Celebrating the Man from Nazareth / Mangum defense fund

Click on link at end of blog to view official 2012 j4n Christmas card

Word count: 1,221
In a few days we will be paying homage to the Man from Nazareth and his birth in a manger in Bethlehem… however, amid regaling, exchanging gifts, and feasting on succulent meals with family and dear friends, as is customary in this worldwide tradition, I implore that everyone takes time to think about what is truly important in life. I admit that some expensive and coveted items are nice, they are only objects… mere possessions. If you take a deep look into your soul, I am sure that you will conclude, as do I, that the truly most important things in life are freedom and loved ones. Freedom to roam about to take in the glories of nature that have been bestowed upon us, and the ability to share our hearts with dearly beloved family and friends are at the core of what fills the human kind with contentment and serenity.

It is extremely sad that freedom and family contact have been maliciously taken from Crystal Mangum, the Duke Lacrosse victim/accuser, by a biased and sadistic justice system all for the purpose of exacting payback against her for her role in the Duke Lacrosse case. This Christmas will mark Crystal Mangum’s 632nd day of incarceration within the Durham County correctional facility on trumped up murder and larceny charges that transpired in a crime in which she was the victim of domestic violence… approximately 21 months of wrongful incarceration by a justice system that is corrupted itself. A justice system gone awry wherein: (1) prosecutors collaborate with a medical examiner to concoct a criminally bogus autopsy report on Reginald Daye (received a non-fatal stab wound by Mangum in self-defense); (2) defense attorneys join the conspiracy to work against Mangum’s best interests by pretending to defend her while undermining her; (3) an expert defense witness refusing to provide a written report exculpatory to Mangum; (4) a biased media with an anti-Mangum agenda to keep the prosecutorial misdeeds and malfeasances hidden from the public; and (5) politicians, clergy, and civil rights and social organizations (NAACP, ACLU, North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, etc.) lacking the will and/or courage to stand against blatant injustices.

The obvious question is why would Medical Examiner Dr. Clay Nichols, Mangum defense attorneys, a defense expert witness, the media, and social advocacy organizations work with Durham prosecutions in what is obviously a vendetta prosecution to mete out payback for Mangum’s role in the 2006 Duke Lacrosse case? The obvious answer to the question is that they all lack Nifongian courage… that exceedingly rare quality defined as the courage to do the right thing in the face of harsh and extreme consequences. Dr. Clay Nichols, Dr. Christena L. Roberts (defense expert witness), Mangum’s defense attorneys (Woody Vann and Chris Shella), media-types, men and women of the cloth, and politicians all witnessed what happened to former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong when he dared to do the right thing by prosecuting the Duke Lacrosse defendants against a torrent of opposition whipped up by the defense attorneys and the mainstream media. Nifong’s prosecution of the lacrosse defendants, who were positioned atop a pedestal by the media, placed his election bid for the D.A.’s office in severe jeopardy… but that did not dissuade him. It took all the might of the North Carolina State Bar to have Nifong tossed off the case. Because Mike Nifong stuck to his integrity-guns, the decision was made by the Powers-That-Be to stick it to him… and the State went about persecuting him without mercy. He was disbarred, sentenced to jail, deprived of immunity from civil action… all while being skewered in the media. For exhibiting Nifongian courage in the Duke Lacrosse case, Nifong suffered the most draconian and unimaginable of consequences. It is therefore no wonder why Dr. Nichols would prepare a criminally fraudulent autopsy report, Dr. Roberts would refuse to produce a written report, the media would keep wrongdoings concealed from the eyes and ears of the public, and the NAACP, ACLU, and other community groups would remain silent and idle… they all lack Nifongian courage.

In addition to loss of freedom, Mangum has been deprived of visitation rights with her beloved children by Family Court Judge Doretta Walker. Although acknowledging that Mangum is not an unfit mother to her three children, Judge Walker, in the summer of 2011, ordered that Mangum be denied visitation with her three children while she was in any detention center. This gratuitously malicious ruling coincides with other nonsensical legal actions in this trumped up case against Mangum.

So, this holiday season take measure of the things that are truly important… freedom, family, and friends, and place them before money and what it begets. I am sure that this is something that we call all agree upon… even the non-believers, naysayers, ill-willers, detractors, and others of that ilk.

And as we ring in the New Year, let us all be resolute in developing that special courage that requires an idealism, determination, and fortitude… the ability to do what is ethically right, even when doing so is unpopular and defies political correctness. In other words, let’s resolve to become individuals who are teeming with Nifongian courage. That is what would truly make this state, this nation, and this world a better place, and it would without doubt be the way to best pay homage to the Man from Nazareth. 

ADDENDUM: Mangum Defense Fund

It has recently come to my attention that there are two online addresses for a website that is evidently soliciting contributions for a defense fund for Crystal Mangum. These URL addresses are http://www.cgmdefensefund.com, and http://www.crystalmangumdefensefund.com.  My understanding is that these sites were set up by Attorney Mark Simeon, an acquaintance of Ms. Mangum. As of this point in time I have not visited these sites, however I plan to do so shortly.

I have never met Mr. Simeon, never spoke to him, never phoned him, and never tried to contact him. Through an intermediary I let him know that he has my permission to used this blog site as a resource for information about Ms. Mangum’s case or provide links on his site to information I collected and presented on this site and my website. That said, I want to make it clear that in no way do I, or the Committee on Justice for Mike Nifong, condone, support, recommend, or have any affiliation with Mr. Simeon and his online sites. In general, I am not a fan of online solicitation because of its inherent problems with accountability. The Committee on Justice for Mike Nifong and I definitely do not receive any benefits from these sites.

As a refresher, the Committee on Justice for Mike Nifong is nothing more than a grass-roots organization that is strictly self-supporting… in other words, it does not solicit donations, host fund-raising events, or engage in any activity for the purpose of procuring money. It is not a non-profit organization (does not have a 501 [c] 3 designation), with the brunt of expenses (tee-shirts, postage, travel, printing costs, etc.) being satisfied by me personally.

Regarding the online defense fund sites, I merely advise potential donors to proceed with due diligence and caution as they would with any web-based site designed to solicit contributions. 

Click on link below to view the official Committee on Justice for Mike Nifong 2012 Christmas card.

http://www.justice4nifong.com/ecard/hday/xmCard12.html