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[actikid]

In the "Dog bites man" category, http://digitaljournal.com/article/313563

Nothing new here.  The church appoints a guy to investigate the perverts in the church hierarchy.

Turns out the investigator is himself a pervert.

Never saw that one coming.

And meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, Sandusky goes on national TV to explain why a 50-year-old man taking showers with 10-year-old boys is no big thing.

Then we learn that Sandusky's lawyer, while in his late 40s, got one of his clients pregnant.  She was 17 when she had the baby.

Just another day in pervertland.

Mark my words.  By the time this is all done, we will find out that what the Grand Jury is investigating is not some 20-year-old incident.  It will turn out to be that Sandusky was running a child prostitution ring, recruiting young boys under the guise of his "charitable foundation" and pimping them out to old men.  And that is why the Trustees were able to make the decision so quickly to can Paterno.

[actikid]

This development is akin to hiring a computer fraudster to head up your security department.  I guess the argument is who better to know how the crime is committed than the criminal?

[actikid]

When child abuse becomes normal

[bhcordova]

In the "Dog bites man" category, http://digitaljournal.com/article/313563

Nothing new here.  The church appoints a guy to investigate the perverts in the church hierarchy.

Turns out the investigator is himself a pervert.

Never saw that one coming.

And meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, Sandusky goes on national TV to explain why a 50-year-old man taking showers with 10-year-old boys is no big thing.

Then we learn that Sandusky's lawyer, while in his late 40s, got one of his clients pregnant.  She was 17 when she had the baby.

Just another day in pervertland.

Mark my words.  By the time this is all done, we will find out that what the Grand Jury is investigating is not some 20-year-old incident.  It will turn out to be that Sandusky was running a child prostitution ring, recruiting young boys under the guise of his "charitable foundation" and pimping them out to old men.  And that is why the Trustees were able to make the decision so quickly to can Paterno.

So, the firm hired to investigate child abuse didn't properly check its own employees.  How is this the responsibility of the Catholic Church?

[actikid]

So, the firm hired to investigate child abuse didn't properly check its own employees.  How is this the responsibility of the Catholic Church?

Institutions protect their own.  That is the lesson.  The bigger the institution, the stronger the defenses.  And there isn't any bigger institution in Pennsylvania than Joe Paterno.  Paterno and the Pope are pretty much equals in many people's eyes.

God help the children.

[actikid]

Jack Cafferty has more thoughts about huge institutions out of control

[actikid]

Another day, another $3,200,000 settlement

[actikid]

The basic problem with institutions: undeserved trust

[Ellrod]

$3.2 Million.

How many boys is Sandusky alleged to have assaulted? Times $3.2 million.

A drop in the bucket compared with what the Penn State football program brings in?

[actikid]

A drop in the bucket compared with what the Penn State football program brings in?

I don't know if they go through those calculations consciously, but these big institutions do believe they are invulnerable.

And it is not just the athletic programs, although they are probably the worst.  The "hallowed halls" concept is about 99% mythology these days.  Universities are big business.  They survive and thrive by perpetuating the idea that their diploma is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.  It is fundamentally no different than the telecomm oligopoly perpetuating the idea that basic wireless service should cost $150 a month.

Big U, like Big Jesus and Big Business, thrives because of the perpetuation of an emperor's new clothes phenomenon.  Universities are able to raise their tuition every year far in excess of the rate of inflation -- very much like the unchecked  health insurance oligopoly.  What do you get for your money?  In many cases, you get huge lecture halls taught by grad assistants who are barely more knowledgeable than the students themselves.  At the same time, the tenured professors may be spending the majority of their time consulting with corporations or taking research sabbaticals rather than actually teaching those paying the tuition.

But as corrupt as all of that may be in some institutions, I am not aware of a wave of pedophilia among history professors, for example.  It does seem that the sexual disorders are strongly correlated with a certain subset of the big institutions.

[mwpfoot]

I think this will end up bankrupting the athletic department there, if that is even possible given that it's a state institution etc. College football brings in a lot of money, true, but then that money is promptly spent on travel, coaching, administration, consultants, all of the other sports programs that a school carries, scholarships to justify the rest of it, etc. If liability can be assessed against PSU then something will have to give, big time.

 

[sly fox]

Can Penn State, as a state institution, be sued???

that might depend on PA law

no, I have no idea if it can be done.

sometimes you cannot sue the State at all, sometime you are limited in time/remedy when you sue the State.

[actikid]

sometimes you cannot sue the State at all,

That's what I was wondering.  I guess we do have some real separation of church and state after all because you can certainly sue a misbehaving church.

[actikid]

Another day, another child molester being protected by a big institution.

[SensitiveJohn]

Penn State should be closed down.  And, all those college students that went out and protested in favor of the enabler shouldn't be admitted to any other schools.

[Baron von Bone]

Penn State should be closed down.  And, all those college students that went out and protested in favor of the enabler shouldn't be admitted to any other schools.

What are you, nine or ten years old? Your sense of vengeance seems to know no restraint, and you seem to have no control at all over your reasoning when your feelings are even slightly aroused.

[SensitiveJohn]

Employers should stop hiring Penn State grads.  This would be a good way to show that society doesn't condone looking the other way when it comes to child abuse.

[actikid]

What are you, nine or ten years old? Your sense of vengeance seems to know no restraint, and you seem to have no control at all over your reasoning when your feelings are even slightly aroused.

Well, it might be somewhat hyperbolic but the basic sentiment.rings true.  There should be major consequences when a university essentially houses a child raping operation with the full knowledge of those in charge. And any nation that raises children who would celebrate such a thing is morally bankrupt. For the university to carry on with the games as if nothing happened is truly disgusting on every level..

[actikid]

Employers should stop hiring Penn State grads.  This would be a good way to show that society doesn't condone looking the other way when it comes to child abuse.

But it does.

[gpkimzey]

Employers should stop hiring Penn State grads.  This would be a good way to show that society doesn't condone looking the other way when it comes to child abuse.

No.  This would be a good way to punish people who went to an institution of higher learning in good faith, unaware that other less than savory things were occurring.