Protecting our children

I wanted to write this blog ever since the story broke on the accusation of abuse at the hands of  Jerry Sandusky.  While doing my research for this, I got more and more disturbed by what I found.  I ran across an article, written by Wayne Allyn Root I hope you will take the time to read. "What the Joe  Paterno scandal and the Penn State riots say about America"

It is very sad when you read the Grand Jury's findings, that many people knew of the abuse of these young children and nothing was done to stop it.  They were CHILDREN for goodness sakes.  It makes me wonder if we are doing enough to teach our children that it is NOT alright to be touched inappropriately.  It is NOT ok to feel uncomfortable around someone and not tell someone immediately.  Today with so many children having cell phones, children should be encouraged to call someone if they are uncomfortable and want to leave.  What happened to these Children is not their fault, it is the fault of those who did nothing.

What is happening here?  For years we have seen and heard reports of parents getting violent at sports games when they feel as though their child is being treated unfairly by the coach or the call of a referee.  Why do we allow sports to become that important in our lives.  So much so, that in this case, nothing was done because of the 800 games won by the coach, who, also makes, according to this article,  in 2009:

Penn State coach Joe Paterno is a millionaire. Records released Friday by the university show the 82-year-old Hall of Famer is Penn State's highest-paid employee, making more than $1.03 million last year.

Could it be that, according to this article:

According to a report by Forbes the Nittany Lions generated $70.2 million in revenue this past season and posted a profit of $50.4 million, more than any Big Ten school in both categories. Only Alabama and Georgia had higher totals in football revenue and profit than Penn State when comparing the Big Ten and SEC to each other.

Are sports so important that, according to this article:

 Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary will miss Saturday's game against Nebraska after the school said he received "multiple threats."

McQueary testified in a grand jury investigation that eventually led to child sex-abuse charges being filed against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. The ensuing scandal brought down longtime coach Joe Paterno, who was fired by the university on Wednesday amid growing criticism that he should have done more to stop the alleged abuse.

I know that I may anger some, but, this story and the affects on the lives of these, now, young men angers me.  These young men will have to live with this for the rest of their lives.  It is unfair to them, they did nothing wrong. I hope that reading the Grand Jury findings I posted earlier will help in teaching ourselves and our children that what happened here is not ok.  We need to protect our children and make sure that if something isn't right, report it.  Don't be afraid.  You may just save the torment that a child will go through by stepping up and making sure that situations like this does not occur and if it does, you have the power to stop it.

 

I have great respect for Mike McQueary.  He stepped up and spoke out.  He possibly stopped many more children from being abused by Jerry Sandusky.  I applaud him for standing up for what is right.  He should not be the one receiving death threats.  No one should.  At least he had the courage to do what was right.

My hope and prayer is that these young men realize that they will survive this.  They can make a difference.  It will be a long road for them, but, I hope they know that many people stand with them and support them, even if we don't know them.