UPDATE: Duke Univ. and Durham Legal Woes

Those who thought that the Duke lacrosse rape hoax scandal was over when the state Attorney-General declared the 3 falsely accused students innocent are discovering just how thoroughly the scandal reached into the halls of power in Durham County and Duke University.

Duke and Durham continue to be up to their necks in legal woes resulting from the inexcusable manner in which the case was handled.

If you ever want the perfect case study for the miscarriage of justice, look at Durham and Duke.

If you ever want an example of how a university system and a entire county's law enforcement and justice system were complicit in the railroading of innocent citizens by a corrupt District Attorney, look at Durham and Duke.

If you ever need a perfect example of a university and a city/county held in the grip of corrupt officials and politicians, look at Durham and Duke.

If you ever need evidence that the top universities in the country are held in the grip of Leftwing demagogues, look at Durham and Duke.

And to this very day, as far as I know, neither Durham nor Duke have done very much to clean up their act.

For the latest information on the ongoing legal woes of Durham and Duke University, click HERE.

False Accuser! Crystal's Last Stand

In a never-ending saga that causes one to pause to consider if they are in the twilight zone, the false accuser who ruined the lives of 3 innocent Duke University students is back in the news promoting her new book.

Crystal Mangum, who was used by a corrupt District Attorney in a corrupt county run by a corrupt Democratic Party, is still maintaining she was 'assaulted' although no evidence supports her claim.

In a state investigation, it was determined that Mangum lied, the 3 students were completely innocent of charges, and that they had been framed by a dirty DA to win an election, all with the complicit approval of Duke University, the Durham County Police and Justice departments, and the county Democratic Party.

Mangum, however, continues with her claim of innocence in the frame-up, making her last stand in a bookstore owned by a member of the New Black Panther Party in Durham. Obama supporters, no doubt.

Read the complete story on this continually bizarre episode at Liestoppers.

Liestoppers--Duke U. and 'the Reverend' Jackson

If you like parody, you will love Joan Foster's latest masterpiece at the Liestoppers blog. Foster creates a scenario where Duke University President Brodhead calls a news conference to condemn 'the Reverend' Jessie Jackson for his latest racist remarks.

Remember that it was Duke University and Brodhead that threw the weight of its support behind the false accusations against 3 innocent Duke lacrosse students/players.

A racial divide quickly grew with all of the usual suspects of race-baiters, including 'the Reverend' Jackson and a very vocal, outspoken group of extremist liberal Duke professors.

Liestoppers was the key to unlocking the massive deception and the eventual proclamation of innocence for the 3 students, as well as the taking down of one of the most corrupt public officials to ever serve in office, former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong.

Joan Foster's insightful commentary, wit, poetry, and creativity were a crucial part of the Liestoppers effort, and now Foster shines once again as she seizes on a golden opportunity to parody yet another sad chapter in the continuing saga of the American race-baiters.

Click HERE to go to Foster's brilliant post.

Democrats in Durham: Felony Satanic Sex Crimes

The investigation into the Duke University Lacrosse Rape Scandal/Hoax revealed multi-level corruption in Durham, North Carolina politics, from the District Attorney's office to Duke University, from the Durham Police Department to the Durham County Democratic Party, and beyond.

Mike Nifong, the Durham District Attorney who essentially destroyed the lives and reputations of three innocent Duke students in order to win an election, was shown by the N.C. Bar Association to be one of the most corrupt public officials in the nation.

But he had plenty of help from those complicit in his scheme.

Duke University, the Durham police, and the local Democratic Party were all willing, unindicted co-conspirators in Nifong's false use of the race card to win the support of Durham voters, the majority of whom are either African-American or Caucasian liberal Democrats who work in the halls of academia.

Their rush to proclaim the three innocent lacrosse players guilty even before any of them had been charged with a crime only highlighted the lynch-mob mentality of a town seething with racism and corruption.

And now the news comes that a top Democratic Party official in the Durham County Democratic Party has been charged and arrested for engaging in Satanic sex rituals.

Joy Johnson, age 30, vice-chair of Young Democrats and 3rd vice-chair of the Durham County Democratic Party, has been charged with two counts of aiding and abetting.

