News-Record.com

The story about Grimsley student John Averette is disturbing, but what he and an unnamed 15-year-old friend might have done in regard to hurting classmates is a matter of speculation. It might have been just talk.

Compare that to other stories just this week ...

this,

this

and this ...

about real deadly violence allegedly involving teenagers in Greensboro.

What maybe, might, possibly could have happened at Grimsley is frightening given the tragedies at other high schools in recent years. The police should be commended for heading off potential trouble.

But we also have to contend with the most serious kind of trouble involving young people that's really happening virtually every week in this community. What more needs to be done to stop this from happening?

Wow. I really admire Y-Yop Enuol for standing up to neighborhood thugs.

Some might consider the 13-year-old Montagnard boy a "snitch." That sort of attitude attempts to put him on a lower moral plane than the junior gangsters he pointed out. What a fallacy. Y-Yop's courage and integrity should be examples to all of us. The only way to stop wrongdoing is to oppose it with everything you've got, even at personal risk.

Too many dangerous punks in this community seem to run loose without anyone checking them until it's too late. For evidence of that, see my previous post. Thanks to Y-Yop, maybe some other kids-going-wrong can be turned around in time.

In my book, Y-Yop is an American hero.

Our editorial today about Center City Park.

Have you been there yet? What's your impression? What will it contribute to the life and appeal of downtown Greensboro?

Salute to Big Four football champion Wake Forest, which today won a bid to play in the Orange Bowl Jan. 2.

It's been a long time since football was this big in the Big Four.

In his column Sunday, High Point Enterprise editor Tom Blount explained why the paper charges $6 a month for access to its complete electronic edition:

"The Enterprise Web site has two sides, one for which quite a bit of information is without charge. The other side -– the e-paper, an electronic twin of the print product -– for a dis­count ($6 a month, compared to $10.50 every four weeks for home delivery of the print version).

"Most newspaper Web sites give you free access to a limited amount of information but require you to pay for archived material if you're seeking access to an item, say, two weeks after it first appeared in print.

"It's pretty much common practice, however, for newspapers to have you pay to review the electronic version of the entire newspaper -– everything that has appeared in the print version.

"Some of you have asked how we at the Enterprise can have the audacity to ask you to pay for Internet access to the complete version of any day's edition.

"The answer is simple. Why should you have ac­cess to the entire newspaper via the Internet free of charge when those subscribing to the print version have to pay for it?

"You already have free access to plenty of informa­tion from the Enterprise Web site and, soon, even more information will be available to you without charge. The process to make that happen is under way. But, if you want the whole enchilada, you’re going to have to pay for it.

"There simply is no such thing as a free lunch."

I subscribe to the HPE print edition so I don't have to pay extra for e-edition access. Would I otherwise? I might. I like the format. You get an exact replica of each page with the ability to call up and print out each story. It's still not worth as much to me as the real, or print, edition, but I'm old-fashioned about newspapers. At least with the e-edition you don't have to dispose of the old papers, so there's an ecological benefit to going electronic.

Is that the future of newspapers, all electronic? Without printing and distribution costs, I imagine the profit margins would soar out of sight -- if readers and advertisers would bite.

Would you?

The White House yesterday announced the nomination of High Point businessman S. Davis "Dave" Phillips as U.S. ambassador to Estonia.

He'll replace Dr. Aldona Wos of Greensboro.

Nothing like keeping the job in Guilford County hands.

I can't find an announcement of Wos' departure. Just last week, she joined President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley in a meeting with Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip in Tallinn. In October, she and her husband, Louis DeJoy, hosted Bush for a Republican fundraiser at their Greensboro home.

Dave Phillips is a former state commerce secretary under former Gov. Jim Hunt, a Democrat. He was a developer of the Market Square furniture showroom complex, now part of the Chicago-based Merchandise Mart Properties.

Bush seems to favor diplomats with Guilford County connections.

Dave Phillips' brother, Earl N. "Phil" Phillips Jr., was ambassador to the Eastern Caribbean during Bush's first term.

Greensboro's Bonnie McElveen Hunter, now national chairwoman of the American Red Cross, was U.S. ambassador to Finland.

U.S. ambassador to Denmark James P. Cain, former president of the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team, lived in High Point as a teenager.

I want the White House to know I'm available, too. Is the job in Tahiti open?

My column today:

As a career newspaperman with nothing more than a bachelor's degree in journalism from a state university, I have to admit that judges usually know more about the law than I do.

Even the Open Meetings Law, which is vitally important to my profession.

Not everyone in the trade is as cognizant of personal limitations as yours truly, however. Thus, my editorial colleagues at The Charlotte Observer recently delivered a scalding but misguided denunciation of an N.C. Court of Appeals ruling unfavorable to another newspaper over an Open Meetings Law dispute. ...

