Comments and analysis about the Duke/Nifong case (2006-2014).
Friday, September 07, 2007
Nifong Video
The N&O has a 2-mintue video of Mike Nifong's march to the detention facility, with Nifong following behind marchers with their "We believe in your integrity and goodness" signs.
$10M per is too low for these craven thugs. Put Durham, the DPD cops, Duke, Nifong, G88--all of them, every single one of them--into bankruptcy. Take their homes, cars, pensions--everything. These idiots still smirk at the presumption of innocence. In so doing, they still smirk at us all.
This must be a sweet moment for the families of the falsely accused players and the players themselves. But it will be even nicer when the'ry sipping cognac paid for with Nifong's pension money.
It couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy.
Nifong and his supporters march to the Durham Court House..oops! make that Jail House.
Unbelievable! As one poster commented earlier , the only thing missing was the sounds of "We Shall Overcome."
Even after AG Roy Cooper's, Lane Williamson's and Judge Osmond Smith's pronunciations, there are still people who believe in Nifong's "integrity and goodness."
If these idiots keep trying to piss people off, the Lax 3 and the remaining 43 will turn Durham's budget and Duke's endowment into a legal pinata. Seriously folks, that $30M shot Durham's taxpayers heard yesterday was simply the tip of a legal iceberg. These lawsuits have serious legs. The attorneys at Williams & Connolly are just going to roll right through anything and everything. Think Gen. Sherman and Atlanta.
In fairness, most of these doofi don't even know Mike Nifong -- they were hustled there by Nifong's preacher brother, who exhorted his flock (is it even in Durham?) to show up in support of his brother.
Who knows what pitch was used -- maybe just, my brother is a poor sinner who needs our help. Maybe, the forces of the devil have aligned against my innocent brother?...probably not.
Anyway, with the crowd artificially created by the preacher's religious arm-twisting, it could well be that the crowd's only "true believer" in Mike Nifong was Victoria Peterson, who would profess her believe in the Easter Bunny if she thought it would annoy white people.
It's because of the idiots like these, still defending Nifong (just out of spite that the case didn't go how they wanted) that Durham deserves the 30 mil. lawsuit. Already some Durham bloggers are complaining the Duke 3 are greedy. What did they think all this was- a fun game? They threatened the freedom (and lives) of innocent people. And Durham residents had plenty of time to stop it instead of taking it to the very end. Bring on the lawsuits.
4.42 writes: "Already some Durham bloggers are complaining the Duke 3 are greedy. "
Oh really? Well, I can't wait for those same Durham residents to start complaining once their *state* taxes also jump through the roof. Just as soon as the lawyers clean Durham's fiscal clock, the next stop for the "redemption express" is the NC State Treasury. After all, Nifong is a *state* employee. And that state employee is in jail this very moment for crimes relating to the Hoax. Hell, he's the easiest target of the bunch and the state coffer is a bigger purse. I hope I'll be able to hear the Bull City morons' screams all the way up here (in the North). In fact, I can't wait.
It is unfortunate that the idiocy of Nifong, his enablers (both on and off campus) and community activistists like this Peterson lady will take 25 million dollars (claims net insurance coverage) from the mouths of the school children of Durham County families to line the pockets of the families of the Dook Three.
To be clear, the Dook 3 deserve every single penny, but the fact that the public coffers will be devastated is a horrible price to pay for the taxpayers of Durham (clearly a subset). None of them elected Nifong in the first place, and most of the taxpayers probably voted against him in the only chance they got.
I just finished reading UPI last night. Amazing work fellas. I was particularly struck by these two of the many nuggets:
1) Crystal's March 2006 boasting to the strip club employee about getting ready to get "paid by those white boys." Anyone see the irony on the fact that those "white boys" are about to get paid (again), this time by the money that would probably have otherwise gone to pay for health care for kids like Crystal's? Putting that irony aside, how was this fact not prominently reported at the time? How is that quote not above the fold in every paper that covered this case? How does Roy Cooper not prosecute her based on this information?
2) I was also struck by the demographic breakdown of the voting by race in the D.A. election. Somehow the overwhelming majority of black voters who pushed Nifong over the top were too short-sighted to see that there are costs to be paid (and the latest number is $30m) when you place political decisions based on knee-jerk allegiance to skin color over the truth and fairness. No, it seems they wanted to get whitey so bad that they didn't care what it costs. The final irony is that they won't pay a dime of this settlement; Durham will just raise taxes on the 45% who voted against Nifong.
One could be forgiven for missing the property ownership prerequisite to voting.
Just random thoughts: - I didn't see the fear in Nifong's eyes that I saw in the LAX players eyes when they were required to do their "perp" walk. - Cy will soon be filing for the big D leaving Mikey to face his financial troubles alone. - $30M is not enough once taxes, legal fees, etc. are taken out. - Victoria Peterson makes Forrest Gump look smart. - All this was orchestrated with Mikey's blessing. - He could have driven up in his car -- alone -- and been in, in less than a minute. - CGM is the most expensive piece of a$$ in Durham. cmf
Well said Joe T. I have a message for the "Durham bloggers" you mentioned who are complaining about the players being greedy:
Your city is broken. Your city is corrupt and its citizenry (at least some of it) is cheering the corruption. You and the rest of the residents of Durham have failed to fix your broken city.
Because of the damage caused by your broken city, outsiders are now preparing to clean it up.
The good news is, your city will be fixed one way or another. Unfortunately, the fact that you failed to fix it for so long has made it costly to repair. The costs will be endured by you and your fellow citizens. That is all.
Integrity????? Goodness????? Those people are definitely NOT in Wonderland. They're in YaYaLand. Talk about delusional. They almost make Crystal look normal. And we all know that is not even possible!
Knowing what I now know about Durham, I CAN believe what I saw. After all, we are speaking of Wonderland.
I do hope that Durhamites who supported Nifong and the DPD enjoy paying all the new taxes that will have to be raised to pay for the city's liability. Maybe Durham can hit up Duke for some of its $4 billion endowment.
Country clubs call them "assessments". Wonder what Durm will call the stupidity tax they're getting ready to assess? What else would we expect from asses?????
I hope that the Durhamites who didn't vote for Nifong try to get ahead of the almost certain forthcoming tax increase by insisting that it be a flat rate sales tax, and not a progressive property tax most likely favored by Nifong voters.
No remorse, no sympathy. I truly think whatever happens from here on out with regards to the legal pursuit of justice will in some small way help the families move on. I find it amazing that Durham residents would openly support such an unethical person as Mr.Nifong and complain that the 3 students were being greedy. It shows that nothing was learned by many in Durham. I hope Mrs. Evans prediction comes true and Mr.Nifong's life is ruined. I also hope everyone else who is sued pays up big and feels the pain for a long, long time. This is the price they pay for their own prejudice and hatred. Many colleges have town/gown issues, but this one is dangerous, you can get 30 years for going to a noisy party.
If Cooper won't do it (and since he is a Democrat with higher political aspirations, forget it), the Dook 3 need to sue Crystal personally once all the other lawsuits settle. Once they have gotten their metric ton of flesh from the County, City, State and individuals acting outside the scope of their authority, they need to tee one up, just the three of them versus her (which, time-stamped pictures tell us, is a first).