Johnson's husband, Joseph Scott Craig, age 25, was charged with second-degree rape, second-degree kidnapping, and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

Law enforcement officials allege that the couple lured people into their home where they engaged in Satanic rituals of a sexual nature, locked them in cages, chained them to beds, and deprived them of food and water.

Further, it is alleged that Craig sexually assaulted women with a cane and then raped them.

WRAL-TV in Raleigh is reporting that Craig's bond has been set at 1 million dollars while Johnson's is at $368,000. The two are being held in the Durham County Detention Center.

More information can be found on this story HERE and HERE.

It goes without saying that the two are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

However, the emerging scenario is simply more fodder for those who are convinced that the Durham Democratic Party and their cohorts in the Durham D.A.'s office, the Durham Police Department, and Duke University are oozing with cankered corruption that would gag a maggot.

Second Amendment News Roundup for 5/21/08

Focusing on guns, politics, and news of interest, here is today's Second Amendment News Roundup:

My favorite intellectual, Dr. Walter E. Williams, has a brand new op-ed that is a MUST-read for anyone supporting gun rights:
http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/wew/articles/08/ControlCriminalsNotGuns.htm

Michelle Malkin reports that Barack 'Pennsylvanians Love Guns and Jesus Only in Bad Times' Obama has made more gaffes than Dan Quayle, but it is never reported in the mainstream media:
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/21/barack-obama-gaffe-machine/

L. Neil Smith at Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership writes a scathing article on the NRA, and it is offered here as an alternative point of view. Read it, and then make up your own mind:
http://www.jpfo.org/smith/smith-friends-like-nra.htm

On the other hand, Roberta X takes a much more benevolent point of view:
http://twowheeledmadwoman.blogspot.com/2008/05/whats-nra-for.html

Dr. John Lott has stirred up a hornet's nest at Daily Kos with his contention that electing Barack Obama as President will mean the end of secret ballots for Union votes:
http://johnrlott.blogspot.com/2008/05/daily-kos-tries-to-correct-my-latest-op.html

The Buckeye Firearms Association is reporting that Ohio's police union is mounting an all-out attack on the Castle Doctrine which is before the Ohio Senate:
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/5685

Mike McCarville has 'the Washington Watch' for the day:
http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/2008/05/washington-watch-coburn-stirs-it-up.html

Sebastian has some stats on Brady Bunch-driven web traffic:
http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/2008/05/21/bradylaunch/

JR has news on the Chicago gun control program of buy-backs:
http://akeyboardanda45.blogspot.com/2008/05/hows-that-gun-control-thing-working-out.html

Vultures. That's a good way to describe the gun control crowd, and Armed and Safe tells us why:
http://armedandsafe.blogspot.com/2008/05/when-kid-in-your-town-gets-killed.html

Say Uncle reports that former Klansman Senator Robert 'Sheets' Byrd has endorsed Barack 'People Like Byrd Lynch Black Folk and Sing About it at Church' Obama:
http://www.saysuncle.com/archives/2008/05/21/byrd-endorses-obama/

Bitter says that the fact that bloggers were welcomed along with mainstream media at the NRA Convention got some good press:
http://www.thebitchgirls.us/?p=8228

David Codrea reports that yet another law abiding gun owner has gone to jail for merely trying to protect his property:
http://waronguns.blogspot.com/2008/05/another-law-abiding-gun-owner-goes-to.html

World-renown Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina is now the center of the latest controversy in the continuing fallout from the Duke-lacrosse rape hoax. Liestoppers has two posts, linked below, that show that the Medical Center altered evidence in order to aid and abet convicted and disgraced former D.A. Mike Nifong. Read it all if you are interested in seeing how a prestigious university--a bastion of extremist liberalism--has become just as corrupt as the politicians it shakes hands with:
http://liestoppers.blogspot.com/2008/05/our-collective-voice-allegations.html

http://liestoppers.blogspot.com/2008/05/our-collective-voice-part-ii.html

The Volokh Conspiracy has an interesting read today entitled, 'Obama, McCain, and the Jewish Vote':
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2008_05_18-2008_05_24.shtml#1211329437

Squeaky shows us a VERY good reason for the citizens to have guns:
http://www.squeakywheelseeksgrease.com/blog/2008/05/21/i-cant-imagine/