Will New York's trans fats ban push doughnut sales to back alleys?

Next: beverage sales. Only skim milk, diet soft drinks and lite beer allowed.

Internet Web sites popular with young people provide "intelligence tools" for law-enforcement agencies, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said.

The Charlotte Observer has a report today.

Capt. Eddie Levins "said police use MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and other sites to find young people wanted for crimes. They also use the sites to learn what's happening in schools and neighborhoods, and get an idea what kids are talking about."

I don't use any of those sites but, checking out MySpace, I found this profile of a guy named Spike. I doubt the police would be interested, but I think his English teachers (if he ever had any) should be ashamed.

So, is there anything wrong with law-enforcement surveillance of these sites? They're not private forums, are they? If people reveal information about criminal activity, I won't say police shouldn't read it.

Just the other day, I was admiring Tom Campbell's essay, "Are Universities to Educate or Entertain Us?" It dealt with the overemphasis on college sports.

Tonight I'm wishing there was a Tar Heel basketball game to watch. My favorite team hasn't played all week -- just because the guys are taking exams. Come on, are they students or athletes?

Man, I hate being a hypocrite.

The News and Observer of Raleigh reports today:

"Former state House Page Coordinator Ann Lassiter admits she made a serious mistake when she arranged for teenage pages to stay with her son, a felon with a history of drug and alcohol problems.

"But after her mistake became known to House Speaker Jim Black, he allowed her to retire from the position in April 2005 and then hired her back a month later as House historian, a position he created.

"Lassiter now makes $50,627 a year, but has no office, is rarely seen at the legislature and says she is unlikely to produce her major project -- a report on the history of the House -- before her temporary position runs out at the end of the year."

Read the whole story. It's an amazing account of a program involving youngsters in the care of the state legislature, and some very poor oversight of some aspects of that program.

When problems were discovered, they were kept quiet.

Sound familiar?

Who's going to take responsibility?

This is the charge in North Carolina law that Guilford County Emergency Services Director Alan Perdue identified as revelant to the Eastern Guilford arson:

"Burning of schoohouses or buildings of educational institutions."

It's a Class F felony, which means definite prison time -- if the offender is tried as an adult.

Neither Perdue nor Sheriff BJ Barnes would confirm whether their "persons of interest" are students. That's the assumption but, as Barnes said at one point during his press conference today, "You can make any assumptions you want."

Barnes appealed for those responsible to "come to the foot of the cross" -- which they should -- but confession will not save those individuals from criminal charges.

Perdue noted (after the press conference) that conspiracy charges are possible if more than one person is involved in this.

This case does not need to drag on, and probably won't. My impression is that investigators have a pretty good idea who was involved in this.

By the way, here's the young man who was convicted for setting a fire at High Point Central back in 1997. With other charges, his sentence totaled four years in prison.

Jeane Kirkpatrick delivered one of the most stinging, on-target speeches I've ever heard, at the 1984 Republican National Convention where Ronald Reagan was nominated for a second term as president.

The tough-as-nails U.S. envoy to the United Nations ripped the "blame America first" attitude of the "San Francisco Democrats."

San Francisco was the site of the convention where Walter Mondale accepted his party's presidential nomination.

The most important challenge of the day was the Cold War confrontation with the Soviet Union. Kirkpatrick, herself a lifelong Democrat, observed that the San Francisco Democrats had abandoned the resolve of earlier leaders, like Truman and Kennedy, to become ardent opponents of Reagan's peace-through-strength approach.

The Soviets aggressively expanded their influence in Asia, Africa and Central America from 1975 until 1981, with little response from the United States, Kirkpatrick noted. Setbacks were always met with a "blame America first" resignation. As the Reagan administration sought to push back, Democrats resisted.

Those San Francisco Democrats were on the wrong side of history. Standing up to the Soviet Union and declaring the importance of freedom in the world, as Truman and Kennedy did, and as Reagan continued, ultimately achieved Cold War victory with the collapse of the "Evil Empire," in Reagan's aptly coined phrase.

Rarely have the contrasting foreign policies of two political parties been spelled out as dramatically, succinctly and correctly as in Kirkpatrick's convention speech. (It wasn't Churchillian, but what could be?)

Jeane Kirkpatrick was a great Cold Warrior, whose fiery contribution to Reagan's landslide re-election will be long remembered.

I just saw Mel Gibson's gripping, amazing "Apocalypto."

It's masterfully made, fast-paced, breathtaking -- a thought-provoking action movie.