Recommended activity for Nifong during his short stay in the Durham bighouse, located appropriately on S. Mangum St. (you can't make this stuff up).
1.) Reading: Faust, -Marlowe or Goethe it doesn't matter, whatever the jail provides.
2.) Listing pleasure, to be piped into Nifongs cell: Faust, -Gounod with Victoria Peterson as Marguerite. But who will play Mephistopheles? Certainly not Sgt. Gottlieb (trans Dear God), that might be considered blasphemy. Any ideas?
3.) Friday Night at the movies: (you guessed it) Faust (1926), -F.W. Murnau
The G88 should also take notice! Wasn't Faust a University professor?
These are the types of people who make almost everyone in the Triangle shy away from Durham.
Look how goofy Mikey's attorney comes off.
She answers a reporter's question with a solemn tone...as if Mikey is some noble hero on the cross.
It's totally sick, but you see how few black Durham residents showed up. Most knew the charges were false. They were just happy for the show that Nifong provided for them.
Cowards.
They sat back...then voted for this criminal...but in the end were too ashamed to put their mugs where their votes were when helping to railroad three innocent men.
This is what most observers take away from these civil rights buffoons.
@Debrah 6:41 PM. KC has posted a link to WNBC in New York for his appearance in the morning. I looked at the site and it doesn't appear to have any live-feeds. I think we have been very fortunate to have had many live-feeds and podcast. We may just be out of luck on this one.
Durham has a real problem because of this and it's not just because of the untold millions that will be ripped from its coffers.
Their image has taken a deadly hit.
The town cheerleaders can protest this all they wish, but the buzz is everywhere on the streets.
I was out and about shopping today and was talking to a clerk in a Streets of Southpointe store. He was very anxious to explain that he lived in Cary...not Durham.
It's that way everywhere you go in the Triangle.
Last year a couple from Hawaii moved across the street from me. The guy had to be treated at Duke's Cancer Center and during our conversations he said that they chose the Chapel Hill area because of the bad reputation Durham has.
Durham residents complain about their negative image, but everyone knows they've brought it on themselves.
Durham could be a great place...if only they understood they can't run the city like a Third World country.
Duke University is there--one of the best medical facilities in the world. There are so many fabulous restaurants there and I have always enjoyed the eclectic atmosphere.
tch tch... just sitting here listening to '''ahem....!!! And just saw her "diva page".... jesus! Need I say more?
K.C. is an incredible man ... I want to meet him in person one of these days! Drats, I missed him when he was promoting his book on the G'Morning show..!
The triumph of "narrative" over honesty. Malice posturing as benevolence and Caring. Viewed in the context of the horrors inflicted on their victims, that is what Nifongs fans exemplify in the clip.
And now to make our perennial troll's day: Are they communists? [expletive] yes! Or they might as well be. They are like the enablers of Castro, Mao, and the rest in their capacity to evade overwhelming evidence.
I don't understand why someone with any power and influence in Durham with half a brain didn't go to Nifong and tell him to submit quietly without a cavalcade of buffoons attendant. He needs to be out of the public eye permanently. As KC and Stuart said on the Washington Post Radio Show today, the Duke 3 have a devastating case against Durham and its officials - why permit Nifong and his gang of fools to put on a spectacle reflecting a total lack of contrition? Why inflame the other side when you have one of the worst positions possible? I just don't get it - it isn't just arrogance - its more than that - it is astounding stupidity.
2. I laugh when Durham and Nifong supporters accuse the Duke 3 of being greedy. Greedy? Heck, the number they are asking for is so high because their case is strong. And do they want that much money? Likely not - Duke's princely sum already paid out (and one can bet it was substantial) is financing the legal action, and I intuit they want to bring Durham to its knees - meaning a clean sweep of the corrupt regime that runs the place. And what better way to do it than seek a judgment that would require Durham to float a bond issue? And let's not kid ourselves - the threat of that kind of judgment really coerces another objective - that of a criminal inquiry against Nifong and the DPD and others in Durham. And that is no doubt what will happen. Greedy? No they are smart - and Rae Evans was absolutely right when she said they picked on the wrong people - and oh will Durham know it. It always astounds me when people of limited intelligence and skill fail to recognize just that - and what can happen to them when really smart people with resources take a run at their exhaust pipe.
Why only $30M? For the aggravation, intimidation, persecution, and humiliation that Reade, Collin, and Dave were put through, $30M is a drop in the bucket. The legal fees will take a chuck out of this amount. Why not have the parents sue to recoup those legal fees? The cesspool that is Durm will pay for it's support of Mikey and the potbangers. Duke will go down too. The administration and most of the faculty have chosen the path down which they want to go. Not all choices are good ones. Pathetic is a better descriptor for the choice. Oh well.
I just wanted to let KC know that I went by a Barnes & Noble to look for his book. With my typical luck, I got the last copy they had. Now I've made a margarita (with salt) and I'm fixin' to sit a spell with it.
We know now that Mike Nifong is a liar, dumb, dishonest, likes to spend tax-payer money and is eager to advance racial hatred.
Too bad there isn't any job opportunities in this country for people like Mike!
Seriously, is it too early to join Nifong2008 bandwagon? He will be professor Nifong by Nov 2008, and congressman Nifong the next month. Future head of house subcommittee of ethics ?
I wish I hadn't been drinking cola as I watched the video. It nearly ended up on my keyboard on the "he's just doing his job!" line (that was Victoria Peterson, yes?) Sorry, Vicky, but this isn't Nifong's "job". It's what he has to do because he didn't do the job of the district attorney, which is to seek justice.
There's an ABC show on now about the Dateline NBC sting show in Murphy Texas where police were directed by Dateline NBC on the sting operations. The DA told police that it was a very bad idea and the police violated due process on all of the people arrested were released.
Police drew their weapons as part of the performance.
There were police officers that resigned in disgust.
On the comments for the post "Questions for the Blue Committee" there was a fascinating statement. I quote it here and aplogize ahead of time for it being off topic, but it's important. 'No justice, no peace' states a position and a prof responds, to wit:
"NJNP, you say:
Inre: "11:02--Trust me..."
That is the whole point. Few ever trusted you in first place and those remaining will never trust the likes of you and yours again.
Those closest to you realize there is no upside in associating with you. Do you sense the movement away? What about returned phone calls? What about people politely excusing themselves from you at parties? It is ever so slight...listen...watch...observe...
You no longer get invited to play cards. You see, knowlingly sending innocent people to prison for thirty years is worse than being a cheater at cards. Abetting those who exhibit deplorable racist behavior after-the-fact is even worse.
The light switch is on.
Anything said, written, or relayed will be challenged, written-off, or deeply discounted.
And that is from the people who give you the benefit of the doubt.
Most are well beyond that and will actively try to deconstruct the foundations of what little power you thought you had.
9/6/07 12:08 PM
======================
This is a very important point. I am on the A&S faculty at Duke and would have never imagined that some of my colleagues could do this kind of thing, and try to defend it with the arguments I have been seeing: the intellectual and moral dishonesty of what they say and write is arresting.
Now I know, and I imagine I am not the only one who has taken notice in recent months.