Robb Allen has this to say about Barack Obama's visit to Tampa today. You gotta see it!:
http://blog.robballen.com/archive/2008/05/21/Theres-a-lot-of-Hope-in-the-air-today.aspx

Born Again Redneck posts some surprising but pleasant results from a Rasmussen poll on taxes and government services....read it all:
http://bornagainredneck.blogspot.com/2008/05/62-of-voters-prefer-fewer-government.html

The lovely Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs tells it like it is about selling out the Jews in this country and in Israel--some by liberal Jews who throw their own people under the bus, and others by none other than Barack Obama! Read it all:
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2008/05/jewicidal-attac.html

Second Amendment News Roundup for 5/8/08

Focusing on guns and politics, here is today's Second Amendment News Roundup:

ROFL! We start off the Roundup today with some great news. Sebastian has found a news article in the BBC that shows that great tits weather global warming quite well:
http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/2008/05/08/some-good-news/

Roberta X says we have raised a generation that forms 'the aristocracy of incompetence':
http://twowheeledmadwoman.blogspot.com/2008/05/aristocracy-of-incompetence.html

John Lott points to a VERY controversial yet accurate assessment on the subject of guns and race:
http://johnrlott.blogspot.com/2008/05/very-provocative-thought-experiment-on.html

You GOTTA see this over at Michelle Malkin's place. As a spoof of the popular blog, Stuff White People Like' she has started a new feature entitled, 'Stuff Muslims Don't Like,' and she starts with the subject of bikinis:
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/07/stuff-muslims-dont-like-a-new-feature/

Alphecca is thoroughly disgusted with the choice between McCain and Obama:
http://www.alphecca.com/?p=755

Armed and Safe has caught the jackbooted thugs of the BATFE in more lies about firearms:
http://armedandsafe.blogspot.com/2008/05/lies-from-batfe-say-it-aint-so.html

Say Uncle points to an oft-recurring theme--armed persons stopping mass shootings:
http://www.saysuncle.com/archives/2008/05/08/a-recurring-theme/

Chilling, absolutely chilling. David Codrea says that police departments, specifically the Little Rock Police, are developing what is called 'a warrior mindset' against the citizens:
http://waronguns.blogspot.com/2008/05/announcing-warrior-mindset.html

Tam points to Xavier's five rules for concealed carry:
http://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/2008/05/tote-gun.html

Traction Control comments further on the militarization of public servants...resulting in the shooting of an innocent guy sleeping on his couch:
http://tractioncontrol.well-regulatedmilitia.org/?p=1063

An enthusiastic 'congratulations' goes to Breda today for being asked by The Buckeye Firearms Association to allow them to republish one of her posts on the Association website. Way to go, Breda!!:
http://thebredafallacy.blogspot.com/2008/05/yay-me.html

Of Arms and the Law has this info on some pro-gun pieces in the media:
http://armsandthelaw.com/archives/2008/05/progun_media_pi.php

Mike McCarville says that Obama plans to declare victory over Hillary on May 20:
http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/2008/05/obama-to-declare-victory-on-may-20th.html

This is the MUST-read of the day. It seems the pot-bangers at Duke University are stirring up a hornet's nest again over the Lacrosse rape hoax. Three professors, two of whom were the first of Duke's faculty to stir up hatred against the falsely accused lacrosse students, have written a 'scholarly' article on the subject, which K.C. Johnson summarily takes apart over at The Volokh Conspiracy:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2008_05_04-2008_05_10.shtml#1210225198

Fighting Against Lies and Corruption

The Liberty Sphere received the following notice, and information, from Liestoppers. We are gratified that the blog's forum is back up and running again.

As a website that is dedicated to exposing the truth in the Duke lacrosse rape hoax/frame, the importance of Liestoppers cannot be overestimated.

In spite of the fact that the accuser was exposed as a fraud and the D.A. was exposed as a legal quack who had no regard for the truth, so many who aided and abetted the hoax/frame escaped any blame whatsoever.

Thus, Liestoppers is as important today as it was when the 3 innocent students were falsely accused, for what happened behind the scenes is most assuredly much worse than what came to light.

Here is the notice from Baldo at Liestoppers:

'We are back up.

http://liestoppers.blogspot.com/2008/05/liestoppers-is-open-for-business.html

'Thank you so much for your support. It was really appreciated. This has been quite a difficult time, but we are back on target. Exposing the Duke Lacrosse Hoax/Frame. The treachery in this case is so deep. Durham & Duke still refuses to confront what happened.'

