Update on the Duke rape case.

[dean_acheson]

Nifong, Duke Lacrosse Prosecutor, Files Bankruptcy

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=aCZsc7aJFP5k&refer=home

[AVGWarhawk]

What Nifong did was completely wrong. I guess he was attempting to get a movie made for Lifetime Channel and book deal with what he was attempting to do. I suspect the bankruptcy will allow him to keep his assests and the young men involved will have this incident follow them from now on.

[JSLTIGER]

I think, as a Duke student, that Nifong got what he deserved, and that it's a shame that he's now filed bankruptcy so he can't be sued for all he's worth. What he did was illegal and he should definitely suffer from it.

There is a lot of resentment about Duke in the Durham community, some of it justified, some of it undeserved. Can the students be loud and obnoxious at times? Yes. However, it is the students that have been pumping in $3.4 billion into the local economy and keep Durham on its feet.

As much as I feel for Nifong's family, he didn't just put the three players or even the whole Lacrosse team through hell, he managed to put every student that has attended the school in the last three years through hell. He wronged every student at Duke, and I'd honestly love to get a piece of him for it. Let me tell you, it was not easy to take final exams with thirty helicopters overhead, or with the press running to you every two seconds for an interview to "get a Duke student's opinion" or with the New Black Panther Party wanting to come onto the campus grounds, nor was it fun to be asked all summer:
"Where do you go to school?"
"Duke."
"Oh. You're not on the Lacrosse team are you?" (or some obnoxious variation thereof)

I'm sorry, but Nifong deserves whatever he gets. Now then, if Nancy Grace would just have the guts to apologize, I could move on.

[Letum]

Am I the only one who read the topic title as "duck rape"?

[Tchocky]

Am I the only one who read the topic title as "duck rape"?
Maybe, I thought it was some upper-class English scandal

[AVGWarhawk]

I'm sorry, but Nifong deserves whatever he gets.

He got booted and disgraced. That is about it. Now he declares bankruptcy to protect his assests. How sweet it is. Such a heel this guy, really. He will be basking in the sun somewhere in the Bahamas before long.

[dean_acheson]

I think, as a Duke student, that Nifong got what he deserved, and that it's a shame that he's now filed bankruptcy so he can't be sued for all he's worth. What he did was illegal and he should definitely suffer from it.

There is a lot of resentment about Duke in the Durham community, some of it justified, some of it undeserved. Can the students be loud and obnoxious at times? Yes. However, it is the students that have been pumping in $3.4 billion into the local economy and keep Durham on its feet.

As much as I feel for Nifong's family, he didn't just put the three players or even the whole Lacrosse team through hell, he managed to put every student that has attended the school in the last three years through hell. He wronged every student at Duke, and I'd honestly love to get a piece of him for it. Let me tell you, it was not easy to take final exams with thirty helicopters overhead, or with the press running to you every two seconds for an interview to "get a Duke student's opinion" or with the New Black Panther Party wanting to come onto the campus grounds, nor was it fun to be asked all summer:
"Where do you go to school?"
"Duke."
"Oh. You're not on the Lacrosse team are you?" (or some obnoxious variation thereof)

10/4 on that! Nifong knew early on he didn't have a case. He is richly deserving of his fate of being removed from office, disbarred, jail time, and now being open to civil litigation for his unethical misdeeds in office. Prosecutors simply can't/shouldn't run around playing politics with their cases.

However, he is hardly alone in this. The group of 88 who signed onto that horrible add certainly deserve centure, and Broadhead should go. His lack of a backbone would cause me as an alumni to never send funds. Both Broadhead and these political huckster professors have a responsiblity to their student body to protect, and stand up for, their student body, much less for the 'innocent until proven guilty' standard. I wonder if this same professors had the same comments when discussing, say, O. J. Simpson?

This whole travesty was the PC crowd run amuck, empowered by a small minded prosecutor concered not with justice, but maintaining a government check.

Have you read KC Johnson's book on this?

[JSLTIGER]

I think, as a Duke student, that Nifong got what he deserved, and that it's a shame that he's now filed bankruptcy so he can't be sued for all he's worth. What he did was illegal and he should definitely suffer from it.

There is a lot of resentment about Duke in the Durham community, some of it justified, some of it undeserved. Can the students be loud and obnoxious at times? Yes. However, it is the students that have been pumping in $3.4 billion into the local economy and keep Durham on its feet.

As much as I feel for Nifong's family, he didn't just put the three players or even the whole Lacrosse team through hell, he managed to put every student that has attended the school in the last three years through hell. He wronged every student at Duke, and I'd honestly love to get a piece of him for it. Let me tell you, it was not easy to take final exams with thirty helicopters overhead, or with the press running to you every two seconds for an interview to "get a Duke student's opinion" or with the New Black Panther Party wanting to come onto the campus grounds, nor was it fun to be asked all summer:
"Where do you go to school?"
"Duke."
"Oh. You're not on the Lacrosse team are you?" (or some obnoxious variation thereof)
10/4 on that! Nifong knew early on he didn't have a case. He is richly deserving of his fate of being removed from office, disbarred, jail time, and now being open to civil litigation for his unethical misdeeds in office. Prosecutors simply can't/shouldn't run around playing politics with their cases.

However, he is hardly alone in this. The group of 88 who signed onto that horrible add certainly deserve centure, and Broadhead should go. His lack of a backbone would cause me as an alumni to never send funds. Both Broadhead and these political huckster professors have a responsiblity to their student body to protect, and stand up for, their student body, much less for the 'innocent until proven guilty' standard. I wonder if this same professors had the same comments when discussing, say, O. J. Simpson?

This whole travesty was the PC crowd run amuck, empowered by a small minded prosecutor concered not with justice, but maintaining a government check.

Have you read KC Johnson's book on this?
Regarding the Group of 88, while I think that their ad was misguided, I don't know that they should be censured for exercising their freedom of speech. I do think that they should have apologized to the community in another ad for rushing to judgment, however. I also find their lack of loyalty to the student body disheartening. Keep in mind, though, that almost everyone had convicted the guys in public without a trial. While some of that is due to Nifong's deceptions, almost everyone was taken in by the media's indictments as well.

I have very little to say about Brodhead, other than in person, he's a really nice guy, and his voice and name are just awesome. My own personal criticism: he should have cancelled finals with all of the media hoopla citing an irregular situation.

I have heard Professor Johnson speak, although I have not read his book.

P.S.: Are you a Duke alum, and if so what year?

[dean_acheson]

No, not a Duke alumn, just found the case very interesting. I'm an alumn from a couple different schools, the last being American University.

I'd agree with you on the freedom of speech thing. Certainly, the professors have all freedom of speech. However, they are in a line of work in which they are supposed to look out FOR their students. I think that any professor that is willing to rush to judgement about a student isn't worthy of being a 'teacher' a 'mentor' or an 'advisor.' They need to go write their own blog, and make a living on something besides student's tuition dollars. I don't think that freedom of speech covers violations of the central tenants of being in a student-teacher relationship. So while they can sign on and print any ad they want, I think that they need to be in different line of work. I think the signers should face departmental repremand, which won't ever happen, since the truth of the story violated the larger, and to them, more important meta-narrative this case was supposed to fit into.

I think the Johnson book is a really good read, but kinda repetitive if you had been keeping up with the case.