I don't have yet a clear sense of what might happen but as NJNP suggests, these people have lost my trust and from now on I will take everything they say very differently: I fear that I will second-guess them and assume the worst unless proven wrong.
I have read UPI and find it well researched and honest, even when I disagree with it. How anyone can think that attacking KC's (presumed) politics or the ranking of his institution (relative to Duke?) is a serious critique escapes me. (According to this argument McClain should not have been hired at Duke...)
If the best that they can do to discredit the book is come here and write this kind of nonsense, admitting that they have not read it and plan not to, then I can only shake my head in disbelief. The more they do this kind of thing, the more people will scrutinize their qualifications and wonder whether Duke in fact has a double standard.
9/7/07 9:48 PM _________________________________
YES! There are indeed intellectually honest professors at Duke. Please speak louder and sign your name. Take a stand!
I'm reading the first chapter of UPI -- "Duke: The Party School".
KC to get an idea of what REAL college partying was (in the 1970s), imagine this: Take 3 years off the drinking age; no AIDS; hell, no herpes for that matter; and, if a cop stopped you and asked if you were drinking and driving and you said "no", he'd say, "Why the hell not??" (Finally enough refugees from Yankeedom moved down and Texas raised banned drinking while driving in 1987).
If you can imagine that, you can start to imagine a REAL party school. It's still #2 on the Princeton Institute's List of Top Ten Party Schools in the latest survey.
Oh, but G.W. Bush was rejected for admission to our grad school -- luckily he had Harvard to fall back on. :)
I posted this over at the liestoppers board -- thought people might get a kick out of it here:
Here is the extended version of Victoria Peterson's Sign that she carried this morning in support of convicted inmate Michael Nifong (TV only showed the short version of her sign :) )
"We believe in your integrity and goodness" despite the fact that you:
- willfully tried to put three innocent young men in prison for 30 years
- lied repeatedly in and out of the courtroom to judges, grand jurors, defense lawyers, state bar officials, media persons, etc
-- obstructed justice in countless ways including intimidation and coercion of witnesses
-- wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars of Durham taxpayer money on this whole fiasco (with many more millions to come)
-- stirred up racial tensions and exploited them to win an election
-- fed the media false information behind the scenes, and orchestrated horrendously biased media coverage
-- totally dismissed, and made fun of, any evidence that exonerated the players
-- violated the civil rights of all the Lacrosse players over and over again, including their FERPA rights
-- caused a lot of emotional pain, fear, tears, stress, sleepless nights, and financial hardship to the families and relatives of the falsely accused former defendants
We don't care about any of these egregious, criminal offenses because they were all for the purpose of putting "privileged" white boys in jail, and that is always a good thing no matter the truth, no matter their innocence.
The Group of 88 have signed the back of this sign. They all said to say hello and that they will forever be indebted to you for giving them a "cause celebre." The Group of 88 also said: it's a real shame that the truth had to come out BUT, hey, President Brodhead covered our butts, so you be sure to cover your butt in prison -- haha -- just kidding -- let's do it again some time -- look us up when you get out
I thought the video was extremely sad. There is no joy in the self-destruction of this man, his life and career in flames around him by his own doing. It looked to me like he was holding hands to keep from falling over.
I am elated that the young men he tried to use have been vindicated. Nifong's punishment may be some small measure of justice in this case, but this is not an occassion for joy.
Only some of the Durham blogs are complaining that the Duke 3 are "greedy". Most of them, (including the statewide blog Blue NC; the ridiculous Rachel's Tavern; the Mark Anthony Neal dopey blog) aren't even mentioning Nifong's jail stay and the lawsuits. It's so funny to see them writing about this and that minor b.s. in Durham and ignoring the monstrous elephant in the room.
RD: I *might* agree more with you if only Nifong had expressed the smallest bit of remorse over the past couple of months. Instead, he appeared to apologize only when it would benefit him. He is STILL calling Crystal Magnum the "victim" in all this. He has made it very obvious he still thinks "something happened." He should have told his "supporters" that he could and should do this alone. Their attitude of complete disregard for the real victims of this hoax are completely at odds with the demeanor he should have portrayed on his way to jail today. I don't think anyone's joyful about this. He has brought every bit of misery upon himself, and there's a lot more coming. If I had to bet, I'd bet on civil and criminal charges.
10:53 -you made me check out Rachel's Tavern "Race, Gender, and Sexuality from a Sociological Perspective"
My my what would they do without those three words:R-G-S
Anyway Rachel had a June 26 post It’s About Interracial Sex Folks which references the "Duke Rape" case [her words] to which a "Mike" replied on July 8th. Look at Rachels only comeback:
Mike John on July 8th, 2007 5:02 am -------------------------------- You’re still calling it the “Duke rape” case? My, how we hold on to what we wish was the truth.
Rachel on July 8th, 2007 2:49 pm -------------------------------- Mike, Go away troll.
MN wanted to make himself look like MLK walking to the Selma jail. The man has not a shred of decency or humility. I bet many there were po'd that the Nifong Family Reunion Softball Game was interrupted because of this farce. The whole lot had to eat shriveled dogs and dry burgers.
The sad thing is that the dope Rachel who runs Rachel's Tavern doesn't live in Durham so she won't be affected by the lawsuits. But if she's so sure the Duke 3 were guilty of SOMETHING, maybe she'll send some cash of her own down to Durham to help cover the lawsuits? Marcotte too?
Thanks. Please know that I am just one of many, many more than people think.
Duke is not rotten to the core. There might be a battle for its core brewing. Much depends on how many of us who are not activists, just professors, and were not paying attention to university politics, will now start paying attention.
I was not paying attention. I assumed that high standard applied everywhere at Duke. I assumed that we all shared the same values of honesty, integrity and caring for students and respect for each other that Prof. Coleman and Prof. Gustafson -- to name two that went public -- so eloquently embody. Apparently I was wrong. Apparently some of us are held, and hold themselves, to higher standards than others.
Like many others, I was following the case but not really paying attention. The enormity of what I have seen when I started paying attention has not sunk in yet.
I understand why reactions to KC's profiles, and now the book, are so strong. They know that one of the things that KC is doing is telling people like me that we should open our eyes. What they don't seem to understand is that incoherent, vicious and dishonest attacks on him, rather than his evidence and arguments, make me more curious, not less.
The rambling of the poster that prompted my comment earlier struck me as dishonest to the core. Innuendo about the other's sinister motives and boasting of one's presumed superior credentials based on superior school affiliation is not how scholars -- and just plain, decent people -- argue. I do hope that person is not on the Duke faculty. Whatever my colleagues did is bad enough and at this point they really don't need that kind of help that only makes their case look more foolish.
OMG Deb...that is such a great MM video!!! That song has long languished in the poorly done interpretation of Annie Lenox...This is much more the intent of the poet. And much more what Mikey should be thinking aobut tonight.
I thought so as well. Started to use the Annie Lenox version until I saw this one. Mikey must be having lots of those kinds of dreams lately. LOL!
I'm not a MM fan, but think he's ceative and interesting.
BTW, he is now involved with Evan Rachel Wood, a little waif from Raleigh. She's from an acting family. Her father, Ira David Wood, is an actor who had a theatre group in the Triangle for years.
The Marilyn Manson-Evan Rachel Wood coupling proves that opposites really do attract.