Baldo

Fellow Blogger Under Attack by Hackers

Almost from its inception, Liestoppers has been featured regularly on The Liberty Sphere as the most important source of factual information concerning the Duke lacrosse rape hoax and its many political ramifications.

As a result of its tireless efforts, the three falsely accused lacrosse players were pronounced innocent of the charges and a popular local District Attorney was disbarred and faced criminal charges before a North Carolina court.

Determined that no stone be left unturned in its valiant search for truth and justice, Liestoppers continued peeling back the layers of the case, revealing widespread corruption in the North Carolina Department of Justice, the state legislature, the Durham police department, the Durham D.A.'s office, the North Carolina and Durham County Democratic Party, and Duke University.

Political aspirations among some within these corrupt entities run high, and, given that this is an important election year, someone with deep pockets and access to high-tech methodology has embarked on a systematic effort to silence freedom of speech, particularly with regard to the Liestoppers blog.

Hackers gained access to the blog's control panel and shut down its popular forum, where readers can participate in discussions concerning the corruption of the North Carolina political system, which is under the dominance of the N.C. Democratic Party.

We at The Liberty Sphere had noticed something amiss in the blogosphere when, over a period of several weeks, we received messages concerning Liestoppers containing charges that the blog has engaged in deliberate misinformation and outright lies.

Bloggers are accustomed to these periodic displays given that the Internet is a reflection of life in general, i.e., persons of ill repute and ill will occasionally leave us an unwelcome 'gift.'

These messages, thus, were disregarded.

This was until we read on Saturday that the Liestoppers' forum had been hacked and shut down. At that point we began to realize that the attack was part of a broad, concerted effort to silence free speech, attempting to involve anyone and everyone who had been a part of Liestoppers' efforts in any way in the past.

Liestoppers is a daily feature of The Liberty Sphere. Their latest posts are included in our sidebar as a matter of course. Liestoppers has reciprocated and done the same for The Liberty Sphere. This has been our mutual relationship for a significant period of time.

For our part, this will not change. In fact, now more than ever the blog needs the support of those who appreciate and value their stand for truth and justice.

Second Amendment News Roundup for 12/31/07

Notice! The Roundup will take a break for New Year's Day tomorrow. We will resume on Wednesday.

Focusing on guns and politics, here is today's Second Amendment News Roundup:

We start with some good news today. Armed citizens are having an impact on crime. Here is a news report about a home invasion gone bad, the result of which was two criminals dead:
http://carolinacountryside.blogspot.com/2007/12/home-invasion-ends-with-two-criminals.html

Mike McCarville has the latest scoop on Iowa as we head down to the last 3 days before the Caucuses:
http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/2007/12/iowa-down-to-wire-in-both-parties.html

A Keyboard and a .45 blogs on a great gun show at the Will Rogers Center in Fort Worth:
http://akeyboardanda45.blogspot.com/2007/12/day-at-gun-show.html

Armed and Safe posts the BBC's take on the American gun rights debate:
http://armedandsafe.blogspot.com/2007/12/defense-through-defenselessness-now-ive.html

Blogonomicon reports that gun owners are safer than ever before:
http://blogonomicon.blogspot.com/2007/12/firearms-owners-are-safer-than-ever.html

Born Again Redneck has the responses of Thompson supporters to the latest smear by the mainstream media:
http://bornagainredneck.blogspot.com/2007/12/thompsons-supporters-respond.html

Cap'n Bob and the Damsel write about their last target practice for 2007:
http://capnbob.us/blog/2007/12/30/last-2007-target-practice/

Syd presents Part 2 of his interesting discussion on 'The Second Gun':
http://www.snubnose.info/wordpress/tactics/the-second-gun-part-two/

Sebastian has a brief wrap-up of the shooters' shindig at Uncle's place in Knoxville:
http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/?p=2278

Tam has more about it here:
http://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/2007/12/well-that-was-fun.html

Squeaky has some notes on her life of late. She has moved, and as we all know, that is quite a chore...in fact, I had just as soon eat road-kill as to move:
http://www.squeakywheelseeksgrease.com/blog/2007/12/30/notes-on-life/

