Congrats Liestoppers; thank you Editor Bob Ashley

Historian and Durham-in-Wonderland blogger Robert KC Johnson has been to the battle to right the many wrongs of the Duke Hoax what Babe Ruth was to baseball.

There’s no aspect of the Hoax KC hasn’t addressed. His posts are fact-based and carefully reasoned.

They frequently make news and help “advance the story.” One example is his recent interview with Duke Law Professor Erwin Chemerinsky, arguably America’s leading liberal law scholar and a likely Supreme Court nominee if the Democrats regain the White House.

KC got Chemerinsky on the record regarding DA Nifong’s conduct and other legal matters related to it. Here's part of that post. KC asks Chemerinsky:

"Are you aware of comparable cases, either from your time in LA or since you arrived in North Carolina, where a prosecutor first assumed control of a police investigation and then disregarded multiple standard procedures in order to secure indictments?"

Chemerinsky: "I can’t think of any in such a high profile case."

Folks, are you asking yourselves, “Why didn’t the Raleigh N&O get Chemerinsky on the record? Why did a blogger have to do that?”

Good questions. You can ask them here at the N&O’s Editors’ Blog. But don’t hold your breaths waiting for answers. Yours aren't the kind of questions N&O editors like.

Now back to KC. Today he posted “Best of the Case,” a short list that includes press coverage “items” KC says are “not to be missed.”

KC’s a brave guy. There have been so many excellent items written about the Hoax I’d hate to have to select among them.

Two bloggers’ items made KC’s list. One is Liestoppers’ Occam’s Razor.

Congratulations, Liestoppers. In the little more than a month you’ve been “up and doing” you’ve made a very important contribution to exposing the Hoax. Occam’s Razor is one outstanding example of that.

The second blogger item is a July 31 JinC post, “Letter to Durham H-S Editor Ashley.”

Because of the way my parents and teachers raised me, I’m saying, “Thank you, KC.”

But my heart really isn’t in those words. I’m just being formally polite.

I don’t deserve any credit for that post. The Herald Sun’s Bob Ashley made it possible with a rambling, illogical column that boiled down to:

Whatever DA Nifong says or does is fine with me and gosh, I want to see those Duke kids put on trial.”

It would have been fitting if Ashley had ended his column with:

Duke’s President Richard H. Brodhead, like me, has said he wants to see those boys tried.

Why do I mention that?

Because I want President Brodhead to know that if I get to the courtroom first, I’ll save him a seat, and I hope he’ll do the same for me.

Thank you, Durham Herald Sun Editor Bob Ashley. Your kind of “journalism” is not good for Durham, but you sure make my posting easy.