To Penn Staters and fans of Joe Pa

The Penn State issue is blowing up before our very eyes....

I blogged about this the other day, and felt the urge to elaborate tonight.  As I lay in bed watching the press conference in which a board member announced the school's president and lengendary coach Paterno were fired, I said to Dave "We are totally witnessing history here.  So crazy..."

And that's the fact here- we are witnessing history.  No matter how you slice it, even if you're not a fan of sports (like me), we can all agree that Paterno was an amazing coach. 

But tell me--- if he was a shitty coach, would Penn Staters- current students and alumni alike- be rallying behind him?  This is yet another example of heroic sports heroes getting a pass on something horrific because of the amount of trophies (which = $$$) they bring in.  (Don't worry, I'm not going to bring up the question "If Mike Vick was a shitty quarterback, would Eagles fans be throwing up their forgiveness? again...)  (Or did I?).

But listen- I see these college kids rallying outside Paterno's house, I've been watching their status updates and tweets all day in my feeds while I almost painfully hold back my spitfire criticism in response---- because I pity them.  Part of it is because I hopped around to so many schools getting my degree that I didn't really have a college allegience.  But a bigger part of me knows it's because when I was 19 years old, I believed in alot of things that are now nowhere on my radar of importance.  These kids are watching their school, their home, for many their first tastes of freedom and independent thinking- blow up before their very eyes.  They're sitting in dorm rooms and sorority house common rooms and cute little apartments and local bars lamenting the loss of their legend.  That's normal for them- this is what is important to them right now at this time in their lives.  But someday, many of you Penn State college students will have children, or love a child, and a lightbulb will turn on in your brain, and you'll get it.

Don't worry, Penn Staters--- YOU ARE not this scandal.  YOU ARE not just Joe Paterno's football fans.  YOU ARE not just Penn State. 

BUT most importantly, (and hopefully) YOU ARE not the victim of the heinous crimes we are talking about here.  YOU ARE not that child who was being anally raped by a trusted football coach in a reputable college's locker room, that child who looked out in fear at the grad student who saw you bent over--- that child who probably thought at that moment "Thank you, sweet lord, for sending this angel who will save me from this man."  That child who was never saved.

The safety of children is always more important than football.  Inaction is often the worst action- that's what was done for all these years.  That's why Joe's gotta go.