New Haven Independent

Posted by: Paul Wessel | September 21, 2009 11:48 AM

Nice story about there not being a story. Congratulations for Joe Avery and Jessica Mayorga.

Posted by: A-OK | September 21, 2009 12:09 PM

Ho-hum...Back to the quaint drive-by shootings, prostitution and drug problems we've all gotten used to. I'm soooo bored.

Posted by: robn | September 21, 2009 1:44 PM

Maybe Officer Joe Avery is getting called at home because his fellow officers are posting his phone number on easy to read signs in the stationhouse.

Posted by: steve | September 21, 2009 1:55 PM

nice sign! we are so professional here in new haven, aren't we?

Posted by: Hood Rebel | September 21, 2009 2:12 PM

Many day-to-day the stories in both the local and national media are filled with half-baked, unconfirmed, made-up tales as well.

Just recall any topic you know a lot about, and notice the endless errors and twisted facts reported about that topic in the media.

Now, think about what really happens in those news-stories where you have little information on the subject at hand.

Posted by: James Street | September 21, 2009 2:22 PM

HaHa Steve you made laugh out loud.

Posted by: Helen Li | September 21, 2009 2:31 PM

I am shocked by this "light-hearted" article. What kind of people are you to write something so facetious when Miss Le is not even buried. She was a human being killed in the most horrific circumstances. There is a lack of real anger and sadness right from the start of this case. It is never about a wonderful person having her life robbed by a monster of a bully but more the inconveniece of a high-flying Vietnamese girl being killed by a suspected lowly white boy. The press can't wait to move on, even writing stories about "Two Weddings Ruined?" about the supposed wedding plans of Clark and his girl friend in 2011. Don't you people have any feelings for the Le family and for that poor girl?

Posted by: fdsa | September 21, 2009 3:43 PM

Speaking of professionalism--how is it that all of the information about the case ends up in the newspapers before it is released? Someone really ought to get fired over how they are handling the release of information.

Posted by: streever | September 21, 2009 4:58 PM

Helen Li,

it's a very sad case, but I think the NHI has been extremely fair & treated this as a serious issue. With that being said, there are only so many facts, aren't there?

The accused has not been convicted of any crimes yet, and the law requires that he be treated as innocent until proven guilty by a trial.

The NHI has certainly NOT painted Miss Le as a "high-flying vietnamese" girl by any standards. Instead they have given an accurate & compassionate portrayal of all people involved.

If they have criticized anyone, it's been traditional media outlets, who have treated this case like a bloodhunt. There are simply not enough facts to justify 24/7 coverage, stampedes, and totally out-of-control journalists who have made up/been confused & mis-reported six different versions of the story that were all untrue.

Please take your anger at the Press to Fox & the other outlets who did an awful job covering this, and please re-read the NHI coverage to see that it was done fairly, in a legal manner, and very, very well.

No one is making light of this tragedy. The NHI is simply pointing out what a sham the reporting was from other outlets. They are correct--it was disturbing & overwhelming & not necessary.

Posted by: Tony | September 21, 2009 11:06 PM

Any murder is a terrible act but why should the media make this one any more special than a killing anywhere else. It was at Yale,nothing else but an Ivy league school. But that is where the media has a rascist belief in themselves. If this killing took place in Fair Haven even with the same people, it would not have gotten 5% of the national coverage it did. So yes,I am saying the media is rascist. And I am white.

Posted by: Martha | September 22, 2009 12:10 AM

Please comment on the horrific story in the NY Post that Annie Le's body was "mashed" to fit into the small area into which she was pushed in the wall.

What kind of a psychopath is her killer?

[Editor's note: The police department issued a statement that the Post story was false.]

