tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post8137372419823546625..comments2024-02-24T05:19:10.949-05:00Comments on Durham-in-Wonderland: The Early Birdkcjohnson9http://www.blogger.com/profile/09625813296986996867noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-78204610099309135452007-04-05T16:18:00.000-04:002007-04-05T16:18:00.000-04:00Every single word KC has written is true. I saw Ea...Every single word KC has written is true. I saw Early for daus saying this stuff..I have not seen him for a few months - any ideas what has happened to him? Kimberly Guilfoil ranting on Sean and Alans show. Sean told her"You were wrong about Duke" She was stunned. we are suposed to forget this stuff.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-63949833980040562972007-04-05T11:51:00.000-04:002007-04-05T11:51:00.000-04:00Re: Cherry Creek Editorial:Wow! What an editorial....Re: Cherry Creek Editorial:<BR/><BR/>Wow! What an editorial. Thanks for posting it. <BR/><BR/>Durham LawyerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-13716482900575083052007-04-04T21:34:00.000-04:002007-04-04T21:34:00.000-04:00I, for one, am damn tired of out-of-state know-it-...I, for one, am damn tired of out-of-state know-it-alls impugning the integrity of Joe Cheshire, Wade Smith and the now late Kirk Osborne.<BR/><BR/>Mr. Early deserveth our scorn and rebuke.<BR/><BR/>TaterConAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-49930537085095835572007-04-04T21:23:00.000-04:002007-04-04T21:23:00.000-04:00I remember the performance by Norm Early very "ear...I remember the performance by Norm Early very "early" in this case.<BR/><BR/>As a huge admirer of Dan Abrams--(love and kisses to you Dan !!!)--I watched his show with interest before he became an executive of MSNBC.<BR/><BR/>He covered this case in a phenomenal way. Tucker tries, but cannot match Dan.<BR/><BR/>I recall vividly the appearances by Norm Early and Georgia Goslee.<BR/><BR/>At first...always....you want to hope that two black "legal eagles" are behaving professionally and that they have an education that "took"....however, we now see them both for what they are in bold relief.<BR/><BR/>Sad, that.<BR/><BR/>IMO, beyond Norm Early's disgusting support of the criminal Mike Nifong is his use of the English language. <BR/><BR/>To wit:<BR/><BR/><I>None of us know what happened that night.</I><BR/><I>None of us were there.......</I><BR/><BR/><BR/>DebrahAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-67146130418467002072007-04-04T19:49:00.000-04:002007-04-04T19:49:00.000-04:00Actually Mr. Early's contribution to the hoax had ...Actually Mr. Early's contribution to the hoax had drawn some highly critical attention from a local paper in Denver called the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle and Mr. Early indicated at a breakfast recently that he wanted to punch out the person he blamed for the editorial. The editorial came out in early January.<BR/><BR/>Editorial — Glendale Cherry Creek <BR/> Chronicle<BR/>Norm Early<BR/>Destroying DAs’ Reputations<BR/><BR/>It is sometimes said that the best job in the world for a lawyer to have is being a district attorney, since your only obligation is to seek truth and do honest justice. Most lawyers’ job duties do not necessarily share those same exalted goals. <BR/>As a result most citizens, while they do not like lawyers in general, do have a very high opinion of district attorneys. One person who has personally enjoyed a very high reputation is former Denver District Attorney Norm Early. As Denver District Attorney he represented the Denver portion of the Cherry Creek Valley from 1983 to 1996. He was even the leading candidate for mayor in 1991, but was upset by fellow African American Wellington Webb. He has garnered numerous community service and professional awards since going into private practice and was the founder and first president of the National Black District Attorneys Association <BR/>But while it takes a long time to build up a great reputation, it takes only a very short time to destroy one. Ever since Mr. Early became the television spokesman for the National Association of District Attorneys he seems hell bent on damaging his own reputation and unfairly besmirching the reputation of district attorneys everywhere. <BR/>Instead of holding prosecutors to the high standards to which most district attorneys adhere, he appears to believe that his job is to act like a shop steward for a corrupt union — always publicly justifying the unjustifiable. <BR/>He started out by making a fool of himself in the Kobe Bryant rape prosecution by publicly demanding that the press call the accuser the “victim” rather than an “alleged victim” on the apparent basis that charges must be deemed true until shown to be false, reversing hundreds of years of American jurisprudence. <BR/>His antics became so bad that fellow former district attorney and KHOW radio host Craig Silverman publicly castigated him, declaring, “Norm Early is a virtual partner on the Kobe Bryant prosecution team.” When that prosecution fell apart, Norm Early’s reputation took a hit, but nothing like what has happened to it in the recent Duke lacrosse rape prosecution.