.

[The "sliding scale" employed by critics of the three accused
players is quite remarkable.]

I would have liked to have seen the "they aren't angels" part of the
sliding scale included as this is common on even this blog. We even
have some posters here that still think that something happened. I
guess an appropriate response to those posters would be to just quote
Williamson.

Sometimes the people writing articles get so many facts wrong that
it's hard to know where to begin when replying to them. I don't have
the link to the picture of the party but it's a good rebuttal to the
"rowdy, drunk, jeering, drunk" crowd.

In the case of Boyce Watkins who thinks that something happened, the
burden of proof is on him to make his case. It is unreasonable to ask
someone to prove that something didn't happen in argumentation as
it may take exhaustive work to do that proof. One would think that
a professor would understand this.

Anonymous said...

Dr. Watkins,

In regards to your claims that "the south is horrifically, undeniably and disgustingly racist."

May I remind you, the three people you are still claiming to be "guilty" are from NY, NJ, and MD. Hardly from places in the "South."

Anonymous said...

No justice, no peace, I have a Ph.D., and I definitely don't allow people to call me "Doctor" except in professional contexts. I've known since grad school that "Doctor" is not appropriate for a Ph.D. in a social context.

His publication list is quite short, but that may be because he only recently started. However most of the papers are "forthcoming"; I'm confident that if they were "accepted for publication", that's how they would be described.

On ratemyprofessors, his ratings are bad, one commenter noting that he wrote in the school newspaper that he doesn't care about teaching, only research. This surprises me because tenure and promotion committees will look at teaching no matter the research productivity.

It is possible that his research is good. I would be interested in seeing the comments of a finance professor on it. It is a bad mistake - very common, but very bad nevertheless - to suppose that because someone writes idiotic drivel his work in his own field must be wretched. Duke geology professor Thomas Crowley had his publication list savaged in comments on this blog after he had published a stupid letter in the Herald-Sun, and I recall looking at his publication list and thinking it was quite impressive. (He is the one who shortly thereafter apologized.) If you need a counterexample, just think of Noam Chomsky.

Watkins got his Ph.D. from OHIO STATE?! Oooh, that hurts.

Anonymous said...

The people who are stating that “Something Happened” are doing so with no creditable evidence. It is hard to argue with someone who is ignoring evidence. Perhaps they also believe that the world is flat since there is no evidence supporting that claim either.

Michael said...

re: 3:10

[To quote Williamson, “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.”]

You are that fool.

Anonymous said...

My email too...

Dr. Watkins,
I read your two recent articles on the Duke Lacrosse case this morning and see that YOU still just don't get it! I hope you will investigate the evidence on the link I am sharing that proves the boys were innocent of any wrong doing they were immorally charged by the state of NC.

NOTHING happened to Crystal Mangum at the party. Here you can read about the DNA report that Nifong suppressed. This comes from the Nifong disbarrment trial.

http://bp1.blogger.com/_k_8jgSqqBEw/RnG7LUtFURI/AAAAAAAAAAU/nPzwO3xy2QI/s1600-h/Rape+Kit+Spreadsheet-001.jpg

The last paragraph in the report sums up why the Lax boys are innocent beyond a shadow of a doubt. (Although the burden of proof, for a prosecutor is guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt...) None of the multiple males DNA in or on her matched any of the Duke students who were at the party that night.

It reports on tests performed from the rape kit CGM had at the hospital where she was examined that night. The report shows that she had male DNA in her body, and on her clothes from numerous unidentified males who were not present at the party.

All the Lax players who were at the party voluntarily gave DNA samples because they knew they were innocent.

Nifong chose not to go after the men who left DNA in and on her and instead whip up the community against the lacrosse players so he could get elected and get a better pension. He then cruelly surpressed this evidence.

If Crystal was attacked at some point it wasn't at the party, and they have the DNA of the guys who did it. Please ask your girlfriend to look over and analyze the attached DNA report if needed.

**Your voice is now needed to clear the lies and misinformation about this social disaster that has happened in Durham.**

I am 55 years old. I've been a democrat all my life, from Massachusetts, live in Durham, NC 25 years now. I live in the neighborhood where the infamous spring break party happened.

I hate the war in Iraq. I am very left of center politically, I hope Gore or Obama win the nomination and the election. Bush and Chaney should be impeached; except it would be a waste of time, when our country has so many other problems right now.

Your article saddens me so much that left of center writers and professionals like me, still don't get it and are continued to be duped by Nifong's and Crystal's lies.

Thanks for taking the time to read my email and I send you ,
Best Wishes,

Anonymous said...

