So, now that it appears...

[Yonivore]

...Nifong will get his just desserts, what about the gang of 88?

Thank God, the organized bar of North Carolina has roused itself to administer justice (http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070617/D8PQF6R00.html) to Durham Country District Attorney Michael Nifong. In disbarring him, the disciplinary committee imposed the maximum punishment available. Disbarment is the professional equivalent of capital punishment. Professor K.C. Johnson has been the indispensable chronicler of the case at Durham-in-Wonderland (http://durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/). Professor Johnson concludes his Sunday roundup (http://durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/2007/06/sunday-hearing-roundup.html) on the disciplinary proceeding with the statement of Steven Michael, the president of the North Carolina state bar:


In my experience, misconduct of the sort Mr. Nifong engaged in is very rare and not at all typical of prosecutors in our state. We deeply regret the serious harm caused to these young men and their families. We hope the decision today will lessen the likelihood that anything like this will happen again.

The Bar’s strong response to this situation made clear that the ethical rules restricting pretrial public comment and requiring prosecutors to turn over exculpatory evidence will be strictly enforced. Those rules are important because they ensure the fundamental right to a fair trial that every citizen is guaranteed in our constitution.
And yet Nifong's misconduct was not the only professional misconduct that occurred in connection with the case. Who can forget Duke's Gang of 88 (http://durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/2006/11/group-of-88-statement.html) radical professors that supported (http://www.concerneddukefaculty.org/) the on-campus lynch mob that issued "wanted" posters of the lacrosse players? In good postmodern style, the Gang of 88 has attempted to put its past under erasure (http://www.concerneddukefaculty.org/) (Professor Johnson commented here (http://durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/2007/01/rump-group-of-88-strikes-again.html)), but Duke students who exceed the Gang in maturity and responsibility .jpg]remember (http://bp0.blogger.com/_k_8jgSqqBEw/RlYOg07ppRI/AAAAAAAAAAM/xl_fk5ZaxfY/s1600-h/dcu+ad[1). When he checked in (http://durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/2006/10/checking-in-with-group-of-88.html) with one member of the Gang of 88 last fall, Professor Johnson reported:

I e-mailed Professor Curtis last week, to ask if in light of the many facts that have emerged since April 6 she entertained any second thoughts about signing the Group of 88's statement. I also asked if she had considered making a public statement supporting due process for the accused students.

She did not reply.
It is a remarkable fact of the Duke case that the legal profession has acquitted itself with greater honor than the professoriate.

[George Gervin's Afro]

...Nifong will get his just desserts, what about the gang of 88?

Thank God, the organized bar of North Carolina has roused itself to administer justice (http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070617/D8PQF6R00.html) to Durham Country District Attorney Michael Nifong. In disbarring him, the disciplinary committee imposed the maximum punishment available. Disbarment is the professional equivalent of capital punishment. Professor K.C. Johnson has been the indispensable chronicler of the case at Durham-in-Wonderland (http://durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/). Professor Johnson concludes his Sunday roundup (http://durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/2007/06/sunday-hearing-roundup.html) on the disciplinary proceeding with the statement of Steven Michael, the president of the North Carolina state bar:


And yet Nifong's misconduct was not the only professional misconduct that occurred in connection with the case. Who can forget Duke's Gang of 88 (http://durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/2006/11/group-of-88-statement.html) radical professors that supported (http://www.concerneddukefaculty.org/) the on-campus lynch mob that issued "wanted" posters of the lacrosse players? In good postmodern style, the Gang of 88 has attempted to put its past under erasure (http://www.concerneddukefaculty.org/) (Professor Johnson commented here (http://durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/2007/01/rump-group-of-88-strikes-again.html)), but Duke students who exceed the Gang in maturity and responsibility .jpg]remember (http://bp0.blogger.com/_k_8jgSqqBEw/RlYOg07ppRI/AAAAAAAAAAM/xl_fk5ZaxfY/s1600-h/dcu+ad[1). When he checked in (http://durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/2006/10/checking-in-with-group-of-88.html) with one member of the Gang of 88 last fall, Professor Johnson reported:

It is a remarkable fact of the Duke case that the legal profession has acquitted itself with greater honor than the professoriate.


I think we need to have them all fired! Anytime someone takes a stand and they turn out to be wrong then let's can them.. :rolleyes

[Yonivore]

I think we need to have them all fired! Anytime someone takes a stand and they turn out to be wrong then let's can them.. :rolleyes
The gang of 88 did something very different than simply "take a stand."

[George Gervin's Afro]

The gang of 88 did something very different than simply "take a stand."

So in your opinion who judges when someone goes to far? If the professors had orignally sided with the students and stated that the women was a dirty rotten whore who was trying to victimize white rich kids.would that have been ok?

[Yonivore]

So in your opinion who judges when someone goes to far? If the professors had orignally sided with the students and stated that the women was a dirty rotten whore who was trying to victimize white rich kids.would that have been ok?
Well, at least they would have had the advantage of being right.

What was the purpose of forming a group to villify what turned out to be innocent students? Don't educators have a more important function than getting out of their areas of expertise (education) and becoming instant advocates for people who were deliberately deceiving them and everyone else - simply because it allows them to be the left-wing liberal hysterics they love to be.

