…capture our attention. For real?
In other breaking news, it’s been determined that oxygen deprivation can lead to death…
Unrelated Update (9/19): Thanks for the shout-out, John in Carolina. I blogged about the Duke “rape” case because I wanted to challenge mainstream media’s “drunk white frat boys with rich fathers rape poor black woman forced to strip to feed her children” narrative. When the gang-rape story first emerged, I knew it was just her fantasy, one that would end up costing people a lot of money and a lot of heartache.
Now give yourself a hand for the work you’ve done, John.
Also see Professor Bill Anderson’s review of Until Proven Innocent: Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case.
Now that states and locals are passing laws in an attempt to alleviate some of the damage of illegal immigration, the feds must do two things: 1) enforce federal immigration laws on the books instead of writing new ones to give amnesty and citizenship to illegal aliens; and 2) end birthright citizenship. See my latest Washington Examiner column, End Birthright Citizenship.
On a Duke case-related note, I must give a big shout-out to Michael Gaynor, lawyer and columnist, for his shout-out to me and for “scolding” Stuart Taylor and KC Johnson for not mentioning me in their new book, Until Proven Innocent: Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case. 
…for lying to a judge last September about turning over the results of all DNA tests in the Duke “rape” case.
In fact, he had not. He and DNA lab director Brian Meehan (and here) knew that genetic material from several men was found on and inside Crystal Mangum, the false rape accuser, and conspired to keep this exculpatory evidence from the defense. Then Nifong lied and claimed he’d turned over all DNA test results.
By the way, there were no DNA matches between Mangum or the indicted lacrosse players Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty, and David Evans, although she claimed they strangled, beat, raped (with no condoms), and sodomized her (including orally) for 30 minutes in a small bathroom.
Also see Wednesday’s post, PC and Injustice in the Duke Lacrosse Case.
Update (9/1): Nifong will serve a symbolic day in jail.
Read an excerpt of Until Proven Innocent: Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case and listen to Stuart Taylor talk about the case at NPR.
Related posts:
I just received a review copy of Until Proven Innocent: Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case, by journalist Stuart Taylor and blogger/professor KC Johnson (who’s attending former Durham County district attorney Mike Nifong’s criminal contempt hearing). Buy this book!
(Disclosure: I’m an Amazon Associate, and I get a small cut of the proceeds of every book bought through LBC. I’m paid with Amazon gift certificates.)
If you followed bloggers’ coverage of the Duke “rape” fiasco (which began in early April 2006 for me, a few weeks after the “rape”), you know that KC was the go-to blogger in the case. The appalling behavior of some of Duke University’s professors triggered his involvement. And Stuart was one of the first journalists to cry foul very early in the case.
For a good round-up of Duke case-related news articles and blog posts, see The Johnsville News.
Addendum: Are the formerly indicted lacrosse players gearing up to sue the city of Durham? An excerpt:
“[Reade] Seligmann hired Barry Scheck, a New York City lawyer who helped represent O.J. Simpson in his murder trial. Scheck also started the Innocence Project, which has used DNA evidence to free more than 100 people from prison. David Rudolf, a Chapel Hill attorney who represented former Carolina Panthers receiver Rae Carruth in a murder trial, is serving as local counsel for Scheck.
“[David] Evans and [Collin] Finnerty have hired Brendan Sullivan Jr. and Chris Manning of Washington. Sullivan defended former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros and represented Lt. Col. Oliver North during the Iran-Contra congressional hearings…The former players’ representatives will meet next week with the city’s legal staff.”
Yes? Just a guess.
Update (8/30): Pet peeve alert - There is no such plea as “innocent.” Maddening. It’s either guilty or not guilty.
Related posts:
A 12-year-old girl was plied with vodka and gang-raped by four men, and the New York Times leads the story with how good a football player one of the rapists is and props up the idea that racism might be the reason the district attorney is going after him.
Why on earth would the “newspaper of record” do that? Because the accused gang rapists are black and the alleged victim is white.
In the Duke “rape†case, the NYT published story after story, month after month, parroting the district attorney’s lines and tried its best to lend credence to disgraced and disbarred Mike Nifong’s case against three white men. The liberal journalists seized every opportunity to demonize the men accused and slant stories to that end, while setting the poor-oppressed-black-rape-victim narrative in stone.