Further thoughts on what describes genus Watkins:

If you visit his site, the first thing you should notice is that he has no interest in finance or management (and he's published barely anything). What happens to these black racists/academic welfare recipients when they get a demanding full-time job is obvious. They can't compete with their more talented colleagues, they of course never register any original scholarship, so they head for the "public intellectual" cred, a k a BULLSHIT ARTIST, the most famous of whom is the former "university professor" of Harvard, Cornel West.

As I wrote previously, if you want to put the fear of the Lord into Syracuse and Watkins, visit Syracuse's business school, and click on "Corporate Sponsors." Write to these people, as they have a lot of influence at Syracuse.

The really sad thing is that students are getting defrauded by Watkins's incompetence, and poor parents are throwing their money away to fund low-IQ racists from America's # 1 protected group.

Goody goody.

Polanski

Anonymous said...

The Bill of Rights covers all Americans, including suspects, defendants, offenders and prisoners. Many of the protections also apply to those living on American soil as immigrants&8212;documented and undocumented. All too often, the rights of those involved in the criminal justice system are compromised or ignored. Disempowered low-income communities of color are especially vulnerable to such abuses because they are targeted by the war on drugs, racial profiling and other discriminatory policies and practices. The ACLU is working to reform the criminal justice system and make the promise of fair treatment a reality for all people.


The above was taken from the ACLU website. If this is what they truly believe and are true to their creed, then today the gauntlet is officially laid down. Take up the cause of the Duke Rape Hoax defendants. Your claim of fair treatment for all and against the railroading of innocent victims definitely applies to this case. Though it does not fit your political agenda, your reputation depends on whether or not you are willing to decry the judicial system and it's enablers that sought to crucify these young men without regard to truth.

The ball is in your court. Take your best shot.

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm.

Frankly were I them I'd be liberally spreading around lawsuits to anyone and everyone who repeated assertions that a crime was committed or that I was a criminal.

After that pronouncement of innocence by the DA that should have ended it. That it hasn't says that unless the Duke 3 are extremely willing to hammer anybody flat these assertions will continue forever.

Anonymous said...

"Talk about not being credible.

For too many people assuming innocence of an alleged rapist means assuming the alleged victim is a liar or delusional. And I'm the one who doesn't understand the law or logic when I call bullshit on that assumption.

I also call bullshit on those who say about other rape cases that if no charges were filed then no crime was committed. People show that they don't truly believe this principle when they say the alleged victim in the Duke case perpetrated a crime by reporting and cooperating with police and prosecutors. No charges were filed so by these people's own logic no crime was committed.

If people can't imagine why Nifong would want this case fully investigated for any reason other than political gain, that tells us more about their ethics than it does about Nifong's. But then squashing a rape investigation before it is complete is considered by many to be perfectly ethical and never driven by ambition or bigotry.

When people say the outcome of this case should stop all similar allegations from being investigated that's not a system that has anything to do with justice. That's a system which holds a "don't ask, don't tell" position about most rapes."

These statements came from deep in an abyss. CGM should not be put away or hanged, she needs help. She has a mental disorder which needs to be treated. Has anyone considered her child (or is it children)? Someone needs to think about them and worry about the effect this experience will have on them. They, too, are victims of this experience.

---------------------------------------
As for the "something happened" crowd: Something did happen. If you want to be technical. Those LAX players paid roughly $200/minute for a show. B. Watkins must be proud of their entrepreneurial skills at financing themselves.

-----------------------------------------
It is time to start the healing process. The damage is done. Lives have been forever ruined. Communities are becoming polarized. We must grow beyond those sentiments. Justice is justice. The only ones who said day one that the boys were not guilty were the ones who knew them the closest. That is natural. Quite different from those professing guilt. It seems that abyss had one thing right--some will perish but as a result of the rush to judgment.

AF

Anonymous said...

Anonymous at 9:27 AM said...
KC your blog stands as witness to the truth. My hope is that every law school in the nation makes this case required reading in Criminal Law and Torts. My guess is that in the future, when this case is fully disected by saner legal and academic minds, the writings of newspaper editors and the lunatic fringe will fall away into the dust bin of history.


It is more likely that KC will be swept into the dustbin of history, at least in the shortterm. Of course, in the longterm, the truth (almost) always wins out. But look at the lies that are now told about 19th century interracial rape patterns and ask yourself what is to stop the 88ers in, say, 100 years from doing the same to the early 21st century.

After all, KC is a lone voice in the wilderness of American academia.

Anonymous said...

newspaper that he doesn't care about teaching, only research. This surprises me because tenure and promotion committees will look at teaching no matter the research productivity.

He is black so he does not have to care about his resume. He have to be hired (because of race quotas).

