A Message from Nifong’s “Political Opponent”
As the first of Nifong's days of reckoning approaches ... I found myself reading back through some of LieStoppers' old posts and came across an election day post, "Today and Tomorrow", by Joan Foster...
Recall Nifong supporters were cautiously optimistic going into election day -- we knew there would be a narrow margin and believed we could pull out a win. Election night was devastating -- for me and the many who had worked so hard to defeat the minister of injustice.
Late that night I had a voice mail message from someone close to the case... He promised that in the coming months, "Mike Nifong will come to wish he had lost the election." I held onto the hope that he was right.
Joan, in her infinite wisdom, had it all figured out too....
"Defeating Nifong in an election might be too easy, too neat and clean for him or us. We may need to work more, uncover more. He may need to pay a larger price, walk a longer crooked mile. I can't say who will claim victory tonight. But if it's you, Nifongistas... be careful on those victory laps. We won't be home, crying in our teacups. We'll be re-loading in the bushes, lurking in your woods, laying traps in your legal swamps."
A defeat in November would have been too easy for Nifong. In all likelihood, the December 15th hearing would never have happened. A newly appointed DA would have reviewed the case and concluded what AG's Special Prosecutors ultimately found -- the Duke 3 were innocent and the target of a tragic rush to accuse. Charges would have been dropped and the Meehan/Nifong conspiracy to withhold exculpatory DNA evidence would not have been exposed. Nifong may or may not have been facing Bar ethics charges for his many outrageous statements to the media -- but the more serious of the charges may never have come to light.
Thank you to Joan Foster & the LieStoppers Team (and to those that called after the election returns came in) -- for everything you've done over the past year. The fruits of our labors are coming to bear.
Beth Brewer
"Today and Tomorrow”
First Posted: Tuesday, November 07, 2006
It's Election Day in Durham. All over the blogosphere, Nifong supporters... frazzled by pole dancing videos and an awakening national media... seem to cling to one last comforting thought. If at day's end, Nifong is elected, we who support the boys will be devastated, humiliated, vanquished for all time. I have two words to say to them.
Not really.
We'd love to see Nifong rightfully removed today from the position he abused. We'd love to see all segments of the community rally against this man who exploited the legal system for his personal gain. We'd love to see a Hollywood happy ending where good triumphs over evil and healing begins in Durham, and this debacle of a Hoax begins to end. We'd love to see it. We believe we WILL see it. But we are wise enough to know we may not.
As voters go to the polls today, we believe they will vote Conscience, not Agenda. We believe they will vote Truth, not tortured mind-traps. We believe and hope all this. But if not, what will tomorrow bring? Well, I've been thinking about just that.
So to all the Nifongistas out there, here's a heads up about your heady predictions of our possible despair. Don't generalize about folks you don't know. That's what got you into this muddle in the first place. Watching Devon Sherwood the other day proclaim to a national audience... that he once had one brother and now has 46... made me think, "Devon knows them." He knows Collin, Reade and Dave. He knows them in all the settings and scenarios we can only imagine. Devon knows them when irritated, disappointed or distracted. He's seen them in the moments when their guard is down, and the gloves are off. In the days before March 13, when NONE of these three boys needed any good word from him, Devon saw them as they truly are. And he calls Collin, Reade, and Dave... brothers. And he endures hate, derision and criticism to claim those brothers on national TV.
Devon knows them. This is one endorsement that is stronger than steel. You Nifongistas can't tarnish it, or twist it or make it go away. Your generalizations about these boys look specious and spotty when standing next to what Devon has to say. So think about that now. If you Agenda-types imagine by tonight that LieStoppers will be crying in their collective towels, bemoaning electoral defeat, abandoning the boys... let me tell you this. You don't know these boys and you don't know us. In the unfortunate event, that scenario should happen… let me tell you about people I KNOW.
LieStoppers consists of different individuals, but one collective spirit. Victory today will inspire us, delight us, and drive us forward, toward vindication for these families, for Collin, Reade and Dave. Vanquishing Nifong will show us Durham, a world coming into symmetry which all good folks profess to believe in. We would be gratified and get on to step two.
But if Nifong is elected. What then?
I know these LieStoppers.
I'll tell you.
LieStoppers will still be here tomorrow morning, breathing fire. Forget despair… think dogged determination. We don't do angst, we redouble our efforts. Every Ashley propaganda piece has fueled a stunning rebuttal from someone on the blog. A twisted missive popping up from the professor-ly-pitiful Gang of 88 is manna for our creative heaven. Every Nifong outrage inspires us, rejuvenates us, rededicates us. I know these LieStoppers. A Nifong victory tonight will not bring ANY of us to despair. It will burnish ALL of us to whatever brilliance we might hope to possess. We will dig deeper, we will delve further… we will leave no stone unturned. We will write and rhyme and reason... parse the law and produce wickedly funny cartoons. We will not be eviscerated by a Nifong win today… by heaven, this crew will be invigorated.