The headline “Charge against a Player Raises Question of Justice,†should read “Delayed Trial For Gang Rape Victim Raises Question of Justice.†That’s what should be important, not whether some black rapist gets to play ball.
But we know that black-on-white crime bores the heck out of liberals, so to spice things up, they turn the issue on its head and focus on poor oppressed black football players.
Clay Waters of Times Watch, gets to the point much better than I do: “Faced with a black athlete as a suspect and an alleged rape victim who is white, the Times displays a concern for ‘racial overtones’ totally absent in its shoddy coverage of the Duke lacrosse ‘rape’ hoax.â€
Indeed. Why wasn’t the NYT concerned about racial overtones in the Duke case, when it was clear to anyone with half a brain that Nifong indicted the white men accused of raping a black woman (with no DNA matches) in a heavily black city to win what otherwise would have been a tough battle to retain his job?
As I said, boring. The libs needed to spice things up, writing snide stories about “rich†white lacrosse players and oppressed black strippers.
The rape victim, now 15, won’t get any sympathy from left-leaning newspapers because she’s white and her rapists are black. Believe whatever you want, but it’s really that simple.
(Hat tip: KC Johnson)
Related post:
Tuesday, June 19: Mike Nifong is a true idiot. After being disbarred, he had the nerve to announce he’d remain in office for another four weeks (to collect more money and build up his pension)! The man has been stripped of his license to practice law! He’s a disgrace. Fortunately not everyone is disgraceful. The judge said, “Get out now.” Today, the sheriff served the suspension order and took his badge and office keys.
Monday, June 18: As you know, it’s not over for Nifong. He could face criminal contempt charges and civil lawsuits. The reason things have gotten this bad for Nifong is that he pushed forward a case in which he couldn’t place the accused men at the scene of the so-called crime (in fact, there was no evidence a crime even occurred), hadn’t spoken to the accuser until months after the indictments, intentionally misrepresented evidence, intentionally withheld evidence, and used the case to campaign for office. If he was inexperienced and overwhelmed trying a felony case of this magnitude, he should have asked for help, guidance, something.
Nifong merely is reaping what he’s sown for the past year, and it’s no one’s fault but his own. Check out my Townhall column, Nifong’s Swan Song.
I forgot to mention this yesterday. I believe all three former Duke lacrosse players testified at Nifong’s hearing last week. I read an account of Reade Seligmann’s testimony. He was the only white student in an “African American” studies course. After the accusations, his study partner gave him the cold shoulder and wrote an article about how the sexual assault of a black woman by white men signifies the return of the Jim Crow south, or some such BS. This kind of ignorance flourishes when admissions standards are lowered.
Add these books to your reading list:
- Until Proven Innocent: Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case
- It’s Not About the Truth: The Untold Story of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case and the Lives It Shattered
Update (3:03 p.m): Just caught this. Reade Seligmann, the formerly indicted-for-rape lacrosse player with the alibi, says he, Collin Finnerty, and Dave Evans plan to sue Nifong. Good move. File suit against Duke University while you’re at it…
Later…Ha! Just found out via KC Johnson that Duke U has settled with Seligmann, Finnerty, and Evans. Hmmm…how much? 
Even later…And criminal charges, too? Better put Nifong on suicide watch…
Filed under: Columns, Duke Rape Case
I will be in the audience at “The Duke Lacrosse Case: A Rush To Judgment and Journalism’s Future” at the National Press Club this morning. Participants are Stuart Taylor, columnist and co-author (along with KC Johnson) of Until Proven Innocent: Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case; Joseph Neff, reporter for The Raleigh News & Observer; and Rem Reider, editor of The American Journalism Review.
Writer John Leo mentions the Duke case and the Christian-Newsom murders in his article about selective news coverage. (Hat tip: MM)
Although this post is closed, Notes on “The Rap on Culture” is open for discussion. The 16-page study I linked to is a must-read.
