Annie Le, the person

[f_stills]

Is this the cat picture which is in reference? http://www.courant.com/media/photo/2009-09/49270611.jpg She's not propping it up like it's funny or a joke. It's a high school photo with two young students described as Einsteins-- they have to make it look "science-y." They're in lab coats. They're holding items that evoke images of biology and dissection and the physical body.

You know, no offense to anyone, but I really have trouble with the idea of critiquing and judging the actions of someone who was murdered and by all accounts was a good person, based on pranks they might have pulled or pictures they might have taken. If Le was on record as having been, say, openly prejudiced or sexist, or had a reputation for arrogance or pettiness, I could understand some reservations in perceiving her character. What we do know was that she was extremely bright and hard-working, and had a lot of friends and loved ones.

Does that make her some sort of angel that we should always prop up? Well no. But that doesn't give license to analyze and critique aspects of her life that don't seem as picture perfect either.

I'll say this: I'm close in age to Le. This case has caused me to seriously reflect back on the sorts of pictures, web blogs, jokes, pranks and comments that I can remember friends and fellow classmates making recently. I hate to think what sort of judgments would be made about some of the best people I know based on, say, pictures they've taken that are now on the web for everyone to dissect, so to speak.

Again, no personal offense to anyone. I'm just saying that if most of us were to have the sort of public exposure and probing that Le's life has had in the past week, there'd probably be a few photographs or anecdotes others would express reservations or offense towards.

 

[jjenny]

Exactly. What is the point? The young woman has been killed. What difference does it make if some photo of hers bothers or troubles someone? It doesn't bother me, but even if it did, what difference does it make?

 

[t93]

We dissected cats in advanced biology and one girl took pictures. Sweetest girl you would ever meet and religious. I have no idea why she did it, but 22 years later I remember and remember her by name. I often get prayers via email from her.
I don't know what causes someone to get pictures taken with lab stuff-but that looks like a yearbook picture. The person who has control over that is the yearbook photographer-not Annie Le. I don't think that has anything whatsoever to do with her personality.

 

[angeleleven]

Dissecting an animal or person for the purposes of determining cause of death or learning about anatomy is arguably necessary. But posing for pictures with the dead body? That's too far for me.

She's not here to defend herself....therefore, I'll just assume she had reasons for doing it and I doubt the reasons were anything bad. Maybe she didn't like posing with it either....I guess we'll never know. She seems like a good person from what I've read, so it's hard for me to look at her negatively. JMO

 

[Harmony 2]

I thought the following statement in this article may shed some light on Annie's family background and cultural assimilation:

Quang Van, a Yale Vietnamese language and literature lecturer who attended the Mass, said that Le's mother wrote a poem in Vietnamese. It was about singing lullabies for her daughter when she was young, but now having to sing a different kind of lullaby with her death. Le's younger brother, Chris, read an English translation.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-yale-student18-2009sep18,0,3083836.story

The fact the brother read an English translation makes me wonder if her mother speaks English or possibly does not speak English well.

The lullaby poem and memories of singing lullbies brought tears to my eyes...

 

[MomofBoys]

She's not here to defend herself....therefore, I'll just assume she had reasons for doing it and I doubt the reasons were anything bad. Maybe she didn't like posing with it either....I guess we'll never know. She seems like a good person from what I've read, so it's hard for me to look at her negatively. JMO

Yeah, she was in high school. She didn't kill the cat and bring it in for show-and-tell. The photo was taken for the yearbook and I don't even see the relevance of discussing it, frankly. Is anyone going to make the jump from that picture to "Well, I can see why Clark offed her. Look how tacky that is."?

Nothing short of her running at him with a knife would justify her death or mitigate his actions, which is why I find these threads a little uncomfortable unless they're supposed to be as a memorial. Maybe it's one thing when you're dealing with drugs or potentially seedy dealings, but nothing Annie could have said would warrant a guy that might have outweighed her by 100 pounds hitting her and strangling her. She had no defenses. God bless her, it sounds like she tried.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

I thought the following statement in this article may shed some light on Annie's family background and cultural assimilation:



http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-yale-student18-2009sep18,0,3083836.story

The fact the brother read an English translation makes me wonder if her mother speaks English or possibly does not speak English well.