What I noticed is Victoria Peterson appears to be the only African American in the group. I think most of the African Americans in Durham must recognize that Nifing isn't their champion and that he used them. These are Mikey's personal friends supporting him because he's their personal friend. I have doubts that any besides Peterson and the other woman in the front with a sign actually believe he conducted his duties with "integrity and goodness." This is more, "He was such a good host at the party at his house last year," or "Cy has always been so nice to me," sort of thing rather than any sort of belief that Mike's some martyr for their cause.
I deeply appreciate your comments. My family has been involved with Duke for many years. My uncle was a professor at Duke for almost 20 years; my sister and I both attended Duke; and now my daughter is currently a Duke student. Like you, I have come to believe that I was in denial about some of the events of the past 18 months. Let's face it, Duke has always had its share of "eccentric" professors, that's part of its charm. I believe strongly in academic freedom, including the right to express unpopular political views. Academic freedom, however, includes the responsibility to treat students with respect as individuals, and to not target any group based upon stereotypes as opposed to facts. For example, totally aside from the lacrosse case, who do female Duke students often call upon to escort them to their cars after a late night study session? Often, it's a Duke athlete.......... if you follow the stereotype of the violent sex-crazed jock, that behavior would be just plain crazy.........
I believe a fight for core values at Duke is just getting underway. If you've been reading the Chronicle as the new semester starts, you can see the shots being fired already. This is going to be a very interesting "conversation". I'm hopeful that the faculty, students and alumni will all do their part to ensure that Duke is a place where every student is treated with respect as an individual, without any sort of pre-conceived stereotype..... sounds like something MLK would say, does it not?
Finally, when I was a Duke student, I certainly saw my share of boorish jock behavior. During fraternity rush, we freshmen were greeted by the President of one jock fraternity as he sat on the commode with his pants around his ankles. On the other hand, one of my lab partners was a Duke basketball player......... it seemed as if that guy worked all the time.... he's now a very successful doctor. It all depends on the individual and their choices.... and if you look at Duke students as individuals, they are for the most part, incredibly decent, bright and hard-working, regardless of their economic or ethnic background.
Thank you. You said something very important. It is about the students. As individuals. If we forget that, you -- the students, the parents, the public -- have every right to question our credentials as educators and scholars and our claims of (presumed) superior intelligence.
It is the weak and lazy minds that think only in terms of abstract categories of people and cannot deal with the specificity of each individual case. People who display such attitudes, therefore, have no credible claim to superior intelligence and scholarhsip. Apparently students, parents and the public at large know this. I am appalled at how many professors seem to be unable to understand it.
Another very important thing you said concerns Duke students. They are bright, hard-working and decent. They also make mistakes and at times forget that they are bright, hard-working and decent. Exactly like everybody else. The most distressing aspect of this whole mess has been the characterization of our student body and campus life that I have read and heard. Such characterizations were, are and always will be false. In too many cases, moreover, they were not just false, they were willfully false.
I was reminded today of just how full Durham is of racist black people, the type that still believe the narrative. A woman tried to drive her SUV along a sidewalk at the Durham Farmers Market, after driving around barriers and road closed signs, and only when I slapped her side window did she stop and indignently demand to know why she couldn't drive on the sidewalk. She then called me a racial epithet. Lovely. Hey, I may be what she called me, but at least I wasn't the one driving on the sidewalk. Oh yeah, there were a number of pedestrians trying to get out of this mental midget's way. She said she was handicapped. I for one, am not arguing - she is definitely morally handicapped. And a racist to boot. May god bless this blighted town.
Just returned after 36 hours away. Want to comment on 6:58. YES. I agree. I have said before on this blogsite and others, that some of the missing evidence is in the FOUR ( or more) DNA who were found on Crystal.
I agree. My intuition tells me that Crystal is being protected because of more than her medical history.
THERE IS MORE!
But who would dare go looking for the links??? And would they turn up missing or dead?
As someone previously reminded us:
ReplyDelete"... every day for the rest of your life," Mikey.
$10M per is too low for these craven thugs. Put Durham, the DPD cops, Duke, Nifong, G88--all of them, every single one of them--into bankruptcy. Take their homes, cars, pensions--everything. These idiots still smirk at the presumption of innocence. In so doing, they still smirk at us all.
ReplyDeleteShow. No. Mercy.
This must be a sweet moment for the families of the falsely accused players and the players themselves. But it will be even nicer when the'ry sipping cognac paid for with Nifong's pension money.
ReplyDeleteIt couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy.
Nifong and his supporters march to the Durham Court House..oops! make that Jail House.
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable! As one poster commented earlier , the only thing missing was the sounds of "We Shall Overcome."
Even after AG Roy Cooper's, Lane Williamson's and Judge Osmond Smith's pronunciations, there are still people who believe in Nifong's "integrity and goodness."
K.C. notes: "The procession has to be seen to be believed."
ReplyDeleteI'll go you one further: The "procession" makes me ill.
Not many protesters (supporters)... heck - gimme a day and I could round up 5 times that amount to protest gravity.
ReplyDeleteIf these idiots keep trying to piss people off, the Lax 3 and the remaining 43 will turn Durham's budget and Duke's endowment into a legal pinata. Seriously folks, that $30M shot Durham's taxpayers heard yesterday was simply the tip of a legal iceberg. These lawsuits have serious legs. The attorneys at Williams & Connolly are just going to roll right through anything and everything. Think Gen. Sherman and Atlanta.
ReplyDeleteIn fairness, most of these doofi don't even know Mike Nifong -- they were hustled there by Nifong's preacher brother, who exhorted his flock (is it even in Durham?) to show up in support of his brother.
ReplyDeleteWho knows what pitch was used -- maybe just, my brother is a poor sinner who needs our help. Maybe, the forces of the devil have aligned against my innocent brother?...probably not.
Anyway, with the crowd artificially created by the preacher's religious arm-twisting, it could well be that the crowd's only "true believer" in Mike Nifong was Victoria Peterson, who would profess her believe in the Easter Bunny if she thought it would annoy white people.
What ever happened to our, "Is ____ a Communist?" poster?
ReplyDeletePerhaps he/she was out making red and white signs to waived while singing Cumbayah for Nifong today.
Anyway, I miss ya!
Sick.
ReplyDeleteWhat a collage of frazzled, malformed, and disillusioned people....creating a barrier around Mikey.
Imagine how little those people have going on in their lives to think showing up for that was a good idea.
LOL!!!
LOL!!!
This gives entirely new meaning to the word delusional
ReplyDeleteIt's because of the idiots like these, still defending Nifong (just out of spite that the case didn't go how they wanted) that Durham deserves the 30 mil. lawsuit. Already some Durham bloggers are complaining the Duke 3 are greedy. What did they think all this was- a fun game? They threatened the freedom (and lives) of innocent people. And Durham residents had plenty of time to stop it instead of taking it to the very end. Bring on the lawsuits.
ReplyDeleteOk, I'll ask the obvious question. Any one see any 88 or Bonehead in the crowd?
ReplyDeleteNifong's "integrity and goodness"
ReplyDeleteIf you toss him into a pool that holds the murderers of Durham, he's not that bad a guy.
