YoTrip-Words and Thoughts

A place and space for me to express my thoughts

Archive for the tag “Joe Paterno”

Tuesday Thoughts by YoTrip for November 15, 2011-”The Pig Skin has more Power than the Precious Human Skin” (Vol.7, Iss.3)


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“The Pig Skin has more Power than the Precious Human Skin

The Pig Skin has more Power than the Precious Human Skin is a mouthful of a statement as a back drop to the Penn State child abuse sex scandal. For the last week, the spotlight has been on the actions of those who are privileged and possess power (Jerry Sandusky and Joe Paterno) over the powerless (eight alleged victims). While the world was focusing on the fate of Penn State’s history-making, legendary Coach Joe Paterno and his former heir apparent, defensive coach Jerry Sandusky, no one seemed to care about the children.

The Pig Skin has more Power than the Precious Human Skin, when no one was screaming about how the accused,  Jerry Sandusky was allowed to write his own ticket after it was reported he was hit with 40 charges of sexual misconduct with 8 children. Jerry Sandusky was caught on two different occasions engaging in sexual acts with young boys. What comes to question is what did the people who were told of Sandusky’s actions do with that information? Did the machine of the Penn State put the Pig Skin with power, ahead of the powerless precious human skin  of the children?

The Pig Skin has more Power than the Precious Human Skin when it was discovered that Sandusky ran a charity organization, the Second Mile that gave him access to children who would become his alleged victims. Penn State for their part continued to offer Sandusky an office space after he retired from coaching and was caught in the shower raping one of his young victims. This incident was reported to Coach Joe Paterno by then grad student, Mike McQueary. Oddly, McQueary is currently a coach with the Penn State Nittany Lions who continued his connection with the powerhouse football program after allegedly witnessing Sandusky in the shower with a child as young as ten years old.

The Pig Skin has more Power than the Precious Human Skin, as last week began the unraveling of Penn State and its role in the actions and activities of Jerry Sandusky. Penn State athletic director Tim Curley, Penn State Senior Vice President Gary Schultz and Penn State school president Graham Spanier, along with Coach Joe Paterno were all aware of the 2002 shower incident involving Sandusky. Quickly we saw the resignation and dismissal of all of these men, from Penn State by the Board of Trustees. The Penn State campus erupted into protest over the firing of the beloved 84-year old Paterno, who had announced he would leave at the end of the football season. There was no protest or uprising for the children who are now young men and forced to relive horrible sexual acts that took place from someone who was a coach, mentor and father-figure.

The Pig Skin has more Power than the Precious Human Skin as long as no one feels it not robbery to come forward and say what they saw happen to these children. The emerging Penn State sex scandal, calls to question where are the moral conscience of adults who are aware of the abuse of children and do little or nothing. When the power of those connected to one of the largest college football programs,  Penn State makes people turn their heads or a blind eye to abuse is deplorable. The Pig Skin has more Power than the Precious Human Skin but will the unfolding of the sexual misconduct of Jerry Sandusky and the young lives he touched and destroyed move us toward putting children first.

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