Topic category:  Other/General

The liberal bent in North Carolina’s “justice system” has never been more evident than it has been in its trying-in-the-media case of the three Duke University student Lacrosse team players—who were falsely accused of and then charged with rape. Nifong called the three “hooligans” and said he was “certain” that they had raped stripper Crystal Mangum. The rape and other charges remained, even after Nifong knew DNA results proved that they hadn’t committed the crime; DNA results which Nifong ordered suppressed. Although Persecutor-Prosecutor and liberal Democrat District Attorney Mike Nifong finally recused himself from the case—his prosecutorial misconduct and conflict of interest in the case have now achieved an almost legendary status—the newly appointed Special Prosecutor Mary Winstead and her team have indicated that their investigation into the case may take a long time. This leaves the three young men and their families more time to continue to hang in the wind from the ropes Nifong and the North Carolina justice system appear to have weaved—themselves.

Of additional interest is the fact that Winstead is a colleague of Nifong and, during the 1980s and 90s, worked together as assistant district attorneys in Durham. One has to wonder how fair and impartial Winstead will be in her investigation of the case. One, also, has to wonder if the ‘long time’ comment may be directed toward the parents of the accused who may—rightly—file civil suits against a number of Durham agencies; including members of its legal community. Question: Isn’t Winstead’s appointment akin to the legal system assigning a fox to guard the henhouse?

Nifong stuck with the case until last Friday, when he begged North Carolina’s Attorney General that he be recused. Nifong’s request came as a surprise to some as even after the North Carolina State Bar Association had filed its initial formal complaint against the Durham D.A., the ethically-challenged prosecutor had still dug in his heels. That pension Nifong is anticipating must be a big one!

Another example of North Carolina “justice” is the way in which the players were treated by their university—Duke. When the charges against the three students were announced, the university dismissed them. No trial, just the hanging. Then we have Duke University professors—dubbed the “Duke 88”—who issued their initial statement that intimated the young men were guilty. The “88” published the advertisement “What does a Social Disaster Sound Like?” and issued a statement including: “Regardless of the results of the police investigation, what is apparent everyday now is the anger and fear of many students who know themselves to be objects of racism and sexism, who see illuminated in this moment’s extraordinary spotlight what they live with everyday. They know that it isn’t just Duke, it isn’t everybody, and it isn’t just individuals making this disaster.”

Even after the exculpatory DNA results had been revealed, under pressure to the court by the players’ defense teams, the Duke 88 refuse to back down. Instead, they issued another statement, which includes: “The ad has been read as a comment on the alleged rape, the team party, or the specific students accused. Worse, it has been read as rendering a judgment in the case. We understand the ad instead as a call to action on important, longstanding issues on and around our campus, an attempt to channel the attention generated by the incident to addressing these. We reject all attempts to try the case outside the courts, and stand firmly by the principle of the presumption of innocence.”

Most certainly these “esteemed” and self-aggrandizing professors, along with Nifong, did NOT initially make any “presumption of innocence” in their initial comments or their Ad. And, they even further commented: “We stand by the claim that issues of race and sexual violence on campus are real, and we join the ad's call to all of us at Duke to do something about this. We hope that the Duke community will emerge from this tragedy as a better place for all of us to live, study, and work.” Leftists, no matter what they do or say, do not apologize. Instead, they become even more fierce in their defense of their actions—no matter how morally bankrupt.

The current problem, however, is not with leftist academia. It is what it is. And, as long as parents foot the $40K+ per year tuition, it will remain leftist. The problem, as I’ve stated in previous columns, is that politically-inspired jurists can accuse anyone of anything and get away with destroying the accuseds’ lives—as long as the jurists’ lives are improved. Although this North Carolina case has become the most recent visible example of this type of corruption inherent in the US legal system, it’s not just happening there. Whether you love him, hate him or remain neutral, the same thing happened to former House leader Rep. Tom Delay (R-TX). Democrat operative and Texas District Attorney Ronnie Earle has for years gone after Tom Delay with a vengeance. To date, none of the charges against Delay have stuck. But, due to Republican House rules, the activist D.A. was able to gain Delay’s resignation from the US House of Representatives. This action by Earle was another politically-inspired prosecution—which appears to have no substantial evidence. However, considering that the accused Duke students had probably not expressed any particular political bent, the Nifong case has now brought this lack of justice to the general population—this time for Nifong’s personal gain. If this brand of jurisprudence is allowed, who will be next? If you’re strong enough to accept the answer—look in your closest mirror. Our liberal justice system is now saying: “Hang ‘em! Then, if we have the time or the inclination, we’ll figure out whether or not they were guilty.” Will you be the next to be Nifonged?

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=triangle&id=4943871

http://www.concerneddukefaculty.org/

Sher Zieve

Biography - Sher Zieve

Sher Zieve is a long-time syndicated columnist who generally writes columns of a politically Conservative and Constitutional nature. She also interviews notable people with an interesting and/or newsworthy story to tell. These include politicians, writers, activists and others in the news. Her work has been and continues to be carried by both national and international publications. Sher appears regularly on national talk shows.