These 88 people -- and Nifong -- saw what they thought was a slam dunk opportunity to pander to the "less fortunate" Durham community over a race and class issue. That they didn't dig deeper and make sure the very basis of their position was accurate deserves some consequence. Particularly since it damn near resulted in the destruction of innocent lives.

[George Gervin's Afro]

Well, at least they would have had the advantage of being right.

What was the purpose of forming a group to villify what turned out to be innocent students? Don't educators have a more important function than getting out of their areas of expertise (education) and becoming instant advocates for people who were deliberately deceiving them and everyone else - simply because it allows them to be the left-wing liberal hysterics they love to be.

These 88 people -- and Nifong -- saw what they thought was a slam dunk opportunity to pander to the "less fortunate" Durham community over a race and class issue. That they didn't dig deeper and make sure the very basis of their position was accurate deserves some consequence. Particularly since it damn near resulted in the destruction of innocent lives.


I won't disagree with you but what do you propose happen to them?

[Yonivore]

I won't disagree with you but what do you propose happen to them?
I think they should be fired by Duke University for bringing disgrace and discredit on the institution.

[George Gervin's Afro]

I think they should be fired by Duke University for bringing disgrace and discredit on the institution.


What about the administrators who ended the lacrosse season? should we fire them also?

[Yonivore]

What about the administrators who ended the lacrosse season? should we fire them also?Yep, whomever was responsible for that decision should be canned as well. Bad judgement all around at Duke.

[ggoose25]

As an alumnus I was there to witness the lax team first hand. When the news came out about their alleged rape, I was not surprised at all.

However, just because someone is a douchebag does NOT make them a rapist.

Nifong exploited those kids because he knew he could get the Black vote by needlessly prosecuting despite any evidence. He's getting EXACTLY what he deserves.

I just hope those parents don't stop and go for the balls.

[Yonivore]

Duke, lacrosse players reach settlement (http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/608283.html)


"We resolve to bring the Duke family together again, and to work to protect others from similar injustices in the criminal justice system in the future. "
They could start by firing the group of 88. That would protect others from similar injustices in the future.


"...we look forward to working with the University to develop and implement initiatives that will prevent similar injustices and ensure that the lessons of the last year are never forgotten."
I would urge the University to fire the group of 88. That's an initiative worth implementing that would prevent similar injustices in the future.

[PixelPusher]

Conservatives are all over this Nifong scandal. I, for one, am glad their eyes have been opened to the life altering potential of prosecutorial abuse. Perhaps they'll refrain from snorting in disdain and rolling their eyes next time it's a minority that brings up this issue.

[Yonivore]

Conservatives are all over this Nifong scandal. I, for one, am glad their eyes have been opened to the life altering potential of prosecutorial abuse. Perhaps they'll refrain from snorting in disdain and rolling their eyes next time it's a minority that brings up this issue.
Care to give an example of what you speak?

[PixelPusher]

Care to give an example of what you speak?
No, Yoni, I don't have a link for the number of times over the years that I've heard law & order Republicans bitch and moan about criminals who clog up the courts and "get off" with their damn appeals and claims of prosecutorial abuse (withholding evidence from their defense counsel, etc.). If you've never read or heard any of this from your fellow Republicans then...well...thank you for abstaining from rightwing talk radio.

[RobinsontoDuncan]

Care to give an example of what you speak?


you cant seriously believe that whites are the only ones that have artificial targets on their backs from the legal system yoni, even you arent that naive

[Yonivore]

No, Yoni, I don't have a link for the number of times over the years that I've heard law & order Republicans bitch and moan about criminals who clog up the courts and "get off" with their damn appeals and claims of prosecutorial abuse (withholding evidence from their defense counsel, etc.). If you've never read or heard any of this from your fellow Republicans then...well...thank you for abstaining from rightwing talk radio.
I'll take that as a no, you can't think of an example where a bunch of conservatives banded together to vilify innocent people, in pursuit of some political agenda.

By the way, everything you describe are criticisms that occur post-trial. These lacrosse players were all but executed before they ever saw a courtroom. And, further, exculpatory evidence only caused Nifong, the group of 88, and the rest of their crowd to cry even louder about how guilty they were.

[Yonivore]

you cant seriously believe that whites are the only ones that have artificial targets on their backs from the legal system yoni, even you arent that naive
I'm talking about the group of 88, not a part of the legal system last time I heard.

[Yonivore]

Here, I'll give you another example of where the left (led by Murtha) have set about vilifying a group of people in pursuit of a political agenda.


http://bp3.blogger.com/_L6pDyjqqsvY/Rnaeseh2c-I/AAAAAAAAFDM/rHiTyurwz_M/s1600/haditha.jpg

Another case that is falling apart in spite of the Left's attempts to demonize the innocent.

Okay, that's 2. Thought of an example of where conservatives have done this?

[PixelPusher]

I'll take that as a no, you can't think of an example where a bunch of conservatives banded together to vilify innocent people, in pursuit of some political agenda.