And that's just us.
I'm sure the other Mighty Warriors in the field, will also be fueled and return rededicated to the fracas. The inimitable, remarkable NDLax; the brilliant and commandingly comprehensive Bill Anderson; the stalwart and steady Agenda slayer, John in Carolina; the prolific, ever-pounding Mike Gaynor; the never-failing Johnsville News; FODU's Jason Trumpbour, the constant voice of justice and reason; and before us all, the undisputed Hero of the Hoax…Professor K C Johnson, who has daily dissected and decimated the Hypocrisy before us with a clarity and power of conscience that has left us all in awe.
Nifongistas, we'll all still be here. You ain't seen nothin' yet.
I think Cheek will win today. I think Republicans... will not want a legacy of being Nifong enablers to be their burden to bear for all time in Durham. I think Durhamites do not appreciate being duped by those who are called to serve them, not deceive them. Because this Hoax WILL be unraveled. The ugliness at its core WILL be revealed. All eyes are turning increasingly to Durham. Even the bit of brightness we've seen to date has caused the roaches to begin to run for cover.
So tomorrow, I expect to be jubilant at a Cheek victory... but if the numbers are with Nifong, I'll be comforted by two very different philosophers.
I'll remember the words of Chaucer, "I'll but lie down and bleed awhile, then rise, and fight again."
I'll remember the words of country music star Garth Brooks, "Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers."
Defeating Nifong in an election might be too easy, too neat and clean for him or us. We may need to work more, uncover more. He may need to pay a larger price, walk a longer crooked mile.I can't say who will claim victory tonight. But if it's you, Nifongistas... be careful on those victory laps. We won't be home, crying in our teacups. We'll be re-loading in the bushes, lurking in your woods, laying traps in your legal swamps.
To the families, either way, tonight is a night for rejoicing. Either we celebrate the defeat of Nifong and the new day in Durham… or we celebrate the indomitable spirit of people like Beth Brewer and her crew... and Devon Sherwood and his courage. . Either we hail an end to the Chief Hoaxer and his hypocrisy, or we hail the beginning of new firestorm of righteous rejuvenation.
Oh, yes! We can handle quite well either one. Here's to Today... and Tomorrow, whatever it may bring.
Joan Foster
Recall Nifong supporters were cautiously optimistic going into election day -- we knew there would be a narrow margin and believed we could pull out a win. Election night was devastating -- for me and the many who had worked so hard to defeat the minister of injustice.
Late that night I had a voice mail message from someone close to the case... He promised that in the coming months, "Mike Nifong will come to wish he had lost the election." I held onto the hope that he was right.
Joan, in her infinite wisdom, had it all figured out too....
"Defeating Nifong in an election might be too easy, too neat and clean for him or us. We may need to work more, uncover more. He may need to pay a larger price, walk a longer crooked mile. I can't say who will claim victory tonight. But if it's you, Nifongistas... be careful on those victory laps. We won't be home, crying in our teacups. We'll be re-loading in the bushes, lurking in your woods, laying traps in your legal swamps."
A defeat in November would have been too easy for Nifong. In all likelihood, the December 15th hearing would never have happened. A newly appointed DA would have reviewed the case and concluded what AG's Special Prosecutors ultimately found -- the Duke 3 were innocent and the target of a tragic rush to accuse. Charges would have been dropped and the Meehan/Nifong conspiracy to withhold exculpatory DNA evidence would not have been exposed. Nifong may or may not have been facing Bar ethics charges for his many outrageous statements to the media -- but the more serious of the charges may never have come to light.
Thank you to Joan Foster & the LieStoppers Team (and to those that called after the election returns came in) -- for everything you've done over the past year. The fruits of our labors are coming to bear.
Beth Brewer
"Today and Tomorrow”
First Posted: Tuesday, November 07, 2006
It's Election Day in Durham. All over the blogosphere, Nifong supporters... frazzled by pole dancing videos and an awakening national media... seem to cling to one last comforting thought. If at day's end, Nifong is elected, we who support the boys will be devastated, humiliated, vanquished for all time. I have two words to say to them.
Not really.
We'd love to see Nifong rightfully removed today from the position he abused. We'd love to see all segments of the community rally against this man who exploited the legal system for his personal gain. We'd love to see a Hollywood happy ending where good triumphs over evil and healing begins in Durham, and this debacle of a Hoax begins to end. We'd love to see it. We believe we WILL see it. But we are wise enough to know we may not.
As voters go to the polls today, we believe they will vote Conscience, not Agenda. We believe they will vote Truth, not tortured mind-traps. We believe and hope all this. But if not, what will tomorrow bring? Well, I've been thinking about just that.