I'll let others determine the historical accuracy of this film set in the proximity of the Mayan empire circa 1500. Sorry if that date gives away the ending. The movie only hints at one of mankind's turning-of-the-tide moments, anyway. In a larger sense, Gibson, the anti-PC moviemaker, tells us that the coming of Europeans to the New World was just another wave on the beach of history. Think it was the white man who introduced brutality and conquest to an unspoiled wilderness? Think again, says Gibson.

At the same time, Gibson warns about the fate of civilizations that rot from the inside yet consider themselves invulnerable Those that feed on the misery of weaker neighbors deserve the fate that befalls them.

On other levels, this is a personal story about love, courage, friendship, devotion to family and traditions. The actors, speaking Mayan, seem very authentic.

The movie's details are amazing -- the Indians' tattoos, piercings, stretched earlobes, costumes; the weapons; the jungle settings; the Mayan temple, all painstakingly created.

There's violence, some frightening -- if human sacrifice bothers you, don't go. There's grief and anguish. Also tenderness. Altogether, it's a one-of-a-kind motion picture. I may not see it over and over, as I have Gibson's "Braveheart," but it was well worth seeing today.

Barack Obama's first visit to New Hampshire Sunday confirms he'll be the Dems' exciting fresh face in the 2008 presidential primary race.

MSNBC national affairs writer Tom Curry:

"When Obama's juggernaut rolled into New Hampshire on Sunday, it was his first visit to the state which holds its first-in-the-nation presidential primary in January of 2008.

"The Manchester crowd and a crowd of about 800 earlier in the day at a book signing in Portsmouth were unprecedented in size for events this early in the pre-presidential primary season.

"Veterans of New Hampshire politics were staggered by the size of the crowds and the horde of reporters and TV camera crews."

"Obama fever grips NH," the Manchester Union Leader adds.

Several Democratic contenders are vying to be the party's anti-Hillary. John Edwards has been working harder than any of them, for two years now. But, having been on the ticket as John Kerry's running mate in '04, he's no longer the hot young prospect. Obama is. Whether the Illinois senator has staying power is another matter, but for now he's getting raves, and breathless media coverage, that all the others can only envy.

North Carolina "can have no impact on climate change," the Raleigh-based John Locke Foundation asserts in a report issued today.

This is a stinging rebuke of the work of the N.C. Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change and its companion organization, the N.C. Climate Action Plan Advisory Group.

JLF contends that, despite acknowledgment that government efforts won't influence climate change, the North Carolina commission is pursuing an "irrational, 'we must do something'" strategy, which includes a "laundry list of possible policy prescriptions, all of which would ultimately alter the lifestyles of North Carolinians. ... In other words, the commission is looking to a host of policies, most of which would impose costs on and restrict the liberties of businesses and citizens of North Carolina, in full knowledge that none of the policies will have any benefits in terms of their ultimate goal -- averting or ameliorating climate change."

Instead, the state should develop a climate-change policy of "adaptation through economic growth," JLF says.

"Since the beginning of mankind people have had to deal with the extremes of weather. What has allowed us as a species to overcome extreme heat, cold, snowstorms, hurricanes, etc., and live comfortably both at the equator and in Alaska is prosperity. In this
context, probably the most important legacy that we can leave to future generations in terms of their ability to deal with the forces of nature (however mild or severe they would be) is a durable and useful capital stock in an economic system that allows entrepreneurs the flexibility to invest that capital in ways that will best accommodate people's desires for comfort in their surroundings.

"It is this capital stock that future generations will both draw on and build upon in developing new technologies that will allow us to ameliorate and be sheltered from the effects of weather conditions. The fact is that our generation and the generations immediately preceding ours have been able to live more comfortably in the face of weather extremes because of the capital investment and technological advancements of the generations that have preceded us."

Interesting perspective. It overlooks the benefits unrelated to climate change of reducing pollution and conserving energy. But if policymakers set a goal of stopping global warming, they should be honest with the public about the chances of success.

We printed a cool story today about a trainer who builds guys up to dunk a basketball.

Gil Thomas guarantees success.

Dunking would be awesome, but that's not my athletic dream.

I'm still looking for someone who can show me the secret of running the mile in less than four minutes.

If you just said, "Run downhill," you're not funny.

Bel Canto Company of Greensboro gave a lovely performance of its Christmas program, "A Roamin' Holliday," last night at First Presbyterian Church in High Point.

This is a very talented, expertly directed choir. Excellent solo lines were delivered by Hannah Carter in "Once in Royal David's City," Bill Snedden, Gerald Whittington and Anne Campbell in "Il est Ne le Divin Enfant," Shana DiCamillo and James Wilson in "Rie, Riu, Chiu" and Hillary Webb in "Go Tell it on the Mountain." My favorite piece was a "Betelehemu," a spirited Nigerian carol.

