Why did God make the sky blue and white? For Penn State, of course.

I can't get the Penn State sex abuse scandal off of my heart and mind.  When I think it can't get any worse, it does. Lots of people are talking about it. Lots of people are making their own judgments, myself included.

Some questions/debate points I've come across:

Why have the victims waited so long to come forward?  Why do people say Joe Paterno and his people are Godlike?  Why isn't Sandusky under house arrest or wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet? What did or didn't Penn State know about the allegations? What did or didn't the police know about the allegations?

My take on these issues...

I think the victims are completely justified in not coming forward. (Who knows, maybe they did come forward  earlier and were 'hushed.')  There are many fears in coming forward, including: shame, embarrassment, self doubt and blame, fear and being afraid you won't be believed.  Is what happened my fault? Did I lead (my alleged attacker) on or send him/her mixed signals?  Did I over react?  There must be something wrong with me for this to have happened. I deserved what happened.  No one will believe me. It's my word against theirs.  I'm this little nobody and they are an important, well respected person.

[Some] people think Joe Paterno is God like, it's true. In my experience, Penn State sports (football, especially) are taken extremely seriously. Penn State is located in State College, PA which is pretty much the dead center of PA.  In terms of NFL teams, you have the Eagles in Philly which is the extreme eastern part of the state and you have the Steelers in Pittsburgh which is the extreme western part of the state.  PA is a large state and that leaves the central portion with no one to truly root for, so they go for Penn State. Penn State is a great institution- many great academic programs, a strong athletic program (I could blog about that for a long time about my negative thoughts on that!) and fabulous culture. I went to college a bit south of State College and we would drive up to do 'stuff' because our town (Huntingdon) had nothing. Not even a Walmart when I was there. But, I digress.  You have this HUGE Division I powerhouse.  Their coach (Paterno) had been their coach forever. Kids grow up wanting to go to this fabled institution. I did not participate in sports (shocking, I know!) but my brother did. He's  an odd bird, but even he looked up to coaches. Coached are leaders who mold and guide you.  How can such a leader do wrong in someone's eye?

This is just my opinion, but Sandusky isn't wearing an electronic monitoring device because of who he knew/who knew him. From what I know, the judge presiding over the hearing was/is a donor to his foundation.  This is, quite simply, a hot mess.  I don't know where this trial(s) will be held without people having opinions.  Out of Penn State's division?  On the other side of the country? No, that won't work. One part of the country wants to skin him/them alive and the other part supports him/her.

I'm really troubled by what Penn State and the police did and didn't know about the allegations prior to everything hitting the media.  My gut tells me that some people at the university knew and covered it up. For the sake of their athletic program. I'm not saying this happened for certain, but let's throw some fear and maybe even money at these people making these accusations. That'll shut them up and save the face of our program. Or, who is going to listen to these people?  We're Goliath's here who have the support of millions of alumni and supporters.  The police..oh, the police. I have mixed feelings on the police but I truly hope they didn't know anything.  Their duty is to 'protect and  serve' not to 'hide and cover up.'  I fully support the Department of Education and the NCAA investigating EVERYTHING. I don't know if we'll ever know exactly what happened, but hopefully we can come close. These monsters need to be put away.

I feel for the students, athletes, alumni and fans who are hurt and effected by this.  I feel for the seniors on the football team who lost out on the splendor and magic of their final season.  I hope they find the answers and comfort they need.

Moral Obligation vs a college athletic program

This has been laying heavy on my mind and heart. I don't know how to express myself so I will just start writing.

The Penn State sex scandal is an unfathomable incident. It's more of an incident. What's the better word for it?  You have a man accused of molesting many many boys over a long period of time. You have a person who witnessed one of the incidents, went to his boss and then dropped it. Like it was going to go away. Why did people not go to the police?  Even if it's not required by law, isn't there such as thing as "moral obligation"????  How can you live with yourself by allowing this monster to continue to live among us?

Was this done to protect your holier-than-thou football program?  If so, it disgusts me even more.  Most people know that I attended college in Central Pennsylvania. I was never a Penn State fan. I never got sucked up in the hoopla. Those people treat Penn State like a church- Joe Paterno was Godlike. Didn't you know God made the sky blue and white in honor Penn State?!  I always thought JoePa was way beyond his prime and needed to retire a long time ago. Don't get me wrong- I LOVE college football. I DO NOT love people covering things up. I HATE when college programs, generally athletic programs and participants, are held at a different standard than the rest of the school.

So, you witness a man molesting a boy in a shower (in a college building, no less). You tell your boss and he tells his boss. You know they don't go to the police. Why don't YOU go to the police?!  Are you too bothered by it? Are you afraid it will tarnish Penn State's image? Are you afraid you will lose your job?  Are you afraid the molester will retaliate against you?  How can you live with this information?  What about the victim(s)?  Are they less important than your athletic program???

Sure, JoePa announced his retirement (for the end of this season) before he was fired. I give mad props to the Board of Trustees (BOT) for firing JoePa and the University President. They had to. Seriously, how could they not?! JoePa resigned because he knew he HAD TO. He feels guilty- now. I suppose now is better than never, but it's still too little too late.

I'm glad the Department of Education is investigating these allegations. The way I read it, they are investigating because some of the alleged misconduct occurred on college property and someone did not report it to the Dept of Education, which is required by law. Again, why hide it?  No one wants their image tarnished. BUT, this situation would be MUCH BETTER had it come out way back then. Instead, people are questioning the entire college.

I also find it very interesting that none of this really came to head until AFTER JoePa won his record breaking game. Also, just after Election Day. Coincidences?  I think not.

I could go on and on about this topic. Many of my friends are diehard Penn State fans. Many share my opinions and a few don't. A few a still supporting Paterno.  How? Why?  I know he didn't personally sexually assault the victims but they did not help the situation.

The whole situation makes me sick.