Many could look up to him for guidance, just as we can with Himan or even Gottlieb in the right circumstances.
Three big cheers for Saacks while we're at it. Takes a dedicated, stand up guy to keep from rolling on fellow employees.
Mikey looks pretty proud in his mug shot. Not the kind of attitude you want to be known for all over the internet.
ReplyDeleteTony Soprano should have a good vid on the mug shot and maybe the procession.
Nice to see the piece by KC and Taylor at the Washington Post. Nice comment on Grace too.
I've been busy with sending a kid off to college and need to catch up on my reading here.
4.42 writes: "Already some Durham bloggers are complaining the Duke 3 are greedy. "
ReplyDeleteOh really? Well, I can't wait for those same Durham residents to start complaining once their *state* taxes also jump through the roof. Just as soon as the lawyers clean Durham's fiscal clock, the next stop for the "redemption express" is the NC State Treasury. After all, Nifong is a *state* employee. And that state employee is in jail this very moment for crimes relating to the Hoax. Hell, he's the easiest target of the bunch and the state coffer is a bigger purse. I hope I'll be able to hear the Bull City morons' screams all the way up here (in the North). In fact, I can't wait.
It is unfortunate that the idiocy of Nifong, his enablers (both on and off campus) and community activistists like this Peterson lady will take 25 million dollars (claims net insurance coverage) from the mouths of the school children of Durham County families to line the pockets of the families of the Dook Three.
ReplyDeleteTo be clear, the Dook 3 deserve every single penny, but the fact that the public coffers will be devastated is a horrible price to pay for the taxpayers of Durham (clearly a subset). None of them elected Nifong in the first place, and most of the taxpayers probably voted against him in the only chance they got.
I just finished reading UPI last night. Amazing work fellas. I was particularly struck by these two of the many nuggets:
1) Crystal's March 2006 boasting to the strip club employee about getting ready to get "paid by those white boys." Anyone see the irony on the fact that those "white boys" are about to get paid (again), this time by the money that would probably have otherwise gone to pay for health care for kids like Crystal's? Putting that irony aside, how was this fact not prominently reported at the time? How is that quote not above the fold in every paper that covered this case? How does Roy Cooper not prosecute her based on this information?
2) I was also struck by the demographic breakdown of the voting by race in the D.A. election. Somehow the overwhelming majority of black voters who pushed Nifong over the top were too short-sighted to see that there are costs to be paid (and the latest number is $30m) when you place political decisions based on knee-jerk allegiance to skin color over the truth and fairness. No, it seems they wanted to get whitey so bad that they didn't care what it costs. The final irony is that they won't pay a dime of this settlement; Durham will just raise taxes on the 45% who voted against Nifong.
One could be forgiven for missing the property ownership prerequisite to voting.
Just random thoughts:
ReplyDelete- I didn't see the fear in Nifong's eyes that I saw in the LAX players eyes when they were required to do their "perp" walk.
- Cy will soon be filing for the big D leaving Mikey to face his financial troubles alone.
- $30M is not enough once taxes, legal fees, etc. are taken out.
- Victoria Peterson makes Forrest Gump look smart.
- All this was orchestrated with Mikey's blessing.
- He could have driven up in his car -- alone -- and been in, in less than a minute.
- CGM is the most expensive piece of a$$ in Durham.
cmf
4:21 - I think you're spot on.
ReplyDeleteWell said Joe T. I have a message for the "Durham bloggers" you mentioned who are complaining about the players being greedy:
ReplyDeleteYour city is broken. Your city is corrupt and its citizenry (at least some of it) is cheering the corruption. You and the rest of the residents of Durham have failed to fix your broken city.
Because of the damage caused by your broken city, outsiders are now preparing to clean it up.
The good news is, your city will be fixed one way or another. Unfortunately, the fact that you failed to fix it for so long has made it costly to repair. The costs will be endured by you and your fellow citizens. That is all.
Well, in some sense Nifong is the sacrificial lamb for Mangum.
ReplyDeleteIntegrity????? Goodness????? Those people are definitely NOT in Wonderland. They're in YaYaLand. Talk about delusional. They almost make Crystal look normal. And we all know that is not even possible!
ReplyDeleteJust curious - does one need a permit in Durham to assemble and march like that?
ReplyDeleteI watched and I still don't believe it!
ReplyDeleteKnowing what I now know about Durham, I CAN believe what I saw. After all, we are speaking of Wonderland.
ReplyDeleteI do hope that Durhamites who supported Nifong and the DPD enjoy paying all the new taxes that will have to be raised to pay for the city's liability. Maybe Durham can hit up Duke for some of its $4 billion endowment.
The New York Times finally has a piece written by one of its own on Nifong's day in prison ("Duke Prosecutor Reports to Jail" by Maria Newman).
ReplyDeleteI guess the Duffster took the day off. Visiting Nancy Grace?
Country clubs call them "assessments". Wonder what Durm will call the stupidity tax they're getting ready to assess? What else would we expect from asses?????
ReplyDeleteVisiting Nancy Grace?
ReplyDeleteHe's probably her Lamaze partner.
:>)
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteWhat ever happened to our, "Is ____ a Communist?" poster?
Perhaps he's unavailable for the next 24 hours?
I hope that the Durhamites who didn't vote for Nifong try to get ahead of the almost certain forthcoming tax increase by insisting that it be a flat rate sales tax, and not a progressive property tax most likely favored by Nifong voters.
ReplyDeleteNancy is busy flaying small rodents in her basement.
ReplyDeleteNo remorse, no sympathy. I truly think whatever happens from here on out with regards to the legal pursuit of justice will in some small way help the families move on. I find it amazing that Durham residents would openly support such an unethical person as Mr.Nifong and complain that the 3 students were being greedy. It shows that nothing was learned by many in Durham.
ReplyDeleteI hope Mrs. Evans prediction comes true and Mr.Nifong's life is ruined. I also hope everyone else who is sued pays up big and feels the pain for a long, long time. This is the price they pay for their own prejudice and hatred. Many colleges have town/gown issues, but this one is dangerous, you can get 30 years for going to a noisy party.
I wonder why so many are wearing dark sunglasses. Are they afraid of being recognized?
ReplyDeleteIf Cooper won't do it (and since he is a Democrat with higher political aspirations, forget it), the Dook 3 need to sue Crystal personally once all the other lawsuits settle. Once they have gotten their metric ton of flesh from the County, City, State and individuals acting outside the scope of their authority, they need to tee one up, just the three of them versus her (which, time-stamped pictures tell us, is a first).
ReplyDeleteIf Florida Gator is around anywhere----please put up a link to KC's WNBC appearance in New York in the morning.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
[Sarcasm]
ReplyDeleteRecommended activity for Nifong during his short stay in the Durham bighouse, located appropriately on S. Mangum St. (you can't make this stuff up).
1.) Reading: Faust, -Marlowe or Goethe it doesn't matter, whatever the jail provides.
2.) Listing pleasure, to be piped into Nifongs cell: Faust, -Gounod with Victoria Peterson as Marguerite. But who will play Mephistopheles? Certainly not Sgt. Gottlieb (trans Dear God), that might be considered blasphemy. Any ideas?