The program, sponsored by First Presbyterian, was international and really appreciated by a capacity audience in the large church sanctuary. Bel Canto is a first-rate cultural asset in the community.

Maybe this is what some people are worried about on the subject of stem-cell research.

(From The Locker Room)

Congressman Walter Jones, R-N.C., today asked U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to investigate whether Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong's conduct in the Duke lacrosse rape case "constitutes prosecutorial misconduct and has denied the students their civil rights as U.S. citizens under federal law."

Jones' office issued a press release.

The Associated Press provides coverage, as does The News & Observer of Raleigh.

This is out of Jones' territory. His 3rd Congressional District doesn't include any part of Durham County, nor does he represent any of the three individuals accused, who all come from out of state.

It makes me wonder whether Jones is thinking about running for statewide office. He probably could have the GOP nomination for governor if he wants it.

Whatever his motives, the issue he raises is on target. The prosecutor's actions may well have violated the federal civil rights of the defendants. The U.S. Justice Department might want to take a look.

Frankly, N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper should have intervened in this case a long time ago by naming a special prosecutor. Nifong has done everything wrong.

Update, Dec. 19: Noelle Talley, a spokeswoman for AG Cooper, called today to tell me state law does not allow the AG to name a special prosecutor unless requested to do so by the district attorney.

In other words, Nifong would have to ask to have himself relieved of the case. He has not done so.

Update, Dec. 13: Maybe it's time for Nifong to have a talk with the accuser. He could ask her about this. More importantly, he could try to objectively evaluate the facts of this case. That's supposed to be his job.

My column today:

Davidson County Schools experienced a Grinch moment last week: No Christmas was coming.

They could blame an erroneous TV news report, not a green killjoy with a heart two sizes too small, for the uproar.

The broadcast said the system was implementing a new policy prohibiting Christmas displays and other religious signs of the season.

In conservative Christian Davidson County, this went over about as well as a ban on basketball would be received at Carolina or Duke.

In Davidson County, school bands and choruses still perform Christmas music at holiday concerts attended by appreciative parents, with hardly a Grinch around.

But, all is calm again:

From the Charlotte Observer's story today about Jim Black:

"Black announced his decision after having dinner with about 25 House Democrats at a Raleigh restaurant. After the dinner he told reporters for the Observer and The News & Observer of Raleigh that he would issue a statement only to The Associated Press. He addressed one reporter as a 'sorry sack of (expletive)' and otherwise refused to answer questions."

On Election Night last month, Black blamed the Charlotte Observer for his narrow lead over challenger Hal Jordan. Black won by only 30 votes.

A more objective analysis would find Black responsible for his own problems.

Again from the Observer story:

"Lawmakers in both parties described Black's withdrawal as a positive step in light of the state and federal investigations surrounding his office.

" 'Thank goodness,' said Rep. Bill Faison, an Orange County Democrat running for speaker. 'The probability of indictment (against Black) is extraordinarily high.' "

I don't believe for a minute that Black simply decided he didn't want to be speaker anymore. More likely, enough Democrats finally decided he's such a liability that he had to be denied his leadership post. Thank goodness. It means there is a limit to their tolerance of ethical misconduct. I was having my doubts.

Let's hope they'll make a much, much better choice for the next speaker.

From washingtonpost.com an hour ago:

"Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) underwent emergency brain surgery overnight after falling ill at the Capitol and was in critical condition early this morning, introducing a note of uncertainty over control of the Senate just weeks before Democrats are to take over with a one-vote margin."

I wish Johnson well. Best case: he recovers quickly and can return to work.

If it's best for him for health reasons to retire from the Senate, then a lot of politics come into play.

South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds would appoint a new senator to fill a vacancy. Rounds is a Republican and could choose a Republican. Such a move would shift back control of the U.S. Senate to Republicans, a monumental turn of events.

You could argue that would negate the will of South Dakota voters for the sake of politics. You would be right. Rounds could show some faithfulness to the voters if he said, "You elected a Democrat to this seat and therefore I will appoint a Democrat to hold it until the next election."

On the other hand, you could argue that the voters knew, or should have known, that when they elected a Republican governor he likely would appoint members of his own party to fill vacancies.

That certainly is the case here in North Carolina. If, say, Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole had to resign, would Gov. Mike Easley, a Democrat, replace her with another Republican, or a Democrat?

A Democrat, of course. The last time he filled a major vacancy was back in January when N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake Jr., a Republican, retired. Easley appointed Sarah Parker, a Democrat. I doubt he gave a moment's thought to the idea that the voters meant for a Republican to serve as chief justice.

(Easley's choice was vindicated last month when voters elected Parker to a full term.)

