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Posted on 11/15/2011 6:21:13 AM PST by Kaslin
Penn State football coach Joe Paterno released a statement on Wednesday in which he said, "With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more." How lame is that, Coach?
Would you have accepted that excuse from one of your players? "With the benefit of hindsight, Coach, I wish I had run the route we rehearsed a thousand times in practice." See how stupid that sounds? It doesn't take "hindsight" to know that when some monster is raping children in your locker room, you call the police.
Coach, you knew back in 2002 that Jerry Sandusky had anally raped a ten-year-old boy in the Lasch Football Building. You handled the matter quietly with your athletic director, Tim Curley. You took away the rapist's keys and barred him from the facility -- but you didn't call the police. You didn't lift a finger to help the victim. No hindsight needed, Coach. You screwed up.
Yes, we all know about your 61-year career at Penn State. But when you allow children to be victimized right under your nose, you wipe out 61 years of achievement. The Jerry Sandusky scandal is your legacy now.
This scandal has also indelibly stained the reputation of The Second Mile, the charity Jerry Sandusky founded in 1977 as a foster-care program for at-risk kids. Turns out the kids were most at-risk from Sandusky himself.
The Second Mile was one of George Bush Sr.'s Thousand Points of Light and probably did some good work. But the grand jury says Sandusky met his victims through The Second Mile. So even if the program survives this scandal, it will always be remembered as Jerry Sandusky's private sandbox for recruiting rape victims.
As for the child rapist himself (do I have to say "alleged," given what we know?), you have to stand amazed at his gall. He actually had the brass to title his autobiography "Touched: The Jerry Sandusky Story." What is that, the punchline of a sick joke?
I don't want to hear any more "benefit of hindsight" excuses. So let's be clear about what you should do if you learn that a child is being sexually abused. Print this out, post it on your bulletin board, and make sure everyone in your family, company, or organization knows how to respond to child sexual abuse.
1. If you see an act of child abuse in progress, step in and STOP IT. I have to wonder why the grad assistant who witnessed the rape felt he only had to report it to someone. Why didn't he jump in, knock Sandusky on his butt, and protect the child? If you see a child being raped by an adult, please have the guts and good sense to intervene.
2. If a child tells you he or she is being abused, don't panic, don't act shocked. Make sure the child feels supported and protected. Say, "You did the right thing in telling me."
3. Believe the child. Even if the offender is "good old Uncle Charlie," tell the child, "I believe you." It takes courage for kids to speak up because they fear they won't be believed. Kids need to know you're on their side, and they almost never imagine sex acts unless they've experienced them.
4. Tell the child that he or she is not bad. Say, "He knew better; you didn't know. We'll make sure he can't touch you again."
5. Focus on the child's needs. Don't think about the reputation of any individual or organization. The moment you shift your focus off of what's best for the child, you're on the wrong side of the issue.
We as a people need to stop protecting our institutions over our children; whether it is the church, the university, or the institution of the family it is time for us to put our children first not last.
6. Don't confront the offender in front of the child. Keep adult discussions away from the child. Kids need to feel protected. They don't need to be upset, disturbed, and frightened.
7. Report the crime to the police. Law enforcement agencies in your area have trained investigators who will talk with you and the child, and who know exactly how best to handle the situation.
And don't you dare tell me that you don't have the heart to have "good old Uncle Charlie" arrested. If Uncle Charlie is molesting a child, protect that child!
I've heard too many horror stories of people who protected "good old Uncle Charlie" or "good old Coach Sandusky" instead of protecting children. You must have absolute moral clarity: Child molesters belong in jail where they can't hurt children. If you don't call the police, then you are an accomplice and no better than a molester yourself.
8. If the molester is a member of the clergy, DO NOT report the abuse to church officials. If the molester is a coach or teacher, DO NOT report the abuse to the school authorities. Some churches and organizations worry more about lawsuits and bad publicity than about kids. Just call the police.