Breda reminds us that 'the Breda fallacy' is still true:
http://thebredafallacy.blogspot.com/2007/12/pretty-good-year.html

David Codrea at War on Guns has been hit with an anonymous troll who apparently is using the name of a college professor. Read this post and the others connected to this mystery:
http://waronguns.blogspot.com/2007/12/bring-it-on.html

Traction Control has the link to the video Fred Thompson just released that lays out a vital message to Iowans and the rest of the nation on the brink of the Iowa Caucuses:
http://tractioncontrol.well-regulatedmilitia.org/?p=882

We could very well call this 'the swine Congress,' due to the excessive pork (earmarks) the Dems promised they would stop in 2006. John Lott has the story:
http://johnrlott.blogspot.com/2007/12/somebody-please-provide-economic.html

Gun Law News alerts us to a bill in the Georgia Legislature that would restore 2nd Amendment rights infringed upon by state laws:
http://www.gunlawnews.org/State-Politics/ga123107-2.html

From the NRA: Cook County, Illinois is stepping up its assault on gun rights:
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=3329

Duke University seems to be in hot water again in the aftermath of its botched handling of the Duke lacrosse rape hoax. Liestoppers has the story:
http://liestoppers.blogspot.com/2007/12/blog-hooligans-find-duke-boo-boo.html

EXPLOSIVE DETAILS! Duke Lacrosse Students Sue!

As expected, the three Duke lacrosse students who were falsely accused and charged of rape by a rogue district attorney who has since been disbarred and sent to jail, have filed a lawsuit in North Carolina against D.A. Mike Nifong, the City of Durham, and others connected to the case.

Former Duke students David F. Evans, Collin Finnerty, and Reade Seligmann filed the lawsuit Friday against not only Nifong and the City of Durham, but Mark Gottlieb, Linwood Wilson, DNA Security, Inc., and nearly a dozen others named as Defendants.

Conspicuously missing from the lawsuit is Duke University, which treated the three students mercilessly and proclaimed their guilt early on, thus smearing their good names around Durham and the rest of the country.

As the story of the three falsely accused and maligned players unfolded, a small, unknown blog began to draw attention due to the thorough, relentless pursuit of truth that its team of writers and attorneys exhibited. Thus, 'Liestoppers' burst onto the scene with explosive information that shed light on the vermin scurrying around in Durham, exposing the corruption of the D.A.'s office and the City of Durham in general.

This one blog single-handedly brought the truth to light, and were it not for Liestoppers the corruption of Nifong and his gang would have never come to light, and three innocent students would be in jail.

With the lawsuit now filed by the three victims, Liestoppers is once again on the cutting edge, providing information not only about the lawsuit but about the explosive details the suit is bringing to light.

You can find that information by clicking here:
http://liestoppers.blogspot.com/2007/10/explosive-details-in-lawsuit.html

Nifong's Woes Continue to Mount

Durham, NC (TLS). Liestoppers is reporting that former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong was a no-show in court today at a hearing concerning his dismissal as the Durham area D.A.

Nifong sent word to the court before the scheduled hearing that he intents to tender his resignation, effective on Monday.

North Carolina law is alarmingly lenient when it comes to judicial officials who are disbarred by the North Carolina Bar. As we have reported previously on The Liberty Sphere, several disbarred Judges and District Attorneys still had not vacated the offices to which they were chosen.

With Nifong's woes continuing to mount by the day, and with the intense public scrutiny of this case, the beleaguered D.A. could hardly attempt to stay in office following a highly embarrassing trial before the Bar, the result of which was his disbarrment.

Now that the North Carolina Attorney General has declared the three falsely accused Duke lacrosse students innocent of all the charges brought by Nifong, and now that the N.C. Bar has removed his license to practice law, the students and their famlies have pressed for criminal charges to be brought against Nifong.

Thus, Nifong now stands charged with contempt of court for the manner in which he conducted himself during the Duke lacrosse case...a charge for which he could face jail time.

The no-show at court today is certainly no feather in the cap of the Nifong.

Read about the criminal contempt of court charge against Nifong here:
http://liestoppers.blogspot.com/2007/06/smiths-order-to-show-cause-contempt.html

Nifong Cries, Apologizes, But No Oscar for this Performance

Raleigh, NC (TLS). A tearful and apologetic Mike Nifong resigned from the office of Durham's District Attorney while on the witness stand, in a surprise move that took aback nearly everyone present, including the attorneys.

