Friday, July 28, 2006

ABN Declares

ANYBODY BUT NIFONG

for Durham County District Attorney

While we realize that many people are disappointed that Lewis Cheek has declined to run for District Attorney of Durham County, we can’t help wondering if, all things considered, his decision this morning was not for the best. We understand that his supporters may be sincerely troubled, even offended, by Mr. Cheek’s decision not to campaign on his own behalf for the good people of Durham County. Yet, it may be better that he not run if he is not able, or willing, to serve the good of the entire community at this particular time, as District Attorney. Mr. Cheek has shown a selfless dedication to this community throughout his career and we trust that this decision weighed heavily on his mind. As much as we have grown to distrust Mr. Nifong, it is unrealistic to expect someone like Mr. Cheek to recklessly drop all other personal and professional concerns in favor of coming to our rescue.

It may be argued that, had Mr. Cheek not lent his name to the petition effort that so many supported with sacrifices of time, energy, hope, money and signatures, perhaps a sincere and well intentioned candidate may have come forward who was more deserving of the faith that was misplaced in Mr. Cheek. The reality is that no other candidates had come forward until he did, and that as it stands now, the people of Durham do have an option of voting against Mr. Nifong, if not a choice of voting for a specific candidate. Come November, the voters in Durham County will have a choice to ignore the election, to vote for Mr. Nifong or to vote against him. For that, Mr. Cheek deserves our praise, respect and gratitude.

A vote for ANYBODY BUT NIFONG will not be a wasted vote nor an unheard voice. To the contrary a vote for Mr. Nifong will be a confirmation that the practices he has exercised in recent months are acceptable to the community. A choice to neglect taking a side for, or against, Mr. Nifong would also be an equally powerful, if silent, confirmation that the citizens feel comfortable with a District Attorney willing to prejudge guilt, personally and in the media, prior to the completion of a complete police investigation. A vote for ANYBODY BUT NIFONG would serve as an expression of the unwillingness to accept the deception created by hinting at evidence which does not exist or by expressing theories of the case that are belied by what is known. A vote for ANYBODY BUT NIFONG would be a voice of hope that Durham might enjoy a Justice system that was, as our founding fathers intended it to be, a system of Justice for all and not a vehicle for personal ambition or power.

While Mr. Cheek has made known his choice, we will continue to hold out hope that the good people of Durham will also make their choice known come November. Mr. Cheek’s voice is but one of many. With hope, the people of Durham will not allow his voice of one to be the only voice heard. Perhaps as a collective voice, Durham will have the courage to stand up against injustice and ask Governor Easley to remedy the mistake he made a year ago when subjecting them to the tyranny of a petty tyrant. It would seem to be not only a statement in favor of justice but also an expression of greater trust in the Governor than in Mr. Nifong to vote for ANYBODY BUT NIFONG in November.

This message has been brought to you by LieStoppers in support of ABN.

A vote for Cheek is a vote for ANYBODY BUT NIFONG

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Finally, someone has the courage to stand up and run against
Mr.Nifong. God bless you Anybody but Nifong.

Anonymous said...

this a is a total sham and fraud--just like that phony drunk Cheek you tried to run! Cheek was not even qualified to be Da--had no criminal experience and he took the Duke money and ran with it--leaving you with eggs on your face and a lot of angry people here in Durham--angry at Cheek and the people who put him up to this farce. If Cheek was not going to run, Monks could have and been a candidate as well even though he is not qualified either but he wanted the job. Now you want people to elect a non-candidate to further try to cricumvent the voters' decision in the primary. To hell with you and this campaign--like Cheek you have no honor!

LieStoppers said...

Mr. O'Knight,

Thank you for sharing those pleasant thoughts. We share your disappointment that Mr. Cheek has declined to run for District Attorney but remain grateful for the opportunity to vote for Anybody But Nifong. For what it is worth, we obviously had nothing to do with the campaign for Cheek and while we remain grateful to him for taking his brief stand in the name of justice and truth we cannot take credit for his noble, if short lived, campaign.

While we welcome your comments, it must be pointed out that we call ourselves LieStoppers and, as such, unfounded ridicululous accusations will not be tolerated. Not only is your suggestion that we were behind the Cheek campaign false but your further false insinuation that we, or Mr. Cheek, took Duke money is also without merit. Your false accusations are as delusional as Mr. Nifong's equally baseless suggestion that campaign advice equals an attempt to buy the office our wise, but in this instance misguided, Governor has lent to him.

While you may not appreciate our efforts to encourage the good people here in Durham to exercise the right to vote, we do appreciate your willingness to express, so eloquently, your passion and preference for our fellow citizens to shut up while bending over. We do ask, however, that when you voice your opinions here, that you be so kind as to punctuate, capitalize and spell correctly when damning us to hell. We do not mind hearing your opinion nor do we mind your criticism but your offenses against grammar will surely drive us nuts.

Anonymous said...

