Rant - Duke Rape Case

[GrnBay007]

I don't want to debate anything about this case because I honestly did not follow it much. What I do want to add is the fact that they found this woman to have mental health problems and

Asked if she had lied about the attack, Cooper said that investigators think that she "may actually believe" the many different stories she has told.

This does not, in any way mean a sexual assault did not take place. Prosecutors will not take a high profile case like this to trial if they do not have a good credible witness. Because she has mental health problems she is therefore not a credible witness. This does not mean something illegal did not happen!! In fact I'm sure if they were absolutely sure those poor Duke boys were being taken advantage of by a completely false report, they would have charged her.

[Merlin]

Ah 007 you are as sweet as they come!

Nifong was up for re-election running against black opposition. The case was upper class white boys vs. a black stripper in an area with a large black population. Do the math and you will see why it went as far as it did with virtually no evidence, including the girl who made the claim as her version of the story changed every time she told it.

Nifong will probably lose his license to practice law as the state attorney general looks into his misconduct.

[Kiwon]

This does not, in any way mean a sexual assault did not take place. Prosecutors will not take a high profile case like this to trial if they do not have a good credible witness. Because she has mental health problems she is therefore not a credible witness. This does not mean something illegal did not happen!!

Whether something is "illegal" or not is determined in a court of law. It's a legal judgment.

I don't want to debate the case either. But I would make two points: 1. If I follow what you said then the 81-year old that claims she had a relationship with Bart Starr in 1960 could be telling the truth even though Bart Starr says he has never met the woman. So if the 81-year old really believes it then it has merit? Prim and proper Bart Starr a cad?, a rapist? all because an elderly woman believes it?

This stripper had the DNA of five different men in or on her from that night, none of which belong to the accused players, but the players COULD be guilty of rape? She told her friends she was going to get money from "rich, white boys" and they COULD be guilty of rape? There is NO evidence to support the accusation but they deserve to presumed guilty and have their reputations destroyed and pay a year's worth of legal fees because they're white and the girl is black?

In fact I'm sure if they were absolutely sure those poor Duke boys were being taken advantage of by a completely false report, they would have charged her.

2. You are assuming the District Attorney is conscientiously doing his job and serving the community. The whole controversy is that Mike Nifong used this case to pander to the black community so that he would be reelected and increase his retirement benefits. He abused the power of his office and violated a public trust. That's the controversy.

There was NEVER any credible evidence implicating the Duke players. In fact, in the face of a mountain of contradictory evidence somehow Nifong decided to keep up the ruse. Many liberal and conservative legal experts both concluded that he intentionally manipulated this case.

And now he alone faces legal charges.

This is a sad tale start to finish but at least one corrupt public official has been exposed, removed, and will be eventually cooling his heels in prison.

The painful part is that it all started with a lie about rape and a racial attack and many, many people's lives got hurt through this. This woman is not a victim. She is a victimizer and deserves to be punished.

[hurleyfan]

Where is Jesse Jackson and his entourage now?

How come there is no apology from Jackson and his cronies saying they made the wrong decision, said the wrong things, caused more racist grief based on an overblown accusation?

This whole thing just sucks...

And now there is the Imus crap getting all blown out of proportion...

[the_idle_threat]

This stripper had the DNA of five different men in or on her from that night, none of which belong to the accused players, but the players COULD be guilty of rape?

Kiwon, take a moment to catch your breath.

I think what 007 was saying is there still could have been a rape, even if the charged individuals weren't the perpetrators.

Looks like some innocent guys got charged, and I agree that's nothing short of a tragedy. If the D.A. knew they were innocent but proceeded anyway, there are grounds for disciplinary action against him.

But how do we know the other five men whose DNA was found "in and on her" were consensual? Did you interview the sperm? It's also a tragedy if 5 guys raped this girl and they will get away with it because she couldn't identify exactly which guys they were.

[Kiwon]

This stripper had the DNA of five different men in or on her from that night, none of which belong to the accused players, but the players COULD be guilty of rape?

Kiwon, take a moment to catch your breath.

I think what 007 was saying is there still could have been a rape, even if the charged individuals weren't the perpetrators.

Breath caught.

I am a fan of all things 007 ("Bond, James Bond") and she can speak for herself but I took it from the context of the discussion that she was referring to the charges against the Duke players.

Really, I'm not going to dwell on this but the whole thing offends me. Good people want to have and promote racial harmony and low-life's like Crystal Mangum do so much to destroy people's good will.

This is a case where want you see is what you get. She's a shady character who was looking to shake down some rich kids and Mike Nifong is a unscrupulous public official. One lie led to another and then to another until finally the house of cards they both helped to construct came falling down.

Pinocchio is laughing at them now.

[GrnBay007]

Ah 007 you are as sweet as they come!

Got that right Baby! :P

Nifong was up for re-election running against black opposition. The case was upper class white boys vs. a black stripper in an area with a large black population. Do the math and you will see why it went as far as it did with virtually no evidence, including the girl who made the claim as her version of the story changed every time she told it.

Nifong will probably lose his license to practice law as the state attorney general looks into his misconduct.

Like I said, I didn't follow the case and didn't know anything about some re-election. My comments were directed toward them making the statement they were not proceeding due to her mental health problems.

I've seen so many plea bargains and charges dropped due to inappropriate witnesses and the reality of it is it's not that a crime didn't take place....just wasn't in the Prosecutors best interest to proceed. Ever see that movie from the 80's with Jodi Foster called Accused?

[GrnBay007]

Breath caught.

I am a fan of all things 007 ("Bond, James Bond") and she can speak for herself but I took it from the context of the discussion that she was referring to the charges against the Duke players.

