Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Of Myths And Fables: The Jena Case Examined More Closely

If you haven't heard of the Duke rape case by now, you have been in a coma. As this case unfolded, we all watched the entire case unravel because of one immutable truth: It wasn't true.

The fact is, it was manufactured by racist elements as some sort of justifiable payback for the years of white oppression of blacks. Fueled by an irresponsible media, we watched innocent kids being raked over the coals of injustice, behind a wall of accusations that were unfounded and ultimately proven to be false.

Today, we may be seeing another case starting to unravel.

By now, most of you have no doubt heard of the horrible injustices being attached to some young kids in Jena, Louisiana. The media has once again whipped the impetuous masses into a frenzy over what has been claimed to be social injustice of the highest order, using race as bait and advancing unproven theories, as the hook.

Last month, I wrote a piece that linked to the argument of the prosecutor in this case. (If you haven't read it, I recommend reading it. And if you have, maybe you will want to read it again to refresh your memory.)

Keeping all of this in mind, you may now want to read this piece written by a local journalist that lives in Jena. It lists the many myths that exist in this case and refutes them, one by one. These are things that have been brought to us all, by the same irresponsible media as the one in the Duke case.

Note-When you are done with that article, take a look at another one that you may have missed along the way. You can add it to your list entitled, Hmmm, as well.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

The media race bait? Never!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzqp3Ly5Reg

In addition to reading what the state prosecutor & local journalist had to say, you must see this interview of the US attorney who investigated the affair.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvaLDUeESpQ

Anonymous said...

Some of my reactions to the story in the CSM:

There's just one problem: The media got most of the basics wrong. In fact, I have never before witnessed such a disgrace in professional journalism. Myths replaced facts, and journalists abdicated their solemn duty to investigate every claim because they were seduced by a powerfully appealing but false narrative of racial injustice.

The worst? Among the most recent examples - Duke "rape" case, Superdome "rapes and murders," Haditha "massacre" (among others) - it's hard for me to identify the worst. But things in general seem to be getting worse, no? Journalists are less and less concerned with accuracy, and more and more concerned with sensationalism. We're returning to the days of yellow journalism.

This supposed victim - Bailey - seems to get in a lot of fights. Where do I show up to march for him? I like his spunk!

Court officials insist that several black residents were summoned for jury duty, but did not appear.

[snort] I wish we could find out if any of them found the time to march in favor of these poor kids who did nothing more than render another kid unconscious and stomp on him.

Anonymous said...

I wonder why I’m not surprised.

The only thing that could have made the journalists story better, would be if he had identified (by name) the skunky journalists who took the entire series of events out of context to begin with. I know . . . I’m asking for too much.

You know, this business of charging people according to their age is at best questionable. If a seventeen year old person assaults someone, knocks him unconscious, and then proceeds to kick him in the head – and encouraging others to join in, that his not a “juvenile” crime. If he wants to act like a big boy, then charge him as one.

Several years ago, three or four boys—aged 7-14, took their father’s revolver down to a nearby creek. They found a sleeping hobo along the bank, and they proceeded to shoot the man 40 times. Now with a five shot revolver, the boys had to reload that gun 8 times. I could certainly understand why they treated the seven year old as a juvenile, but I cannot agree about the 14 year old. Unless he was patently stupid, he had to understand the dire consequences of shooting a man — particularly when you shoot him 40 times. In my opinion, his juvenile trial was an injustice, but it also explains how we’ve evolved from an accountable to accommodating society.

LA Sunset said...

Greg,

//We're returning to the days of yellow journalism.//

I am not sure we ever left it.

LA Sunset said...

Mustang,

//In my opinion, his juvenile trial was an injustice, but it also explains how we’ve evolved from an accountable to accommodating society.//

Thank Dr. Spock and those that removed corporal punishment from our schools. The kids that were the first benefactors of this are now raising kids of their own and screwing them up tenfold.