So to all the Nifongistas out there, here's a heads up about your heady predictions of our possible despair. Don't generalize about folks you don't know. That's what got you into this muddle in the first place. Watching Devon Sherwood the other day proclaim to a national audience... that he once had one brother and now has 46... made me think, "Devon knows them." He knows Collin, Reade and Dave. He knows them in all the settings and scenarios we can only imagine. Devon knows them when irritated, disappointed or distracted. He's seen them in the moments when their guard is down, and the gloves are off. In the days before March 13, when NONE of these three boys needed any good word from him, Devon saw them as they truly are. And he calls Collin, Reade, and Dave... brothers. And he endures hate, derision and criticism to claim those brothers on national TV.
Devon knows them. This is one endorsement that is stronger than steel. You Nifongistas can't tarnish it, or twist it or make it go away. Your generalizations about these boys look specious and spotty when standing next to what Devon has to say. So think about that now. If you Agenda-types imagine by tonight that LieStoppers will be crying in their collective towels, bemoaning electoral defeat, abandoning the boys... let me tell you this. You don't know these boys and you don't know us. In the unfortunate event, that scenario should happen… let me tell you about people I KNOW.
LieStoppers consists of different individuals, but one collective spirit. Victory today will inspire us, delight us, and drive us forward, toward vindication for these families, for Collin, Reade and Dave. Vanquishing Nifong will show us Durham, a world coming into symmetry which all good folks profess to believe in. We would be gratified and get on to step two.
But if Nifong is elected. What then?
I know these LieStoppers.
I'll tell you.
LieStoppers will still be here tomorrow morning, breathing fire. Forget despair… think dogged determination. We don't do angst, we redouble our efforts. Every Ashley propaganda piece has fueled a stunning rebuttal from someone on the blog. A twisted missive popping up from the professor-ly-pitiful Gang of 88 is manna for our creative heaven. Every Nifong outrage inspires us, rejuvenates us, rededicates us. I know these LieStoppers. A Nifong victory tonight will not bring ANY of us to despair. It will burnish ALL of us to whatever brilliance we might hope to possess. We will dig deeper, we will delve further… we will leave no stone unturned. We will write and rhyme and reason... parse the law and produce wickedly funny cartoons. We will not be eviscerated by a Nifong win today… by heaven, this crew will be invigorated.
And that's just us.
I'm sure the other Mighty Warriors in the field, will also be fueled and return rededicated to the fracas. The inimitable, remarkable NDLax; the brilliant and commandingly comprehensive Bill Anderson; the stalwart and steady Agenda slayer, John in Carolina; the prolific, ever-pounding Mike Gaynor; the never-failing Johnsville News; FODU's Jason Trumpbour, the constant voice of justice and reason; and before us all, the undisputed Hero of the Hoax…Professor K C Johnson, who has daily dissected and decimated the Hypocrisy before us with a clarity and power of conscience that has left us all in awe.
Nifongistas, we'll all still be here. You ain't seen nothin' yet.
I think Cheek will win today. I think Republicans... will not want a legacy of being Nifong enablers to be their burden to bear for all time in Durham. I think Durhamites do not appreciate being duped by those who are called to serve them, not deceive them. Because this Hoax WILL be unraveled. The ugliness at its core WILL be revealed. All eyes are turning increasingly to Durham. Even the bit of brightness we've seen to date has caused the roaches to begin to run for cover.
So tomorrow, I expect to be jubilant at a Cheek victory... but if the numbers are with Nifong, I'll be comforted by two very different philosophers.
I'll remember the words of Chaucer, "I'll but lie down and bleed awhile, then rise, and fight again."
I'll remember the words of country music star Garth Brooks, "Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers."
Defeating Nifong in an election might be too easy, too neat and clean for him or us. We may need to work more, uncover more. He may need to pay a larger price, walk a longer crooked mile.I can't say who will claim victory tonight. But if it's you, Nifongistas... be careful on those victory laps. We won't be home, crying in our teacups. We'll be re-loading in the bushes, lurking in your woods, laying traps in your legal swamps.
To the families, either way, tonight is a night for rejoicing. Either we celebrate the defeat of Nifong and the new day in Durham… or we celebrate the indomitable spirit of people like Beth Brewer and her crew... and Devon Sherwood and his courage. . Either we hail an end to the Chief Hoaxer and his hypocrisy, or we hail the beginning of new firestorm of righteous rejuvenation.
Oh, yes! We can handle quite well either one. Here's to Today... and Tomorrow, whatever it may bring.
Joan Foster
3 comments:
Indeed, Joan not only is the Poet Laureate of the Hoax, but also the Prophet of the Hoax.
Nifong most likely wishes he never had won. But it is too late now. Be careful what you wish for -- you might get it.
This is a wonderful reminder of how
far this hoax has come.
Thank you Beth Brewer and Liestoppers
team.
As always,Gd knew what was best for all concerned. I still think, using Steve Monks as a vessell was a questionable move.
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