3.) Friday Night at the movies: (you guessed it) Faust (1926), -F.W. Murnau
The G88 should also take notice! Wasn't Faust a University professor?
[/Sarcasm]
Take a look at that video again.
ReplyDeleteThese are the types of people who make almost everyone in the Triangle shy away from Durham.
Look how goofy Mikey's attorney comes off.
She answers a reporter's question with a solemn tone...as if Mikey is some noble hero on the cross.
It's totally sick, but you see how few black Durham residents showed up. Most knew the charges were false. They were just happy for the show that Nifong provided for them.
Cowards.
They sat back...then voted for this criminal...but in the end were too ashamed to put their mugs where their votes were when helping to railroad three innocent men.
This is what most observers take away from these civil rights buffoons.
Is Victoria Peterson a Communist?
ReplyDeleteSorry, my wireless connection petered out on me today.
4:21
ReplyDelete"...legal pinata..."
hahahahahahahahahaha
So you think Mangum is still out walking the streets because of Cooper's political aspirations? I think there is more to it than that.
ReplyDeleteCrystal is radioactive. Nobody in Durham wants to prosecute her, even when she steals a car and tries to run over a LEO.
It's more than politics. Somebody is being protected.
Buffoons all. And what gall to mimic a civil rights march with the holding hands bit.
ReplyDeletePathetic and undignified as only this jerk Nifong can do it. What an ass.
beckett
TO 6:58PM--
ReplyDeleteSome years back there was some hoopla about a prostitution ring inside the DPD.
Jackie O'Neil, the police chief before Chalmers, was sued for sexual harassment...or something like that.
A Durham resident can elaborate or correct me on this.
It's conceivable that Mangum has a history of servicing these people.
Oops!
ReplyDeleteI think his name is Jackie McNeil.
Can't keep up with irish names.
:>)
@Debrah 6:41 PM. KC has posted a link to WNBC in New York for his appearance in the morning. I looked at the site and it doesn't appear to have any live-feeds. I think we have been very fortunate to have had many live-feeds and podcast. We may just be out of luck on this one.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I enjoy your posts.
just saw your request at lie-stoppers,but I don't know how to post there.My husband went to a Borders to buy a copy of your book and none were there.
ReplyDeleteDurham has a real problem because of this and it's not just because of the untold millions that will be ripped from its coffers.
ReplyDeleteTheir image has taken a deadly hit.
The town cheerleaders can protest this all they wish, but the buzz is everywhere on the streets.
I was out and about shopping today and was talking to a clerk in a Streets of Southpointe store. He was very anxious to explain that he lived in Cary...not Durham.
It's that way everywhere you go in the Triangle.
Last year a couple from Hawaii moved across the street from me. The guy had to be treated at Duke's Cancer Center and during our conversations he said that they chose the Chapel Hill area because of the bad reputation Durham has.
Durham residents complain about their negative image, but everyone knows they've brought it on themselves.
Durham could be a great place...if only they understood they can't run the city like a Third World country.
Duke University is there--one of the best medical facilities in the world. There are so many fabulous restaurants there and I have always enjoyed the eclectic atmosphere.
It's both highbrow and gritty.
Unfortunately, the gritty side always wins.
TO Florida Gator--
ReplyDeleteThanks for informing me.
And thank you so much for your past links!
:>)
tch tch... just sitting here listening to '''ahem....!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd just saw her "diva page".... jesus! Need I say more?
K.C. is an incredible man ... I want to meet him in person one of these days! Drats, I missed him when he was promoting his book on the G'Morning show..!
The triumph of "narrative" over honesty. Malice posturing as benevolence and Caring. Viewed in the context of the horrors inflicted on their victims, that is what Nifongs fans exemplify in the clip.
ReplyDeleteAnd now to make our perennial troll's day: Are they communists? [expletive] yes! Or they might as well be. They are like the enablers of Castro, Mao, and the rest in their capacity to evade overwhelming evidence.
Those who believe absurdities commit atrocities.
Two points:
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why someone with any power and influence in Durham with half a brain didn't go to Nifong and tell him to submit quietly without a cavalcade of buffoons attendant. He needs to be out of the public eye permanently. As KC and Stuart said on the Washington Post Radio Show today, the Duke 3 have a devastating case against Durham and its officials - why permit Nifong and his gang of fools to put on a spectacle reflecting a total lack of contrition? Why inflame the other side when you have one of the worst positions possible? I just don't get it - it isn't just arrogance - its more than that - it is astounding stupidity.
2. I laugh when Durham and Nifong supporters accuse the Duke 3 of being greedy. Greedy? Heck, the number they are asking for is so high because their case is strong. And do they want that much money? Likely not - Duke's princely sum already paid out (and one can bet it was substantial) is financing the legal action, and I intuit they want to bring Durham to its knees - meaning a clean sweep of the corrupt regime that runs the place. And what better way to do it than seek a judgment that would require Durham to float a bond issue? And let's not kid ourselves - the threat of that kind of judgment really coerces another objective - that of a criminal inquiry against Nifong and the DPD and others in Durham. And that is no doubt what will happen. Greedy? No they are smart - and Rae Evans was absolutely right when she said they picked on the wrong people - and oh will Durham know it. It always astounds me when people of limited intelligence and skill fail to recognize just that - and what can happen to them when really smart people with resources take a run at their exhaust pipe.
Just watched the video and you know what I got out of it? He doesn't have the cajones to take his perp walk by himself. Wimp.
ReplyDeletePaybacks are not only hell, Nifong, they're going to be VERY expensive!
Why only $30M? For the aggravation, intimidation, persecution, and humiliation that Reade, Collin, and Dave were put through, $30M is a drop in the bucket. The legal fees will take a chuck out of this amount. Why not have the parents sue to recoup those legal fees?
ReplyDeleteThe cesspool that is Durm will pay for it's support of Mikey and the potbangers. Duke will go down too. The administration and most of the faculty have chosen the path down which they want to go. Not all choices are good ones. Pathetic is a better descriptor for the choice. Oh well.
The perverted perp walk video is surreal and bizarre -- only fitting.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to let KC know that I went by a Barnes & Noble to look for his book. With my typical luck, I got the last copy they had. Now I've made a margarita (with salt) and I'm fixin' to sit a spell with it.
ReplyDeleteRRH
We know now that Mike Nifong is a liar, dumb, dishonest, likes to spend tax-payer money and is eager to advance racial hatred.
ReplyDeleteToo bad there isn't any job opportunities in this country for people like Mike!
Seriously, is it too early to join Nifong2008 bandwagon? He will be professor Nifong by Nov 2008, and congressman Nifong the next month. Future head of house subcommittee of ethics ?
I wish I hadn't been drinking cola as I watched the video. It nearly ended up on my keyboard on the "he's just doing his job!" line (that was Victoria Peterson, yes?) Sorry, Vicky, but this isn't Nifong's "job". It's what he has to do because he didn't do the job of the district attorney, which is to seek justice.
ReplyDeleteThere's an ABC show on now about the Dateline NBC sting show in Murphy Texas where police were directed by Dateline NBC on the sting operations. The DA told police that it was a very bad idea and the police violated due process on all of the people arrested were released.
ReplyDeletePolice drew their weapons as part of the performance.
There were police officers that resigned in disgust.
