I was raped. By a large, athletic, violent man. I was young, naïve, and defenseless. Being the victim of this unspeakable violence destroyed the kid I was. Every single day I am internally tortured by this abuse I survived over three decades ago. I became a drug addict. I tormented everyone who was stupid enough to love me. It took me years, decades, just to be able to function without indulging in self-destructive behavior on a daily basis. I was lucky. I had a family that stuck by me. I had resources to eventually get help. I healed myself with the help of a hypnotherapist, writing about my abuse and telling my story, and the love of a good woman. But I vowed that I would try, in whatever small way I could, to speak for boys and girls who are not as fortunate as myself. Who don't have the resources and love in their lives. Needless to say, I was greatly affected by the news that Jerry Sandusky, a man who built an organization that purported to help kids, has been charged with violently and sexually abusing them. There are even reports that he pimped them out to other adults, in order to further his own apparently grotesque needs. I'm filled with rage. I want him to suffer as he made these defenseless boys suffer. I'm filled with fury at Joe Paterno and the other officials at Penn State University, who were complicit in this horrible alleged abuse. Who helped to hide this monster. He is every bit as guilty as the man who actually allegedly perpetrated these deeds of shocking cruelty. I'm filled with disgust for the fans of Penn State who continue to stand by men who allegedly enabled pedophiles. Why aren't they in the streets expressing solidarity with those boys whose lives were ruined? Why aren't they in the streets expressing outrage that men who pretended to have the best interests of boys in their hearts, were actually hiding and enabling the most vile creature imaginable? But mostly I'm filled with sadness for these boys who suffered so miserably at the hands of adults. I want to help. I want to tell these boys, these young men, the survivors, but they are not alone. They can get help. They need to tell their stories. If there's anything I can do, please just let me know.
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Why the rush to terminate Paterno, who was not charged with any crime (and who cooperated fully with the investigation), and keep Mr. Curley, who was charged with both perjury and failure to report a crime, and continue to pay his legal bills?
Why does the Board of Trustees not reveal their decision-making process at a press conference?
While I agree that Mr. Paterno needed to leave the university, the process in which this took place is both absurd and unfortunate.
The Board of Trustees currently lacks the transparency essential for building an ethical culture at Penn State.
Does anyone at Penn State know how to manage this crisis properly?
Does anyone at Penn State know how to start building a culture of ethics at an institute of higher learning?
This story has become another media circus, with a sideshow that features people like Joe Paterno, who in fact never molested anyone, witnessed not a damned thing, reported a dated story that was told to him in the third person to the proper authorities, thus following procedures to the letter.
But there must be a necktie party because the media loves leading an angry, frenzied mob to the courthouse steps to drag the accused, not the guilty, just the accused, to the nearest tree.
The media, the fourth estate, the free press, controls public access to itself, too. So... this comment is already in a death spiral to the trash can.
It's really very, very convenient.
Sandusky was hauling kids around the country when he was a coach. It's beyond me how people find it normal or acceptable for this guy to be taking young boys on trips. All those years, and no one ever raised an eyebrow?? Come on!! They hid it, like many Churches have done, the Penn State Temple hid this. Paterno is no fool, he turned a blind eye, hid his head in the sand like everyone else around this guy. Imagine how uncomfortable the thought must of been. They should of of been thinking about the pain he was causing in comparison. No way, no way, someone did not have a suspicion. Subject to criminal charges or not, anyone remotely close to his is going to feel the pain, walls will crumble and they should. Some of these boy will not recover and my heart aches for them.
Arx Ferrum, please get your facts right at the very least. Joe Paterno was informed of this by an eyewitness, Mike McQueary (whom he knew well, by the way) the very NEXT day. I would hardly call that a 'dated story'.
Furthermore, Paterno did NOT report this to the proper authorities, (the police), he reported it to his boss, Tim Curley, Penn State Athletic Director. Paterno's boss, the athletic director was hardly the 'proper authority' to deal with a criminal matter.
So, this has nothing to do with whatever notions you have about the media & mobs. It's a very simple. clear-cut case of many people failing to perform their legal & moral duties. Let's not distract ourselves from the plain truth.