<BR/>In that prosecution, in case you have been on a deserted island for the last year, a black stripper/prostitute alleged that 20, then 10, then five, then three white Duke lacrosse players raped her at an off-campus party. The police initially gave her ever-changing allegations little credence. But then Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong, in order to win an upcoming election, set about to frame three Duke lacrosse players in order to garner the black vote. <BR/>He did so by setting up a crooked lineup process and then criminally hiding exculpatory DNA evidence. He could carry on his corrupt prosecution only with the cheerleading of some members of the media, and on television, his leading enabler was none other than Norm Early. <BR/>Crooked lineup? No problem, declared Early on MSNBC’s “Dan Abrams Show.” The process was “not suggestive” at all and in fact must be o.k because, well, a district attorney did it. He once again became so unbearable that the leading commentator on the case, K.C. Johnson, a Brooklyn College professor, declared, “his consistent, vehement, defenses of Nifong have left the uncomfortable impression that Early believes that prosecutors all across the country behave as Nifong has done.”<BR/>Well they don’t. Most district attorneys are honest and actually try to do the right thing. When the “victim” in this case amazingly admitted that she could no longer remember if she had been raped, as opposed to sexually assaulted, Early expressed surprise that Nifong didn’t drop all the charges. The answer was clear to everyone, but Norm Early — Nifong is a corrupt prosecutor.<BR/>Not only has Nifong’s reputation been destroyed, but also because of Early’s positions on television, the National Association of District Attorneys now appears to some to be a highly disreputable group. It is not a good thing when citizens believe that all or even many district attorneys are crooked, when the same is simply not the case.<BR/>For all of us who supported Norm Early for Denver mayor in the 1990s believing him to be an honest and upright individual, his performances on television are highly painful. The Duke rape hoax has revealed heroes like black Duke law professor James Coleman, while exposing goats like Norm Early. For the sake of district attorneys throughout the United States, Mr. Early simply needs to cease being their national spokesman and, for that matter, the spokesman for any group that has any interest in maintaining a good reputation with the public.<BR/> <BR/> — Editorial BoardAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-15701039113876229462007-04-04T18:25:00.000-04:002007-04-04T18:25:00.000-04:00Deck Stacking vs. Truth Telling:"Many legal outcom...<B>Deck Stacking vs. Truth Telling:</B><BR/><BR/>"Many legal outcomes can be explained, and future cases predicted, by asking a very simple question: is there a plausible result in this case that will significantly affect the interests of the legal profession (positively or negatively)? If so, the case will always be decided in the way that offers the best result for the legal profession." – Benjamin Barton, University of Tennessee - College of Law - http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=976478 (via Instapundit)Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11455115946266214907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-89796722581597083582007-04-04T17:40:00.000-04:002007-04-04T17:40:00.000-04:005:15yes, nifong should be placed in prison for 15 ...5:15<BR/><BR/>yes, nifong should be placed in prison for 15 years for what he attempted to do<BR/><BR/>unfortunately, black and lawyer privilege obtains in our topsy-turvy worldAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-9933715686108657892007-04-04T17:15:00.000-04:002007-04-04T17:15:00.000-04:00Mr. Chitwood,Nifong should be disbarred and put in...Mr. Chitwood,<BR/><BR/>Nifong should be disbarred and put in jail. Do you support that? Or perhaps you think putting a prosecutor in jail for trying to railroad three innocent men is too high a standard.