Hopefully supreme court tears down race quotas and ends academic welfare. Maybe someday these blackathlete professors and Gang88 people have to find a job equal to their IQ.

Anonymous said...

My daughter attends Syracuse University and I am paying 40 grand per year so that she may sit in a class taught by this moron Prof Watkins. This country needs a complete shake up and exposure of our educational system. Tuition costs keep expanding but the minds of the faculty keep narrowing. They are not Professors they are profiteers

Anonymous said...

These people aren't "wrong-headed." They are practicing the "big lie" techniques developed by Hitler and his cronies. They stand to profit by their "lies" becoming accepted as "truth" or the fear that they engender in their fellow academics, the unknowing, or the passive. They demand reparations and new courses. Society must kow-tow to these people because it isn't just ignorance they mete out. It is fear, racism, and hate. Watch the way Ward Churchill at the University of Colorado has conducted himself in his "career." Is the Group88 any different. They are bullies and frauds, but dangerous. They, these academic nazies, are part of a society in nervous collapse, a society basically incapable of assertaining the truth or understanding of anything.

Anonymous said...

The "something happened" crew may be disappointed to know that they will be greatly increasing the damage awards since it is now clear that the "innocent" statement of the AG has been insufficient to restore the reputations.

So keep it up G88's and Durmites.

Anonymous said...

Remember, there is no evidence and no testimony -- other than that of CGM -- that even puts any of the players in the bathroom w/ CGM.

And, in the latest version told by CGM, she's doing the anti-gravitry thing, whilst a number of players do all sorts of stuff.

Anonymous said...

to 12:16 re the big lie

While I agree with the spirit of your post, I must cavil with your pessimism. Yes, it's true that universities are dumbing down their curricula, faculties, and students to accommodate the recipients of affirmative action as well as agenda-driven mediocrities like Watkins. But look what happened to Antioch College, a diversity-pimp-loving institution par excellence. It closed!

We have to deflect the big lieS by pointing out the obvious and using our own language to describe parasites like Watkins.

That's why I urge everyone to start using terms like the following:

academic welfare
parasite
Anger Studies
BS Studies
In-your-pocketbook Studies
Thug Studies
affirmative criticism
brilliant like Spike Lee, Cornel West...

Moral humiliation is a wonderful thing.

Polanski

Anonymous said...

One of these days CGM may well recant her accusations esp in return for immunity. What will the "something happened" people do then?

My guess is nothing - why should facts alter their views?

Michael said...

re: 11:51

[For too many people assuming innocence of an alleged rapist means
assuming the alleged victim is a liar or delusional. And I'm the one
who doesn't understand the law or logic when I call bullshit on that
assumption.

These statements came from deep in an abyss. CGM should not be put
away or hanged, she needs help. She has a mental disorder which needs
to be treated. Has anyone considered her child (or is it children)?
Someone needs to think about them and worry about the effect this
experience will have on them. They, too, are victims of this
experience.]

She could be delusional and a liar as well.

The delusional and those under hallucinations do get incarcerated.
They can wind up in mental hospitals too. Or recover. Or recover
under the use of continued medication. But recovery from psychosis
and its hallucinations and delusions may not repair personality
disorders.

Mental Health treatment is frequently an absolute nightmare for the
family. You have someone acting strangely, in some cases in very
self-destructive ways and have to deal with it. It can escalate to the
point of hospitalization. In many areas, specialized hospitals are far
away so that other family members have to commute long distances to
provide support. And you have difficult issues of which medications to
try (they all have unpleasant to very nasty side-effects), and all of
the costs of hospitalization in an environment where they have to have
extra staff to ensure that patients don't hurt themselves or others.

Presumably you get out when your psychosis is under control but then
you need regular visits with psychiatrists and psychologists.

Current medications can easily run $200 a month or more. And the
side-effects generally stink. Which is why many people stop taking
them after a while.

So when society uses the term: Get Help, it seems to me to be a way to
dump the problem on a person who may not truly have the resources to
"Get Help" with all that it entails. I think that it is very, very
hard to "Get Help" without substantial family support. Society is not
very good at dealing with mental health issues as to do it well would
cost a lot in money, time and other resources.

Mangum appears to be a pretty sad case. She seems to engage in some
pretty self-destructive ways and has kids to raise and not the best of
family support. It's pretty clear that someone like this has the
potential to cause a lot of damage to others and transmit that
potential through her kids. It's not the level of the destruction from
Seung-Hui Cho but it gives you an idea as to how dangerous these people
can be.

Anonymous said...

Carolyn says:

KC, bless you for trying to make the self-blinded see. But they won't.

I swear, I can't comprehend how a thinking person can choose to put on dark glasses and tap their white cane down the sidewalk - as the sun shines brilliantly overhead.