Report later…
Update (5/23 @ 7:00 a.m.): The National Press Club flyer reads:
“Spurious rape charges against members of the Duke University lacrosse team triggered a year’s worth of emotional news stories, blogs, and 24/7 media specials. Many allegations were flung and many reputations ruined, but in the end all charges were dropped. Now, the original prosecutor himself faces potential charges, and journalists must work through the wreckage to find lessons for the future.â€
In the beginning…
Tuesday, May 22: For more coverage of the Duke case, see the latest post, Journalists’ Rush to Judgment.
Wednesday, May 16: Michelle Malkin covers the Christian-Newsom murders over at Hot Air.
Later…Fellow BC Baldilocks comments about the Christian-Newsom case at Hot Air (emphasis in original):
“Shades of the Wichita massacre (those perverts even mutilated the dog). And, yes, I saw no MSM coverage of that evil incident either.
“As many observers have noted, crimes committed by blacks–regardless of the race of the victim(s)–do not fit the MSMs standard narrative of black people always being the victim. Such crimes don’t even fit Fox News’ narrative.
“In the runup to Stanley “Tookie†Williams’ execution, I said that we black people do not need other people to listen to and cater to the psychopaths in our number because it gives such monsters encouragment and it infantilizes black people as a whole. Well, I think that, by ignoring massacres like this one and like the one in Wichita, the MSM entities, through their inaction and cowardice, are doing just that. It’s one of racism’s sneakier and more insidious manifestations.”
Tuesday, May 15: Wow. *** [letter removed from site - letter writer said he forgot to include link to my post - I believe him] lifted an entire paragraph from this post for his letter to the editor at Chattanoogan.com (last paragraph). (Hat tip: Matt Sheffield)
Also, several people in the comment section mentioned that “white supremacist” and “neo-Nazi” sites have taken up the Christian-Newsom murder case as a cause. What that has to do with the main focus of this post — the media blackout and feminist non-outrage — is a mystery to me.
In a free society, unpopular speech is protected. That’s why we have something called the First Amendment. That some people are using this case to further their nefarious goals, whatever they may be, is called life. Deal with it. People of all colors do things to manipulate and influence — for positive and negative reasons.
That so-called white supremacists may use this post or the Christian-Newsom case to bolster their movement or whatever won’t stop me from calling things as I see them. It’s the risk we take in a country that allows freedom of speech. Well, it’s a risk I take.
Continue reading Media Blackout On Christian-Newsom Murders?
Filed under: Duke Rape Case, Justice
The Duke case is over for me, in a sense. I’ll update you on Mike Nifong’s legal woes now and then. But for the most part, the case turned out the way I wanted it to.
Did you catch the former players and the NC attorney general on “60 Minutes” yesterday? I was hoping the formerly indicted men wouldn’t be bitter and would continue to behave like gentlemen, and they didn’t disappoint. They talked about how emotionally draining it was to live under indictment for heinous crimes, facing prison and knowing they hadn’t done anything to that woman.
As for her, sister needs serious help. If she doesn’t care enough to get it for herself, perhaps she’ll do it for her three children. I’ll keep them in my prayers.
There are blogs out there dedicated to the case, so check them frequently if you want to follow developments. The Johnsville News rounds up most Duke case-related articles and blog posts. LieStoppers is a group effort (with at least one attorney), with news links and commentary. Crystal Mess is run by an attorney, and John in Carolina frequently covers the media’s role in this mess.
KC Johnson, a Brooklyn College professor, started blogging the case because of the unbelievably inappropriate behavior of pampered Duke professors, screeching about the white male patriarchy and signing on to a “listening” statement filled with anonymous and third-hand quotes from black students. He’s gone on to write articles and consult for ABC, and he’s working on a book. He’s attended several hearings in person, live-blogging the proceedings. His Durham-in-Wonderland is the top go-to blog on the Duke case. Bookmark or subscribe to all the Duke blogs if you need a daily fix.
Read my latest Duke case column at Townhall, “Every One His Due,” where I castigate the castigators. An excerpt:
It was like an episode of “Law & Order.â€
Three, drunken, rowdy, privileged, elitist, indulged, slur-slinging lacrosse-playing white men accused of beating, strangling, raping (vaginally and orally), and sodomizing a poor, oppressed black woman forced to take off her clothes for strange men in order to feed her children, while the lacrosse team erected a “blue wall of silence,†barricading themselves within the old-boy protection of the moneyed white male patriarchy – no writer could have penned a more gripping drama.
