THE REPORT is out and it's not totally surprising. Penn State officials all the way to the top had knowledge of the egregious acts committed by Jerry Sandusky against the children which were placed into his care. Penn State has been a proverbial crime scene for more than a decade. Former FBI Director, Louis Freeh conducted a Penn State sponsored investigation into the allegations of criminal conduct by Sandusky and his report revealed mostly everyone in a position of authority at the university knew or had some knowledge of what their pedestal posted football staff was up to.
It is a vast understatement to say this was disgusting. It was and IS a reprehensible and unbelievable mistrust of authority and privilege enjoyed by the university. It's clear, in my mind, the power and influence of money, draft picks, notoriety and reputation played a primary role in the cover up. Children who are the cornerstones of our society and the future of our nation and who are the ones who will eventually keep the institution of college education moving were placed at the feet of greed and selfishness by Penn State.
This is not solely a Sandusky crime. It is an institutional crime. The officials who are paid handsomely to safeguard and mentor and guide our children and young adults through their football program have sacrificed our most precious commodity for the sake of an athletic department and one man's perverse desires to repeatedly commit child abuse. Paterno, the so-called beloved coach of Penn State's division winning football team is just as guilty. He knew of the cover up, he knew of the acts, he knew of those responsible and yet he hid his eyes and in doing so, endorsed the abuse. Paterno may have been a winning coach but he is no hero. In fact, I would lean towards describing him as a co-conspirator and an enabler to Sandusky and the powers that be at Penn State. Let's not forget Assistant Coach, Mike McQueary who personally witnessed Sandusky raping a 10 year old boy. McQueary notified Paterno who told Athletic Director Tim Curley. Curley and Vice President Gary Schultz, did NOT REPORT the incident to the police. All they did was restrict him from bringing underage children onto the campus.
Okay so here is the punch line. In a January 2012 interview with the Washington Post, Paterno tried to explain his rationale for not reporting Sandusky to the police. "I didn't know exactly how to handle it and I was afraid to do something that might jeopardize what the university procedure was," Paterno said. "So I backed away and turned it over to some other people."WHAT??? "Didn't want to jeopardize what the university procedure was..." Unbelievable. We see where Paterno's priorities lied and those were definitely NOT with the best interest of the children who were being violated and abused. In the real world, if someone has knowledge of a crime and covers up the crime and does nothing to inform the authorities of that crime that person is charged with that crime just as if he took part in the initial act. This is what should happen to the people at Penn State.
There should be a scorched earth type policy erected at that disgusting place. Everyone INCLUDING the board of directors, President, VP, down to the people writing the checks for the football program should have been removed. ANYONE who had the slightest knowledge or inclination of wrongdoing should be charged and prosecuted. NO ONE at that Godforsaken place had the gumption to stand up for the most vulnerable which were placed in their care and trust, the CHILDREN. It's unbelievable and very depressing.
-"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)
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