Pete H Posted November 11, 2011 Author Share Posted November 11, 2011 Joe was not arrested because the law only required him to report to his superiors, which he did. The reason the trustees fired him was because they considered he had a moral (not legal) obligation to report the child abuse to the police. The university president, Spanier, was also fired, but he may still face prosecution. If a program or institution is not safe for children, it is nothing. Knowingly allowing a child predator cover to abuse children makes one an accessory to the crime. It's not my opinion, it's the law. I believe it's even more of a crime when due to the status, perception or position of an individual that turns a blind eye to a situation such as this. Take the same seriously disturbed acts and any random names from friends, enemies, hero's, family and move the puzzle pieces around and please tell me how it will ever make it any less or more of an act and that's what this is doing in some peoples minds. Joe Paterno "WAS" a hero in my eyes and it had little to do with football and more to do with the fact that I truely believed that he had a moral standard ( IN SPITE OF BEING A FOOTBALL COACH ) that was higher than the vast majority of individuals that walked on the planet. This is not a balancing scale that if you pile up enough good things over here that there is nothing that you could ever do to tip the scale in the other direction. There is a major difference between not telling the cashier and then the police that the person in front of you stole a pack of gum and not telling them that the person in front of you killed her mother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 I read the grand jury report today. It is sickening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 I read the grand jury report today. It is sickening. I read it Wednesday night at work, it sure is. Yesterday I read somewhere online that it may come out that he was pimping some of those boys out to wealthy men, as if this wasn't bad enough already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 Another thing, given the nature of these charges I do not feel he should be out on bail. To be quite frank I wouldn't be surprised to hear that he commits suicide... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxx Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 Yes, this is a very sad state of affairs. I hope that nothing "stupid" happens at the game tomorrow to further add to this mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 he was pimping some of those boys out to wealthy men Yeah, through his charity for kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 I heard a report today that the police were actually involved in 2002, but didn't prosecute. The prosecutor also disappeared about 7 years ago and hasn't been found. Bruce http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jheis Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Having grown up in PA, I know that "JoePa" is considered a GOD, but let's be real - this is all about money. Penn State reaps (rapes?) ~$70 million annualy from it's football program. Paterno was told that Sandusky was raping kids years ago. He had a moral, ethical, and legal duty to report this the police. Not only did he not report what he knew to the cops, but he continued to employ Sandusky and, thus, allowed the abuse to continue - just like the F'ing Catholic Church. Enablers are not part of the problem, they are the problem. Paterno is not the victim here. James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Read in the paper today that they were going after janitors, maintenance men, and utility people associated with the facilities to see who knew what and when. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 The Penn State and Nebraska football players met at midfield before todays game to pray for the victims. That's class, IMO. and a step toward healing, too. http://www.breitbart.tv/penn-state-and-nebraska-teams-pray-together-for-child-sex-abuse-victims/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Absolutely right Dee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Sargent Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 It's said that every cloud has a silver lining. One can only imagine what this scandal will do for child abuse awareness. I hope and pray that before it's forgotten many, many, kids can be saved from abuse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyrc Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Joe was not arrested because the law only required him to report to his superiors, which he did. The reason the trustees fired him was because they considered he had a moral (not legal) obligation to report the child abuse to the police. The university president, Spanier, was also fired, but he may still face prosecution. So the trustees felt Joe should have called the police, at least in retrospect, but did the local administrators feel that way or did they resist for some crazy reason like maintaining the reputation of the University, the program, or whatever? Although in some states a therapist or doctor, etc. is legally required to report such an incident to Child Protective Services or the equivalent (sometimes a division of the police force), in at least one such state, school administrators tend to hit the ceiling if teachers do so. They seem to think that such reports have to pass through their hands, and be forwarded to the police if they deem that appropriate. Does anyone know if there was a similar conflict of practices at Pen State? In any case, the rules of reporting should be required reading by all faculty, and posted in meeting rooms, offices, etc. They should emphasize that it is not the duty of the mandated reporter to verify that the abuse happened --- CPS or the police will do that, if it did. The reporter's job is to simply file a report. The head coach should meet with the staff at the beginning of each term, and read a list of behaviors that will be reported, and tell them that if any of them witnesses any -- or has reason to believe that there were instances of abuse that they must report to the civil authority. If the administration indicates that they disapprove of this, the coaches, faculty, etc. should act like any other professionals, and go to the administration in a body and present their understanding of the law. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 The more I hear/read about this, the more nauseated I become. Someone should have taken a baseball bat to this idiot years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Smith Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Joe was not arrested because the law only required him to report to his superiors, which he did. The reason the trustees fired him was because they considered he had a moral (not legal) obligation to report the child abuse to the police. The university president, Spanier, was also fired, but he may still face prosecution. So the trustees felt Joe should have called the police, at least in retrospect, but did the local administrators feel that way or did they resist for some crazy reason like maintaining the reputation of the University, the program, or whatever? Although in some states a therapist or doctor, etc. is legally required to report such an incident to Child Protective Services or the equivalent (sometimes a division of the police force), in at least one such state, school administrators tend to hit the ceiling if teachers do so. They seem to think that such reports have to pass through their hands, and be forwarded to the police if they deem that appropriate. Does anyone know if there was a similar conflict of practices at Pen State? In any case, the rules of reporting should be required reading by all faculty, and posted in meeting rooms, offices, etc. They should emphasize that it is not the duty of the mandated reporter to verify that the abuse happened --- CPS or the police will do that, if it did. The reporter's job is to simply file a report. The head coach should meet with the staff at the beginning of each term, and read a list of behaviors that will be reported, and tell them that if any of them witnesses any -- or has reason to believe that there were instances of abuse that they must report to the civil authority. If the administration indicates that they disapprove of this, the coaches, faculty, etc. should act like any other professionals, and go to the administration in a body and present their understanding of the law. Every adult has the moral obligation to protect those that cannot protect themselves, especially children. It is far better to raise the alarm over shaky suspicions than to shrug things off as intangible and feel bad in hindsight. Sure it's embarassing for all parties involved if it turns out to be nothing, but that inconvenience pales in comparison to the damage done to children by un-checked adults. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Smith Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 also, it's funny how having your wife 20 weeks pregnant with your first child/daughter cranks up the give-a-shit-o-meter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 also, it's funny how having your wife 20 weeks pregnant with your first child/daughter cranks up the give-a-***-o-meter Wait till you see what happens to the meter after she's actually here[]. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invidiosulus Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 also, it's funny how having your wife 20 weeks pregnant with your first child/daughter cranks up the give-a-***-o-meter Wait till you see what happens to the meter after she's actually here. Indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Considering that about 40% of all male children, and about 70% of all female children are abused, it tells me that society is doing something fundamentally wrong. Here in the West we claim to be Christians and make a big deal about the 10 Commandments (although there are a total of 613 mentioned in the Bible), and none of them say "thou shalt not bugger young boys (or girls)". Perhaps it's time for a rewrite. (and somewhere in there include 'turn off that *&+% cell phone'). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete H Posted November 19, 2011 Author Share Posted November 19, 2011 The more I hear/read about this, the more nauseated I become. Someone should have taken a baseball bat to this idiot years ago.I'm shocked that nothing has happened and actually thought that the bail was set so low in order to allow the opportunity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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