Posted by: tom | September 22, 2009 7:43 AM

OK PEOPLE LETS GET SOMETHING STRAIGHT HERE. THIS CASE HAD RECEIVED ALOT OF ATTENTION BECAUSE PEOPLE GOT INVOLVED. THEY GAVE STATEMENTS, OVER 200, THEY HAD OVER 300 ITEMS OF EVIDENCE. NOW TONY, YOUR RIGHT, IF THIS WAS A CRIME IN FAIRHAVEN WE WOULD NOT HAVE HEARD ANY OF THIS. BUT LETS GET TO THE POINT, PUNKS WITH GUNS RUN THE HOOD. PEOPLE DO NOT TALK WITH THE POLICE, BECAUSE IF YOU SNITCH YOU WILL BE FOUND IN A DITCH, THE POLICE ARE THE ENEMY IN THE HOOD, AND LAST THING, IF THE YALE STUDENT WAS BLACK WE STILL WOULD HAVE SEEN THE SAME MEDIA OUTCOME.

Posted by: Helen Li | September 22, 2009 8:44 AM

Streever, or are you really Mr. Paul Bass who wrote the origninal article? Look at the title of the piece, "What Annie Le Story." Was not that facetious and disrespectful to the dead? I have never accused any particular person of the crime, and used the word "suspected" in relation to any possible attacker. So don't put words in my mouth and turn accuser yourslef. You said the article merely pointed out the excesses of large parts of the national media. There is a time and place for such things, for example, at a media conference on press ethics etc; or at least have the good grace to wait for a while until Annie has been laid to rest and the court case finished. My anger is truly not confined to this article but I am writing to this publication right now and I am disgusted at your hypocricy and irresponsiblity and lack of human decency. Would you write such things if a white doctoral girl were killed like that by a Vietnamese lowly person? This case is not good for the Ivy League, good white person immage and so you want to distract us from the real tragedy of Miss Le's horrific end. Tony above is right, you are racist. But you are, as I said, not the only culprit. What about the President of Yale standing on the steps with a union woman banging the drum for "action against work place violence." Again, no decency, no respect for Le's family and not a time to talk about that issue, however important. And two mothers, one whose daughter was mugged at knife point at Yale, drawing attention to herself. What relation did it have to Annie's death? You should really take a good look at yourself and ask if you would have done the same thing if Annie were white or if she were your daughter. Shame on you shame on you shame on you!!!

Posted by: Yale employee | September 22, 2009 9:34 AM

Helen Li,
Why are you bringing race into this at all? This terrible event had NOTHING to do with race or social status. This was an act of workplace violence. What happened to Annie is horrific and the pain her family, friends and fiance must be going through I can only imagine. The media blitz and harassment of people close to the case was disgusting, truly disgusting. The NHI handled this story with grace...something national media could learn from.

Please stop accusing other posters of racism, etc. The only one taking race is you and it has no relevance or place here. Also, please read what others write...Tony wrote about media being racist not an individual.

Posted by: William Kurtz | September 22, 2009 10:08 AM

Ms. Li:

If the treatment of this case by the press has shown a lack of respect for Ms. Le, neither has your irrational ranting about the 'hypocricy' [sic] of the NHI.

First, any regular reader of the Independent knows that 'Streever' and publisher are two distinct individuals. So even if Tony is right about the media being 'rascist' [sic] (and that statement is broad and vague enough to be essentially useless) it has nothing to do with Mr. Streever.

Second, any regular reader of the Independent also knows that their coverage of this sad affair has consistently been the most careful, responsible, and nuanced of all the local and national media outlets. Mr. Bass and his editorial and reporting staff have resisted sensationalism and treated all the people involved with the dignity and decency human beings deserve, even going so far as to avoid publishing the name of the prime suspect in the case until he was arrested, even after just about all other media sources did so. "Well," you might argue, "who cares? I know he did it! He's not even a human being! Everybody knows he's a control freak, or a spurned lover, or a self-loathing underachiever!" But as people like Richard Jewell and James Van de Velde have learned, media scrutiny of 'suspects' can be personally devastating even once those people are cleared.

Contrast their coverage with the lurid and frankly disgusting rumors being peddled by the New York Post and the useless finger-pointing by the likes of CNNs Nancy Grace if you really want to rail against shameless commercial exploitation of this tragedy.