There might be an element of poetic justice if Republicans regained control of the Senate through some means other than election. They lost control back in 2001 when Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont, who had been elected as a Republican, switched his affiliation to independent and supported Democratic leadership. You could say his move negated the will of the people for political reasons. (Republicans went back on top after the 2002 elections.)

It's really all about power.

I hope Johnson fully recovers and all this buzz turns out to be idle speculation.

Lawyers for David Evans, Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty have been very busy in advance of a hearing Friday in Durham County Superior Court.

There's every reason they should succeed in having the rape case dropped before it goes to trial sometime next year.

The News & Observer summarizes their pitch to have the accuser's identification of the defendants thrown out.

Indeed, the method Durham police used at DA Mike Nifong's direction was totally improper. The accuser chose from a photo lineup of only Duke lacrosse players. In court, it will be even easier for her. She'll just have to point to the three guys sitting at the defendants' table and say, "They did it."

That wouldn't be good enough to convict, of course. The accuser's stories have been so contradictory that her testimony likely wouldn't survive even mild cross-examination. But the defense nevertheless has an interest in putting an end to this farce sooner rather than later. The judge might very well rule that the photo ID was improper and invalidate the whole basis for the indictment of the Duke trio.

In a way, though, that would be unsatisfying. It would say only that the "victim" was shown an impermissible photo lineup. It could be said that her "attackers" were getting off on a technicality.

This case really needs to crumble at its foundation: the accuser's claim that she was raped at the Duke lacrosse party. Other than her allegation -- and she wasn't consistent in even that -- there is no evidence that such a crime occurred.

Forty-six Duke lacrosse players provided DNA samples, and not one matched genetic material found on or in her body or on her clothing. There was DNA material from other men, but not from anyone who was at the party.

If this case is dismissed before trial, and I believe it will be, I hope it's made clear that it is dismissed because there was no crime, not because the "victim" could not identify her "assailants." In fact, I hope the DA himself asks for a dismissal, acknowledging he was wrong to believe the woman's story in the first place.

The defendants will not be found guilty in this case, but they should be totally cleared. All doubts should be erased: The "crime" that aroused such anger and racial turmoil in Durham never happened.

Update, Friday afternoon:

The N&O reports on its Web site: "The head of a private DNA laboratory said under oath today that he and District Attorney Mike Nifong agreed not to report DNA results favorable to Duke lacrosse players charged with rape."

It's only a matter of days now before this case is over.

You know a person is highly regarded if there's standing room only at his funeral -- and a congressman is one of those without a seat.

Brad Miller stood at the back of expansive Beth David Synagogue for Stanley Shavitz's funeral this afternoon.

Stanley was a people person extraordinaire. He knew everyone -- people in political office, media people, people with charitable agencies, school people, business people, people with all the organizations he belonged to or had associations with.

That's how you draw a full house to your funeral.

Stanley had one of those qualities I admire most. He was an encourager. You could count on Stanley for a good word. Of course, he would let you know if he disagreed with you about something, but that was OK because he was always more generous with praise.

Although he moved to Greensboro a few years ago, he was a High Pointer through and through. In addition to operating a successful furniture retail business there, he earned a particular distinction: He was served the first mixed drink sold legally in the city, back in the '70s. Stanley liked to be in on things.

He organized a men's book club I belonged to. He was a great reader. Once when we were in the High Point library together, he told me with regret that he'd never have time to read all the books it contained.

It was said at his funeral that he also wished he were wealthier -- so he could have given away more money. I believe he was totally sincere in that sentiment. I do know he was quietly very, very giving of what he had, in terms of time and treasure.

One of his favorite causes was the Children's Museum. As soon as I came to work in Greensboro, he began urging me to go see it. He was extremely proud of it. One day I did, only to learn that a man unaccompanied by a child would not be admitted. I could see the reason for that. Anyway, I mentioned Stanley's name and within about 30 seconds an assistant director was on the spot to give me a guided tour.

Paul Lessard, director of the High Point Community Foundation, offered some nice remarks at the funeral. He said Stanley bridged the gap between the Jewish and Gentile communities. That was true, although I doubt he thought of it that way. Where Stanley was concerned, there was no need for gaps between people. People were people, and he wanted to make friends with everyone.

Everyone who counted Stanley as a friend was blessed.

Phyllis, Steve and family, Greensboro and High Point thank you for having shared Stanley all these years.

The NCAA's Committee on Women's Athletics seems to operate with an up-is-down, in-is-out vision of the world.

In the interest of "gender equity," it recommends prohibiting or limiting the participation of men in women's sports practices.

Top women's basketball programs, including Duke and Carolina, use male practice players. They do it because it helps the women to practice against athletes who are bigger, stronger and faster.