Can't make sense of it, KC. Just can't.

Conserve Liberty said...

We who live according to reasoned judgments of fact and truth are frustrated that others will not accept the declaration not simply of innocence, but that no crime occurred - that NOTHING happened that night - by the NC AG.

We must accept that Boyce Watkins also knows that nothing happened.

His comments are intentional and purposefully intended to seem irrational.

Given that the concept of reasoning and rational judgment is a creation of white men, it must perforce be incorrect in a diverse world; it cannot have taken into account the different perspectives of women and no-white males.

Therefore the entire system must be deconstructed - to anarchy - and a replacement system created from its ruins that reflects the combined wisdom ALL people.

We must deny people such as Watkins credibility by NOT trying to convince them they are wrong - they already know they are wrong and consciously refuse to admit it.

Anonymous said...

" It is unreasonable to ask someone to prove that something didn't happen..."

****

Prove the null hypothesis? LOL

And this guy claims his specialty is statistics. How embarrassing. Covered week one in Statistics101.

Anonymous said...

AF said at 11:51 AM ... The only ones who said day one that the boys were not guilty were the ones who knew them the closest.

Wrong: I knew from day one that the boys were not guilty and I never even met them.

Take the Challenge: When was the last time there was a white gangrape of a black woman?

Anonymous said...

Transparency is the way to beat these frauds.

1. They should be required to post their publications. Not just the publication citation, but the actual work.

2. They should be required to post the readng material required in each class they teach. No on the syllabus handed out on the first day, but before one enrolls.

3. Any public meeting they hold on campus should be available as an "open meeting". Recordings and video should be permitted.

4. Under no circumstance should these cultural classes become mandatory requirements for degrees or orientation sessions.

5. Departmental funding should be freely published. How are these departments funded?

6. Students and alumni should have a voice.

7. Finally one should use their own language against them. No justice, no peace; equality for all; meta-narratives; etc...

For example one meta-narrative about this hoax is the woefully biased and fraudulent coverage by most all of the media. There are plenty of others including; academic frauds, false accuser statistics, race-on-race crime statistics, false prosecutions, academic welfare, affirmative action, lack of leadership fiascos, etc.

At the end of the day the lack of transparency, accountability, and leadership is stunning.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately, Watkins is a member of a a EEOC protected class. Firing him would most assuredly bring expensive legal action. There are some people who cannot practically be fired- even with cause- in this country.

Anonymous said...

RR Hamilton- I also doubted the story from the start but it was largely b/c my son attends Duke and has frat brothers who were at the party and/or know particularly Reade well. They reported to him immediately that it was all a hoax.
At one point when the story first broke I thought that CGM may have had sex with one of the players as part of her "services" that night. I have heard of that happening at Bachelor parties, etc, from my husband. Thank goodness none of them as much as touched her! (as is evident by the complete lack of DNA!)

Anonymous said...

10:47 am said:
"I also do not like being called "Dr." I much
prefer "Professor." The "Dr" reflects a short period of hard work to get the equivalent of a union card. "Professor" is what I do."

LOL - I have a PhD in Medical Immunology, but you can just call me AL.

Anonymous said...

To the anonymous Duke mom at 2:10 PM:

I'm glad you doubted the story from the start, but I'm sorry that it was largely because you relied on your son's word for it. I hope that from now on whenever you hear of some tale of white-on-black rape -- in particular a gangrape -- you are immunized against the lying metanarrative that teaches you that white men are (or were at sometime in the past) feral beasts often unable to restrain their animal lust for the virginal bodies of innocent maidens of color.

Anonymous said...

Nony-12:23,
Psychiatry isn't my specialty,but it is something I have a greater than average knowledge than the average person.(MD follows my name and one of my brothers is the counties only normal shrink.)Your note assumes a legitimate diagnosis-I don't know where the diagnosis originated for BPD- and a patients helplessness because of money problems.Secondly,there are medications for BPD that aren't expensive,and if the expensive ones are used,most of the very poor have access via medicaid.The $200/month are probably the 2nd gen antipsychotics which are great for causing DM II. My point is you seem to absolve Crystal of the precipitating role in the incident.
And it would be a brave child protective agency to bear the wrtath of the denialists in the black community.They would trumpet it as a punishment by the rich Duke establishment.I feel badly for her offspring.Their mother's poor behavior is going to destroy them,too.
Corwin

mac said...

Mr. Watkins fails to address the
railroading of Mr. Elmostafa,
the subornation of perjury, the witness intimidation.

AA supporters of Nifong/CGM never
whisper the injustice brought upon
Mr. Elmostafa.