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-63520163091392077822007-04-04T15:30:00.000-04:002007-04-04T15:30:00.000-04:00In the interest of full disclosure, I am a prosecu...In the interest of full disclosure, I am a prosecutor. I am also an NDAA member. I have found it to be a very reputable and honorable organization. I do not know Norm Early. Today, I placed a call to the headquarters of the NDAA and spoke with their media relations director Velva Walker. She stated that the NDAA had in the past contracted with Mr. Early to work with the NDAA. I don't know the exact relationship but I believe the relationship has been severed. If anyone is interested in the exact relationship and the pertinent dates, a call to the organization could clarify the matter. As a member, I intend to write the NDAA an encourage the organization to take a position regarding Mr. Nifong's handling of the "Duke rape case". However, as should be painfully evident to everyone, especially members of the group of 88, commenting on a pending case before you have all of the evidence can be fraught with peril.<BR/><BR/>Secondly, I have not seen or read the actual interviews with Mr. Early. Based upon K.C. Johnson's blog, it would appear to me that Mr. Early initially gave Mr. Nifong the benefit of the doubt. It also appears that he was deceived by Mr. Nifong as were many others in the Durham community. Clearly, many members of the Durham community were complicit in the deception because of their own agendas. I can't say if this was the case with Mr. Early. If the dates in K.C. Johnson's blog are accurate, then Mr. Early's continued defense of Mr. Nifong as late as December of last year is indefensible. Mr. Early should have realized that there was reason to doubt Mr. Nifong long before December of last year.<BR/><BR/>Lastly, I consider Durham-in-Wonderland to be an reasonably objective source of information regarding the "Duke rape case". Even though I am a prosecutor and taking into consideration my admonition against commenting on pending cases, if what I have read about Mr. Nifong is true then he should be disbarred. It is that simple. It is my belief that most prosecutors feel this way. In spite of the opinions expressed in the comments to K.C. Johnson's original post, most prosecutors solely seek the truth and are not concerned with wins and losses.Kent Chitwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05310389941428845318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-66813555223234527502007-04-04T13:48:00.000-04:002007-04-04T13:48:00.000-04:00"We have to presume Mike Nifong is a man of interg..."We have to presume Mike Nifong is a man of intergrity."<BR/><BR/>We do? Why? That sounds dangerous. Does this presumption apply to all prosecutors and public officials or just Mike Nifong?<BR/><BR/>I guess if Early had been a Talking Head during Watergate he would have told us that we have to presume Richard Nixon is a man of integrity. I guess those impeachment hearings and all that running around Woodward and Bernstein did was totally unnecessary. We should have just presumed intergrity and forgotten the whole thing.<BR/><BR/>This attitude doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the NDAA or prosecutors in general.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-40175539338979514292007-04-04T12:43:00.000-04:002007-04-04T12:43:00.000-04:00This story about Early fits nicely, it seems to me...This story about Early fits nicely, it seems to me, with B. Andersons most recent (and excellent) posting.<BR/> Here is how: A source of a lot of mischeif from the start of this has been created by commenters saying "DAs do not go forward unless they have something, therefore Nifong must have something." This outlook is obviously widespread and entrenched. Early represents merely an extreme example of it.<BR/> So, if the SP is looking for a good way out, they really must take this widespread belief head on. They need to bluntly state that the case was made up out of thin air by a small number of extra-ordinarily corrupt individuals and then enabled by a lot of folks who meant well but were easily led astray by their reasonable assumption that DAs tell the truth.<BR/> If the SP makes that plain enough, and perhaps issues an apology, there is a chance that a non-destructive outcome might yet be achieved. If they try anything less than this level of honesty, it will only make this mess worse because people are going to learn, more and more, that it was all a hoax and that many prominent people basically knew that but kept silent. <BR/> In other words, attempting a "cover up" is bad politics when there is little they can do to avoid the truth coming out. <BR/> The thing is, in this case, a DA plainly did exactly what these pundits said they never do. If the legal establishment listened to me about this, I would tell them to stop pretending otherwise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-82143108798927426212007-04-04T12:18:00.000-04:002007-04-04T12:18:00.000-04:00Early--another unintelligent black in a position ...Early--another