In one last-ditch effort to save his career, Nifong aims for the Oscar, becoming tearful and apologetic, resigning from office, and appearing remorseful. I'm afraid, though, that he would not even secure a nomination for the Oscar much less take home the prize.

Nifong's resignation is welcome but long overdue. This move should have been made months ago.

As for the apology, it did not appear that the falsely accused Duke students and their families were very impressed with the display. They watched, expressing no visible emotion, as Nifong delivered his defense, which was given in tones so low that one had to struggle to hear it.

For one thing, Nifong's 'apology' was interspersed with a continued defense of his actions, even to the point of claiming he did not lie throughout the entire process. True apologies that are heartfelt and sincere include, at the very least, an acknowledgement of the wrongdoing. Nifong's display was lacking in that one essential element.

One does not continue to defend one's actions, and even continue to claim innocence, when one is sincerely apologizing for misdeeds.

No wonder the 'apology' seemed to fall flat, especially to the students and their families.

Most observers believe that Nifong offered the semblance of an apology in a last-ditch effort to save his law license in North Carolina. His words today will hardly be sufficient to convince the N.C. Bar that he should keep his license to practice law, given that the Bar has already delivered some fairly sharply-worded assessments of Nifong's behavior in the months leading up to his trial.

In addition, with the revelations made during the trial this week to the effect that early on in the process Nifong knew that there was scant evidence to proceed with the case against the three students, he may be subject to criminal charges. If it can be established that Nifong was fairly certain the three young men were innocent, yet prosecuted them anyway, including going before the public in the press and referring to them as 'hooligans,' then a criminal act has been committed for which Nifong should be forced to face legal consequences.

And this does not even begin to address the fact that vital DNA evidence clearing the three accused of any wrongdoing was withheld by Nifong's office from the court and the defense attorneys.

Thus, it would seem that Nifong's losing his job as District Attorney should be the very least of his worries.

Recap of 1st Day of Nifong's Trial

Raleigh, NC (TLS). Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong went on trial before the North Carolina Bar yesterday in a fight to save his career in the wake of the Duke lacrosse rape hoax debacle.

Liestoppers has updated information of the first day of the trial here:
http://liestoppers.blogspot.com/2007/06/himan-on-witness-stand.html

SHOWDOWN: NIFONG FACES BAR TODAY

Durham, NC (TLS). Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong's day of reckoning has arrived as he faces the Bar today.

The long-awaited accounting of Nifong's nefarious work in the Duke Lacrosse Rape Hoax will culminate as he faces his peers, the three innocent victims and their families, as well as others he has irreparably harmed.

Liestoppers has the full details here:
http://liestoppers.blogspot.com/2007/06/defendant-nifongs-day-of-reckoning-has.html

More Shame in Durham--Circling the Wagons

Durham, NC (TLS). And the shame of Durham continues as the co-conspirators in the Nifong-Mangum Hoax circle the wagons, denying any culpability, not even as much as acknowledging mistakes in the entire fiasco.

The Durham Police Department had ample opportunity to cleanse itself in its own internal investigation into the affair, only to return with a statement of denials and the insistence that it had done absolutely nothing wrong.

Can't you just see the halos?

The Department's failure to confess and repent, and thus salvage what little integrity may remain within its dens of corruption, has led to calls for totally independent examinations and a much more candid assessment of what went wrong. The Liberty Sphere believes that such an independent investigation is long overdue.

Our concern, however, runs much deeper than just with the Durham Police Department, for we are convinced that Durham is but a microcosm of a much broader culture of corruption that exists in North Carolina state government. We have sounded the alarm many times about such corruption, for example, within the North Carolina Department of Social Services and its heavy-handed, gestapo-like tactics with innocent citizens.

We will leave that matter to our ongoing investigations into DSS. For now, the focus is on Durham. Perhaps if a concerted effort is made to clean up the police department, city government, the judiciary, and the local Democratic Party, then this would be one gigantic first step toward further reform in other areas.

We can only hope.