Posted by: sjbj | September 22, 2009 10:39 AM

Helen Li, while I understand your anger, you are barking up the wrong tree. Steever is his real name, he contributes regularly to these comments, he is very active in the New Haven community. He is not Paul Bass writing under someone else's name. As he says, the coverage here at the Independent has been far superior to that in the mainstream media. Your anger would better be directed there. Not everything is about race. As many others have commented , if the victim in this case had been an African American or Latina member of the New Haven community, rather than a Yale student (whatever her race), there never would have been this level of attention, by the media, or by investigators. If there is any race angle to this story, that is it.

Posted by: Uncle Egg | September 22, 2009 12:04 PM

Helen:

I don't mean this in a patronizing way, but if you knew much about New Haven you'd know that David Streever is not Paul Bass.

I suspect you're pretty close to the case, and I don't mean to attack you here or belittle whatever loss you may be feeling. Unfortunately, whenever private people become victims of such horrible and publicly visible crimes, their private lives are exposed to the public view and scrutinized in myriad ways that are often painful and uncomfortable to loved ones. It's not nice and it's not fair, but that's how it is. That's why public relations consultants generally advise friends and family members of the deceased in such cases NOT to pay attention to the media coverage of the case.

From the media's perspective, this is a story with multiple angles, all of them revolving around the human tragedy at its center, and to some extent framing it around familiar archetypes that resonate with readers and viewers. Outrage and shock from the community is just one of many potential angles of coverage. Another is what happens when the national press hordes descend on a location that usually does not receive such attention. It is certainly a valid story, and I see no obligation on the part of the media to hold off until Ms. Le has been duly buried and memorialized.

I think that the local media in general -- and the NH Indy in particular -- have treated this case with appropriate delicacy, and with respect for the real humans involved. (I cannot say the same for the national media, particularly Fox News and the New York tabloids.) Despite this, it is probably inevitable that the portrayals of the people involved would seem superficial to anyone who knew them before this tragedy occurred.

I am not sure where the claim of racism comes from -- coverage of this case has largely mirrored coverage of the Suzanne Jovin murder 11 years ago. Both of them were "high-flying" regardless of where their parents came from, and their lives ended far too soon.

Posted by: Helen Li | September 22, 2009 12:50 PM

I must have hit a nerve to warrant such concerted and instant response to my views. I will try to answer each one of you in turn. First, SJBJ, if Streever is a "regular" contributor, he might be sympathetic to Paul Bass's view or the reputation of New Haven. It is Bass's article I was complaining about, not all of NHI's coverage. I will deal with the other media outlet myself and it is my business, not yours. New Haven has a special responsiblity because Annie studied there for 2 years and was killed there. Remember, an article like that, with that heading, can sully the whole tone and image of your publication. A responsible editor will not allow it at a time like this. It reveals the true feelings of the editorial staff. I agree that the involvement of a Yale student was the reason for such intense media coverage. But the disrespect to Annie shown by Bass is racial. You are free to think it is not, but to me he was trying to belittle Annie's tragedy. Do you reallly think that heading was alright? William Kurtz: All I wanted to do was to remember this wonderful person, it was Bass's inhumanity that spurred me to "rant" as you so predictably label my justified anger. I am fighting for her and will continue to do so. Tony was responding to Bass, not Streever. Don't you dare to put words in my mouth, I have never said anything about the suspect and I have compassion for his family, even for him. It was Bass who I was complaining about. Justice is very important for the Le family, I am already worried about the irresponsible reporting would jeopardizing the case. The New Haven community wants to protect the Ivy League image; they have no feelings for a Vietnamese girl, only for the white boy. Annie studied there for 2 years, but she was never one of you in your eyes. Race has nothing to do with it? Come off it. Your whole civilization is built on racism and exploitation and genocide of people of color. Yale Employee, your president is a disgrace. Work place violence are usually of a very different nature. The fact the term was thrown about by you people shows your plan rob Annie's tragedy as a very individual and personal one. Gosh, I had expected a much higher calibre of intellect from an Ivy League town. You are just a scrubby little bunch trying to protect your back. You lost your right to complain about the other media when you behaved in such an underhand and sneaky manner towards that poor girl's tragedy. You have lost the right to call yourself human.

