Fight For People Who Can't Fight For Themselves

Penn State students (I will not call them protestors because they were just acting as students and not reasonably thinking adults) embarrassed themselves Thursday night by turning over cars and causing property damage in response to Penn State head coach Joe Paterno's firing.  Subsequent Facebook posts by current and former Penn State students have me so alarmed that I felt the need to blog about it.  I try to not let anything political dawn this website, but I can not sit idly by while sexual abuse of a ten-year-old child is not taken as seriously as it should.  As an avid sports fan, I understand that objectivity is difficult when it involves ones own team, but even I can separate the humanity of this issue vs. my loyalty to an institution.  For anyone that still is not disgusted that Penn State did not do more as an institution to prevent the clusterfuck that is the current investigation on sex abuse ON THE PENN STATE CAMPUS (I'll explain later why that is capitalized), these are the reasons why Penn State and everyone involved deserves any and all punishment they get:

1. Penn State swept sexual abuse under the rug for the sake of College Football.  They knew about what had happened and did not take the right actions until it was way too late, and continued to allow Sandusky access to the University up to a week before today.  Sandusky has been barred from school districts and has taken small children to Penn State bowl games.  If you think this coverage is bad, just wait until the national freight train comes through State College.
2. Jerry Sandusky recruited his victims through his "Second Mile" charity.  A Charity that Penn State sponsored after knowing about the allegations against Sandusky.  A charity that Paterno encouraged his players to volunteer. 
3. As a public school educator (which all coaches are at Penn State), one is considered a first responder when witnessing a crime such as sexual abuse ON CAMPUS.  The fact that the child (who is the only victim so far) was not helped in any way, shape, or form while the crime was being committed and witnessed is the greatest travesty of all.
4. Penn State, as a public school, "must disclose criminal offenses committed on campus each year." -US Department of Education
5. Joe paterno was told about at least one victim of this grand jury testimony.  How do you NOT tell the police?  Especially when you are legally obligated to as a first responder.

This will be a permanent blight on Penn State (as it should) and the lack of action will hopefully spur a movement to prevent this from happening to another child.  Now that the national media and investigative journalists are in State College, the truth will come out, and not just what a small town wants us to hear, and I want everyone involved to be punished to the fullest extent of the law.  If you do not agree, I feel sorry for you and hope that you receive help.