Watkins doubtless thinks that Mr. Elmostafa
should have gone along and helped Nifong, like a good little...

mac said...

Watkins is a slave;
he's a slave to a lie, promulgated
by - (wow) - a white man named Michael Nifong.
Watkins is a slave to a lie and
to a liar.

No one is ever a slave to truth.

Anonymous said...

1:43

Excellent suggestions. It is a huge job, but could be managed if parents would pay attention to what is going on at the particular college they send their tuition dollars to.
Also - if every time a media item appears that contains one of the metanarrative falsehoods, the agency disseminating it is hit with a flurry of polite requests to correct the facts (they won't, but constantly rebutting with facts might have the effect of making them less eager to print falsehoods so blatantly). A great example is the "only 2% of rape claims are false".
Incidentally, did anyone else notice Fox's bold move in pointing out the disturbing level of violence at Juneteenth festivals nationwide? No other news agency had the nerve to transcend the PC muzzle. Those trying to mold public opinion to believe as they do are becoming bolder by the day - including the councilwoman who had a speaker removed for protesting a legislative move designed to keep Democrats in office, and another in Florida who tried to pull a city contract from a radio station because their programming contained conservative talk shows. Censorship and propaganda are primary tools of the most evil regimes the world has ever seen. Why are we tolerating this in America?

Anonymous said...

2:14
What you have said is very funny and very true. Never do I meet a white person with a PhD who insists on being called "Dr.", but every black person I have ever talked with or have known with a PhD calls themselves "Dr.". I almost start to feel sorry for them. Like that NAACP's Rev. "Dr." Barber. The guy is so stupid and ignorant.
If Watkins can be put in the kind of position at Syracuse which he holds, then it is doom for academia. This man is so ignorant that it shocked me to read his column. So much like the blacks I have met in Durham.

Anonymous said...

And I'm a slave for you, mac!

Anonymous said...

11:51-
All I have to say about your post is BULLSHIT!

Anonymous said...

So a black academic and some idiot reporter who works for one of the most politically correct newspapers in the country still have problems accepting that no rape happened.

Gee, what a surprise.

Anonymous said...

For those people who are "shocked" by the apparent lack of either intellectual ability or honesty in some Blacks, even black academics (not quite an oxymoron):


Black children of parents with graduate degrees have lower SAT scores than white children of parents with a high-school diploma or less.

Anonymous said...

I have no problem with black studies or pornography.

But I have a lot more respect for pornography because it is what it is, and does not require parasitic funding formulae.

Black studies belongs at the barbershop, or a historically black college, funded by blacks themselves.

We have a budding low-IQ affirmative-action class coming from Mexico. Watch out for Burrito Studies.

Michael said...

re: 2:31

I'll assume that you're responding to my post as Anonymous 12:23 has nothing to do with what you posted.

> Your note assumes a legitimate diagnosis-I don't know where the
> diagnosis originated for BPD - and a patients helplessness because
> of money problems.

I'm not familiar with how the diagnosis was done but given privacy
issues, we probably shouldn't know.

> Secondly,there are medications for BPD that aren't expensive,and if
> the expensive ones are used,most of the very poor have access via
> medicaid.

I am unfamiliar with the medications for BPD.

> The $200/month are probably the 2nd gen antipsychotics which are great
> for causing DM II.

If you have psychosis, you and your family want to get rid of it as
soon as possible. The problem is that there are a number of drugs
out there and that they have differeing side-effects. They generally
take from a few days to several weeks to get to a therapeutic doss.
So you want something effective and fast that doesn't cause really
bad side-effects.

As far as faking BPD, Schizophrenia, Depression, etc. leading to
psychosis, I guess that it is possible. But I think that taking
antipsychotics would be an indication that the problem is real
given the side-effects.

Yes, I've read that the typicals cost a lot less than the
atypicals. But if you're the patient or the patient's family, you want
something that works, at a minimal dosage, that has the least side
effects for your case.

Antipsychotic costs for the US run in the mid-single-digits of
billions per year. I've seen articles arguing for a return to
typicals as opposed to non-typicals. I would suggest only doing
so if they worked and have fewer side-effects.

I've read posts of folks that swear by Geodon which lists instant
death as one of the potential side effects. And a ton of other really
awful things. But for some people, the benefits outweigh the risks
and side-effects. I've seen others report horror-stories with the
same medication.

> My point is you seem to absolve Crystal of the precipitating role
> in the incident.

I was responding to another post that indicated a polar opinion that
she was either a liar or delusional. I indicated that the truth may
lie somewhere in-between.

It is unclear to me as to how society should deal with people with
these problems. If the family can provide sufficient support, then
these people can do reasonably well in life. If not, then can make
life very unpleasant for everyone around them.