Posted by: Helen Li | September 22, 2009 1:17 PM

Uncle Egg, I live in England and have no connection to the Le family. I did have a brother who went to Yale in the early 70s. Awe and admiration was what I thought whenever I thought of New Haven. After this episode, I must revise my opinion. LOL!! You can see that none of the above answer my main charge, that of the crassness of Paul Bass; why,s they all defend him. You can see that they put words in my mouth when I had never mentioned the suspect. They flatly denied racism where the heading alone showed clearly a racist intent. They saw nothing wrong with the inappropriateness of this "work place violence" mantra being chanted during these dark hours for the Le family. I have demolished every one of their argument, but people like that will not really admit the reality of their hidden agenda. So they beat around the bush, muddling the water. I am not inlcined to join the chorus of praise for the saintly and sage coverage by the NHI and the local media after Bass's wonderful article. After these few exchanges which I think is engineered by the gang at NHI, I have less reason to respect them. I have read some good articles about Annie in the Los Angelos Times etc. So not all of the outside media is bad. If New Haven thinks that they were rowdy and aggresive, it is what local always think of outsiders. The reporters at NHI would do the same if sent to another town on a similar case. You think they are angels themselves? If there is no leaking by the New Haven police, and the world media are just making up a lot of stories, it it very irresponsible and could jeopardize the court case. I fear that Annie would be denied justice like Domminique Dunne. THAT is my majoy concern. And in Annie's case, race WILL come into play and she would be a victim again. Mark my words!!

Posted by: Yale employee | September 22, 2009 1:17 PM

Helen,
You are WAY out of line. Sorry you feel that way. Your comments do not deserve any more of a response other than to say good luck to you. I think you'll need it.

Posted by: Uncle Egg | September 22, 2009 1:34 PM

Helen, if I didn't know better, I would seriously think you're here trolling. I had to read your last post twice to be sure it wasn't satire. The hysterical, ranting racial hypersensitivity is exactly the kind of thing the right loves to mock and imitate. I hereby invoke Poe's Law.

Posted by: James | September 22, 2009 2:06 PM

Actually, Miss Li,

...

For the record, there are people who love this place, and others, like myself, that hate New Haven. But no matter how you feel, the image of New Haven is not "Ivy League" and there's no glossy image to protect here. New Haven is a festering, downtrodden little burgh suffering from extreme poverty, high unemployment, and high crime. A case study in post-industrial urban decay and the failed policies of urban renewal. Some feel that it's on the mend, others don't. Point is, your accusations of a lily-white New Haven covering their collective hoity-toity asses is just way off the mark.

....

Secondly, again, depending on how you feel, there is no place more obsessively inclusive, bleeding-heart, politically correct, or emetically sensitive to racial issues than New Haven. No place will you find more namby-pamby, whiny liberals excoriating the white man for the horrors committed in the name of race. (Sorry to the namby-pamby bleeding heart liberals I often converse with - I love you all!). Also, we're incredibly racially mixed. A more prudent question is why the admittedly sad death of a Yale student is getting so much attention when our urban youth (that's PC code for black kids, which you're really not allowed to say in the Independent) are being killed with much greater frequency? Where is CNN on that one? For that matter, where are you when those deaths are reported in the NHI with great sensitivity and (perhaps excessive) compassion? When was the last time the FBI was called in when some 13-year old kid gets shot in a drive-by? But yeah, you nailed it. We don't care for Asians around here. Don't give them the time of day. I mean, except for the level of national coverage not even remotely approached by our other six or ten or twenty murders last year.

In short, wrong tree, lady. Hell, wrong forest. Why not go look for imaginary controversy elsewhere and let us get back to flaming Streever.