I love the post above and the slogans! I shall run right out tomorrow to buy sticky paper to make my bumper stickers. If I can sport a Kinky for Governor slogan, I can have an ABN sticker!
Texas Mom

Anonymous said...

To the poster 2 up... "he took the Duke money and ran with it--". If you are implying that Mr. Cheek took Duke money for his campaign, you can check this out for yourself. Campaign reports were due at the end of July. These reports are public documents. I can tell you that there were NO out of state funds accepted and all contributors of over $100 must be declared by name/address.

Approximately 15,000 petitioners stated very loudly that they are not happy with Mr. Nifong or with the status quo. Unfortunately many voters either did not or were unable to vote in the primary. They will be able to vote come November. We shall see....

Anonymous said...

Are you stupid? maybe this man (Cheek) took no out of state Duke money but everyone in Durham knows his main backer is Dan Hill--Hill was even quoted in the newspaper as being the main draftee and person in charge of finances for Cheek and everyone knows Hill is a local millionaire and a member of the IRON DUKE booster club. Hill and the small gang of supporters put up the $20,000+ to do the mass mailing, etc. Cheek also has worked for Duke on some civil cases. What you said above is a nice try to downplay the role of the local Duke alumni in this but everyone is not as ignorant of the facts of the situation as you seem to think--some people saw through this from the beginning. This man was a Duke pawn and this was an attempt to manipulate the election to get rid of the Lacrosse case but in the end he made a fool out of all of you! HAHAHAH--the pawn out-manipulated the manipulators!!!

LieStoppers said...

To the poster above:

Thank you for visiting our blog and for offering your opinion here. You are welcome to continue expressing your interest in our commentary despite your contrary views. We promise not to question your sanity if you will refrain from questioning our intelligence. Regarding your assessment of what "everyone" in Durham knows, we applaud your omniscience but must point out that the significant number of Durham residents included in our efforts must somehow not qualify as the "everyone in Durham" you refer to. Further, we would submit that Mr. Hill was not the main backer of Mr. Cheek but only one of apparently 10,000+ Cheek backers. As for your allegation that financial support for Mr. Cheek came solely from Mr. Hill and a select few others, you are welcome to submit documentation to prove that assessment. Campaign finance records might just happen to contradict your assertion. We would also welcome documentation of your accusation that the Cheek campaign was an effort to manipulate the Duke lacrosse drama. We suspect that, for the 10,000+ Cheek supporters, the issues revealed by the bungling of the lacrosse persecution far outweigh the disposition of a single case. We expect as well that Mr. Cheek declining to continue his run for District Attorney will not dissuade the concerns raised by the issues revealed in the course of the drama you refer to. Finally, we encourage you to make your voice heard, not just here, but also opposite ours, on election day. For this to be truly a referendum on Mr. Nifong, all voices of Durham should be heard in November.

Anonymous said...

This Nifong was a Hillside High pawn and this was an attempt to manipulate the Lacrosse case to get ahead in the election but in the end he will make a fool out of all of you! HAHAHAH--

Anonymous said...

to post at 2:18. First of all, there were 25,000 petitions mailed. At the current usps first class rate, the total would be about 1/2 of the $20K you state. Also, an inside source indicates that the campaign fund is currently in the hole so.... Mr. Hill and his gang of supporters need to send in a few more of their millions ...

Duke Admin & many Duke professors are doing a shoddy job (imo) of supporting the falsely accused LAX players/students from the "fantastic lies" for which they've been indicted (quote: Dave Evans). If it is true (and I await your proof) that some local Duke Alum supported Cheek's effort, BFD & kudos to them, so did thousands of other Durham residents that have no affiliation w/ Duke (many of which are probably avid anti-Duke fans from October - March)

Anonymous said...

To the above poster, are you stupid or something? Wait, I will rephrase that as you are writing in support of Cheek and ABN--you are stupid by definition as you are perpetuating a fraud. What inside source are you talking about--the campaign fund seems healthy enough--there is this website and bumperstickers--things are not free so the funding seems adequate to me. Also, postage is not the only expense in a mass mailing. There has to be copying expenses and expenses with labor,etc to stuff the envelopes, transport, etc. The published reports around here indicate the expenditure was around $15-20,000. As to needing proof that Duke alums supported Cheek the drunk. I have plenty of proof--look at the very first News and Observer article on his proposed candidacy--Dan Hill, prominent Duke alumnus, was interviewed in detail and states he was financing this campaign--you really need to read before you post as you are making a fool of yourself--Duke alumni support of this drunken fraud is there in black and white in that newspaper article as well as the subsequent ones that detailed that Hill was not only the main person who drafted Cheek, but that he was in charge of fundraising and finaces for the campaign--look it up in the paper's online archive. You cannot deny those facts--that is clearly stated in the articles. Face it, Cheek was a Duke alumni pawn running an one issue campaign: become Da, drop the case--later amended to, become DA and appoint a special prosecutor and let him drop the case and then finally changed to this is a fraud,I never intended to run for DA, I will not be DA if elected but I will still be on the ballot so my supporters can pursue a vendetta againist Nifong.