The lullaby poem and memories of singing lullbies brought tears to my eyes...

This truly makes me bawl my eyes out...beautiful but very sad. I seriously hope I never have to go through this.

 

[duongthai]

Tragic --

From Vien Dong Newspaper: Interview with Annie Le's Uncle

http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cach...et"&cd=1&hl=vi&ct=clnk&gl=vn&client=firefox-a

Bác ruột của Annie Lê: "Cháu tôi muốn làm việc để giúp đời"
Annie's Uncle: "My neice wanted to help life and people"
Cập nhật lúc 2:10:58 AM - 16/09/2009

Phụng Linh/Viễn Đông

HOUSTON - Chiều Thứ Ba 15 tháng Chín, 2009, ký giả nhật báo Viễn Đông may mắn được tiếp xúc được với bác ruột của Annie Lê là ông Bùi Văn Tuyến, cư ngụ tại Texas.

On Tuesday 15 Sept our reporter was lucky to contact the uncle of Annie Le, Mr. Bui Van Tuyen, a resident of Texas.

Từ nhà riêng, qua cuộc điện đàm, ông Bùi Văn Tuyến cho biết ông là anh cả của mẹ của Annie Lê, và Annie gọi ông là bác. Mặc dù không có mặt tại nơi xảy ra vụ án mạng trong giờ phút đau buồn này, nhưng các em của ông đều báo cho ông biết đầy đủ diễn biến của cuộc điều tra mà họ có thể thu thập được.

From his home, over the phone, he said that he was the older brother of Annie's mother, and Annie called him uncle. Although he was not present at the site of the murder during these sorrowful times, his youger siblings all told him all of the events of the investigation that they could obtain.

 

[sniperacer]

Dissecting an animal or person for the purposes of determining cause of death or learning about anatomy is arguably necessary. But posing for pictures with the dead body? That's too far for me.

IMO, now that I've seen the picture in question, I do not see anything wrong. And certainly there is "no road I can take" that gets me from this picture too her murder.

IMO I can say the same about any anonymous butt pictures sent to admissions boards. Or butt implant underware. None of this, to me, again IMO, explain her murder.

That said, there are 2000+ posts, from countless sleuthers, about RC's past photos, his eyes, high school clubs, pets owned, astrological sign, fake myspace pages, girlfriend quotes, engagement/future wedding date, etc .... that is being used to "pave the road" to RC have been the "Hannibal Lecter" of Yale since the day he showed up.

Unfortunately, to avoid hypocrisy, IMO folks are free to "follow whatever road" they which.

 

[noracrub]

Yale fiance's NY synagogue plans memorial service

A memorial service for the victim in the Yale killing is planned at her fiance's New York temple between the upcoming Jewish high holidays.

Cantor Sandra Sherry says Temple Beth El in Huntington wants "to create a private memorial service" for 24-year-old Annie Le.

So sad to think that this is the temple where she was to have been married last Sunday.

 

[songline]

She's not here to defend herself....therefore, I'll just assume she had reasons for doing it and I doubt the reasons were anything bad. Maybe she didn't like posing with it either....I guess we'll never know. She seems like a good person from what I've read, so it's hard for me to look at her negatively. JMO

The fact that she is not here to defend herself does not make her innocent.
She did not deserve to die...NO!
I am still unsure that it was not an accident.
I am only sure that he did not handle anything right,
I am not sure he was not panicked after the fact or provoked to begin with.

I do have a feeling that Yale will want this to go away,
and unless this boy can get enough help to get tot the bottom of this,
he is a siting duck.

 

[angeleleven]

The fact that she is not here to defend herself does not make her innocent.
She did not deserve to die...NO!
I am still unsure that it was not an accident.
I am only sure that he did not handle anything right,
I am not sure he was not panicked after the fact or provoked to begin with.

I do have a feeling that Yale will want this to go away,
and unless this boy can get enough help to get tot the bottom of this,
he is a siting duck.

I didn't say anything about anyone being innocent. I said I could not look at her negatively, personally. I was talking about the picture, not the incident, therefore, I'm unsure why you are quoting me.....how can you be innocent with a picture?