P.S. Paul, don't you DARE censor or edit this blatant, personal attack on Miss Li. It adds nothing to the conversation and has no import on the matter at hand. And that's the way we like it here in the comments section. I know where you live and will poop on your doorstep. Maybe. Unless that's illegal, in which case I won't. but I'll be really mad.

Posted by: James | September 22, 2009 2:10 PM

PS, Uncle Egg, I hereby proclaim shenanigans as well as predicting the inevitable exposition of Godwin's law. Let's see how many more posts it takes, shall we? Break out the brooms!

Posted by: citizen | September 22, 2009 2:20 PM

Helen stay in England you know nothing about New Haven stop the bashing and you did not hit a nerve with me. Have a nice day.

Posted by: Jeff | September 22, 2009 2:22 PM

Paul, given your experience dealing with the NHPD and other PDs for years, do you contend they have a good track record of being totally honest in confirming or denying facts and rumors to members of the media? Has this changed over the years? Similarly, do you think the press has learned not to implicitly trust law enforcement vs. that some media outlets will print or say anything just to increase their audience?

Posted by: Uncle Egg | September 22, 2009 2:26 PM

Helen, the reason people here are defending Paul Bass is because he has earned it. Paul has worked in New Haven as a journalist and editor for many years, often covering news stories the other local media were unwilling or unable to cover, and often finding the local, human angle in news stories about trends sweeping over the city, state and nation. He has a particular talent for shedding light on the tales and tragedies of real people in an often cold and heartless world.

Having worked as a newspaper reporter and editor myself, I know all too well the difficulty involved in striking just the right tone in a story or headline, or in the overall balance of coverage. Sometimes the best of us shoot far of the mark.

I won't speculate on whether that's the case here. That's largely a matter of personal preference, I suppose. But for you to suggest that Paul (or anyone else posting on this board, for that matter) is involved in some sort of collusion to protect the image of New Haven is, frankly, laughable.

Posted by: James | September 22, 2009 3:10 PM

Thanks, Paul. I still would have preferred calling her ... , but I can live with it. You actually left "poop" in! You're safe from the poop, Paul. You're safe. For now.

Posted by: Paul Bass | September 22, 2009 3:18 PM

Thank you to all the posters who offered kind words for our coverage!

Helen Li -- Thank you for taking the time to post a comment about your reaction to the story and then responding to other commenters. I thought hard about that headline before publishing it; the reason I put the word "story" in it was to emphasize that it was about the coverage, not about Annie Le as a person or the murder itself. I wanted to avoid minimizing the personal tragedy or causing further pain to anyone connected to the incident. I apologize that the headline still caused you to feel bad.

Posted by: RAY WILLIS | September 23, 2009 4:38 AM

For the record, I have never seen Paul Bass and David Streever at the same place at the same time.
...Just sayin'.

Posted by: steve ross, human | September 23, 2009 11:19 AM

James,

Your comments somehow managed to both enrage me and make me proud. I think that all of us, leftists, conservatives, the starry-eyed and the cynical, appreciate your rallying toward rational discourse. Thanks.

Posted by: sjbj | September 23, 2009 11:30 AM

Ms Li, no I do not think the headline was appropriate, I happen to agree with you on that. But, I also do not think it was racist. Must be great to be so knowledgeable about a city you have no contact with.

Posted by: James | September 23, 2009 2:19 PM

Steve Ross, Human. I aim to please.

Posted by: Me | September 23, 2009 8:33 PM

Wow, sorry to hear that these poor people were inconvenienced. How horrible, I mean I cant imagine having to be woken up in the morning heaven forbid. Was it overdone, ya, probably, but just man up and deal with it for the couple of weeks in which it will affect you. Someone has been killed, families are grieving and these people are worried about dealing with a little BS?!?!? Hahaha

Posted by: Pyotr | September 23, 2009 9:39 PM

The title of the article was obviously incredibly insensitive. Ms. Li is right. I suppose it is of mild interest what happens when the press descends, but hardly earthshaking.