Wonder what Gottlieb and Wilson think of that.
On the comments for the post "Questions for the Blue Committee" there was a fascinating statement. I quote it here and aplogize ahead of time for it being off topic, but it's important. 'No justice, no peace' states a position and a prof responds, to wit:
ReplyDelete"NJNP, you say:
Inre: "11:02--Trust me..."
That is the whole point. Few ever trusted you in first place and those remaining will never trust the likes of you and yours again.
Those closest to you realize there is no upside in associating with you. Do you sense the movement away? What about returned phone calls? What about people politely excusing themselves from you at parties? It is ever so slight...listen...watch...observe...
You no longer get invited to play cards. You see, knowlingly sending innocent people to prison for thirty years is worse than being a cheater at cards. Abetting those who exhibit deplorable racist behavior after-the-fact is even worse.
The light switch is on.
Anything said, written, or relayed will be challenged, written-off, or deeply discounted.
And that is from the people who give you the benefit of the doubt.
Most are well beyond that and will actively try to deconstruct the foundations of what little power you thought you had.
9/6/07 12:08 PM
======================
This is a very important point. I am on the A&S faculty at Duke and would have never imagined that some of my colleagues could do this kind of thing, and try to defend it with the arguments I have been seeing: the intellectual and moral dishonesty of what they say and write is arresting.
Now I know, and I imagine I am not the only one who has taken notice in recent months.
I don't have yet a clear sense of what might happen but as NJNP suggests, these people have lost my trust and from now on I will take everything they say very differently: I fear that I will second-guess them and assume the worst unless proven wrong.
I have read UPI and find it well researched and honest, even when I disagree with it. How anyone can think that attacking KC's (presumed) politics or the ranking of his institution (relative to Duke?) is a serious critique escapes me. (According to this argument McClain should not have been hired at Duke...)
If the best that they can do to discredit the book is come here and write this kind of nonsense, admitting that they have not read it and plan not to, then I can only shake my head in disbelief. The more they do this kind of thing, the more people will scrutinize their qualifications and wonder whether Duke in fact has a double standard.
9/7/07 9:48 PM
_________________________________
YES! There are indeed intellectually honest professors at Duke. Please speak louder and sign your name. Take a stand!
I'm reading the first chapter of UPI -- "Duke: The Party School".
ReplyDeleteKC to get an idea of what REAL college partying was (in the 1970s), imagine this: Take 3 years off the drinking age; no AIDS; hell, no herpes for that matter; and, if a cop stopped you and asked if you were drinking and driving and you said "no", he'd say, "Why the hell not??" (Finally enough refugees from Yankeedom moved down and Texas raised banned drinking while driving in 1987).
If you can imagine that, you can start to imagine a REAL party school. It's still #2 on the Princeton Institute's List of Top Ten Party Schools in the latest survey.
Oh, but G.W. Bush was rejected for admission to our grad school -- luckily he had Harvard to fall back on. :)
RRH
I posted this over at the liestoppers board -- thought
ReplyDeletepeople might get a kick out of it here:
Here is the extended version of Victoria Peterson's Sign that
she carried this morning in support of convicted inmate Michael Nifong (TV only showed the short
version of her sign :) )
"We believe in your integrity and goodness" despite the fact that you:
- willfully tried to put three innocent young men in prison for 30 years
- lied repeatedly in and out of the courtroom to judges, grand jurors,
defense lawyers, state bar officials, media persons, etc
-- obstructed justice in countless ways including intimidation
and coercion of witnesses
-- wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars of Durham taxpayer
money on this whole fiasco (with many more millions to come)
-- stirred up racial tensions and exploited them to win an election
-- fed the media false information behind the scenes, and orchestrated
horrendously biased media coverage
-- totally dismissed, and made fun of, any evidence that exonerated the players
-- violated the civil rights of all the Lacrosse players over and over again,
including their FERPA rights
-- caused a lot of emotional pain, fear, tears, stress, sleepless nights, and financial
hardship to the families and relatives of the falsely accused former defendants
We don't care about any of these egregious, criminal offenses because they were
all for the purpose of putting "privileged" white boys in jail, and that is always
a good thing no matter the truth, no matter their innocence.
The Group of 88 have signed the back of this sign. They all said to say hello
and that they will forever be indebted to you for giving them a "cause celebre."
The Group of 88 also said:
it's a real shame that the truth had to come out BUT, hey, President Brodhead
covered our butts, so you be sure to cover your butt in prison -- haha --
just kidding -- let's do it again some time -- look us up when you get out
I thought the video was extremely sad. There is no joy in the self-destruction of this man, his life and career in flames around him by his own doing. It looked to me like he was holding hands to keep from falling over.
ReplyDeleteI am elated that the young men he tried to use have been vindicated. Nifong's punishment may be some small measure of justice in this case, but this is not an occassion for joy.
IMHO
-RD
TO 10:33PM--
ReplyDeleteNo, this is a good day.
If only there were more like this one.
Sometimes what goes around......
Only some of the Durham blogs are complaining that the Duke 3 are "greedy". Most of them, (including the statewide blog Blue NC; the ridiculous Rachel's Tavern; the Mark Anthony Neal dopey blog) aren't even mentioning Nifong's jail stay and the lawsuits. It's so funny to see them writing about this and that minor b.s. in Durham and ignoring the monstrous elephant in the room.
ReplyDeleteRD: I *might* agree more with you if only Nifong had expressed the smallest bit of remorse over the past couple of months. Instead, he appeared to apologize only when it would benefit him. He is STILL calling Crystal Magnum the "victim" in all this. He has made it very obvious he still thinks "something happened." He should have told his "supporters" that he could and should do this alone. Their attitude of complete disregard for the real victims of this hoax are completely at odds with the demeanor he should have portrayed on his way to jail today. I don't think anyone's joyful about this. He has brought every bit of misery upon himself, and there's a lot more coming. If I had to bet, I'd bet on civil and criminal charges.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Inman at 10:17 PM ... I left a comment there at the post "Questions for the Blue Committee".
ReplyDeleteRRH
To 10:53PM--
ReplyDeleteDoes our main man "thug" really have a blog?
We need to check it out.
I don't remember when I have ever had the intellectual **** choked out of me.
I do hope the exciting orchid-as-vulva pheromone king of love Michael Hardt shows up to dish!
Thrilling.
10:53 -you made me check out Rachel's Tavern "Race, Gender, and Sexuality from a Sociological Perspective"
ReplyDeleteMy my what would they do without those three words:R-G-S
Anyway Rachel had a June 26 post It’s About Interracial Sex Folks which references the "Duke Rape" case [her words] to which a "Mike" replied on July 8th. Look at Rachels only comeback:
Mike John on July 8th, 2007 5:02 am
--------------------------------
You’re still calling it the “Duke rape” case? My, how we hold on to what we wish was the truth.
Rachel on July 8th, 2007 2:49 pm
--------------------------------
Mike, Go away troll.
-RD
ReplyDelete9/7/07 10:33 PM
======================
Hey man--wrong, totally wrong. I don't mean to insult you but this is very silly and softheaded thinking. In fact, it's plain stupid.
Sweet dreams tonight, Mikey.