Bad! says the NCAA committee. It sends the wrong message to other women on the team and denies them practice opportunities.

If the wrong message is that some women aren't as good as others in basketball, well, that's not wrong. There's no one on the Carolina team good enough to challenge Ivory Latta. If she plays against a guy in practice -- if he's good enough -- she'll have a better chance to improve her skills. What has the NCAA got against women trying to play to their full potential?

The equity complaint is just backwards. Aren't women encouraged to compete with men in other walks of life, like business, medicine and law? We even have women fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with men in Iraq and Afghanistan. But they can't be allowed to practice basketball with men?

This recommendation should be rejected. It would hold women back, and that's the last thing the NCAA should do.

The three missing Mount Hood climbers put themselves in danger just by attempting that kind of expedition in December.

They've also put rescuers' lives at risk.

Not to mention the expense of an extensive search by air and on the 11,239-foot mountain.

Some argue that this kind of rescue effort should not be undertaken. It's too costly and hazardous. People foolhardy enough to set out up the mountain at this time of year ought to be on their own. If they don't make it down, they have no one to blame but themselves.

Maybe that's the cold, hard logic of it.

But rescuers are there for just such occasions as this. It doesn't matter why people need help. If they're in trouble, someone is going after them if it's humanly possible.

If I were in the mountain climber rescue business, I couldn't think of anything worse than not trying to bring someone home.

I'll be ringing the bell for the Salvation Army from 7-8 this evening in front of Wal-Mart on N. Main Street in High Point. If you're in the area, please stop by to say hello and drop a dollar in the kettle.

There aren't many worthier organiations to support at Christmas, or any other time.

A week ago, I wrote that N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper should appoint a special prosecutor in the Duke lacrosse case. Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong has made a mess of it and should be made to give it up.

Today, Cooper's spokeswoman, Noelle Talley, gave me a call to respond. I was off base. State law does not allow the attorney general to do that, she said, except when requested by the district attorney.

In other words, Nifong would have to ask Cooper to take the case away from him.

That has not happened.

It seems there's a flaw in law. There should be some way for higher authorities to intervene when a district attorney totally mishandles a case. As it stands now, the DA would have to say, "I'm really screwing this up. Come in and save me from myself."

Short of that, I'd like to see Cooper or Gov. Mike Easley, who originally appointed Nifong to his post, at least put some pressure on him.

When former state Agriculture Secretary Meg Scott Phipps got into trouble, but before she was convicted of criminal wrongdoing, Easley publicly called on her to resign. Because she was independently elected, he couldn't fire her. But he made it clearly known that she needed to get out, and she did.

Nifong needs to hear the same message now. The Duke case is an injustice-in-progress and a national embarrassment to North Carolina. The governor and the attorney general should do whatever they can to put an end to it.

By the way, the Durham Herald-Sun reports today that violent crime in Durham was up 32 percent during the first nine months of this year over last year. So it's not as if the police and DA's office don't have enough real work to do.

What more could have been done to stop this from happening?

How is a protective order worth its name?

My column today:

I'm not a good Christmas shopper.

It isn't that I don't want to give nice presents or that I don't try. I spent an exhausting two hours at the mall Saturday and even bought some things, but the experience was far from satisfactory.

The problem is a lack of inspiring ideas. I just don't think of the right gifts to get.

Or, that was the problem. ...

One good thing about today's condensed edition, the result of a computer network problem last night: It's created an opportunity for me to hear from a lot of readers.

Like many employees, I'm getting spillover calls that can't be handled by other departments or higher-ups. I'm happy to take them and have found most people very friendly and understanding when I've explained what happened and particularly when I promise we'll print a regular edition-plus tomorrow ... the plus being today's obituaries and as much other important content as possible that didn't make it today.

A few folks have shared some complaints about the paper, including: Maureen Dowd; not enough national and international news; the newsprint is too flimsy (they liked today's heavier paper); too many light features on the front page; too many ads.

All of these concerns have prompted some helpful discussion.

A couple of callers made me laugh when they described how they and their spouses read the paper, swapping sections. Today's, with three sections combined into one, was difficult to share. "Please tell me you'll be back to normal tomorrow and save my marriage," one caller pleaded.

Yes, we want to save your marriage!

All these calls tell us that the newspaper is an important part of people's lives, and they aren't happy when they miss any of it. That's nice to know, but it reminds us that we dare not disappoint them too often.

Finally, most of the callers closed our conversation by wishing me a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays.

You know, this hasn't been the best day at the N&R. But it hasn't been all bad, either.

I can't tell a male penguin from a female.

Can they?

Problems with the state legislative page program were worse than first reported, The N&O details today.

