"... these three individuals [David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann,] are innocent of these charges."
North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper, Apr. 11, 2007
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Last spring the students who played on the Duke University’s men’s lacrosse team were trashed and endangered during a witch hunt generated first by the false and racially inflammatory reporting of the Raleigh News & Observer followed by other news organizations; and then by the false and racially inflammatory statements of Mike Nifong and Durham Police spokesperson David Addison.
During that time, Duke President Richard Brodhead acted in ways that even many of his defenders say were inept, and which many of his critics say were shameful.
Brodhead excuses himself for what he did and didn’t do by telling people it was a “confusing time” in which“[t]he facts kept changing. Every day we learned new things that no one knew the day before.”
Now we turn to Ross Pipes whose letter appeared in the N&O on Apr. 12 under the head “Presuming guilt.”
Now that the DNA results have been announced (news story, April 11), the lack of DNA evidence strongly suggests the Duke lacrosse players are innocent of the district attorney's charges and his continued public presumption of their guilt.Ross Pipes wasn’t confused, was he?
With the primary election three weeks from now, it appears to me that Mike Nifong is continuing his investigation to benefit his election campaign. I have decided to publicly presume Nifong's guilt in using this case to further his political ambitions and to vote against him in the primary.
Ross Pipes
Durham
9 comments:
Poor, poor Ross. He just did not realize the magnitude of these charges. He and Sgt. Shelton just did not appreciate the dearth of evidence that obviously led to a conclusion of guilty, guilty, guilty. (Don't forget; Nifong is omniscient!)
Next thing ya know, Nifong is going to want an attorney to represent him, and we all know how Mikey thinks all innocent people should just eschew the skill of an attorney, because if you're innocent, why do you need one?
Do you think Mr. Pipes was at the party or do you just think he is way smarter than Brodhead?
And just for accuracies sake, in response to the meme "the facts kept changing," horse hockey!
Facts don't change. Now, whether or not those looking at the facts want to accept them is an entirely different story, and it can lead to "signing statements" that are devoid of fact but full of innuendo and lightly-masked anger.
It can lead well-educated people to continually argue that something happened, when in reality, where facts are supposed to rule, those same facts said that none of the alleged crimes happened.
So enopugh already, with the "facts kept changing."
No you kept trying to spin a tale around a set of clear facts that tied in to your narrative about wealth, privilege and race.
Was it Tip O'Neill who once said, "you're entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts?"
We can continue to discuss this Brodhead thing 'til we're blue in the face, and one fact won't change: Brodhead presumed the guilt of the lacrosse players and their coach. For that he should have the decency to resign his position with Duke University. How that man can look at his face in the mirror each morning without a deep feeling of revulsion is beyond me.
Would somebody clarify for me who Brodhead's "employer" is? To whom is he accountable? As I see it, whoever that is, is the one who needs to step up to the plate and assist Brodhead to find the exit door from Duke. He's NOT going to go willingly.
In one sense,Brodhead is of the same ilk as Nifong in that the craving for positional power totally supplanted clear conscience, moral authority and ethical conduct.
Brodhead's moral authority at Duke is OVER. He can go now, and make it easier on himself and everybody else, or he can go later, and draw this thing out. Either way, his day is over.
The ONLY way Duke can have a fresh start is for him to exit.
Will somebody please read the handwriting on the wall to him? He seems to be not only a little hard of hearing but, also a little hard of seeing.
Duke Alumna... and we are NOT going away.
Great comments on this board! Mr. Pipes used common sense in a situation otherwise devoid of it.
Ross Pipes, I wager, is smarter than the entire DPD (less Shelton and Sutton), the entire Office of District Attorney, Duke upper-tier Administration, the entire Women's Studies Department at Duke, the editorial boards of all local papers, all newspaper reporters (save Neff and maybe Niolet), the North Carolina NAACP, the pot-bangers, the Gang of 88, the SANE department at DUMC, and all of Mangum's relatives combined. By an order of magnitude unrecordable. Waytago, Ross! You too, JinC! Gregory
humboldtblue,
Great post about "facts don't change", but I think it was Pat Moynihan (a man I admire) who said the quote in your last sentence.
Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that Ross Pipes was not a lone voice in the wilderness last spring. I think the N&O received many more letters supporting the lax team than they chose to print (in terms of percentage). The facts were neither fluid nor confusing last spring. If the story is a three person multi-orifice gang rape and the DNA comes back negative the case is over.
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