ReplyDeleteMN wanted to make himself look like MLK walking to the Selma jail. The man has not a shred of decency or humility. I bet many there were po'd that the Nifong Family Reunion Softball Game was interrupted because of this farce. The whole lot had to eat shriveled dogs and dry burgers.
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is that the dope Rachel who runs Rachel's Tavern doesn't live in Durham so she won't be affected by the lawsuits. But if she's so sure the Duke 3 were guilty of SOMETHING, maybe she'll send some cash of her own down to Durham to help cover the lawsuits? Marcotte too?
ReplyDeleteInman @ 10:17pm
ReplyDeleteThanks. Please know that I am just one of many, many more than people think.
Duke is not rotten to the core. There might be a battle for its core brewing. Much depends on how many of us who are not activists, just professors, and were not paying attention to university politics, will now start paying attention.
I was not paying attention. I assumed that high standard applied everywhere at Duke. I assumed that we all shared the same values of honesty, integrity and caring for students and respect for each other that Prof. Coleman and Prof. Gustafson -- to name two that went public -- so eloquently embody. Apparently I was wrong. Apparently some of us are held, and hold themselves, to higher standards than others.
Like many others, I was following the case but not really paying attention. The enormity of what I have seen when I started paying attention has not sunk in yet.
I understand why reactions to KC's profiles, and now the book, are so strong. They know that one of the things that KC is doing is telling people like me that we should open our eyes. What they don't seem to understand is that incoherent, vicious and dishonest attacks on him, rather than his evidence and arguments, make me more curious, not less.
The rambling of the poster that prompted my comment earlier struck me as dishonest to the core. Innuendo about the other's sinister motives and boasting of one's presumed superior credentials based on superior school affiliation is not how scholars -- and just plain, decent people -- argue. I do hope that person is not on the Duke faculty. Whatever my colleagues did is bad enough and at this point they really don't need that kind of help that only makes their case look more foolish.
OMG Deb...that is such a great MM video!!! That song has long languished in the poorly done interpretation of Annie Lenox...This is much more the intent of the poet. And much more what Mikey should be thinking aobut tonight.
ReplyDeleteTO sulax88--
ReplyDeleteI thought so as well. Started to use the Annie Lenox version until I saw this one. Mikey must be having lots of those kinds of dreams lately. LOL!
I'm not a MM fan, but think he's ceative and interesting.
BTW, he is now involved with Evan Rachel Wood, a little waif from Raleigh. She's from an acting family. Her father, Ira David Wood, is an actor who had a theatre group in the Triangle for years.
The Marilyn Manson-Evan Rachel Wood coupling proves that opposites really do attract.
What I noticed is Victoria Peterson appears to be the only African American in the group. I think most of the African Americans in Durham must recognize that Nifing isn't their champion and that he used them. These are Mikey's personal friends supporting him because he's their personal friend. I have doubts that any besides Peterson and the other woman in the front with a sign actually believe he conducted his duties with "integrity and goodness." This is more, "He was such a good host at the party at his house last year," or "Cy has always been so nice to me," sort of thing rather than any sort of belief that Mike's some martyr for their cause.
ReplyDeleteDuke prof at 1:31 am:
ReplyDeleteI deeply appreciate your comments. My family has been involved with Duke for many years. My uncle was a professor at Duke for almost 20 years; my sister and I both attended Duke; and now my daughter is currently a Duke student. Like you, I have come to believe that I was in denial about some of the events of the past 18 months. Let's face it, Duke has always had its share of "eccentric" professors, that's part of its charm. I believe strongly in academic freedom, including the right to express unpopular political views. Academic freedom, however, includes the responsibility to treat students with respect as individuals, and to not target any group based upon stereotypes as opposed to facts. For example, totally aside from the lacrosse case, who do female Duke students often call upon to escort them to their cars after a late night study session? Often, it's a Duke athlete.......... if you follow the stereotype of the violent sex-crazed jock, that behavior would be just plain crazy.........
I believe a fight for core values at Duke is just getting underway. If you've been reading the Chronicle as the new semester starts, you can see the shots being fired already. This is going to be a very interesting "conversation". I'm hopeful that the faculty, students and alumni will all do their part to ensure that Duke is a place where every student is treated with respect as an individual, without any sort of pre-conceived stereotype..... sounds like something MLK would say, does it not?
Finally, when I was a Duke student, I certainly saw my share of boorish jock behavior. During fraternity rush, we freshmen were greeted by the President of one jock fraternity as he sat on the commode with his pants around his ankles. On the other hand, one of my lab partners was a Duke basketball player......... it seemed as if that guy worked all the time.... he's now a very successful doctor. It all depends on the individual and their choices.... and if you look at Duke students as individuals, they are for the most part, incredibly decent, bright and hard-working, regardless of their economic or ethnic background.
Dear Duke1965 @ 12:49pm
ReplyDeleteThank you. You said something very important. It is about the students. As individuals. If we forget that, you -- the students, the parents, the public -- have every right to question our credentials as educators and scholars and our claims of (presumed) superior intelligence.
It is the weak and lazy minds that think only in terms of abstract categories of people and cannot deal with the specificity of each individual case. People who display such attitudes, therefore, have no credible claim to superior intelligence and scholarhsip. Apparently students, parents and the public at large know this. I am appalled at how many professors seem to be unable to understand it.
Another very important thing you said concerns Duke students. They are bright, hard-working and decent. They also make mistakes and at times forget that they are bright, hard-working and decent. Exactly like everybody else. The most distressing aspect of this whole mess has been the characterization of our student body and campus life that I have read and heard. Such characterizations were, are and always will be false. In too many cases, moreover, they were not just false, they were willfully false.
I was reminded today of just how full Durham is of racist black people, the type that still believe the narrative. A woman tried to drive her SUV along a sidewalk at the Durham Farmers Market, after driving around barriers and road closed signs, and only when I slapped her side window did she stop and indignently demand to know why she couldn't drive on the sidewalk. She then called me a racial epithet. Lovely. Hey, I may be what she called me, but at least I wasn't the one driving on the sidewalk. Oh yeah, there were a number of pedestrians trying to get out of this mental midget's way. She said she was handicapped. I for one, am not arguing - she is definitely morally handicapped. And a racist to boot. May god bless this blighted town.
ReplyDeleteJust returned after 36 hours away. Want to comment on 6:58. YES. I agree. I have said before on this blogsite and others, that some of the missing evidence is in the FOUR ( or more) DNA who were found on Crystal.
ReplyDeleteI agree. My intuition tells me that Crystal is being protected because of more than her medical history.
THERE IS MORE!
But who would dare go looking for the links??? And would they turn up missing or dead?
Beginning to sound like Grisham novel material.
To 10:55PM--
ReplyDeleteLook inside the tunnels of the DPD off Duke Street.
())))))))))))) Uttered with the ominous tone of an incarcerated Hannibal Lechter ((((((((((((()
Run! Run, Clarice!
Would some of the great legal minds who blog here please tell us WHY Crystal Magnam has not been charged?
ReplyDeleteI believe that this will someday come back to haunt the "Innocents".
The legal process that would even validate that she was incompetent to stand trial would be further evidence of the HOAX.
NOBODY who did what she did should go scott free.
WHY has she not been indicted?