Posted by: Helen Li | September 24, 2009 12:55 PM

I am not sure it was Officer Avery or not, but I remember a male spokesman solemnly pronoucing that "it is not about university violence, it is not about domestic violence, it is not about urban violence, it is about work place violence." It jarred with me and I had never heard such "corporate speak" used before in a case of such horror. Why the eagerness to "package" the crime in such a neat little label? It robs Annie of her individuality and personal tragedy. Have they done this before in New Haven or was it just for Annie's "benefit?"

Posted by: James | September 24, 2009 4:44 PM

Oooh! You're back! Clap clap clap! OK, image for a moment that you live in New Haven. The real one. A young, pretty girl gets killed while working at Yale. My first thought - is this an act of random violence, or a serial killer of some kind? Is there a crazed killer loose on our streets that could strike again at any moment, e.g. should I be afraid that this could happen to me simply because I live in a high-crime city? Well, you can see why both Yale and the Police would want to dispel that fear. If it's domestic violence, it's an isolated incident, and I don't personally need to fear any immediate threat. If I'm a Yale student or a parent of one, maybe I''m concerned that the University itself is a violent place, or an environment that foments violence. Again, you want to calm fears that this might happen again in the near future. If it were domestic violence, well, it would be an isolated incident and again, no reason to fear for my immediate safety. Not sure why one would need to be so specific as to the nature of the violence, but it serves a purpose. I mean, other than to give you something to rant about.

The point is, the desire to categorize the crime is much the same as the desire to categorize a disease. Is it contagious? Do I need to stay home? Am I at risk? What the police were doing was managing fears and not allowing people's imaginations to run wild.

Either that or it was a deliberate attempt to rob Ms. Le of her individuality and worth as a human being. You know, because she was Asian. I'm sure it's the latter. At least this time you weren't "shocked."

What's next, Helen? Where else can you look for an opportunity to take offense? There's a nice article on an art exhibit. Why not try that one!

Posted by: Helen Li | September 25, 2009 6:30 AM

It is indeed surprising that some people seem to think that a mocking tone is appropriate in such a serious situation. I asked a legitmiate question. The issue is not about the victim but the judicial process. The eagerness to "calm fears" could be prejudicial to the case, pointing the finger at a small pool of people. I believe it was made immediately after Clark was arrested; so his lawyers would have a very good case of prejudice and pre-trial publicity in his defense.
Secondly, as I said, Clark was already arrested when the statesment by the authorites was made, there was no need to speculate on a possible seral killer or crazed killer on the street about this particualar crime, is there. Use your intellect before using the cliched term of "ranting." Some of you have already told me that New Haven is a high-crime area, so there is going to be more crimes irregardless of this case. The effort should be directed towards improving the general safety of the community, not to label this isolated act of violence against Annie. And how exactly is labelling it a "work place" violence going to help to ally fears about the safety of students and staff at Yale? Rather than standing on the steps with a union woman banging the drums of "need for action" agaisnt "violence on women in the workplace," the Yale Presdident should quietly work behind the scene to revise employment policy at his insitution. Employing a whole family in a single lab? Is that why a 24 year old could develoop a territorial and bullying attitude at his "domain?" How exactly could a high school graduate get that job when so many graduates are working as waitresses and janitors? Is it true that it is very hard to sack union member in America? I heard that some of the students had problems with Clark before. So use your brain before attacking me and show some respect for the poor girl and her family. I am sad that so many of the contributors take the same attitude as you. But I could see that some do agree with my origianl complaint about the headline, thank you. And Mr. Paul Bass, your apology should be directed to the Le family though I do want to believe that you meant no deliberate harm to their feelings. And please, remember, you have to be a minority to know why we feel this way. But I don't just "rant," I put out my misgivings and reason for them in front of you. It is you who fail to address them in a logical manner.

