What lessons should we learn from Sandusky????

[JPZenger]

Last edited Thu Jul 12, 2012, 07:01 PM - Edit history (1)

I read the following excellent post about Sandusky on another site. My hope is that the victims will not have suffered in vain, that it will result in improved awareness that will stop predators, and in better procedures to quickly deal with them.
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"Apparently Sandusky was offered a plea deal last week, before the trial began, and refused it. The theory being that at his age, any sentence is basically a life sentence. Additionally, Sandusky (assuming the allegations are true, and it is nearly impossible not to believe that) is such a profoundly disturbed sociopath/pedophile that he really believes he hasn't done a thing wrong. He isn't thinking he's getting away with it, he's thinking nobody cares because he's not doing something bad.

... this whole horrifying mess is a cautionary tale for everyone. Child abuse advocates have told us for decades what grooming looks like, where pedophiles turn up, who and how enables the opportunities, and how children are very aware that they will not be believed if they overcome their terror and denial and TELL. But society doesn't want to believe it happens. We want to all believe we would "know", that we would do something, that we would intervene and the statistics simply don't support the notion that it happens that way.

So, instead, we need safeguards like those annoying background checks your church wants, that irritating extra tent for all adults Scouts want, the myriad of inflexible "I can't hug my students or take them to the bathroom" rules we gripe about. We pay daycare workers less than fast food people and wonder why we get uneven quality of care and potential disasters. We allow unscreened and untrained volunteers in every door because we don't want to pay for program staff, or pay for training and oversight staff. We understaff CYS in virtually every state and wonder why the caseworkers can't catch every demented adult who intersects a child. We excoriate witnesses, drag them through the mud over their lapses or inaction, and wonder why people are reluctant to come forward.

I was at a convenience store today in town, and someone asked the clerk to turn off the TV. And someone asked everyone to pray for the victims, and we handed around tissues, and tried to get on with the day. As if."

[femmocrat]

1. What is incomprehensible to me is that so many adults knew, but did nothing.

I look for a whole slew of mandated-reporter laws to come out of this.

We must not think that every youth leader or day care worker is a potential pedophile, though. I still think those monsters are few and far between. If we start looking at volunteers as having possible ulterior motives, who will want to assume the responsibility of coaching or mentoring young people? There is a difference big between caution and paranoia.

[rocktivity]

3. The adults did nothing because they knew that if they did anything

Last edited Fri Jun 15, 2012, 03:10 PM - Edit history (1)

their empire of prestige, power and money would have come crashing down upon them.


rocktivity

[Pat Riot]

4. ding ding ding

I am from Central PA and have lived in Pittsburgh since 1980. Everybody back home still adores Paterno like some kind of god. Everybody here worships the Black and Gold. I had Black and Gold blood running through my veins for many years. It's catching. But now I'm about over professional sports. It's not just the rapists and child molesters, either. There are also issues I became more aware of through working with my union. The Penguins threaten to leave town, we bent over backwards to build them a stadium at a time when the economy was so bad they were talking about laying off police and EMT's, pensions in danger, etc. And what did we get back? Jack Shit. Just those parking lots up by Consol alone rake in $14,000 a day - not game days, just regular work week days, people who work downtown and park up there. They could save public transportation and do other good things to give back to the fan base, but they don't. And the Pens aren't the only team to have the taxpayers build them a stadium, I mean a temple of worship. The taxpayers voted against them and it was shoved down our throats anyway. Just as dumb as teabagger types voting against their own self interest out of ignorance and blind adoration.

Think your favorite sports heroes give a rat's ass about you? Guess again.

Except Polamalu. You're still cool, buddy.

[rocktivity]

2. Here's a lesson that YOU can learn

Last edited Thu Jun 4, 2015, 02:04 AM - Edit history (2)

Include the link from the other website!

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/14510605#Comment_14510605


rocktivity

[JPZenger]

5. Penn State VP had a file labed "Incidents Involving Sandusky"

First, it is amazing that people would actually come forward to serve as character witnesses for Sandusky. If anyone deserved to lose his friends, its that guy.

Second, a couple people told me that a number of years ago, Sandusky was announced as the new head football coach for U. of Virginia, and then a couple days later, he was gone. Did UVa find out something about him, and if so, did they keep it a secret?

Third, an article in the Phila. Inquirer a few days ago said investigators recently found a file in the office of Penn State Executive VP Schultz labeled something like "Incidents Involving Sandusky." Schultz is charged in failing to report child abuse to the police and perjury before the grand jury.

[JPZenger]

6. So Sandusky brings in former Second Mile Kids to say he didn't molest them - 3 of 4 were female

I hope the jury is not a bunch of idiots

[durablend]

7. That crime DOES pay?

He gets close to $5,000 a month in pension sitting in jail (coming from YOUR tax dollars) and there isn't much anyone can do about it.

[JPZenger]

8. If Corbett had spent more time investigating Sandusky instead of fighting health care reform...

Corbett as AG was one of the entities that sued to overturn the health care reform law. If only he had used that wasted effort instead to actually investigate Sandusky much earlier.

[HopeHoops]

9. "Mama don't let your sons grow up to be shower-boys."

[blue neen]

10. IMHO, this is a serious subject.

I feel that what you posted is disrespectful to Jerry Sandusky's victims and their families.

[HopeHoops]

11. The point was, why would you let your child do that in the first place?

I know most parents aren't as strict as I have been, but there are some things that should just plain be obvious. That's one of them.

[blue neen]

12. I don't understand what it is that you are saying is obvious.

Last edited Wed Jul 4, 2012, 03:08 AM - Edit history (1)

Blaming the victims isn't going to help anyone. Jerry Sandusky is a predator. He knows exactly what he is doing. He preyed on at-risk children, who in many cases were being raised in single parent households.

A lot of the mothers thought they were, in fact, doing the right thing to help their boys by sending them to the Second Mile Foundation. I mean, it's Jerry Sandusky and Penn State! How bad could that be?

The blame lies squarely on the man who is now sitting in jail and the people who enabled him. I believe the victims and families have suffered way more than enough.

[JPZenger]

13. MSNBC Tonight - Why Didn't Corbett Investigate Sandusky Years Sooner?

Mike Smerconish guest hosted Tweety's MSNBC show tonight. He asked some brutal questions about Corbett's multi-year delay in going after Sandusky. He called for a second investigation to follow up Freeh's investigation - to investigate the long delay in the criminal investigation.