May 17, 2006

The Earle of Duke

By Clarice Feldman
We have two fine literary examples of trials occasioned by charges of interracial rape: To Kill a Mockingbird and Passage to India. Both involve false claims of women against men of other races, accompanied by seething rage in the defendants' communities and unscrupulous politicians exploiting that rage. So we have a template for the unfortunate and, I think, outrageous, prosecution of three members of the Duke Lacrosse team. The record gets worse every day. What we know Normally, we have little claim to know so early in the proceedings the strength of the government's case. But, as in the case against Tom Delay brought by Ronnie Earle in Texas, this prosecutor went in front of the cameras 24/7 at the outset and the defense has responded quickly. So we do know a great deal. From published reports we know that the accuser showed up late at night, drunk, to a house filled with young men, to strip before them. [Don't tell me that she's still entitled not to be raped. Who ever said...(Read Full Article)