The events surrounding the child molestations at Penn State University have shocked the nation. How could the football team's former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, have gotten away with such heinous crimes for so long?
In the wake of the disclosures, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett says his state needs to change its law so that alleged incidents of child abuse are immediately reported to government authorities. Let's make that the law of the land.
Sandusky is charged in a grand jury report with assaulting eight young boys over a 15-year period between 1994 and 2009. Some of the assaults took place on campus both during and after he coached at Penn State. Sandusky's attorney says he disputes the report.
But in 2002, graduate assistant Mike McQueary witnessed Sandusky raping a boy in the showers of the athletic facility, yet he did nothing to stop the attack. Rather, McQueary waited until the next morning to inform Penn State Head Football Coach Joe Paterno, who then brought the incident to the attention of the school's athletic director.
Why didn't McQueary try to stop the attack? Why did he wait until the next morning to report it? Why didn't he inform the campus police? Why didn't Paterno immediately inform the campus police? What did the athletic director do with the information? Why did it take so many years for law enforcement to be informed of the allegation? Why did it take nine years for Sandusky to be indicted? How many of these molestations could have been prevented? Are there more victims?
The failure of all those in the know to immediately act is inexcusable. Now charges have been filed against Penn State Athletic Director Timothy Curley and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz for failing to report the abuse to authorities and misleading investigators. But the prosecutors determined that a legal duty to report the alleged abuse did not apply to McQueary and Paterno.
Paterno is a legendary figure in college football; he is an icon. He turned Penn State into a football powerhouse and a hugely profitable program. Paterno was fired last week, along with the school's president, Graham Spanier, following the release of the grand jury report. After reporting the incident in 2002, McQueary was promoted to a full-time assistant coach. On Friday, he was put on administrative leave, and he is now reportedly in protective custody.
Penn State has been rocked by the scandal. This past Saturday, tens of thousands of fans filled Penn State's football stadium to cheer on their team. It was the Nittany Lions' first game in decades without Joe Paterno. Before the opening kickoff, fans and alumni, along with members of both teams, observed a moment of silence to honor victims of the sex abuse scandal. Penn State fought valiantly throughout the contest but lost to Nebraska 17-14. Penn State will go on to win many more games.
How are the innocent victims of the horrendous abuse dealing with this scandal? This case will take a long time to be legally resolved. But the victims will carry their scars for the rest of their lives.
Tragically, thousands of children are the victims of sexual abuse in this country each year. Yet how many cases are never reported?
Governor Corbett said on Fox News, "What I saw was a failure to act, and I always have said your actions speak louder than your words."
It is now time for action.
Follow Joe Peyronnin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/joepeyronnin
Michael Smerconish: See Something, Say Something
Penn State Scandal: Victim Begins Civil Case as Investigation Widens
Obama is soul-searching on Penn State
Big Ten Rewind: Emotional Penn State falls; Michigan State surges
Penn State Scandal 'An American Story'
Penn State sex abuse scandal renews debate
Innocence is lost in Penn State allegations
PSU's 'most difficult decision'
Crime on Campus: Penn State Raises Question, Do Colleges Have Too Much Power?
The same veil of secrecy (as with the Roman Catholic Church) put the interests of the institution above those of the victims: MONEY and PRESTIGE. TV and ad endorsements, alumni donations, being the "icon" of the best, well-heeled connections (government officials, law-enforcement, political and community leaders) all rested upon the sacred image. Any disruption of the image and cash flow would have harmed those in the athletic department and school administrators directly (high-priced salaries, perks, benefits, etc.).
That McQueary witnessed an assault on a child, said-did nothing to stop it, and reported it only to higher-ups within the school is enigmatic of this mentality. Undoubtedly, then a graduate assistant, he was promised something or had immense pressure put upon him to retain his silence.
As for the D.A. Grical, and judge (who knew Sandusky personally) and let him out on unsecured bail, there's no doubt they had connections to the school far broader than meets the eye. It's quite suspicious that the D.A.'s laptop (with work files) was damaged and the computer discarded prior to his own disappearance. There's also suspicions that others in local law enforcement in State College knew about this scandal and turned a blind eye. Shameful!
It's very sad.
Recall for a moment the outrage over the Duke lacrosse players or over Struass-Kahn. Some times when the facts come out, things look very different. I'm not saying that is happening here, but who knows?
I'm not saying I'm inclined to believe Sandusky. I am saying that allegations are allegations and people should understand that before indictments and new stories become convictions and due process becomes irrelevant.
What's more there are 6 or 7 other boys who have accused Sandusky of molestation. Add to that the fact that he founded and ran a charity for children and happened to live next door to an elementary school and playground, and you have a pretty solid case that there are merits to these allegations.
Really? He couldn't discuss the case of a serial pedophile with his subordinates who remained in the A.G.'s office, or the with the incoming A.G.?
I believe the governor has been actively spinning and should join the sad, but growing list of Penn State ostriches.
It makes me sick that there are so many people out there unwilling to protect a child, Nothing is more important than protecting the worlds children,
This whole thing is horrifying....the cover-up, the lack of action....not going to the assistance of a child who is being raped in a shower by an adult man in my opinion is just as bad as raping a child.
God won't even be able to help the person I walk in on doing that to a child.
It would appear as if God had no interest in helping anyway. Why is his inaction OK with you?
I told my superior as soon as possible and she changed my story to protect the teacher.
When that happened I went above her to the school board and also I had a list of neglect regarding this teacher (He also had been found to be inappropriate with his student teacher weeks before)
a simple slap on the wrist... in the midst of this investigation on the teacher (locking class doors, lying, taking kids on special walks (I witnessed him hurting this boy with aspergers and scream SHUT UP) he had porn on his facebook. He also offered summer camp in his basement and was caught exposing himself in the kids bathroom (YES he's still working).
He's still there and the guilt that lingers makes me want to vomit.
I got moved, a verbal repremand for being close to the dad of the boy that got hurt (I was his 1:1 aide they trusted me) all I did was care about kids with special needs.
Irregardless I am sure there are no excuses for this. Waking up to Joe Pa fired, or McQueary never doing much about wha the saw is very sad.
This all made me pretty anxious and I told my therapist about it. She seemed to think that my anxiety was misplaced. The guy was advertising on Craig's list and actively searching for a position working with children and he was weird in the way that Michael Jackson was weird.
In the end, I let him go after two weeks because the situation was too uncomfortable.
Even if we want to.
http://wdcpost.blogspot.com/2011/11/penn-state-to-get-hit-with-civil-suit.html
It’s apparent that Ethics 101 either wasn’t required at Penn State University or that Nittany Lions coaches also slept through it. Meanwhile, in Washington, President Barack Hussein Obama has made such a farce of ethics in the federal government it’s hard to believe he understands the meaning of the word.
Ethics was a tough subject although its essence can be reduced to the study of moral principles and their applicability to rules of conduct.
Dictionary.com provides a more detailed definition: “That branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions.”
In turn, that definition can be summarized to doing the right thing just because it is the right thing to do.
Many wrongs are associated with recently-publicized events at PSU. Some may be termed ethical lapses of omission. They include Coach Joe Paterno’s failure to notify law enforcement authorities, university administrators covering up perfidious behavior, and Coach Mike McQueary’s grossly negligence in not interceding on behalf of a 10 year old boy being raped in a school shower room.
The most profound ethical failures committed have been attributed to Coach Jerry Sandusky, . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=5954.)
This is a humorous statement when you consider the source. Berlet is a Newt Blingrich fan. lol