Also see Star Parker’s “Getting perspective on Imus and Duke.”
Addendum: Read how DA Mike Nifong set about lying and downplaying the lack of DNA evidence, while forging ahead with the case and pandering to blacks at North Carolina Central University, a black college the accuser attended.
Thursday, April 12 @ 3:56 p.m.: Rogue prosecutor Mike Nifong says HE’S SORRY. Exact wording: “To the extent that I made judgments that ultimately proved to be incorrect, I apologize to the three students that were wrongly accused.” (Source)
[Grammar pet peeve alert: “I apologize to the three students who were wrongly accused,” not “that were wrongly accused.” You’re referring to people, man, not mere things. Generally, use who when referring to people and that when referring to objects.]
That’s a lawyer’s apology, alright. It should read:
“I apologize to the three students for race- and class-baiting their fellow students and for playing with their lives to win an election, knowing I had no evidence against them. I’m finished as Durham DA, and I deserve to lose my law license. I humble myself before you and hope you can find it within yourselves to forgive me.”
Thursday, April 12 @ early morning: It’s nice to be acknowledged by writers like Michael Barone (met him last year at CPAC). I haven’t done nearly as much as bloggers like KC Johnson (pre-order his book, Until Proven Innocent: Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case) but I’m glad I did something. Instead of writing more about the case on the blog, I’ll put my commentary and research into a couple of op-eds I’m working on.
Continue reading All Charges Dropped in Duke Lacrosse Case - Players ‘Innocent’ Says AG
Quotable Quotes
Two weeks ago, a Duke Chronicle reporter interviewed me about my coverage of the Duke “sexual offense” case. Though we talked for close to an hour and I said many things about the power of blogs to cover and report what the mainstream media ignore, this is what appeared in the article:
Regardless of which side they take, for many bloggers on the lacrosse case, it’s a labor of love, rather than a means for profit, because they say accepting advertisements would risk their independence.
But LaShawn Barber is different from most of the online commentators, and not only because her site is ringed by advertisements. As a black, female, Christian conservative, Barber naturally attracts attention in a case dominated by issues of race.
She has made a profession out of blogging, spending up to four hours per day on her own site-which receives 4,000 hits per day-and offering her consulting services to others.
“I’m not a feminist, and I don’t shout racism at the drop of a hat,” Barber says. “I’m very open about my faith and my politics, and that tends to make a lot of people mad-it makes a lot of black readers angry.”
With her picture and contact information directly available on the site, Barber stands in contrast to blogs written anonymously, such as John-in-Carolina, who will only identify himself as a Duke alumnus.
I’d hoped to see my blog-as-new-media quotes included, but as someone who’s interviewed people and had to leave out quotes that didn’t align with my story’s angle, I know that’s the way it goes sometimes.
Allow me to clarify one thing. My “independence” is not at “risk” because of advertisements on this site. Pajamas Media asked me to join knowing full well how edgy and controversial I can get. If I thought for one second that I’d have to be careful about what I blogged because of advertisers, I never would have signed up.
Rape in Durham
Have you heard the latest news about this rape case? Neither have I.
Duke Bloggers
The other “Duke bloggers” are running circles around me. Hey, I can’t keep up, so I concede the in-depth analysis about liberal academia and news round-up skills to them. With the exception of John in Carolina, those blogs focus exclusively on the Duke case:
- The Johnsville News, with the most comprehensive Duke news round-up posts;
- Durham-in-Wonderland, by history professor KC Johnson, currently co-writing a book about the lacrosse case with journalist Stuart Taylor. I’d advise certain “Group of 88” members to steer clear of KC in any public discussions about this case.
- LieStoppers, which has one of the most popular Duke case discussion boards on the web;
- Crystal Mess, by lawyer Mike McCusker, who’s feeling the pressure to blog frequently
; - John in Carolina, by a Duke grad; investigating a possible conflict of interest between CrimeStoppers, Duke faculty, and the Durham Police Department
Continue reading Duke Lacrosse Players’ ‘Virtual Support Team’
