Lightning Judgement

The Penn State child molestation case has taken ominous form: like a racing, ravenous beast it is quickly chewing up lives and reputations.

It was only a few days ago the story first broke, and now we have coach Joe Paterno and the school president both fired.

And nobody's had a single day before a judge and jury. Not the alleged perpetrator, not the school president, and not Mr. Paterno.

The trial will eventually take place, and we'll know the truth of this sordid and tragic nightmare, but the verdict will come after the de facto sentence for Coach Joe. Perhaps the information the Penn State Boad of Trustees has received is specific and convincing enough to take action, but they haven't told us a thing.

I guess in the court of public opinion, only an accusation is needed, if it's horrible enough and the people and institutions involved are newsworthy.

UPDATE:

The news now is a grand jury has produced a report which details the allegations against the alleged perpetrator. Paterno and the rest are in the hot seat for not reporting what they knew to the police as soon as they knew it. Ostensibly the reports are Paterno did nothing illegal (although others higher-up did), but failed on moral and ethical grounds.

Although the soon-to-be-defendant hasn't yet had a day in court (the alleged perp denies all charges), the consequences of his (alleged) actions continue to cascade and amplify outwards, affecting not just the victims (who have suffered enough), but dragging more and more people into the vortex. Some of the people who have been (or will be) punished for their involvement will deserve it. Certainly the defendant, if proved guilty, will. Others may to varying degrees. But a few won't. They will be crucified for peripheral sins, or by mere association, or for just being less-than-perfect humans at a time when perfection was expected (in hind sight).

UPDATE TWO:

Click here to access the ABC News link to the Grand Jury presentment

If even half of what is presented is proven in a court of law ... but I don't see where Paterno is legally cited for anything other than poor judgement. The brunt of the blame, other than to the truly sick perpetrator, goes to Paterno's bosses for apparently lying to the Grand Jury. Still, Coach Joe has retained a criminal defense lawyer as of Friday, November 11.

UPDATE THREE (Nov 17):

Penn State is circling the wagons as the lawsuit storms gather on the horizon. As some of the victims (I guess we must still say 'alleged' at this point) hire attorneys, everyone at Penn State seems to be getting lawyered up too. The Board of Trustees actions in firing the President and Coach Paterno (and others) begins to make more sense as a CYA attempt at damage control. But, a bit like putting up sandbags to hold back the Mississippi, the benefit is likely to be temporary.

Meanwhile, the principal character in all this, the alleged Perpetrator, does a phone interview with a network news program and all but damns himself while his lawyer was in the studio nodding approval. Is this the beginning of an insanity defense, as in 'May it Please the Court, my client is innocent since his mental age is less than that of the victims...'

The LAST WORD in this space regarding this travesty comes as an apology: it seems my use of the phrase 'Lightning Judgement' was completely incorrect. This mess has been simmering below the media surface for at least two years, so there is nothing 'Lightning' about it. Except perhaps the media reaction. (Where were all those reporters all the time the Grand Jury were deliberating? Why wasn't there any coverage?) And, it looks as if nobody in the chain of knowledge at Penn State is completely blameless in this. The failure of so many to do what is right may be all too human, but a huge shame nonetheless, and altogether too familiar to what we've seen and heard in the abuse cases brought against catholic priests over the past decade.