unintelligent black in a position of power:<BR/><BR/>YAWN<BR/><BR/>That's what this case is all about--affirmative action and black privilegeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-91950391466932127252007-04-04T11:16:00.000-04:002007-04-04T11:16:00.000-04:0066th Annual Peabody Awards Winners Announced60 Min...66th Annual Peabody Awards Winners Announced<BR/><BR/>60 Minutes: The Duke Rape Case CBS<BR/> A "60 Minutes" team led by correspondent Ed Bradley delved into the allegations of rape against Duke University lacrosse players and stopped a<BR/>prosecutorial rush to judgment in its tracks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-35768142963852752202007-04-04T11:06:00.000-04:002007-04-04T11:06:00.000-04:00Read the WSJ editorial page this morning. (4/4/07)...Read the WSJ editorial page this morning. (4/4/07) Patrick Fitzgerald deserves a good Nifonging and he is trying to deep six his documentation so that no one can demonstrate what he was up to.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-71489228210678194742007-04-04T10:54:00.000-04:002007-04-04T10:54:00.000-04:00Early was really bad. Even when Nifong said he fi...Early was really bad. <BR/><BR/>Even when Nifong said he finally interviewed the accuser, and then dropped the rape charge, to get around the newly revealed DNA evidence that he tried to hide, Early made some god-awful, mumbo-jumbo defense of this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-89000441609638979702007-04-04T10:52:00.000-04:002007-04-04T10:52:00.000-04:00To 10:24:I've always heard that the French system ...To 10:24:<BR/><BR/>I've always heard that the French system was not adversarial, but rather "inquisitorial." Is that correct? And what does that mean? In particular, what are the roles of lawyers in the French system?<BR/><BR/>Durham LawyerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-9807426047299924732007-04-04T10:24:00.000-04:002007-04-04T10:24:00.000-04:00To nc ob/gyn at 9:13:00 AM,What you said about "se...To nc ob/gyn at 9:13:00 AM,<BR/><BR/>What you said about "seeking truth [not being] what a trial was about" is a little off (regardless of what some lawyers may have told you). True enough, neither side in a civil trial is looking for "truth." Each is looking to win. However, the rationale behind the system is that if each side tries very hard to win, the truth will prevail most of the time. Certainly, for the judge and/or jury, a trial should be about seeking truth. <BR/><BR/>Criminal cases are somewhat different. In theory, the State (the Nifongs and other D.A.s of the world) should be seeking truth, even if it sometimes puts the State at a slight disadvantage to the criminal defense bar (which is pretty damn rare, I suspect). Unfortunately, an adversarial legal system and a democratic political system produce great presures on a D.A. to seek victory over truth, just like the lawyers in a civil case and just like the criminal defense lawyers in criminal cases. Hopefully, the checks on the D.A.'s power (trial judges, juries, appellate courts, and the electorate) will usually work. As a check on governmental power, I prefer our system to that of the French, for example.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-89644801699450987652007-04-04T10:21:00.000-04:002007-04-04T10:21:00.000-04:00I am so glad you have called Norm Early to task. ...I am so glad you have called Norm Early to task. Unlike other commentators,who were usually generic "former prosecutors" or "defense lawyers," Mr. Early was regularly identified as the official spokesman for a major national advocacy group for prosecutors. Therefore, it was all the more inappropriate for Early to have continued to spout Nifong's position months after Nifong was supposed to have stopped talking to the media.<BR/><BR/>Durham LawyerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-74439712977818154692007-04-04T10:17:00.000-04:002007-04-04T10:17:00.000-04:00A general observation:There's an old saw from the ...A general observation:<BR/><BR/>There's an old saw from the Quality world:<BR/><BR/>"You will always get the behavior you incentivize."<BR/><BR/>In the case of prosecutors, if their rewards are based on successful prosecutions, guess what? They will make every effort to get convictions.<BR/><BR/>To say that <I>justice</I> is their goal, and believe they will seek it when their careers are furthered by something else, is stupid in the extreme. Similar arguments apply to defense attorneys. Human nature doesn't work that way. <BR/><BR/>No lawyer can, with any frequency, say, "I lost the case because I was concerned about justice being done." and expect to have a viable future. Hasn't happened. Won't happen. This is only one of numerous inherent though somewhat subtle flaws in our legal system.