Really, I'm not going to dwell on this but the whole thing offends me. Good people want to have and promote racial harmony and low-life's like Crystal Mangum do so much to destroy people's good will.

Kiwon, see my above post.

But I do have one question about your above comment....Good people want to have and promote racial harmony and low-life's like Crystal Mangum do so much to destroy people's good will.

Do you mean the nice Duke boys were trying to promote racial harmony by hiring a black stripper for their party? I think from now on they should just visit a public strip bar....for their own safety.

Also, I don't think this incident will damage those nice Duke boys for life. I bet they will grow up to make their parents very proud.

And yes, false accusations are wrong and should not be tolerated...I agree completely.....as long as that can be proved without a doubt.

[Kiwon]

My last word...

In 1955 a fourteen-year old black youth, Emmett Till, supposedly whistled at a white woman in Mississippi. He was murdered 3 days later in an incident that set in motion the modern day Civil Rights Movement.

America's South has an especially complicated history of racial injustice. Native Southerners can't escape the tragedies of the past but many are trying to make the present and future better and brighter.

Durham, N.C. has a population roughly 45% White, 44% Black. Allegations of rape can tear open social wounds that are very slow to heal. It can very quickly become 1955 again leaving whole communities divided along racial lines and passions enflamed.

It's easy to start a wildfire, but it's extraordinarily difficult to put it out.

Good people, black and white, work hard to build trust between their communities and that's why it's so painful and discouraging to have progress set back through a circumstance like this one.

Many people have been hurt through the lies and deception of this woman and the D.A.

Three innocent men had their faces and names splashed around the world, were identified as accused rapists and called "hooligans" while the identity and background of the accuser was protected. The D.A. manipulated the system and then continued with his charade leaving three families and a whole community in turmoil all the while he knew the accused men were innocent.

People grip about $3.00 a gallon gas. Well, each of these families is out probably over $1,000,000 in legal fees defending their innocent children. It is plain callus to minimize the hell that they unjustly went through for a year.

I have no sympathy for Crystal Mangum or Mike Nifong. They started a fire that turned into a wildfire and did enormous damage. Maybe, now, that the truth has come out will justice finally be done.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Good people want to have and promote racial harmony and low-life's like Crystal Mangum do so much to destroy people's good will.

I wouldn't blame Crystal Magnum, and certainly not call her a low life. She's probably sincerely believes each and every one of the 16 different versions of stories that she told. It seems that she was messed-up on drugs the night of the incident.

I was listening to a reporter on Charlie Rose show last night who has covered this case the past year. She has read all of Crystal Magnum's statements. She said they were so bizarre and inconsistent, she thought they might be an attempt by Magnum to get the prosecutor to drop the case. Her other theory was that Magnum was crazy.

The culprit in this whole affair is political correctness. The prosecutor was re-elected last fall because of his "righteous stand." A history of racial injustice should NEVER have been the issue, just like with the OJ case. The facts of the case are all that should be considered, out of fairness to the accused.

Immediately after the allegations were made, Jesse Jackson flew to the scene, gave speeches about racism, and said he would pay all remaining college tuition for the "victim." (I would like some reporter to do a follow up story on the Magnum/Jackson partnership, is he still supporting her? )

I like Jessie Jackson, personally. But this incident shows a terrible side of his schtick: too quick to judgment, too righteous. Jackson needs to apologize to those men who he defamed, and for his role in intensfying this injustice. I would be very pleased to see this, not sure he has it in him. Jackson often talks about forgiveness, and I think people would forgive him for this mistake.

[GrnBay007]

Hey HH, good to see you! Umm....the above that you have quoted was not something I wrote. You are slippin baby!!

[Jimx29]

I must of missed it....when was it that Jackson is gonna apologize for the "All the Hymies in Hymietown" quote? Or how about how he was supporting this hooker and was gonna pay her collage tuition? Or what about Sharpton for Tuwana Brawley, the Crown Heights Riots, and the Freddie's Fashion Mart murders- all things Sharpton played a big hand in, and he was basically an accessory to the murder of a few people in those last 2 cases (one a Jew and several Hispanics killed by black mobs that Sharpton incited)??

Friggin hypocrites anyway....

[pacfan]

I must of missed it....when was it that Jackson is gonna apologize for the "All the Hymies in Hymietown" quote? Or how about how he was supporting this hooker and was gonna pay her collage tuition? Or what about Sharpton for Tuwana Brawley, the Crown Heights Riots, and the Freddie's Fashion Mart murders- all things Sharpton played a big hand in, and he was basically an accessory to the murder of a few people in those last 2 cases (one a Jew and several Hispanics killed by black mobs that Sharpton incited)??

Friggin hypocrites anyway....

yep, the hypocrisy....

[mraynrand]

How about the arbiters of impartiality? The Tolerant Liberal educators who teach guilty until proven innocent. The feeling caring crowd that teaches the young people all the important life lessons in the Humanities, Women studies, and English Lit classes (I almost said Western Civilization class, but that probably doesn't exist at Duke - to quote Jesse Jackson "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Western Civilization's go to go!"). These liberal paragons of virtue are exaulted enough to pass judgment before the legal system. 80 professors at Duke should be handed pick slips. But guess what - it will never happen.

Hey, whose coaching the Duke Mens Lacrosse team these days?

[Kiwon]

80 professors at Duke should be handed pick slips. But guess what - it will never happen.

I think it was 88 enlightened buddhas that immediately threw these guys overboard with a front page ad in the campus newspaper. Their moral compasses broke a long time again and they are never ever wrong. Ain't tenure great?

One in five American adults are functionally illiterate. Ah, who cares!