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So if I think all the facts about Joe Paterno aren’t out, that makes me an apologist * for bin Laden*? Has this discussion jumped the shark yet?</p>
<p>Seahorse… your comment here got me thinking of my own kid and the bullying that he has had to endure over the years.
One time (2000), when he was 13 and attended an overnight camp for the first time, he was assaulted by 3 boys in his cabin with a broomstick. He had the notion they were going to do something, because he had already suffered taunting, but this felt scarier. He told the CIT to stay with him so he had protection. But it was breakfast time and the CIT left him there to defend himself. Because he was embarrassed, my son didn’t tell anyone about what happened until he told me when he was home. Instinctively, I notified the camp and pressed them to pull the boys from their Adventure camp they were on. (Just doing this took up almost 3 weeks). But, since I was so focused on my son’s state of mind, I didn’t press it further or notify the police. </p>
<p>I wonder how many others have been victims but just wanted to get on with their lives after something so dreadful?</p>
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<p>Yes, but it is somewhat complicated, although morally, it shouldn’t be, by the relationships. Sandusky was a friend of the GA’s dad. They had all known each other for years. And we don’t know just how close the relationship was, but it seems like
they were like family at that point.Their parents knew each other and the kids went to school together. I can see how the GA was so shocked that he was thrown, completely, by what he saw. Maybe instead of reacting with adrenalin and strength, he was sickened and felt like vomiting. We don’t know. Sandusky was also known to throw his weight around. Yeah, it was a cowardly thing to do- to leave without rescuing the child. I would hope no one in my family would run and think of themselves and their own safety before the abused victim, but until one is tested, we really don’t know, do we?</p>
<p>In Chicago one night, my roommate and I saw part of what appeared to be some kind of domestic altercation that had spilled out into the street. A man was threatening a woman who was running away/cowering from him. We yelled out the window that we were calling the police, and did so. He immediately ran away and she disappeared. I don’t know what happened in the long run. </p>
<p>Also in Chicago, I had a temp employee who came in one morning in an apparently psychotic state. Another temp employee came and reported it to me and my “partner.” (We were two paralegals running a large document coding project, with groups of temps stashed in various rooms around the multi-floor offices of the large law firm, located in the Sears Tower.) We went to investigate. The temp, a large, powerfully-built woman, was pacing back and forth talking to herself, red-faced. My partner left and went back to our office. She later said she had to think about what to do. It never occurred to me to leave the rest of our people alone with this woman, so I stayed and asked her to step outside for a moment. In the dark, secluded hallway, she continued to rant about her “visitors” and so forth, and made repeated motions towards my neck with both hands, accompanied by some threats towards me. She appeared to be narrowly restraining herself from strangling me. I no longer recall exactly what she said, but I do recall standing there almost paralyzed with fear. I tried to say something reassuring to her, and she suddenly broke off and ran. I followed in the direction she went, and spoke to the receptionist, who said that she had run out of the office to the elevator, screaming curses. I think I went back to my office at that point, encountering my partner. We decided to immediately go to one of the managing partners of the firm, which we did. His reaction was rather skeptical–Did he think I was making it up? Exaggerating? Interestingly, he seemed to believe it more when the receptionist told him what SHE witnessed. Says something about the power structure–but he took the stance that because she was no longer on our premises it wasn’t our problem. He said that we should NOT call the police, which was what I wanted to do. His desire was for us to drop it. I was intensely worried about a woman in this state roaming the streets, and called the temp agency to describe these events. I wanted them to know that a) we didn’t want her back again, but that b) she was obviously mentally ill and someone needed to check on her. (We did not have her address or phone number.) They were apparently only concerned that we might blame them and get our temps elsewhere. I called them back a couple of times over the next week. Eventually they cheerily reported that they had spoken to her on the phone, and she seemed fine. Presumably, she was back on her meds.</p>
<p>WHY did Sandusky have so much power???</p>
<p>Sandusky ran football camps for minors at Penn state sports facilities. He was told and he promised to never shower with boys. He was banned from other schools. He admitted to a mother sexual contact with her son. Yet he was allowed on Penn state property and in fact encouraged to work with boys.</p>
<p>For some to think mcweary lied about what he saw, he saw something and it wasn’t minor, he shared with his bosses, yes he failed as a man tondo the right and legal thing in 2002 and for that he should answer</p>
<p>Seems hunt wants to believe paterno over all the witnesses, the other evidence, and while claiming he was Penn state football and leader of that program, deny that henhad any idea what his staff, users of his facilities, where up to.</p>
