Penn State

[Lozza]

I've seen bits and pieces over here, but not a lot of coverage.

I can excuse McQuerry for the pure shock factor. But after telling Paterno and then seeing Sandusky still bringing little boys onto campus? Serious moral failure and he needs to be fired too.

 

[Quake Softball]

When I was in junior high, I had a brilliant math teacher. He was a very personable man who was somewhat quirky. It was no big deal among the students, but because of some of his mannerisms, his style of dress, and the fact that he had neither a wife or girlfriend, it was generally assumed he was gay. Like I said, though, it didn't matter.

Years later, he was charged with taking indecent liberties with a minor. In a small town, the news spread quickly. After several months, however, he was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing and as it turned out, it all stemmed from a student and parent who, for reasons of their own, had made these false accusations. Some suspect money was the motive, others said it was because the student had not been selected for the math team. Regardless, the accusers eventually had to pay some small fine, but the teacher lost his job and had to move away after having been labeled as a predator.

No one wants children to be at the mercy of these beasts, but by the same token, we have an obligation to tread carefully when it comes to protecting the rest of us from being victimized by false accusations.

So to answer your question, if Sandusky was previously cleared of any criminal activity and if Coach Paterno had no reason to believe that the guy was a predator, then I accept Coach Paterno's decision not to bar him from the campus.

NOTE: I am NOT in any way defending Sandusky, even though he, too, deserves due process. I am merely standing up for the position of Coach Paterno in this affair and more importantly for the right of every American to receive a fair hearing before disposition is determined.

Do you have kids? If so, would you allow somone who was found raping YOUR son in the shower to hang around you for nine more years? I didn't think so.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Just where do you get a list of wealthy boosters that likes young boys? That conversation just doesn't come up at fund raisers that I attend. How do these pervs bring up that subject and find each other? Internet? There must be a whole world out there, that I am unaware of.

 

[sluggers]

I doubt the allegation about Sandusky finding boys for wealthy boosters.

However, there are various ways for pervs to find each other. There is "NAMBLA"--North American Man/Boy Love Association. Read all about it: Wikipedia re NAMBLA.

People who haven't been around sex abuse are often surprised. Sex abuse cuts across all socioeconomic boundaries. There is no correlation between income and sex abusers. Rich people are just as likely to be sex abusers as are poor people. Rich people get caught less because they can afford to fly to Thailand or India and commit child abuse.

Child sexual abuse isn't what people think it is. It is much more complicated and convoluted than it appears. The real tragedy is that, unless the kids get help, the kids who were abused often become adult child abusers. It is a never ending cycle.

I wish I had the exact quote from Donna Lopiano, former head of the Women's Sports Foundation, but it was something like, "How much do we have to sacrifice at the altar of college football before someone says 'enough'?"

 

[undergroundga]

I doubt the allegation about Sandusky finding boys for wealthy boosters.

However, there are various ways for pervs to find each other. There is "NAMBLA"--North American Man/Boy Love Association. Read all about it: Wikipedia re NAMBLA.

People who haven't been around sex abuse are often surprised. Sex abuse cuts across all socioeconomic boundaries. There is no correlation between income and sex abusers. Rich people are just as likely to be sex abusers as are poor people. Rich people get caught less because they can afford to fly to Thailand or India and commit child abuse.

Child sexual abuse isn't what people think it is. It is much more complicated and convoluted than it appears. The real tragedy is that, unless the kids get help, the kids who were abused often become adult child abusers. It is a never ending cycle.

I wish I had the exact quote from Donna Lopiano, former head of the Women's Sports Foundation, but it was something like, "How much do we have to sacrifice at the altar of college football before someone says 'enough'?"

Bringing up NAMBLA reminds me of a South Park episode.
You bring up a good point about most victims becoming abusers also. It is a very sad cycle that very rarely is broken.
Be careful blaming college football for the evils of the world. Remember that the revenue from football goes to support other sports programs. You don't really think the few hundred(many times much less) fans that show up to a softball game, which often only costs a few $, provide enough money for those nice fields so many schools are building, do you?

 

[SoftSocDad]

I've seen bits and pieces over here, but not a lot of coverage.

I can excuse McQuerry for the pure shock factor. But after telling Paterno and then seeing Sandusky still bringing little boys onto campus? Serious moral failure and he needs to be fired too.

I don't get McQueary. You're right, in the moment, he was probably shocked beyond belief and despite what so many of us say we would've done in that situation, there is no normal reaction to witnessing any rape, let alone the rape of a child. But then he went to work with the guy for years.

Regarding his job status, he will not be on the sidelines this weekend, but I don't expect him to lose his job anytime soon. He's the prosecution's star witness in the case against Sandusky. Not surprisingly, a lot of people are angry with McQueary and threats have been made against him, so it's hard to say right now how the state plans to keep him safe between now and a possible trial.

 

[SoftSocDad]

I doubt the allegation about Sandusky finding boys for wealthy boosters.

However, there are various ways for pervs to find each other. There is "NAMBLA"--North American Man/Boy Love Association. Read all about it: Wikipedia re NAMBLA.

People who haven't been around sex abuse are often surprised. Sex abuse cuts across all socioeconomic boundaries. There is no correlation between income and sex abusers. Rich people are just as likely to be sex abusers as are poor people. Rich people get caught less because they can afford to fly to Thailand or India and commit child abuse.

Child sexual abuse isn't what people think it is. It is much more complicated and convoluted than it appears. The real tragedy is that, unless the kids get help, the kids who were abused often become adult child abusers. It is a never ending cycle.

I wish I had the exact quote from Donna Lopiano, former head of the Women's Sports Foundation, but it was something like, "How much do we have to sacrifice at the altar of college football before someone says 'enough'?"

While the 'wealthy boosters' label is certainly headline-grabbing material, what you're saying about the indiscriminate nature of these crimes is correct. I would not be surprised at all to learn that Sandusky has a close friend or two within the booster community, though.

Amy - How the predators discover one another in close company isn't really all that different from the way that certain young women have been 'passed around' on various college campuses for decades. A group of guys having drinks, one makes a unique remark that's ignored by four, but which gets the attention of one. Those two form an instant bond. As you might imagine, the most dangerous ones are often highly intelligent and very sophisticated in the methods they use to seek out and isolate their prey.

We cannot legislate or control people's thoughts, but we have to actively work to limit their behaviors when minors or non-consenting adults are involved.

 

[WinThemAll]

Interesting article

Why Joe Paterno Didn't Call the Police - Mens Health

 

[Amy in AZ.]

That link didn't work for me. I searched and found it. Penn State Scandal | Men's Health

 

[Amy in AZ.]

This is being discussed a little. The DA in the Sandusky case, has been missing for years and was declared dead. Missing DA investigated Sandusky case | HLNtv.com