Posted by: Helen Li | September 25, 2009 7:48 AM

To continue:
I still believe that the eagerness to "package" the tragedy is the embarrassment of the killing of a doctoral Vietnamese girl by a white guy. Remember, that labelling was made AFTER the accusesd was caught. Imagine, if a white doctoral 24 year old female was killed by a Vietnamese tech worker, the press would protray him as a depraved monster, not talking about his baseball game and how good the police thougt he was at the game or how his girl friend had planned for their wedding. Paul Bass would not be writing about the "discomfort" and "inconvenience" caused to the police. It is all about white people, it is not? Ironically, I don't believe the police themselves were actually "whinging" and "whining" as one contributor had said. It was more like they were talking to the press, and words just came out. They are made of sterner stuff. James, if you have any intelligence at all, you would not talk about the relevance of "domestic violence." Even if the suspect had not been captured, how was saying it not being "domestic" violece going to re-assure the long-suffering wives of New Haven? How on earth could it be a "domestic violence" in the first place if Annie was found in the lab? The police and James are both stupid to even say this. And comparing the slaughter of a young girl to a disease? You have really plunged new depths. A disease is a health issue caused by bacteria, very impersonal. A slaying is very very personal, and strangling even more so. You are trying to strip Annie's of her humanity again or impersonalize the accused's crime? It is a non-starter, the accused, as I said, had already been under arrest. Even if not, never, never compare murder to a disease again. I don't expect you to admit your error and prejudice or your lack of respect for the victim. I just hope to heaven that New Haven is not filled with yokels like you.

Posted by: James | September 25, 2009 9:15 AM

I didn't claim that the police or the University handled it well. I simply offered a possible answer to your question of, "Why the eagerness to "package" the crime in such a neat little label?" It was an attempt at critical thinking rather than making snap judgments about something I know nothing of. You seem to have some personal issues that you're playing out through this scenario re discrimination against/dehumanization of Asian women and there's no point in trying to have a conversation of any kind with somebody whose mind is made up (or entirely absent).

Let me tell you something about the old US of A and New Haven, in particular. There is ALWAYS a party, justified or not, that will cry "discrimination!" "objectification of women!" "CIA cover-up!" What have you. There are all sort of crazies and oversensitive advocacy groups that stand poised to take offense on behalf of the group they represent for the tiniest perceived violation of their delicate sensitivities. But I've yet to come across any accusations of bias, discrimination, or lack of compassion in this case. Not form a single one of our many ambulance-chasing, fear-mongering, sensationalizing special interest groups or news outlets. Hell, even Nancy Grace has managed to maintain her composure. Which means that you, Helen, have surpassed them all. You win the crazy lady award. Congratulations!

Ms. Le's death has never been portrayed as anything other than a tragedy and a horror. The fact that you keep harping on it, a situation of which you have no knowledge other than what you've read and your own very active imagination, has been absurd and, frankly, annoying form the get go. The hope has been that mocking you would make you go away. I see that has failed. I hang my head in shame and will simply attempt to ignore you from here on in.

Posted by: Helen Li | September 25, 2009 10:04 AM

You "know nothing about the case?" That was quite an admission. Yet you still offer no apology about equating to a "disease," or it was a "calming measure" to allay fears. The language you used about "faint-hearted liberals" is hysterical in itself, and you had already done it in an earlier post which I chose to ignore. It was the words of a "mad man," to return the compliments you shower on me. Let me tell you, if a Vietnamese or Chinese guy had done this to a white 24 year old doctoral student, I would be heart-broken at the loss of such talents and very very very very very ashamed, not joking, mocking, attacking someone who had stated nothing but facts and valid concerns. I hope the authorities will look into these issues and prevent another tragedy of this nature to happen again. It is not numbers that count but the truth. Remember, the media is dominated by white guys, all the people speaking on TV on this case are white guys. You say a lot of people in New Haven are "crazies," not crazy enough if they are keeping quiet on the glaring issues at stake. NHI need to recruit a better class of fan.

Posted by: Helen Li | September 25, 2009 10:07 AM

Did the good ole USA or New Haven take time out to reflect on slaughtering millions of people in Iraq?

