What's Really Going On at Duke?

I frankly wasn't paying much attention to the Duke lacrosse team "gang rape" story. Like many people, I assumed there was probably some truth to it and it was just another case of athletes behaving badly. However, the story took an interesting turn the other day when the DNA results came back and there was no evidence connecting any of the 46 Duke players to any sort of a crime. One of the defense attorneys, in a move which shocked veteran lawyers, actually stated before the release of the tests that there would be no DNA evidence because the crime didn' t happen. You don't normally see a defense attorney shut off a possible avenue of defense like that.

So what's really going on in Durham?

Rush points us to an AmericanThinker.com piece today which sums it up pretty well:

The negative DNA tests in the alleged Duke University lacrosse team rape case raise the specter of yet another possible hate crime hoax. The timing of the case just before a local election for district attorney, racial and class polarization in Durham, North Carolina, and the heavy hand of on-campus feminism have all politicized the issue to an extraordinary degree. Justice has taken a back seat.

Read the whole thing - it's good.

Had the victim been just another innocent college coed the DA might still have a chance at making a case. However, the "victim" is an exotic dancer (read stripper) with multiple arrests, including larceny and evading police. She's not going to be a very sympathetic victim to all but those who want to play racial and feminist games with the case.

I saw the DA in a press conference/Q&A with concerned citizens which was held not at the DA's office or Duke University, but at the college where the "victim" attends. This guy clearly has politics on his mind, and despite the fact that his case just went POOF! with the DNA news, he appears bound and determined to file some sort of charges to placate the masses. His election is in just 3 weeks, and there's no way he can drop this thing while the black citizens are in an uproar.

I'm not a lawyer, but I have to believe the DA's actions in this case will open so many doors to potential appeals - should any charges be filed - that this case is already dead in the water. If he drops it now, he loses the election hands down. If he continues, he just reinforces the fact that this has become a political prosecution. Either way, the DA, and justice in general, will lose on this one.

AmericanThinker.com closes their piece like this:

The facts of the Duke case, coupled with the prevalence of hate crime hoaxes on college campuses, should have at least raised a few question marks. The fact that there were no real question raised by the media, academics, politicians or Duke administrators speaks volumes about racism in America. The white lacrosse players will certainly not receive the apology they are owed, and continue to remain in the DA’s crosshairs, as he trolls for votes among Durham’s black electorate.