> And it would be a brave child protective agency to bear the wrtath of
> the denialists in the black community.

I'm surprised that the parents don't do something to get the kids.
They have to know that her lifestyle is self-destructive and they've
known about her problems for a long-enough period of time.

I'm not a big fan of CPS either as they typically have their own
share of horror stories.

> They would trumpet it as a punishment by the rich Duke establishment.I
> feel badly for her offspring. Their mother's poor behavior is going to
> destroy them,too.

There is freqently a genetic component in schizophrenia, depression
and bipolar. So her kids could carry some of her problems or
potentially pass it onto their kids. And then there's the issue of bad
parenting on top of it. All-in-all, a very sad situation.

It's tough enough for a family with two dedicated parents to raise
their kids normally with family and community help.

Anonymous said...

kenb said:

"It is a bad mistake - very common, but very bad nevertheless - to suppose that because someone writes idiotic drivel his work in his own field must be wretched"

That may be true, but Watkins does not appear on Sports shows, hip-hop radio stations, etc. to discuss finance. He hides behind his PhD as a veil of credibility. At what point should the whole academic enterprise be invalidated? Too many people who are clearly not intelligent enough to graduate high school hjave PhD's because they worked hard. I'm all for hard work, but academia is about intellectual rigor. That rigor MUST extend to anything published or said in a public forum by an academic, lest he remove the credibility of his degree therefore all those who earned such a degree.

Michael said...

re: 3:38

A rather interesting article. The two problems that I have with it are:

1) The SAT is a self-selected test so you're not getting a representative sample of the population groups.

2) I think that few people that made $70K, even back in 1995, would consider themselves wealthy outside of preexisting assets. I made quite a bit more than that back then and didn't consider us in the wealthy category. Perhaps a better measure would be at least a million in financial assets.

Michael said...

Friday's episode of Law and Order was amusing as they had a Nancy Grace - type person on a few television spots. I think that she is now considered a caricature with what's wrong in TV "news".

Michael said...

Gottlieb's deposition is up at LS.

Anonymous said...

KC,
I am reminded of Casablanca, where at the end, where the freedom figther, can't spell his damn name, says to Rick, "Welcome to the fight, this time I know our side is going to win."

"I think this is the beginning of a beatiful relationship", but you still own someone money for once believing this PC crap.

Kemp

Anonymous said...

I find the discussion today - and I have read every comment - to be most interesting. Nothing like a little racial stereotyping to get things stirred up. Dr. Watkins seems to have rekindled that debate singlehandedly with his ill-informed comments. We should not forget that this was exactly what Mr. Nifong was undertaking 15 months. I'm flashing back to those contentious days in late March 2006.

Watkins was not only ignorant of AG Cooper's declaration of innocence; he was also ignorant of the hearing panel's finding that Nifong was motivated be his desire to be elected. Nifong played race cards dealt from rhe Duke lacrosse deck, and bet the lives of three players. I wonder how Watkins feels about such tactics being used to defeat his African-American opponent in the primary for Durham DA?

Anonymous said...

KC, your enemies are hunting for you. Here's an attack on your Wikipedia entry:

http://www.dukechronicle.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticleComments&ustory_id=778e5a3f-7df2-4f82-974f-c9c302316a41&startRow=51

See the Jun 23, 2007, 6:38 PM comment.

btw, can someone tell me how I can make a clickable link here?

Anonymous said...

rrhamilton @ 1:34 PM

The answer to your question would reveal a small percentage of total rape victims (gang rapes even less), but let's take it a step further (as I think I remember you doing on a past comment).

The Duke lax players knew more about Crystal than that she was simply a black woman. They knew she was a stripper and on that night at least, extremely bad at her job, which they would have recognized as the result of alcohol, drugs, or a combination of both.

There is no way guys the caliber of Duke lax players would touch Crystal in a sexual way in a group setting (probably not individually either, but that's not even at issue here). I knew it was a hoax the minute I heard the circumstances.

Any man who didn't must squat when he urinates (but, oh, the horror, never outdoors).

Anonymous said...

Yes, something did happen in that house. Two african american street smart ho's took advantage of innocent collage kids.

Anonymous said...

Dear Richard Brodhead,

Hi, my name's Polanski. How do you do. I just received my PhD in Honkie Hating Studies at Princeton, under the tutelage of that great public intellectual, Professor Doctor Cornel West. I be wantin a job shortly.

I know you don't have a dept of Honkie Hating, so I was wondering if I could be made chairman of the dept, along the lines of Leonard Jeffries at CUNY. I have a respectable 96 IQ, have published nothing in academic journals--but here's my strength (not that I'm bragging, mind you): I really hate white people, with a verve and passion that will surely be beneficial to a top-tier institution such as yours.