Posted by: Helen Li | September 28, 2009 6:30 AM

I am sorry I was in a hurry to get back to other business in the last post and did not have time to explore the curious landscape in James's "overactive" imagination until now. James, you might be a member of the white underclass that have no chance to attend Yale, but if you just look around you, you can see that a family of white high school graudates in their twenties had been able to take over an entire laboratory in one of the most August academe in your country. ... The disadvantaged, the minorities, the aggieved, are not exactly luxuriating in the sun-lit terrain where "do-gooders" and "ambulance chasers" are molly-coddling them with largesse and fighting for their rights. I suppose the top jobs are still held by white people and the dirty jobs done by blacks, latinos and Chinese etc. Is it not? Your media is dominated and dictated by white people; and the last time I look, Friends and Fraser etc have only white faces. I had lived in your country and know a bit about her history. I do not deny that progress has been made. You are no longer lynching and murdering black people or Chinese who were slaving on the plantations or building your railways. And there are a lot of good people in America whose only downfall is ignorance, amnesia (the United States of Amnesia?) and blindess, wilful or otherwise . And your media is vicious, corrupt, stupid and dishonest. The same with the British media. Just look at what happened at Pittsburg last week. Your great black hope Obama, a "socialist" president as some of your right wing friends label him, was standing like the three stooges with Brown and Sarkosy denoucing Iran for "deceiving" the "international community" and warned Iran that it must "show intentions of peace." This, from a president who is continuing two wars with causalities of millions and whose country had attacked 50 countries in the last 50 years while Iran has not attacked ANY country in the past 300 years. Iran has no obligations to declare that partiular nuclear facilites, and how earth do you think Iran has the temerity to attack Israel or anybody even if it has 300 nuclear warheads like Israel? Iran WILL be turned into a moonscape in 5 minutes as punishment. But the media is all playing along, from sea to shining sea. Anyway, Iran has already shot the fox, saying that you people are welcome anytime to drop by and have a little look. Obama and puppy Brown need to look around for other excuses to attack Iran now. So don't even fret for one little moment that your country or the comfortable white world is going to be "swamped" by vociferous minorities or the wretched of the earth. I do not have time to mention thousands of other examples to assuage your fears. But your lack of knowledge of the true nature of the world is alarming, because you are certainly not alone in this. As far as this tragedy is concerned, I would suggest the concerns I raised be at least considered to prevent another tragedy and mistakes.Believe me, the last thing I expected was to "pick a fight" with the journalists of New Haven. I was as surprised as you to find out those glaring abnomalies. It would be helpful to consider that Annie's death is very hard for her family. People like hers are trying to put down roots in their new country. Their people have been through hell (3 million Vietnamese killed and the new generation is still afflicted by birth defects due to the chemicals that the US had left behind.) Annie's achievement is the most meaningful and constructive way for them to claim the right to their new home. Now, instead of hope and pride they are filled with fears, guilt, and their doubts about their own worth. I have nieces around that age who had gone through enormous hardship in England to fulfill their immigrant mother's ultimate dreams like Annie. I know how she and I would feel if something like that should befall any of them. That would be destroy us completely. If I have a "private agenda," that would be it; this tragedy really hit home with me. The truth is I am very able to deal with prejudices and dicrimination that come my way here, and I go to my Member of Parliament, work with the Police, confront the racists who kicked down my door and broke my windows etc. I do not harbour hatred and seething resentment of white people because I cannot live that way and still be functional. There have already been complaints about the "excessive attention" paid to this case and that other murders were neglected. It is true, but this case has a combination of many factors that make it so explosive: the youth and beauty of Annie, her achievment, the Ivy League setting of the killig, her impending marriage to a white guy, her popularity etc. etc. But indifference in other crimes should be addressed another time and separated from this incident. It is like complaining about the coverage given to Diana's death overwhelming other "equallying deserving cases." I have read a lot of moving coverage of Annie and her family in the US media. My concerns rasied are very specific and any other comments are made to answer ridiculous attacks which do not answer my questions and made in ignorance and a spirit of disrespect.