On December 7, 1941, 72 years ago it was a quiet Sunday morning in the lagoon harbor, Pearl Harbor, on the Island of Oahu west if Honolulu. A little before 8:00 a.m. the Japanese launched a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. According to Wikipedia, “Ninety minutes after it began, the attack was over, as 2,386 Americans died, . . . a further 1,139 wounded. Eighteen ships were sunk or run aground, including five battleships.” President Franklin D. Roosevelt called it “a day which will live in infamy.”
Some seem to suggest that may not be so. I know from personal experience how little it resonates today. A few years back around this time I was chatting with a young prosecutor who had just joined our staff. Now this person had been to high school, college, and law school and had passed the bar examination. I said to her pretty much out of the blue: “I heard something on the radio about Pearl Harbor. Have you ever heard of that.” She smiled and used the smile as a method to give herself some time to ponder the question. At last she replied that she had. I asked her what she had heard. She said, “I think it is a place somewhere in Japan.” I thought “so much for living in infamy.”
December 7, 2013, it was not a quiet Saturday evening in the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. A little after 8:00 p.m. the Blue Devils launched a sneak attack against Florida State. After 60 minutes of playing time had elapsed, Duke had destroyed Florida State. Ita chance at a national championship was sunk.
For Florida it is a day which will live in infamy. On the verge of a national title game it had it stolen away from it by the Blue Devils.
GO DUKE!
Raising boys is raising consciousness.
I’m proud to be on a blog where men talk about the future of a Heisman Trophy contender and his behavior with a young woman.
Her fitness to be thought worthy to be taken seriously after she was apparently dressed and put on a scooter after being raped is actually important to some.
Her fitness to be worthy…
Her fitness to be worthy of being taken seriously…
Thank you to the men and women who care to discuss rape and rape charges.
Tough subject.
Our kids are worth the work.
Firefly:
Thanks for the comment. Rape crimes are difficult for prosecutors at times. The case in Florida did not seem that difficult since the woman’s story was straight forward and the evidence supported her claim and there seems no basis for concluding it was fabricated. The DA did not say why he believed she had consensual sex with Winston and then decided to report it as rape. That had to be his conclusion. We are left to wonder how he concluded it.
A Duke player will taunt Winston. He will retaliate and kick the Devil in the groin thus disqualifying him from the Heisman. BC’s AW then wins. Or a second woman from BAMA accuses him of inappropriate acts. Winston and his roommates appear to have little regard for women if the press reports are true. Only misogynists will vote for him. It’s possible the accuser is not telling the truth. But the prosecutor should tell us why. Does she have a mental health history? Is she a substance abuser ( drugs or alcohol)? Has she filed false claims in the past? What makes her non refuted claim incredible? The timeliness of the claim and the DNA are strong indicators of credibility. Winston’s roommates have claimed it was consensual but he has remained silent. He hasn’t been charged and he wasn’t under arrest. Did he have a duty to deny these accusations? There was an old Mass. case that said that a suspect surrounded by armed Police seeking his consent to a search “was in no environment to make a free choice” and thus a claim he voluntarily waived his 4th Amendment rights fails. So too with a young woman with three imposing football players in a confined area. Would she be in a coerced situation? Could she freely consent? Would real consent be forthcoming? Similar to Ms. Wiley and B. Clinton. She was seeking employment when she was sexually assaulted.
N:
You are absolutely right – tell us why the woman is not to be believed. Inconsistencies in story – that’s to be expected. He basic evidence is non-consensual sex and the person is properly identified as shown later by DNA. Cops not asking to talk to him is inexcusable. Florida State hiding its knowledge of allegation is also inexcusable. State’s attorney saying he knew nothing of the date of Heisman voting is inexcusable after meeting with Winston’s lawyer (or being an FSU graduate).
The wholes story by his roommates makes one wonder what type of people these guys are. Or is it just boys being boys? I think you overstate the case saying they have “little regard for women.” They have none. Where’s Wendy Murphy on this one or is it she’s OK with football players doing this having been a Patriot’s cheerleader but not so with lacrosse players.
Well said. Let’s go Duke!
TC:
We’ll know within 9 hours.