Suggested courses for serious Honkie Hating:

1. Those goddamn honkies fornicated with my great-great-great-great-grandmother
2. Honkies take credit for everything--what about the brothers and sistahs?
3. Managing your reparations check
4. Driver's ed course: Don't honk for Honkies
5. It's always about slavery
6. When in doubt, blame Mr Honkie

President Brodhead, I'm sure you can plainly see how this department would be a wonderful addition to AAAS and women's studies.

Please call me on my cellphone: 888-honkies.

I appreciate your position, and know we can work together to make honkie hating part of a wonderful Duke pedagogical experience.

Respectfully yours,

Polanski

Anonymous said...

7:59

Now that is FUNNY !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Greg Allan said...

Anonymous said @10:19:00 AM...
If the people we're seeing and hearing are the best the Black community can produce, then they've got a long way to go. Yeah, I know, the trolls will call me a racist and other endearing terms reserved for those who speak the truth that is so embarrassing to Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Boyce Watkins, the Gang of 88, and the NCNAACP. They and Nifong deserve each other.

An unfortunate consequence of affirmative action.

The Peter Principle holds that in beaurocracies many individuals will naturally be promoted to one step beyond their actual competency. IOW a "level of incompetence". Affirmative Action enhances this effect by enabling some to advance several levels beyond. Many of the Duke Hoax fools would fall into this category. They have been set very low bars indeed.



Michael said @4:25:00 PM...
Friday's episode of Law and Order was amusing as they had a Nancy Grace - type person on a few television spots. I think that she is now considered a caricature with what's wrong in TV "news".

As, I believe, has Boston Legal. I have great sympathy for Americans subjected to her and her ilk. So far Australian media, as bad as it is, has not descended to that level. Our universities are a different matter.

Anonymous said...

One really sad and alarming thing is that the NAACP is still stuck on NIfong's drivel.

One hopes that an orgainzation with a proud history would take the time to learn the facts. To use its influence to help right Nifong's wrong.

Its just dispiriting to see that its still--still--promoting the dark conspiracy notion that despite all the facts, "somehting happened."

It ought to remind anyone with "sympathy" for Nifong that his cruel use of the electorate to widen a racial divide for his election victory was unpardonable.

NAACP--wake up! Reclaim the luster of your past. Stand for truth! Stop being duped by that man.

Anonymous said...

"The Duke Boys are not innocent victims. They are rowdy, disrespectful, thuggish frat boy alcoholics who abuse women of color." -- Dr. Boyce Watkins, Finance Professor at Duke University. http://blackathlete.net/artman2/publish/Commentary_1/Nifong_Trial_Lets_The_Dukes_Of_Hazzard_Off_The_Hook.shtml

This is libel. I expect Boyce will be paying money soon.

Anonymous said...

KC, I don't believe it: He's done it again.

http://www.blackathlete.net/artman2/publish/Commentary_1/Nifong_Duke_and_the_Dirty_Dirty_South_Why_We_Still_Just_Don_t_Get_It.shtml

mac said...

10:38
He'll be on the list.
Among the first Nancy Grace and
Wendy Murphy and a slew of NY Times
writers.

I'm waiting for someone to say:
"It'll never happen," just like
they said that Duke would never
settle, the AG would never use
the word "innocent," and the Bar
would never drop Nifong like a
bag of hot shit.

To any doubters - (and supporters
of the Hoax):
Listen to David Evans, the father
of one of the falsely accused.
This is not a man who is ready to
kiss and make up, to forgive and forget
especially when the same lies are
being repeated. The only way to
stop it is to sue 'em silent -
(the same way Proctor and Gamble
managed to stifle the lies that
were being told about them.)

KC has a link to the video.

Anonymous said...

On the brighter side, I see that blackathlete.com columnist Gregory Moore wrote an apology to the Duke Three in April. I think we should all write Mr. Moore a thank-you note.

http://www.blackathlete.net/artman2/publish/AllSports_23/An_Open_Apology_To_The_Duke_Lacrosse_Team_3181.shtml

mac said...

10:56
Moore should get an almost-a-thank-
you-note.

Mangum needs her name out there;
Moore doesn't think so.

She's not a victim, and her identity
shouldn't be protected.
If she hadn't insisted upon pursuing
the false charges against the young
men, even after her "samples"
were elucidated, then I might agree
with Mr. Moore.
After the DNA? Nada. No deal.
She was fair game.

A large part of exposing her
scheme (and Nifong's)
involved exposing her profession.

Still, Moore shows that he's not a paranoid
delusional like so many of his peers,
and probably avoids weed.

