A Tale of Two Cases
 |
James Joyner | Wednesday, May 24, 2006 |
Mary Katharine Ham contrasts the treatment of Mohammad Taheri-azar, the UNC student who tried to kill several of his fellow students for Allah, and the Duke lacrosse players accused of raping a stripper. In one case, the school president refused to issue any judgments; in the other, he couldn’t wait to brand the accused. In one case, the school resumed normal activities and seemed to quickly forget the incident; in the other, candlelight vigils and protests are still ongoing.
Taheri-azar and the Duke lacrosse players were all technically innocent until proven guilty. In one case, public officials, the press, and the local community did their best to deny the accused that particular courtesy of American justice. Tellingly, it was not the case of the murderous thug who confessed to attempting to kill his classmates, in a fashion reminiscent of Mohammad Atta, just for being non-Muslims—and then detailed his plans and motivations in letters to a local paper.
Quite bizarre, indeed.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
Follow James on FriendFeed | Twitter | Digg
- None Found
- Paradox of Choice Paradoxically Untrue
- Private Forecasters Support Claim That Stimulus Worked
- Entertaining Kids During the Holidays
- How Much Will Escalation Cost?
- No Party of No
- Thought of the Day
- Queer International Studies
- OTB Latenight – r.e.m.
- Krugman on the Debt and Deficits
- A Question About Bonuses and Bailouts
Comments are Closed