9. Don't call Child Protective Services -- investigating crimes is not the function of CPS. If the police determine that CPS should be involved, they will make that decision.
Don't let the predator talk you out calling the police. Most predators are amazingly persuasive -- that's how they entice their victims, and that's how they get people to cover for them instead of reporting them. Don't be taken in by a charming predator.
10. After you call the police, call the ChildHelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4ACHILD (1-800-422-4453). The ChildHelp counselor will listen to your concerns, answer your questions, and direct you to local support services for the child.
Finally, don't you ever use the "benefit of hindsight" excuse! I've armed you with the foresight to do the right thing to protect a child—and that child is counting on you.
Which makes me wonder? Is this Sandusky pervert married? Was he ever married?
It is so much more fun to be part of a lynch mob you know.
And of course it takes the heat off the guys who actually did wrong. Which is the whole point.
When you can no longer shield the guilty you have transfer the public's anger away from them to someone who isn't guilty because that is their new shield.
A excellent example of this was the OJ case where the focus shifted from OJ killing two people to if a cop used a racial slur. Because that was so much more important.
In this case all of the attacks on Paterno are to shift attention away from everybody else in this case. Mc whatever who claims he actually saw rape being committed but did nothing at the time and apparently didn't talk to the police until it looked like he would not get Paterno's job when he retired, the school trustees and perhaps the police.
I have no idea.
But being how the article says "Don't be a Paterno" and gives what I think is pretty good advice about what you should do if a a child should report being molested, I think it's kind of worth pointing out that no child ever reported anything to Paterno.
Good for your wife! I would have called the cops first.
This article gives instruction of what you should do from the point of view of a parent. Police should make first contact with the perp and his organization about the charges.
Before they move in, you really don’t want the perp and organization having the chance to figure out their strategy to avoid the responsibility, destroying evidence and lying about it. Shock is good.
Also, in court the perp will find out which victim called the cops and by then he had best not contact and harass the victim. The same with the organization that hosted or employed him. That would be tampering with a witness.
Also, the boy will have a chance to file civil suits the organization and perp and you don’t want to give them a heads up on what your case will be. They are all legal adversaries trying to protect themselves against your boy.
The state’s children’s protection agency should notify the children’s organizations he has access to, that the perp has been arrested for child molestation. I know a family who had to move out of the State because the perp was dangerous and made bail. It’s nasty stuff.
Married with adopted children.
The Grand Jury report details will leave any normal human being appalled by the systemic and flagrant moral failings on the part of those involved, including Paterno. Sandusky systematically abused, raped, molested, and assaulted young boys over several decades. There is no way in hell Sandusky could have gotten away with his monstrous behavior for so long without being enabled by Penn State. There is no way Paterno could have been ignorant of what was going on. Although Paterno doesn't appear to have done anything illegal, his moral failings should absolutely overwhelm anyone possessing even basic human compassion.
A 28 year old grad student, Mike McQueary, actually (and, yes, allegedly) catches Sandusky anally raping a 10 year old boy in the locker room showers at the university and his initial reaction is not to defend the child, but to call his daddy for advice. This sorry excuse for a man did absolutely nothing to stop the brutal raping of a 10 year old child. He and his daddy finally decide to report the child rape to Joe Paterno, not the police. When Paterno finds out that Sandusky anally raped a helpless ten year old child he demands to know why McQueary didn't stop the crime immediately and calls the police, right? Nope, they continue to circle the wagons by calling Tim Curley, Paterno's boss. Nice work, Joe. Great leadership. Pass it up the ladder and, by all means, protect the organization. Now two people (three if you count McQueary's father) have proven that they are not men.
At some point, the university reacted like the LGBT friendly institution they are, and took away Sandusky's keys. Wow. I'm sure Joe, being the man and leader he is, really spoke out against this travesty that totally ignored the well being of so many innocent and threatened children. The story just goes downhill from there, especially when the 1998 allegations are taken into context. You should read the Grand Jury report. It made me sick. I would gladly beat all of them with a lead filled pipe for not doing the right thing....Paterno included.