Changing the subject, how typical. I was referring to conservative's general antipathy to this form of injustice, not an orchestrated political conspiracy. But, if you need a link for that, fine.

FBI-DOJ suffer major defeat in Houston 'Fruehmenschen' case (http://larouchepub.com/other/1998/houston_fbi-doj_2523.html)

[Yonivore]

Changing the subject, how typical. I was referring to conservative's general antipathy to this form of injustice, not an orchestrated political conspiracy. But, if you need a link for that, fine.

FBI-DOJ suffer major defeat in Houston 'Fruehmenschen' case (http://larouchepub.com/other/1998/houston_fbi-doj_2523.html)
Have never heard of it.

So, was there an orchestrated effort by the conservative press and conservative academia (LMAO!!) to convict these people before a trial?

I'm a lifelong Texan and I don't recall the "Fruehmenschen" case.

Oh way, I see in the url it is a LaRouche thing. Credible.

[FromWayDowntown]

Yeah, I've never heard of right-wingers expressing reluctance to commuting death sentences in cases with questionable evidence; or contending that claims that innocents have been executed might actually have some merit.

I don't know that suggesting that one is guilty before trial is somehow worse than overlooking evidence that might suggest that one is not guilty after trial.

[FromWayDowntown]

What I don't get is why someone with no apparent ties to Duke University cares about what a private institution does with its employees. I guess the general hands-off libertarian notions espoused so frequently with respect to private institutions go out the window when there's an opportunity to push putatively-liberal professors out of such institutions.

[PixelPusher]

Have never heard of it.

So, was there an orchestrated effort by the conservative press and conservative academia (LMAO!!) to convict these people before a trial?Well, I wouldn't call J. Edgar Hoover (http://american_almanac.tripod.com/dymally.htm) an "academic", no.

I'm a lifelong Texan and I don't recall the "Fruehmenschen" case.
You don't seem to recall ever hearing conservatives bitch about appeals processes by "criminals" either.

Oh way, I see in the url it is a LaRouche thing. Credible.
Sorry, I couldn't find any references to it on http://confederateyankee.mu.nu/

[Yonivore]

Yeah, I've never heard of right-wingers expressing reluctance to commuting death sentences in cases with questionable evidence;
Nor have I. Not the extent the Group of 88, Mike Nifong, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and their minions have on a case where the exculpatory evidence surfaced so soon after the alleged crime.


or contending that claims that innocents have been executed might actually have some merit.
I split this off becuase you appear to be sarcastic in the first part and, unless I'm mistaken, serious in this part.

I think innocent people have been executed. I also believe if their convictions were the result of prosecutions by people such as Nifong, the prosecutor should be tried for murder.

However with advances in evidentiary collection and preservation, it will only be through the tactics of a Nifong that such convictions will be found -- even if they don't hold.

That is why it is important to make sure everyone involved in such a travesty of justice, from Nifong to the Group of 88 to Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton suffer consequences.

At least we know Nifong won't have the opportunity to trump up a case again. Right?


I don't know that suggesting that one is guilty before trial is somehow worse than overlooking evidence that might suggest that one is not guilty after trial.
Nor do I. But, I do know Nifong et. al. came close to ruining the lives of these three la crosse players. Are you opposed to justice simply because it doesn't look like the type of injustice you're most passionate about?


What I don't get is why someone with no apparent ties to Duke University cares about what a private institution does with its employees. I guess the general hands-off libertarian notions espoused so frequently with respect to private institutions go out the window when there's an opportunity to push putatively-liberal professors out of such institutions.
Because these tactics aren't confined to Duke University and, if they go unpunished, it will embolden other lefty liberal idiots to try and drive some agenda through the demonization and villification of innocent people (see Murtha and Haditha).

Yeah, that wasn't a change of subject just another example of the same atrocity.

I'm still waiting for an equivalent circumstance perpetrated by conservatives.

[gtownspur]

No, Yoni, I don't have a link for the number of times over the years that I've heard law & order Republicans bitch and moan about criminals who clog up the courts and "get off" with their damn appeals and claims of prosecutorial abuse (withholding evidence from their defense counsel, etc.). If you've never read or heard any of this from your fellow Republicans then...well...thank you for abstaining from rightwing talk radio.


How bout you bring up law and order liberals bitching about specific cases involving prosecutorial abuse towards minorities. Oj doesn't count.

[George Gervin's Afro]

How bout you bring up law and order liberals bitching about specific cases involving prosecutorial abuse towards minorities. Oj doesn't count.



The Houston crime lab debacle is becoming more clear now. Over the last couple of years many of the crime lab results were false..problem with that is those results WERE USED TO CONVICT INNOCENT PEOPLE..and thankfully it is all coming to light now and we can get these people out of prison. Guess what the majority of the people who were exonerated? African Americans..!

[Yonivore]

The Houston crime lab debacle is becoming more clear now. Over the last couple of years many of the crime lab results were false..problem with that is those results WERE USED TO CONVICT INNOCENT PEOPLE..and thankfully it is all coming to light now and we can get these people out of prison. Guess what the majority of the people who were exonerated? African Americans..!
Sounds like incompentence not a deliberate assassination of character like the Group of 88 engaged in.