Well Well Well.... True Colors Do Indeed Shine Through!

A dear survivor friend of mine posted this link on her facebook page today.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/02/18/2010-02-18_crystal_gail_mangum_stripper_in_duke_lacrosse_rape_case_charged_with_arson_and_a.html

Crystal Gail Mangum... the infamous false Duke Lacrosse Rape Accuser, appears to have gone off the deep end yet again when arrested for assaulting her boyfriend. Just Who is the victim here, and who is the offender?

The Duke case always fascinated me. As a rape survivor myself, my gut usually tells me to trust the victim making the complaint, because I know better than anyone what defense lawyers do to smear the reputations of assault survivors who are brave enough to come forward. It takes some pretty gut wrenching courage.

However, as this clearly disturbed girl's past began to unravel with documented reports of other accusations she made in the past believed to be false, along with the inconsistencies in her Duke tale, it became impossible for me to believe she was telling the truth about being raped and was better suited to the profile of a pathological liar than a rape victim.

Don't get me started on my beef with Mike Nifong and how he pursued this case despite all the damning information that was a matter of public record on this crazy chick that came out in the media.

As we can see from her most recent violent antics, it is clearly Ms. Mangum who has the problem.

I think Mangum should have served jail time from the get go when it came out she was lying, even though I stand by my belief the Duke boys weren't exactly choir boys either. But, she has a distinct patten of reporting false accusations, and it is women like her who bias prosecutors and law enforcement from "real victims" who are telling the truth, making us feel helpless to be heard. I really don't have a lot of empathy for any gender who report false accusations when it comes out plain as day they were lying later. Why? Because it makes the process so much harder for so many people like myself and many others I know who fight like hell to pursue true justice.

I guess her recent arrest for this assault and what I am sure will be jail this time around, better than none.

Rest in Peace, Phoebe Prince

I have been nursing a pretty nasty stomach bug and haven't been able to blog much, but I saw this story, and I was really pretty outraged, to say the least.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1246284/Teenage-Irish-girl-emigrated-America-hanged-cyber-bullying-torment.html

This beautiful young girl with her whole future ahead of her immigrated to America from Ireland with her family only to be ridiculed and tormented by her classmates with all kinds of Internet and text threats, labeled all kinds of derogatory names, all out of cruelness, jealousy, and downright evilness. These taunts resulted in taking her own life.

I love facebook and the convenience of modern technology with texting and wireless email, but I don't think it was invented or intended to be used as a tool to promote harassment and verbal abuse. This is just heart breaking, and I can't imagine how her family must be feeling right now.

I don't understand how parents can let their children have such free reign over the Internet. They should be more aware of what websites and electronic gadgets their kids are using and just what they are using them for. Clearly, this girl was being bullied, and the school failed to recognize the signs and protect her. Even if she was too afraid to come forward to report these incidents, I have little doubt that the signs she was in trouble were there, and those in the system employed to protect her failed her. Thoughts?