This is the purpose of Reagan's article, to explain to clueless people (hint, hint) what to do when children are being raped. Only someone who wants to miss the obvious takes the position you have. You, like too many others, miss the point that these people, at each stage of the debacle, didn't do the right thing which was to protect children, not the organization. That someone has to teach you that on this forum is a sad commentary. You should be ashamed.
Joe is being punished and will continue to be punished for the rest of his life. And the NCAA hasn't even begun to flex their power. Joe will pay dearly for his impotence. Do you want him to be burned at the stake? Even if your implication that he cowered under his desk while Sandusky flaunted pedophilia in his face is true, there is no legal standing to give him the death penalty. Again, sorry to disappoint you.
I'm just saying that people with an agenda (hint,hint) are continuing to beat the peripheral subjects. Let the courts and investigative councils make their determinations and mete out their punishments -- I hope we are not all disappointed the way we were with Casey Anthony -- I hope those poor kids get whatever closure they can get on this earth -- Meanwhile I applaud the rational people who get to work on the task of ensuring this doesn't happen in the future.
When my child made a terrible mistake of judgement for which she was going to pay dearly, I did not repeatedly go into her room and call her names or call her worthless. I punished her (on top of the suffering she was already undergoing) and then directed the rest of my energy - and hers - on a resolution to the problem and established clear guidelines for future behavior.
Verbal abuse will never accomplish anything except *ding**ding**ding* abuse.
Joe could have stopped the abuse. He chose to protect the organization instead. He is not alone. It's unfortunate that Joe won't live long enough to even begin to receive the punishment he deserves. The NCAA is feckless. Thirty years ago SMU lost their football program because they were paying players. Penn State football becomes Pedo State football and you think the program is going to be punished like they deserve? Wow, could you possibly be more blind?
You think Paterno is a peripheral subject. That makes you a part of the problem. For that you should absolutely be ashamed. It is no wonder you fully and completely missed the message in the article.
Since you are so intent on defending JoePedo, can you tell us why he never called the police when he was told by McQueary that he caught Sandusky in the shower anally raping a young ( about 10 years old) boy? Can you tell us if JoePa ever thought it important to find out the child’s identity or to find out if the child was alright? If not, why not? Would you want to know that if something like this happened in your locker room?
By not going to the police, Paterno, and all of the other parties involved, were complicit in allowing Sandusky to prey on young boys for another seven years. These leaders and responsible adults valued the protection of their football program over the protection of an innocent child. Every one of them had the chance to be a hero and to act like a real man by choosing to protect the child. Instead, they chose to allow it to be swept under the rug so that even more innocent and precious children could have their lives ruined by that sick SOB.
But you applaud the rational people who are working on the task of ensuring this doesn't happen in the future? Excuse me while I puke.
JoePedo allowed the abuse to continue. JoePedo allowed this man to ruin the lives of even more children. JoePedo ignored the childhood victims for more than 10 years even though there had been at least three credible reports of Sandusky taking showers, JoePedo's showers, with little boys. But he's a great leader who is being unfairly targeted even though he didn't do anything illegal? Sure. Depraved indifference is what he is guilty of. He put his career and his program above the lives and well being of children. He protected a monster. Screw Joe Paterno and anyone who defends him. He deserves everything coming to him in this life and next. And I say that as an alumni of Penn State.
I am a schlub?
Whatever, bud, yeah I want Sandusky in trial on criminal charges too. but the cover up is a conspiracy, a criminal conspiracy that must be addressed too.
It is insane to expect little children to go to a complete stranger and make an “I was raped” report.
married and adopted 6 children
This is crucial.
It was recently revealed ----- an alarmed mother found Sandusky took her son out of class without her permission on three occassions.
When she approached the school, she was told she was being unduly alarmed, b/c "Jerry has a heart of gold. "
She insisted they call the police.
But that would have hurt poor Jerry, they said.
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