 

[Skigirl]

I read through some of the Yale Daily News articles today, and there are hints that there was a rift with her family or at minimum they were unhappy with the impending marriage.

* Her uncle is quoted in one of the early articles as saying, "She was hell-bent on getting married," which, unless his English is very poor, is a strange choice of words.
ttp://www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2009/09/11/ten-hours-days-and-still-smiling/


* Yale called in the FBI on the grounds that it might have been an interstate kidnapping based on the theory that a family member might have kidnapped her because the family disapproved of the marriage.

 

[Skigirl]

I do have a feeling that Yale will want this to go away,

I'm sure that's right -- wouldn't you want it to go away if you were at/in charge of/working at Yale? Probably safe to assume that everyone there wishes it had never happened at all.

 

[MomofBoys]

I am not sure he was not panicked after the fact or provoked to begin with.

Without a weapon, how could a 4'9" 90 lb woman provoke a 190lb man? A full foot taller?

 

[songline]

I'm sure that's right -- wouldn't you want it to go away if you were at/in charge of/working at Yale? Probably safe to assume that everyone there wishes it had never happened at all.

Yes of course I can see why they would.
I would like to see that this kid has someone whom he trusts to talk to and tell the bottom line of what really happened.
I know the DNA is got him cornered. I know.
But some thing tells me this kid has a story - something does not feel right to me.

He too was engaged to be married, he may not have been a medical student but he sure was doing OK in his own life.....I want to scream WHY! WHAT REALLY HAPPEND

 

[TanyaT]

Well I think it's a safe bet you are not science oriented. She wanted to be an MD. The medical students, I believe, at some point actually dissect dead humans. If you think posing with a dead cat is troubling, what do you think of a show like "Dr. G, medical examiner?" Dr. G is a pathologist, which I believe is what Annie ultimately wanted to become.

Dissecting dead humans, who consented to this while they were alive, is very different than dissecting unconsenting animals. Albeit, both are probably useless as it's safe to say nothing will be discovered that can't be found on the internet nowadays.

And I'm a pharmacology student.

 

[eyes4crime]

Dissecting dead humans, who consented to this while they were alive, is very different than dissecting unconsenting animals. Albeit, both are probably useless as it's safe to say nothing will be discovered that can't be found on the internet nowadays.

And I'm a pharmacology student.

Please share the sites on the internet you visit! If I could google 'diabetes', 'cancer', 'HIV', 'cerebral Palsy' etc., and find a cure, not only would it save years and years of heartache for millions, but billions of dollars for Planet Earth. I can't wait to share your answer with the world TanyaT.

 

[MomofBoys]

Dissecting dead humans, who consented to this while they were alive, is very different than dissecting unconsenting animals.

You do realize that most of these animals were euthanized for other reasons, right? Many of them were sick pets put to sleep and donated by their owners for science. They can't sign consent forms, but their owners can. A lot of them were kill shelter euthanasias because ignorant people can't learn to sterilize their animals. Millions of animals that would otherwise be dumped into a landfill. How is that more dignified?

I, for one, would much rather have these animals dissected and learned from rather than rendered into animal feed. Did you know that many animal feeds have by-products of other pets in them? Flea collars and all. They're dumped into a vat.

And I sure hope the vet students and doctors of today aren't getting their anatomical knowledge from the internet. I'd really like to know they can use a scalpel in a real-world situation and not from playing Wii Trauma Center.

 

[TanyaT]

Please share the sites on the internet you visit! If I could google 'diabetes', 'cancer', 'HIV', 'cerebral Palsy' etc., and find a cure, not only would it save years and years of heartache for millions, but billions of dollars for Planet Earth. I can't wait to share your answer with the world TanyaT.

In school the only thing we've ever used animals for was to demonstrate pharmacological principles that were proven decades ago.

Not to mention you should look at all the diseases that have been cured in animals. Breast cancer for one. Any mouse with breast cancer can now be cured. Same can't be said for humans, obviously.

Doesn't take a scientist to realize that the difference between humans and mice is huge. I wouldn't go to the vet if I got sick.