How would this make you feel if you'd sent your kid down there for a week, only to find out he'd been housed with a convicted felon with a bunch of other kids and not provided proper meals?

How the heck did the politicians manage to keep this quiet for three years?

Donald Trump vs. Rosie O'Donnell.

This is one ugly, obnoxious and ultimately pointless battle.

Kind of like "Alien vs. Predator."

Judicial Watch lists its "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians" for 2006.

The list covers only Washington politicians. Otherwise, you know who from North Carolina would be a strong contender.

Anyway, here's JW's Top Ten:

1. Jack Abramoff

2. Hillary Clinton

3. Duke Cunningham

4. Tom DeLay

5. Mark Foley

6. Dennis Hastert

7. Alcee Hastings

8. William Jefferson

9. Bob Ney

10. Harry Reid

Honorable (dishonorable?) mentions include:

John Conyers, Patrick Kennedy, Cynthia McKinney, Barack Obama and Jack Murtha.

A tip of the hat to Brad Krantz for broadcasting this on his radio show this morning.

"Whether the defendants in the Duke lacrosse case are guilty or innocent, Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong should disqualify himself, or be disqualified, from the case.

"On Friday (Dec. 15), Nifong's own witness essentially accused him of breaking the law. An actual conflict of interest now exists between Nifong's need to defend himself against possible charges of misconduct and his obligation to prosecute the case fairly and effectively."

Those are the opening paragraphs of a riveting op-ed published in yesterday's News & Observer of Raleigh. The author is Joseph Kennedy, associate professor of law at the UNC School of Law and a fellow at UNC's Parr Center for Ethics.

Nifong must be taken off this horribly mishandled case. But how, when apparently no one in a position of authority in this state -- not the governor, not the attorney general, not the chief justice of the Supreme Court -- has indicated the slightest concern?

I've said before those officials should publicly call for him to step down. Maybe he would yield to that pressure. If not, there is a possible remedy provided by law. A district attorney can be removed for a number of reasons, including "conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice which brings the office into disrepute." Bingo!

A complaint would have to be filed, and then the matter would go before the senior resident Superior Court judge in Durham County.

Some commenters, including Kennedy, suggest that the defense might prefer to keep Nifong on the case because he's compromised his credibility. Nonsense. Any other prosecutor who took over the case from Nifong surely would seek to dismiss the charges. No sensible prosecutor would go to trial with a case he couldn't possibly prove.

The AP reports that rape charges against the three former Duke lacrosse players have been dropped.

Finally! There were never sufficient grounds to press rape charges.

But charges of kidnapping and sexual offense still stand.

What?

DA Mike Nifong's rape case was blown out of the arena because of NO DNA link between the defendants and the accuser. Is he still determined to prosecute the "hooligans" for whatever he can? Now he's going to say the three alleged assailants pulled her into a bathroom and, what, kissed her?

Come on, give up already.

Jeri's story today about Sudanese refugees in High Point mentioned that they had learned their ABCs under a tree, writing with their fingers in the dirt.

It reminded me of our visit to a Maasai village in Tanzania back in June.

The "school" for the small children -- 5 or 6 years old -- was a shade tree behind the village. The kids sat on the dusty ground -- no desks, no books, no paper and pencils.

They were singing their ABCs in that beautiful African vocal style, a little soloist leading and the young chorus following while clapping their hands.

Older kids went to grade school in another village, which we didn't visit. A very lucky few might be able to go away to secondary school. But we saw quite a few kids in the 10-16 age range tending herds of cattle, the animal that provides the principal base of support for the nomadic Maasai. Their most important schooling is learning how to protect their livestock from lions and other predators.

That doesn't prepare them for the modern world, but the modern world is still a long way from where they live.

"Christmas Bells" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, an expression of hope during a time of war.

John Edwards has been running for president for at least the last six years, so his "official" announcement today that he's running for president just isn't very exciting.

Edwards' presidential ambitions likely were fired when Al Gore put him on his veep short list in 2000. Then a U.S. senator from North Carolina, Edwards adopted a national agenda, appearing to give a higher priority to his personal goal than to his job. He didn't seek re-election to the Senate in 2004, choosing instead to compete for the Democratic presidential nomination. Although he made a credible effort, he won just a single primary -- in his native state of South Carolina -- and ended up with the second slot on John Kerry's ticket.

He should have concentrated all along on returning to the Senate in 2004. That would have made him a more viable presidential candidate now. He's not the party's fresh face anymore -- Barack Obama is, if the Illinois senator decides to run. Nor is he the experienced veteran with lots of campaign money. That's Sen. Hillary Clinton.

