Two Duke LaCrosse Players Indicted

via AP

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- A grand jury issued sealed indictments Monday against two members of the Duke University lacrosse team in connection with allegations that a stripper was raped last month at a team party, a defense attorney said.

"Today, two young men have been charged with crimes they did not commit," attorney Robert Ekstrand said in a statement. "This is a tragedy. For the two young men, an ordeal lies ahead. ... They are both innocent."

This is sure to set the stage for a cross over from crime to politics. The country is going to be a bit divided on this, especially with the indictments sealed. Some will claim this is a political prosecution to benefits the DA's ambitions, to assuage a certain element of his constituency.

At the same time, you might think that some would say this proves the system is just. But, that won't happen either. Anything short of a conviction will be seen as an outrage by the Jesse Jacksons of the world. It isn't like they are encumbered by basing their opinions and fund raising on facts.

Jury composition, legal posturing ... depending on these indictments, it's all likely to play out on the stage of political news. Just what we needed, OJ in reverse.

Comments

[Bill]

Anyone who believes that the system of justice in the US is fair and balanced is a fool. While it may still be the best in the world (and after 54+ yrs on Earth I question that), it is far from being just. As the Bible says, "Do not expect justice on Earth." IF the state wants you, the State WILL get you. It is not about truth. It is not about law. It is not about justice. It is about posturing, feigning, and which side appeals more to the jury.

When our Union was formed, one could not serve on a jury if one did not know about the crime. The idea was that one who didn't know was one who was detached from the world and events. Today if you are a sentient being you will not likely serve on a jury. If you know ANYTHING about the case, you will likely be excluded.

So go ahead and believe if you wish. Some of us know better.

Just another ParaNoid

PS: If you have paid any attention as of late, you will note that we commonly have the families of victims testify about the pain and suffering the crime caused. Remember this. When emotion is brought in, justice is no longer sought. Vengeance is the desire of those who bring emotion into a trial.

[Paulo]

Bill,

Great stuff! Your observations are brilliant and exacting. I agree with your assessment of America's judicial system; moreover, I like the quote from the Bible.

This case (for me) has had $$ written all over it from day one. Pain, suffering, and oh my lord, the grieving and loss of enjoyment of life, this person definitely has an M.O.

So I don't think this thing should ever make it to any reasonable courtroom in the counrty, yet, are they going to find a jury of peers? Right!

If anyone looks at the big picture here and just thinks: Okay, it's Friday night and I'm going to hang out at the house. Couple friends are coming by with some outstanding wines. Let's have a wine-tasting!

Next day someone says I raped and assaulted them! My goodness I was at home tasting wine. So I find out that some stripper who'd been hired for $800 (by one of my friends) had a bit of a tussle with the cops last night. Apppearantly she was in someone else's car and refused to get out even when the cops showed up. Hey, I heard the actually 911 tape recording of the original call from Kroger's. Can you believe I actually heard the report on tape from the responding cop? The big issue was she was drunk and was probably going to have to stay in the tank over night. Oh yeah! I forgot--did I mention that she has an "open" criminal investigation going on right now as I type?

Does anyone realize how easy it would be to fake a perpetrater? As a suggestion, if you will: Let's all agree that she was raped both vaginally and anally. Just for the record let's all agree that: 1)It happened either at home before she left by her boyfriend who forbade her from stripping; or, 2) At the first place she went to that evening (was she a stripper for hire or a hooker?); 3) She went to her pimp got hooked up with some John who treated her pretty bad and she had no recourse insofar as she was already running late to the kid's rented house? These are all very plausible scenarios that have far more creedence than what they have on the Duke boys.

What on earth is Jesse and Al doing there? What a bunch of racists!

Paulo

[anon]

Her name is Crystal Gail Mangum. It seems to me that if we\'re going to plaster the boys\' names all over the news we should do the same with her, right? I mean - \"innocent until proven guilty\" after all.

[SuddenImpact]

If the players are Innocent they have nothing to fear, they will be vindicated..There is an awful lot of hype around this case. If everyone TRULY believes the players have alibis and are innocent, why do you need to go through all the trouble to endanger someone's safety if all the facts will show the players are innocent? I think this shows that no matter how many claim to be supporters of the Players, there were too many people there for someone not to speak up. And the house was too small for just the attackers to have known what was going on. Someone has told the truth to someone...And let's start with the coach. Let's subpoena him. Did one of the players show him a photo and that's why he ran from them in all his support? And for the line-up being thrown out...c'mon that happens to black men all the time, the police even point to which photo they want the accuser to select...Don't say it doesn't happen, because there would be an awful lot of police officers to perjure themselves on the witness stand. And I'm sure that witnesses would testify that the officer pointed to photos in a photo lineup. And as for there being no DNA evidence..can anyone say..Mark Furman? If there was tampering in the OJ case, you know there was here...But bottom line, no matter how many people destroy DNA evidence, and how many fabricated photos there are...as long as there are truly 5 or 7 people workin on the case that are truly out for Justice....the truth will come out. When crimes are committed, a mistake or two is made.. And society doesn't want to hear the truth , or you wouldn't go through the trouble of exposing the accusers name and address. You know it has nothing to do with Freedom of Speech. If you don't think that caucasion men lust after black women, or don't enjoy humiliated them--then check the Internet. And I'm not referring to the Children's sites either!! Wow, I can't believe that there are so many people that want rapists to go free. I guess you would prefer one of these guys to be your son-in-law?? Crime is crime, no matter who committed it and if you are guilty then you should serve the maximum sentence. THe guard(Barney Fife) speculated she was drunk, with no smell of alcohol. Rophynol affects a person anywhere from 15-25 minutes after it is taken. But since the DA did not send her blood to an unbiased lab we wll never know what was in her system. There is an open investigation on the 2nd dancer--KIM...BTW... And the victim, was sodomized by an unknown object--NO I do not think she did that to herself. The medical report will be revealed in court--not to the public! The timeline is speculation in this case. So don't say there wasn't time to commit a rape. There was plenty of TIME, the exact duration is unknown. No woman is going to endanger her life and her children's lives if it was not true. And the MEN that stood by and let it happen are just as sick and twisted as the ones who penetrated her!!

[tre benson]

What statistics are there that show a remote possibility of an act of forcible gang rape by a group of white men against a black woman, any black woman?

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cvus/current/cv0342.pdf

Statistically speaking ZERO white males rape black females according to the 2003 Department of Justice report linked above.

USA Today did a 12 year study of sexual assaults committed by high school, college and professional athletes and there was not one case of a forceable gang rape. A couple of false accusations but not one actual case.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2003-12-22-athletes-assault-side_x.htm

I am not defending rapists, I am defending justice.

What has happened in this event is unjust. Did the rape happen? Statistically speaking it didn't. And if you are asking me to take the word of a woman that makes her living, supporting her children, by being an escort and stripper, has admitted mental illness, has a drug/alcohol problem so severe that she stole a taxi from a john and attempted to run over a police officer, a woman that has previously accused three other men of beating and raping her only to back down after filing the police report, if you are asking me to believe her over statistics, over the factual evidence released so far such as no DNA link and an airtight alibi by one of the men arrested, asking me to believe her over common sense then I'm sorry I can't do that.

http://www.bluelineradio.com