Kluden wrote:I don't agree with the steps taken or not taken by Paterno, but he didn't do anything illegal, he broke no laws. The grand jury trial against sandusky agrees. The lynching we are witnessing is just to make people feel better about the whole situation, somehow. Its amazing how the media and its lynchmob are all victims in this somehow.
Hey, there's Penn State alums that are speaking out that Paterno didn't do enough. He may not have broken any laws, but at the same time, he wasn't pro-active in chasing this down. For a man that built his reputation about doing what is right and honorable, his lack of action is surprising. I think the media reaction is partial based in that disappointment, but also rooted in the fact that our worst fear as parents (those of us who are) is that your child comes to harm, and in this case, maybe not all of the kids could have been spared but the later ones could have. The most unforgivable crimes in our society are those committed against the helpless, and you don't get much more helpless than kids.
Kluden wrote:But whatever, the board dismissed JoePa lastnight, so you all got your pound of flesh. Congrats on making it about a football program. Congrats on making it all about a school as a whole. Congrats for your hate. Congrats on adding to the list of people affected by this and congrats on ruining more lives than have already been destroyed by the original crimes committed by one terrible man.
Its not about a pound of flesh from someone undeserving: its about fixing a culture that cared more about protecting the university and football program, than about protecting some kids. Its a bitter irony that had the complaints been acted on 10 years ago, there might have been a little shadow cast over from Sandusky, but Penn State's reputation as a whole would have been undamaged, and possibly even enhanced (you don't think the Legend of JoePa would have grown had he chosen the welfare of those kids over his friend and protege?). When he spoke, I sympathized with Paterno, when he says he wishes he would have done more, but he lost me when he said everything he did, he did for Penn State: OK he did his job but his higher purpose as a human being should have been to those kids.
Instead the bloodletting is just beginning. We already have 2 individuals proven to have perjured themselves. Sandusky is entitled to due process but I don't see how he could be not guilty. Paterno and the University president have been fired. Who knows who else will fall? The only other guarantee is there will be lawsuits and they will be massive.
Kluden wrote:I just want to make it clear before you all read into my comments way more than you should, I'm not excusing anyone here. I am just very upset at the lynch mobbing that occurred, and where the media news stories talked more about JoePa and the football program and the university, than they did about the person who committed the crimes and is in court for the crimes. My problem is with that focus shift, and the intent of the focus to ruin based on no fact, but opinions.
I can't comment on the bias of most of the reporters involved in this story (there may be some haters out there who wanted to take down a prestigious program and school, I don't know, there often are), but the facts and especially the grand jury report speak for themself. The entire culture of the administration at Penn State acted as enablers to Sandusky's crimes. How can you honestly call it a lynching when thats the case? I also don't think the focus has really shifted either: people want EVERYONE involved punished and they want guarantees that everything is being done to ensure this kind of situation cannot happen again.