This time out, Edwards is angling to be the candidate of organized labor. That could help his fundraising, but union backing never put Richard Gephardt over the top. It also corners him as a protectionist on trade issues and as the guy who's making himself best known for his anti-Wal-Mart stand -- even though the ordinary Americans he's trying to appeal to are hardly going to stop shopping where they can get the best prices.

Edwards is strong on his pitch for moral leadership in the world, and he's learned a lot about the world in the last few years. If he can come up with a sensible plan for universal health-care coverage, he might gain some ground. He's not tied down to a job like Obama and Clinton are, so he can campaign every single day from now until the nomination is decided. At the same time, he doesn't have an opportunity to actually do anything like Obama and Clinton can in the Senate, where they're now part of the majority party. Hillary also has Bill in her corner, and he's a very powerful asset in the Democratic Party.

A lot of political people say Hillary can't win, but if she can't win, neither can Edwards. She's much more centrist in her views than he is. She has a better chance of grabbing the political middle ground than can someone running from the left. Despite his long experience running for president, Edwards still is a decided underdog.

Good for the North Carolina State Bar for its ethics complaint against Durham DA Mike Nifong, filed yesterday.

Nifong was overzealous to the point of recklessness in his pursuit of the Duke lacrosse rape case. The Bar's detailed 17-page complaint shows it was watching closely.

The allegations of misconduct are very serious, but not complete. They don't cover Nifong's failure to disclose DNA test results that showed no connection linking the victim to the three accused former Duke students.

The basis of the complaint filed yesterday is that Nifong made very prejudicial public statements about the case -- some of which would have had the effect of stirring up racial turmoil and creating a hostile atmosphere in the community toward the accused, and some of which weren't true.

In the absence of any statements by other state authorities -- such as the governor or attorney general -- questioning Nifong's handling of this case, the State Bar intervention is very welcome. It shows there is a mechanism within the legal system to act when a powerful officer of the court abuses his position.

I hope this causes Nifong to turn the case over to someone else very soon.

I had a chance to duck into the Mint Museum of Craft and Design in uptown Charlotte the other day. The most arresting exhibit is "The Passion of Andy," a series of ceramic figurines by Russell Biles.

The artist explains: "In my series The Passion of Andy I place Mayberry in our contemporary society. The virtues that once sanctified Sheriff Andy now instigate his down fall through the hands of misguided faith. Simply, the outcome reflects the reality of how far our world is removed from the fantasy of The Andy Griffith Show."

In Biles' vision, Andy conducts a same-sex wedding ceremony for Floyd and Howard, incurring the murderous wrath of a Christian fundamentalist, who shoots the sheriff through the heart. Opie vows revenge.

Meanwhile, Aunt Bee is trying to survive without the medications she can't afford. Gomer has been shipped off to Iraq, where he loses his legs. Poor old Goober has to work at Wal-Mart. (He should invite Aunt Bee to get her meds there for $4 each.) Otis and Ernest T. have their stories, too.

In so many words, modern America is now the anti-Mayberry. Those sappy, old-fashioned values get you nothing at the end of the episode.

That's a shocking message, except that all of us who used to watch "The Andy Griffith Show" when we were kids grew up to learn a few things about the real world. But we still appreciate the fictional place where conflicts can be settled in 30 minutes with a little homespun humor, simple wisdom and respect for others, where fast talkers from the big city never get away with taking advantage of the local yokels, where everyone is so trustworthy you can even operate a jail on the honor system.

If our society isn't much like that today, well, shame on us. It ought to be.

It's going to take some time to tell whether Saddam Hussein's execution marks a turning point in Iraq or counts as just another death in a country awash in blood.

Insurgents driven by hopes of restoring Saddam to power ought to lay down their arms, but will they see other reasons to keep fighting as Sunnis and Shiites continue to contend for power and seek to avenge grievances old and new?

It's difficult to be optimistic. Every hope of progress in Iraq has been blown apart by the ferocity of seething hatred. The U.S. badly underestimated the utter depravity of Iraqis who have immersed themselves in a culture of retribution and radicalism.

Can a democratic government eventually put an end to the cycle of violence, or will it take another strongman like Saddam to suppress the killers?

While Saddam richly deserved his fate, his death may prove pointless unless the leaders of all Iraqi factions decide to learn from it. They must agree to work together to build a nation that protects life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all religious, ethnic, tribal and political groups. If they don't, they will resign themselves to unending chaos and violence or invite the rise of the next ruthless dictator.

The sectarian violence is driven in part by the desire of Shiites to get even for the repression they suffered under Saddam and the Sunnis. Now that Saddam has paid for his crimes, it's time for the Shiites to let go of the past and create a society that allows room for old adversaries to live in peace. That's a lot to hope for, but if it doesn't happen then hanging Saddam will have contributed nothing good at all to the future of Iraq.