Liestoppers has a detailed examination of the nature of the corruption within the Durham Police Department with regard to the Nifong-Mangum Hoax. In spite of a scathing assessment from the North Carolina Attorney-General and others who have observed this scandal from afar, the local co-conspirators are indeed circling the wagons, fabricating stories, and outright lying to the public concerning their conduct in the affair.

Thus, the shame of Durham only deepens.

Read the Liestoppers report here:
http://liestoppers.blogspot.com/2007/05/playing-stupid.html

LEGAL BOMBSHELL! CORRUPTION AMONG N.C. D.A.s

Washington, DC (TLS). Liestoppers is reporting a legal bombshell of a story concerning corruption among North Carolina District Attorneys, which apparently has reached a fever pitch.

The D.A.s publicly scorned Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong several months ago in an apparent attempt to save their own carcasses that were on the line as Nifong exhibited for the entire world what is wrong with the North Carolina system of justice, District Attorneys in particular.

As you will see in the Liestoppers article below, that move was only a ruse. The N.C. D.A.s have now shown their true colors by lobbying the state legislature to make legal the nifonging of innocent citizens! The D.A.s wish to legalize the withholding of vital evidence from defense attorneys, just as Nifong did in the Duke lacrosse rape hoax.

The Liberty Sphere has been very concerned for quite a number of months now about the burgeoning corruption that is growing like a cancer within the entirety of North Carolina state government, including the Department of Social Services. If what we are seeing in DSS and among the D.A.s is any indication of the state of North Carolina government, then it is clear the citizens are getting shafted big-time.

Read the entire Liestoppers expose here:
http://liestoppers.blogspot.com/2007/05/nc-das-push-for-legalized-nifonging.html

Transcripts of Final Report on Duke Rape Hoax

Washington, DC (TLS). North Carolina Attorney-General Roy Cooper has issued the final report on the Duke lacrosse rape case. The 21-page document, which fully proclaims the innocence of the three accused Duke students, concludes that none of the charges made by accuser Crystal Mangum could be corroborated by supporting evidence.

In fact, the report makes clear that NONE of the claims of the accuser actually took place.

Thus, this particular chapter in one of the most sordid and shameful sagas in American jurisprudence is closed. But the story is far from over. There will be lawsuits a-plenty. And then there is the subject of Mike Nifong's fate before the N.C. Bar, and potentially before a criminal court.

So there is much more to come.

The full transcripts of the final report can be found here:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0427071duke1.html

Transcripts on April 13 Nifong Bar Hearing

Durham, NC (TLS). The North Carolina Bar is continuing its investigation into charges of prosecutorial misconduct, lying to the court, and ethics violations on the part of Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong.

A hearing of the Bar was held on April 13. A transcript of that hearing is available below.

Nifong's legal woes began in the aftermath of the Duke lacrosse rape hoax scandal, the result of which was the proclamation of complete innocence of the students by N.C. Attorney-General Roy Cooper. Nifong's gross mishandling of the case, including that of prosecuting three innocent citizens for political gain, sent him before the Bar for possible disciplinary action that could result in his disbarment.

Liestoppers has provided the complete transcripts of the April 13 hearing. Click here to read:
http://liestoppers.blogspot.com/2007/04/april-13-state-bar-hearing.html

CRYSTAL MANGUM EXPOSED! Arrest Records

Durham, NC (TLS). 'The Smoking Gun' website has exposed Crystal Mangum, the accuser in the Duke lacrosse rape hoax, and provided the complete official documents pertaining to her prior arrests.

Now that the North Carolina Attorney-General has proclaimed the complete innocence of the three falsely accused Duke lacrosse students, The Smoking Gun has decided to introduce the public to Ms. Mangum--the woman whose sole word was enough for a Durham District Attorney to bring three innocent lives to the brink of permanent ruin.

As you will see in the documents on file at The Smoking Gun, Ms. Mangum's arrest record is significant--not unusually long but significant enough to conclude that her testimony should be considered highly questionable at the very least.

This, in addition to the fact that her own father stated that his daughter was emotionally unstable, no doubt led Attorney-General Roy Cooper and his two special prosecutors to conclude that Ms. Mangum's testimony was sorely lacking in credibility.

To be fair, Ms. Mangum's plight elicits at least some pity. It is clear that she is a deeply troubled young woman who suffers from delusional ideation.

