Scarred Justice

I was hit by a drunk driver 3 years ago in Washington DC, actually it was 3 years to the day on November 8.  I remember driving and then I just remember waking up in the hospital.  I did not feel a thing! After minor nose surgery, which might as well been cosmetic surgery because my nose had already been broken 3 different times, I was released from the hospital with a repaired nose and some scars.

When I get up in the morning and look in the mirror, I am reminded everyday of that accident; it lives within the scars right next to lips and right under my nose.  I try to disguise them with my five o'clock shadow but I know they are there.  I decided to get a tattoo on my shoulder of a Cross with the word "Blessed" on it because that is precisely what I am!  But those scars are never going anywhere.

I read the 23-page grand jury report regarding the scandal that has literally rocked the nation at Penn State University where an ex-coach, defensive coordinator for the nittany lions, has been accused of multiple accounts of child molestation among other things. In the wake of this scandal, Joe Paterno, legendary long-time football coach,  has been fired from his coaching post at Penn State after 61 years of dedicated service.  The university felt the public outcry was so strong against Paterno, the Board of Trustees for Penn State fired him. 

As this case has evolved and more information keeps coming to the surface, it is a fair to say that the worse has yet to come.  For example, it has been rumored that Sandusky was not only molesting these children through his foundation, but also "selling" them to rich donors to be molested also.  I would like to go on record and say that I think Sandusky should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and the other thoughts I have about what should be done to him I will have to keep to myself because they are too graphic for a blog!

I want justice for these kids and I want Penn State to start paying for their healing process to start immediately. Regardless of the breakdown in the system and how this could even occcur, Penn State needs to move swiftly to make sure the victims are financially secure and stable to start the process of healing from this horrific incident. 

BUT, and there is a but....

I do think that they moved too fast firing Joe Paterno and this may go against public opinion but that is precisely why he should not have been fired.  During this whole scandal, I think our system of justice has been lost among the strong emotions attached to such nasty crimes.  I get it, I do.  Joe Paterno was fired because public outcry and politics demanded someone take the fall for this immediately and JoePa's head was put to the gauntlet.  He was fired because the public felt as though he had a moral obligation to call the police himself when he found out that his old colleague was molesting children under the Penn State flag.  Morally, it can be argued that he should have called the police. 

But JoePa did report the crime up his chain of command in the hierarchy structure at Penn State.  He followed protocol, he followed the rules laid out by Penn State.  This has nothing to do with the moral aspect but what he was obligated to do professionally.  And from that standpoint, he did was he was supposed to do.

So we have a dilemna, PROFESSIONAL OBLIGATION vs MORAL OBLIGATION.  When is one applied and not the other? Does one trump the other? Is there one that should always and consistently be applied and another that should be applied based on a judgement call?

Here is another angle to look at this and this is why I think JoePa, just like Sandusky, should have their day in court.  JoePa is a Father of five and dedicated 61 years to Penn State coaching kids and he did it without one scandal, he is at least owed a chance to tell his side of the story; he should be allowed his day in court.  But I have some questions:

JoePa is a Father and long time coach and if you ask anybody about his character, he makes Honest Abe Lincoln look like Pinnochio; why did he not call the police?

Why didn't JoePa follow-up with the investigation?

Why didn't the people whom JoePa reported the crime to call the police?

Penn State acted prematurely because of the heinous account of the crimes committed and that is understandable but you only get one chance to get this right.  There are two crimes that follow a person wherever they go like the scars on my face: Rapist and Child Molestor.  The "child sex offender" label is something you carry around for the rest of your life and it is like the Scarlet Letter, everybody knows it.  Even worse than being a molestor is being known or knowing you did not do anything to stop it or prevent it from happening again.  You mine as well be the person doing the molesting. 

It is crucial to find out where the process broke down that made it impossible to protect these kids from this monster.  The system has broken down and it needs to be fixed but in order to do that, due process must be protected and utilized so that the proper people are punished for what they did OR did NOT do in the protection of those victims. 

Did JoePa not do enough? I do not have enough information (not even his side of the story) to make an accurate determination.  If it comes out that he could have done more, in my opinion he needs to get as much time if not more than Sandusky himself because he was complicit.  The other side of the coin may come out that JoePa did what he could based on the circumstances and his hands were tied. If that is the case, does he get his job back? Maybe, but regardless, his legacy will be tainted and his morals will always be put into question because no one stood up for due process.

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