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-28141605018346379082007-04-04T10:06:00.000-04:002007-04-04T10:06:00.000-04:00Must read. Bill Anderson's latest.An Open Letter ...Must read. Bill Anderson's latest.<BR/><BR/>An Open Letter to Roy Cooper: Part II<BR/><BR/>by William L. Anderson<BR/><BR/>http://www.lewrockwell.com/anderson/anderson179.htmlMTU'76https://www.blogger.com/profile/12033632655757827107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-30219512601721520152007-04-04T09:52:00.000-04:002007-04-04T09:52:00.000-04:008:53 Comment - from Butler's latest"Top-tier Univ...8:53 Comment - from Butler's latest<BR/><BR/>"Top-tier Universities willfully push “diversity” well beyond the point of reason, because this brings about desired results <BR/>(...ensuring that social order is preserved. Those who are making the decisions don’t have to live with the very real costs when this goes too far...). <BR/><BR/>This is the hidden agenda; it is not just that they are accidentally filled with delusional extremists. Duke seeks to become an indisputably top-tier university, and at least those in control see this as the price to be paid.<BR/><BR/>The diverse applicant becomes more and more desirable over the athletic, the wealthy and finally the merit-ocracy, <BR/><BR/>Too much substance in an athlete.<BR/><BR/><BR/>pandaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-14649093110224025782007-04-04T09:30:00.000-04:002007-04-04T09:30:00.000-04:00From Heraldsun.comDURHAM -- April 13 was set Tuesd...From Heraldsun.com<BR/><BR/>DURHAM -- April 13 was set Tuesday as the date for District Attorney Mike Nifong to formally seek dismissal of N.C. State Bar charges that he mishandled the Duke lacrosse sex-offense case.<BR/><BR/>NOTE THE IRONY...<BR/><BR/>FRIDAY THE 13th !!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-79542665003934796092007-04-04T09:26:00.000-04:002007-04-04T09:26:00.000-04:00My theory is that we all have the potential to be ...My theory is that we all have the potential to be dishonest or self-serving. Many (hopefully most) of us do our jobs and go through life doing the right thing. But for some reason, the personal character traits that often draw people to the public life are the same characteristics that would enable someone to rationalize dishonest behavior. Once that line is crossed it only becomes easier to compromise one's integrity in order to gain notoriety (or "success") even at another's expense.<BR/><BR/>I may be getting cynical, but i think far more of our public figures, including DAs and elected representatives, have crossed this line than we care to admit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-69629439447866935202007-04-04T09:13:00.000-04:002007-04-04T09:13:00.000-04:00I am a nc ob/gyn. Some years ago our medical malp...I am a nc ob/gyn. Some years ago our medical malpractice company had a seminar on "truth". The two lawyers who spoke pointed out that seeking truth was not what a trial was about. I was stunned. Both sides take the documented evidence and expert testimony they can find and spin it anyway they can to win the case. My experience as an expert witness and observer was eye opening. The legal system is deeply flawed, enabled by a large cast of unethical, lying, dishonest, corrupt human beings. They exhibit the raw sinful nature of humanity. In North Carolina unfortunately many of these individuals have managed to get into positions of power. Governor Easley, AG Cooper, Former speaker Black, Basknight, and others run the show. They are brazen, feeling no one can touch them. John Edwards is certainly in this group and his silence on this case is deafening. Speaker Blacks guilty plea hopefully will be the beginning of the downfall of this lot. The blogs have been great. Talk radio in North Carolina has been great. ( www.mattcave.us/) In fact the legislature tried to pass legislation that required talk show hosts to register as lobbyist!. Thanks KC for documenting these individuals and their flaws. They are scared of bloggers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-87503983977919020122007-04-04T09:11:00.001-04:002007-04-04T09:11:00.001-04:00Jeannine Piro, former DA of Westchester County, NY...Jeannine Piro, former DA of Westchester County, NY was the one who solidified in my mind the completely bogus nature of all the charges when she opined on TV that in her view, Nifong's actions to date (this was in I think May or June of last year) had either been "incompetent - or something more sinister". That, as far as I was concerned, was that! I had multitudes of doubts before that - but she is a very no-nonsense lady and her opinion had weight with me.Gayle Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09223914127626675167noreply@blogger.com