<p>Peterno ran a program for high school athletes on campus, that makes him legally responsible to report, and I am sure that will come out.</p>
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<p>This is unbelievable. How many people participating in this discussion would accept this explanation for a 28 y/o GA not coming to your child’s aid while your child was being raped?</p>
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I think this is an important point. This wasn’t some stranger beating her dog. This was Uncle Jerry. And I’ve gotta say–even if McQueary should have intervened, or called the police himself, I think it’s really a distraction to talk about him too much. He’s a small fry in this situation–he reported it to the big fish, and I’m sure he trusted them to take care of it. (By the way, if this was all a big conspiracy to cover up Sandusky’s crimes, McQueary’s testimony wouldn’t have deviated from what Curley and Schultz told the grand jury in the first place. Or rather, if there is a conspiracy, McQueary, at least, isn’t in on it.)</p>
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Thanks for psychoanalyzing me–why should I be left out? I would prefer that you not mischaracterize what I’ve said, though.</p>
<p>Why would McQ lie? Why would he make up such terrible thing about a former and beloved coach?</p>
<p>I posted this in the Cafe thread…great article:</p>
<p>[The</a> shame of Penn State - Salon.com](<a href=“http://www.salon.com/2011/11/11/the_shame_of_penn_state/singleton/]The”>http://www.salon.com/2011/11/11/the_shame_of_penn_state/singleton/)</p>
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<p>Because he was one of the boys, and the boys protect their own. It’s the football culture - and its a tragedy that the football culture has taken over so many of our so-called educational institutions. Not as much of a tragedy as what happened to these innocent children, of course, but more widespread - at least as far as we know.</p>
<p>I was the one who stopped the mugging</p>
<p>I am a fifty year old woman, and it was eleven at night, and as driving up the hill home, I saw the mugging going on, I sped to the corner and blared my horn, screamed and kept honking. The three assailants ran and stopped attacking the man. As this was happening I called 911, then checked on victim, yelling out window I called the police, then i drove and saw muggers getting into their car, I then got back on the phone, called my home and told my mom the license plate and the car model and color. I knew I might ix up the plate and was in no position to write it down. I called 911 back with plate, a description of the muggers,the car, how many, etc. In then drove back to the crime scene. Spoke to a cop, and went home. </p>
<p>Besides trying to wrestle three muggers, i think getting them tomstop, following them, getting a plate and checking on victim was pretty darn good</p>
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<p>We haven’t heard any evidence. I think the totality of the circumstances gave the board little choice except to fire folks, but we have no proof of anything. We don’t even know everything the board considered when it came to the decision.</p>
<p>apologies nrsb, it was seahorse that witnessed the mugging, not you. This thread is flying so quickly that even when posts do go through m and don’t go into terminal 'spin", its hard to remember who said what.</p>
<p>And read what the GA said. He was shocked and distraught. Called his dad. dad told him to leave the building. Again, in hindsight not the best decision. But the grand jury found it credible. fascinating that many here don’t seem to offer the same courtesy. </p>
<p>I am NOT saying it was the RIGHT decision. But there are many issues at play. If some of the posters here witnessed their boss or director verbally blessing out the bosses wife, would they have acted the same way as they did with a total stranger? These are variable to consider that all weigh into decisions people make.</p>
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<p>Perhaps not, but read the Salon article linked in the post three before yours for what is probably pretty close.</p>
<p>Seahorserock, jym asked the question originally. I think it’s commendable what you did.</p>
<p>For McQueary to act against Sandusky created a tremendous risk that he would end up destroying his own career. Indeed, he decided that he had to act, and the result is probably that his own career will be destroyed. What will the next person in his position do?</p>
<p>…Seahorse, I think you exhibited admirable presence of mind.</p>
<p>Just one comment: thank you JHS and Hunt for your posts. They’re informative. They’re balanced. And they’re written from the perspective of LAWYERS. Your posts have given us an insight into possibly how attorneys in this case will look - and try it - in court of law.</p>
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One thing you learn if you ever litigate real cases is that the facts never line up as neatly as they do on TV courtroom dramas. Seemingly credible people with no motive to lie nevertheless tell inconsistent stories. People act in ways that seem not to make sense–and after investigation, they still don’t make sense. Different versions of the facts are self-serving. People misunderstand. They forget. They lie. People do things that seem obviously wrong to others, but seem right to them. And there’s always more to the story. When you have only some of the facts, there are multiple scenarios that might emerge if you have more of the facts. Some of them are more likely than others, of course–but it happens with some regularity that one of the more unlikely scenarios turns out to be the truth–more or less.</p>