For this reason she should not be the one to bear the bulk of the responsibility and blame for the fiasco that ensued after her charges were made against the three Duke students.

The real villains in this case are Mike Nifong, who should have known better than to base an entire case upon the word of a delusional person, and the Durham Police Department that obviously sought to bury its gross misconduct by not only covering up their botched procedures but actually perpetrating a frame-up as a cover for their misdeeds. The local and state governments share in culpability as well, due to the fact that Judges and offices of District Attorneys carry the full weight of the government entities that employ them.

The Smoking Gun always provides insider scoops into most of the intriguing cases that make the news. For this reason we feature them in our list of preferred links on The Liberty Sphere.

Click here to go to the Crystal Mangum section of The Smoking Gun. There are three full pages of official documents tracing Mangum's prior arrest records:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0411071duke1.html

Justifiable Outrage

Durham, NC (TLS). Despite the excellent news that all charges against the three Duke lacrosse students falsely accused are being dropped, including a strongly-worded proclamation of innocence by the North Carolina Attorney-General, there is no celebrating in Durham on the part of the lives disrupted and nearly ruined by the fiasco.

Instead there is outrage. And this outrage is justifiable.

Three innocent young men--David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann--were dragged through the absolute worst nightmare of their lives by being accused of crimes they did not commit, thus robbing them of a full year of student life, normal activity, and the pursuit of future professional employment. Their good names and reputations were not only sullied but dragged through the mud as an entire community it seemed united behind proclaiming them guilty.

And this was not even a case of guilty until proven innocent, as tyrannical as that is. They were proclaimed guilty, and in the minds of many there was no use in even having a trial at all. The court of public opinion had already issued its verdict--guilty no matter what the evidence or the facts say.

Certain special interest groups with a very well-known agenda came together with local personalities and entities as co-conspirators in this miscarriage of justice--Mike Nifong and the Durham D.A.'s office, the Durham Police Department, the Durham criminal justice system, the Durham Democratic Party, Duke University, the infamous 'group of 88' faculty members of Duke, the NAACP, the North Carolina Democratic Party, and certain members of the press and certain websites devoted to stirring up the pot bangers.

All of them now have egg all over their faces, in spite of their frantic attempts to appear delighted that the three students were proclaimed innocent.

Some of the co-conspirators, however, are still spouting their hateful venom. At least they are consistent if not very smart.

The fact that this entire affair has now been shown to be a hoax from top to bottom is a chilling microcosm of the state of the criminal justice system in America today. As devastating as this has been for the three young men and their families, who have suffered unfathomable emotional and financial loss, think of what would have happened had the three students come from families of meager means. They would have been totally overwhelmed and swallowed up by a system engaged in a legal equivalent of the story of David and Goliath, except in this case Goliath would have smashed David with his foot.

Had the accused been from a poor or lower-middle-class background, the massive machine of the North Carolina justice system would have engulfed them whole.

This is precisely why those who were adversely impacted by this hoax must take action--not only for themselves but on behalf of those who may not have fared so well had they been accused.

The State of North Carolina, as Mike Nifong's employer, is a co-defendant in this case. Nifong represented the state. His actions carried the weight of the state of North Carolina into any case he decided to prosecute. The same goes for Durham County. Government entities that are implicated in this hoax by the mere fact that Nifong acted in their name should bear some of the responsibility for this shameful display.

Thus, the outrage of the friends and family of the three students should be channeled into legal action. Each government entity involved in this case should be sued. The former accused students and their families are owed a massive bounty from the state of North Carolina and Durham...at least a million bucks a piece to each of the falsely accused.

Criminal charges should be brought against Mike Nifong and some within the Durham Police Department for perpetrating a heinous crime--that of falsely accusing and framing innocent people for crimes they did not commit. The criminal charges should be followed by civil suits.

The only way we are going to prevent this kind of horror from happening again and again is to make the penalty so severe that corrupt government officials will think twice before engaging in such charades.

In fact, the Duke lacrosse rape hoax is a perfect example of government run amok, of unfettered government power and the very real danger it poses to innocent citizens.

This is a golden opportunity to beat back the creeping crawl of government power and to win a big one for the rights of individual citizens. But in this case, it won't be Goliath who wins. 'Little David' will be the one who sends a stone hurling into the monster of big government, right between the eyes.

Such a moment is long overdue.