Chess update, and Crystal Gail Mangum
I'm still plugging away in my first circle on Phase 4 of Chess Tactics for Beginners. These problems are hard. I hope I get 75% correct. In one group of 10 problems, I only got 28% correct! Ugh. In Phase 3, the problems were sometimes tricky, but if I would run through the list of typical tactics looking for the signatures of those tactics, I would usually see them (the list of the main tactics besides capture and mate is FSTDD (pronounced 'FISTED'): forks, straight-line tactics (skewers and pins), traps, discovered attack, deflection)). Now many more problems are endgame problems, and 3-4 move combinations that involve a subtle deflection to set up one of the main tactics. This stage is really showing me how far I have to go to be decent at tactics!
And, breaking with my usual policy of having an apolitical chess blog, I recommend people read this stirring article on Crystal Gail Mangum, the lying nutcase who derailed three Duke lacrosse players' lives by falsely accusing them of raping her. I hope people take to heart that someone merely accused of a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Crystal Magnum makes Imus look like St Peter. She put these kids, and their families, lives into disarray for the past year (mainly to avoid a drunk-driving charge the night she made the accusation).
Here is a snippet from the article:
Her name is Crystal Gail Mangum.
She is the woman who falsely accused three Duke University students of rape. Yesterday, the attorney general of North Carolina came forward and flatly declared the three young men "innocent of these charges."
That means their accuser is a liar.
Her name is Crystal Gail Mangum.
It is the policy of the news media not to publish the names of rape accusers on the grounds that they should not have to fear public shame for coming forward with word of a horrifying personal violation.
That is a noble policy. But it needs a codicil. The codicil is that if a rape accuser is revealed as a liar, her name should be spoken loudly and often - as loudly and often as the names of those whom she falsely accused have been over the past year.
Her name is Crystal Gail Mangum.
She must be denied anonymity because she makes a mockery of the very policy of granting anonymity to rape accusers. We do not publish their names so that they will not fear public exposure. But people who are tempted to do the monstrous thing Mangum did should fear public exposure.
They should be terrified of it.
They should have nightmares about it.
They should be given no encouragement whatsoever to believe they can launch a nuclear weapon at someone's reputation and escape unscathed.
[Read the full article]
And, breaking with my usual policy of having an apolitical chess blog, I recommend people read this stirring article on Crystal Gail Mangum, the lying nutcase who derailed three Duke lacrosse players' lives by falsely accusing them of raping her. I hope people take to heart that someone merely accused of a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Crystal Magnum makes Imus look like St Peter. She put these kids, and their families, lives into disarray for the past year (mainly to avoid a drunk-driving charge the night she made the accusation).
Here is a snippet from the article:
Her name is Crystal Gail Mangum.She is the woman who falsely accused three Duke University students of rape. Yesterday, the attorney general of North Carolina came forward and flatly declared the three young men "innocent of these charges."
That means their accuser is a liar.
Her name is Crystal Gail Mangum.
It is the policy of the news media not to publish the names of rape accusers on the grounds that they should not have to fear public shame for coming forward with word of a horrifying personal violation.
That is a noble policy. But it needs a codicil. The codicil is that if a rape accuser is revealed as a liar, her name should be spoken loudly and often - as loudly and often as the names of those whom she falsely accused have been over the past year.
Her name is Crystal Gail Mangum.
She must be denied anonymity because she makes a mockery of the very policy of granting anonymity to rape accusers. We do not publish their names so that they will not fear public exposure. But people who are tempted to do the monstrous thing Mangum did should fear public exposure.
They should be terrified of it.
They should have nightmares about it.
They should be given no encouragement whatsoever to believe they can launch a nuclear weapon at someone's reputation and escape unscathed.
[Read the full article]
posted by Blue Devil Knight at 4/12/2007 08:24:00 PM
8 Comments:
Bravo!
Now all you needed to do was a little line about a nappy-headed. . .um, no, never mind. . .
Seriously, I have heard liberal after liberal rationalize this whole thing by saying "Well, they were bad boys anyway and besides this brings to light rascism yadda yadda yadda. . "
Of course, that merely causes me to go ballistic with them and tell them they are: Idiots and jackasses. Nobody has the right to destroy peoples lives like this, I don't care how much attention it brings to an issue.
Also, I saw interviews with students at NC A&T (all black as you know) and of course they all said "the prosecutor screwed up and we need to relook at this blah blah blah"
Christ I want to drag these dumbasses into a cage fight and kick their arse! Talk about your rascism!
In an interview, the attorney general said that Crystal Gail has mental issues and may not be responsible for the harm she caused. In that case, why is she still free on the streets and raising children? She should be commited to a place where she can receive treatment without harming others, and her children shouild be watched over by someone who is responsible. Also, why did it take the prosecutor so long to figure out she was like this?!
Good article, Blue Knight. I linked to it in my blog entry.
Bravo on all accounts.
J'adoube don't mistake those who choose to sit and have the media spoonfed to them as liberals.
The liberals I know tend to be free thinking well educated folks who tend to stray away from the sheep mentality of the general population or as I like to call it "America's IDLE" ( no I didn't mispell it).
Grandstanding will take place... all in the name of ratings, publicity and politics. The real tradgedy is the lives ruined by the lies of one person. This includes future rape victims too... credibility is going to be the first thing questioned.
(stepping off soap box)
Thanks to all... BP
it was more intuitive than emotional, but, i never trusted her. guity or innocent, the lives of several persons, if not ruined, then severely affected, for sure.
a girl goes to some guys for money, to do a private performance or show, and somehow suddenly she is a victim in a business transaction?? how many have gone sour due to lack of proper contracts or fuzzy agreements, then somebody gets upset and seeks revenge.
the vast majority of rape incidents are never reported. 9 out 10 times the rapist is someone the victim knows, usually well. the reason the rapes not reported, is because the women are too afraid they're not believed, ashamed, and of course afraid of the rapist. raped men, which also happens, almost never report the incidents, for the same reasons.
that's why the media doesn't announce the name of that woman. announcing it hurts every raped woman immensely, and I'm not talking about pride here.
if you ask around women who trust you enough to tell you, it's absolutely shocking how many of them have been violently raped. it's your daughters, moms, grandmothers, friends. many of them have been raped, but they never told anyone.
Wormwood: the point of the article isn't that rape victims should be named (the article says this a 'noble policy,' and I agree that alleged victims should be protected).
The point of the article is that those who falsely accuse others of rape should be offered no such priviledge, indeed should be exposed as liars willing to destroy someone's life for a lie. The publicity of this case, and the scorn heaped upon three guys merely accused, makes Gail Mangum a fair target for ridicule, pity, and publicity.
I have to take issue with the following statement from J'adoube's blog:
'Liberals: Kiss my ass. And apologize to the nation....I'm talking about you dumbass Move.org types and the rest of you jackasses out there that convicted these kids in the press because they were "rich frat boys".'
If you watched The Daily Show, that bastion of Liberal media, you would have seen Jon Stewart absolutely tear Nancy Grace of CNN a new asshole over her judging of the lacrosse players in the media. Here's a link to the Daily Show clip, via Crooks and Liars. I suspect you'll be on Stewart's side:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/04/14/the-daily-show-will-nancy-grace-apologize-to-duke-lacrosse-players/
This has nothing to do with Liberals, only media asshats.
Sorry, here's the full URL:
clicky
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