LieStoppers said...

Just to set record straight on a few things...

Everyone, regardless of opinion, is welcome to post comments here but we must insist that name calling between posters be avoided or at least cleverly disguised. It's just, well, stupid, to repeatedly call other people stupid simply because you disagree with them or the opinion they offer. While we are obviously not above name calling, we would ask that it not be directed at our guests and that, when it is directed at us, it be cleverly employed. A simple, "duh like you're stupid" will not suffice nor will a "are you stupid or something?"

We expect that, in lieu of "stupid", you might find it more effective when attempting to show another poster's stupidity and ignorance if you were to simply present contrary facts or stronger arguments. For example one could demonstrate the stupidity and ignorance of a previous poster by submitting comments along the lines of the following:

This web site is not affiliated in any way, shape or form to Lewis Cheek. The existence of this site has no bearing on the argument of whether Mr. Cheek's non-campaign is financial healthy and the suggestion that the existence of an independent blog somehow indicates the financial viability of said non-campaign is just, well, stupid or paranoid.

At last check, public records indicate that the Cheek petition drive incurred expenses in excess of $18,000 while collecting funds, in the form of loans and contributions, totaling $13,050. Our math indicates this leaves a deficit of almost $5,000. If your math indicates otherwise, we suggest completing the fourth grade before posting here again.

Mr. Cheek has proven that he is a genuinely concerned citizen of Durham County. Suggestions to the contrary are unfounded, unintelligent arguments that are easily disproved by a review of his extensive record of community service. Such a review would reveal Mr. Cheek's contributions to our community and to his profession as follows:

Present Board and Committee Memberships:
1. Carolina Theater Board
2. Durham City/County Committee
3. Durham City County Planning Committee
4. Hospital Corporation Board
5. Lincoln Community Health Center Board
6. Public Health Board
7. Triangle Transit Authority Tax Board
8. Farmland Protection Board

Current Civic Activities:
9. Access to Justice Campaign
10. Alliance of AIDs Services-Carolina
11. Animal Protection Society of Durham
12. Association for Preservation of the Eno River Valley
13. Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Durham
14. Durham Affordable Housing Coalition
15. Durham Arts Counsel
16. Durham Central Park
17. Durham Habitat for Humanity
18. Durham Health Partners
19. Durham Nativity School
20. Durham Public Education Network
21. Durham Rescue Mission
22. Durham Symphony
23. Durham YMCA
24. Family Counseling Service
25. Freedom House Recovery Center
26. Friends of the Durham Library
27. Friends of the Durham Youth Orchestra
28. Hazleden Recovery Center
29. Historic Preservation Society of Durham
30. Housing for New Hope
31. Operation Breakthrough
32. Ronald McDonald House
33. SEEDS
34. Senior Pharmacist
35. Special Olympics
36. The Volunteer Center of Durham
37. Triangle Citizens Rebuilding Communities, Inc.
38. Triangle Community Foundation
39. Triangle Land Conservancy
40. TROSA
41. United Way
42. Urban Ministries of Durham

Professional Memberships:
43. American Bar Association
44. American Board of Trial Advocates
45. Association of Trial Lawyers of America
46. Defense Research Institute
47. Durham County Bar Association
48. International Association of Defense Counsel
49. North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys
50. North Carolina Bar Association
51. Who?s Who in America
52. Who?s Who in American Law
53. Who?s Who in the World
54. Who?s Who of International Professionals

Anonymous said...

that is very good. You seem to have a lot of inside financial info for a group not affliated with a person--so I highly doubt that you are telling the truth about that but that would not be surprising as we can see from who and what you are supporting are individuals and causes only distantly acquainted with the truth. And I am glad you have posted Cheek's impressive resume. You may now add the following listings:

1.Who's Who in great American Frauds

2.North Carolina association for personal vendettas--new posterboy for 2006

3.International liar association

4.2006 Great White Hope award winner

5.The Iron Duke club/Friends of Duke special achievement award winner for 2006

Anonymous said...

Oops, I have checked my sources and made a mistake on the last 2 awards for Cheek listed above:

both the Great White hope award and the Friends of Duke special achievement award wins are incorrect--those two have been revoked after he failed to run! Those two awards are still open so I guess your leader of the ABN campaign(whoever that is) can still win these.

LieStoppers said...

There you go! Now, that was almost clever. We still think you're full of poop but at least now it's clever poop.

To clarify, we have presented no "inside" information. Mr. Cheek's resume is readily available on the Durham County Web Site and campaign finance records are available thru the county BOE. Well informed does not an insider make. We suggest you make yourself equally well informed. Walk down to the BOE and take a peek or read all of the articles you refer to and not just the parts that feed your bias.

If in the contrary you choose to remain blind, please continue to amuse us with clever nonsense.

Thanks for posting at LieStoppers.