Be Reasonable and be Consistent in the 'Cry' for Justice

It is irrefutable that Penn State University's administrative hierarchy conspired to 'cover-up' the multi-years of assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky's pediphilic activities. As the firestorm rages over the unconscionable failure of highly educated leaders to respond to protect vulnerable young boys, many are calling for the dismantling of the Penn State football program; as one USA Today columnist suggested: "Shut it down---right now!" It would seem that some people believe that the Penn State broken 'moral compass' is tied directly to a sport philosophy.

Before running off half-cocked attacking America's cultural institutional ideas, philosophies and programs, should we not step back and look at the entire social and cultural spectrum? Two other revered institutions, the Roman Catholic Church and Boy Scouts of America can and should be compared to the Penn State University tarnished events and subsequent cover-ups of sexual abuse by pedophiles. The Catholic Church leadership covered-up the molestation perpetuated by six thousand priests upon sixteen thousand young boys from the 1950's until 2002. In 2010, an Oregon jury awarded a man 18 million dollars after a sexual abuse cover-up involving a young Boy Scout some years earlier. After reading extensively the accounts of each case, I never once read or heard anyone calling for the disbandment of Catholic Church programs or activities nor the discontinuation of programs offered by the Boy Scouts of America.

A local newspaper editor recently possed the question, "How can you celebrate football at Penn State in the fall of 2012? I would answer his question suggesting: The good athletes, student and fans of Penn State should embrace their programs just as the good Catholic celebrates mass and the young scout anticipates the weekend camping experience. The historical, well-documented good done by Penn State University, the Roman Catholic Church and the Boy Scounts of America is unquestionable and certainly unimpeachable! Our disdain and castigation should be directed towards those who failed in leadership responsibility and the caretaking accountability.