Anonymous said...

another "journalist" commented in the Minneapolis Red Star Tribune similar to this nonsense by the syracuse professor.

it just seems incredible that the marxist left can't seem to get it thru their head that nothing happened. something must have happened because these men aren't choirboys. if only they could find a way to blame George Bush--hold that thought, i'm sure someone will figure it out.

it's so mixed up in our PC world.

mac said...

8:23
Still maintain that it's too
much weed:
Inhibition of the inferior frontal
cortex will cause delusional paranoia,
and THC does just this, making the
symptoms worse in actual schizophrenia,
(even though schizophrenics crave
the drug.) It was once thought
that it inhibited they symptoms,
but FMRI has shown that to be a
false expectation.

Even in normal volunteers (in this particular study)
there was about a 50% incidence of
delusional paranoia associated
with the use of THC (E.G. pot)

Nope. Bruthas love reefer, which is
why so many of them still believe
"Samples" Mangum.

Unknown said...

Your posting and many of the responses touch on an aspect of the criminal justice system that is so frightening, which is that once a prosecutor begins to publicly say you are guilty, it is extraordinarily hard to get anyone to listen to the full story.

And, too many prosecutors abuse their power to get an unwarranted conviction, often by hiding evidence which tends to prove innocence.

I deal with these issues in my just published legal thriller, A Good Conviction." A young man is wrongly convicted of a murder he didn't commit by a prosecutor who may have known he was actually innocent.

If you go to my amazon.com page ...

http://www.amazon.com/Good-Conviction-Lewis-M-Weinstein/dp/1595941622/ref=sr_1_1/103-7341421-1865416?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180587686&sr=8-1

... you can learn more about my novel and others' reaction to it.

LEW WEINSTEIN

Anonymous said...

The token communist on NC Spin today repeated the line that because the players hired a stripper that they must deserve all that happened to them since then. Leftists are stupid, but they are in power.

mac said...

It's funny that the communists/leftists
are more judgemental than most
Christians (or how most people perceive Christians.)

Anonymous said...

THE FLAWS OF DNA (to Mac)

[btw, it's proctEr (your spelling connotes farts and sphincters) and gamble]

As a poster on another recent thread noted (ie, moi), CGM was given a modest tip to suck on lacrosse testicles in bathroom. No crime occurred, of course; but it would have been most problematic for Dave Evans to explain his scrotum DNA on Mangum's tongue and lips--2 loci I doubt were properly swabbed.

Case closed.

Crystal's Friend

Anonymous said...

Ah, it's good to know that Crystal has a friend. A deep thinker, too! Yay! Hope you don't get too close to that disease infested sperm bank...

Anonymous said...

There is so much corruption here that the media refuses to tell us all the facts. Too many crooks in office, police are like the SS, and the entire southern mentality of the good old boys will not end just because of Nifong.


Disgusting but true!

Anonymous said...

Justice4Jack Posted: Jun 24 2007, 10:15 PM


Believer Of Faith


Group: Members
Posts: 114
Member No.: 312
Joined: 28-November 06



I will be calling Mr. Hardin first thing this morning! My family has waited far too long for answers and JUSTICE for my murdered brother!

We have been given the run-around like a dog chasing it's own tail, treated like dirt, and DEMAND their be ACCOUNTABILITY, and a TRUE investigation! Only because we are in another state, they think they can say and do whatever they want and are not responsible?!

I hope other families of murdered loved ones who died under Nifong's reign of corruption will also rise up and be heard! The legal system came to a halt, cases are backed up to an incredible number, and have been tossed to the side while the parade passed on and on and on!

There are PLENTY more equally inept officials STILL in office who also need to be exposed and removed! To think Nifong is the only one is foolish. To think there will be any CHANGE is also a farce. Unless there is a COMPLETE cleaning of house, the only honest change will be just a name on a door!

We live in a world where we read daily of our elected officials and memebers of law enforcement being found guilty from everything to murder, to numerous crimes too many to mention!

These are people we have elected, and who are supposed to protect us?! What example does that leave for the citizens?! It has made me bitter against the system that I believed to be in place of OUR rights and safety!

So, if Mr. Harding does nothing, this will just prove to be another example of denial, and more dirt swept under the rug. It saddens me to see him say that Nifong is over, and to not take responsibility for his actions! How can you ever recover unless you admit there is something wrong?!

The last thing Durham needs is for things to go on as they were! The politicians and officials should be shouting for reform instead of hoping the passage of time will dull our memories......

I would certainly consider this truly be, "The Worst Of Times!"
The days and weeks ahead will be the test to see just which direction the city chooses to take. Let us pray they go forward!

Respectfully,
Rhonda Fleming