No We Can't Put it all Behind Us

Now that Jerry Sandusky has been found guilty on 45 of 48 counts of child sexual abuse, the calls (mostly from Penn State folk) are already coming in for "Okay let's put it all behind us and move on."   Let's forget all about it.   Let's focus our attention all on one person, call him a monster, and get on with what is really important-- college football of course.  Let's not examine ourselves as to how  we let  a football program became so important that people were willing to completely ignore what was really more obvious than people want to admit.  Let's not observe that while horrible and disgusting, we can understand why a pedophile (and possible sociopath as he seems to have no concept that he's done anything wrong) can do the horrible things he did, we seem to be less willing to examine why so called normal people became enablers of abusive behavior.  

No let's just move forward.  I'm always preaching about moving forward and getting our eyes off the past.  But in some cases moving forward just means ignoring what has happened in the past and not doing anything to make certain the future is any different. 

A hearing for former high-ranking Penn State administrators Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, facing perjury charges related to the case will come up in July. I wonder how much coverage that will get, or will we decide it's time to move on?  

The ugly truth is that there will always be child molesters.  So far there's been little to no success in changing them.  What we need is more protection for children, less access for molesters to children, fewer normal people willing to protect and enable them.  Even if it means putting football programs in jeopardy.   Even if it means giving up your privileged life as the wife of one.

Yes I'm going there.  I'm calling Dottie Sandusky to account.  I don't believe she had no clue.  I do not believe she is a victim.  She was prepared to testify against her own adopted child.   One of the responsibilities that comes with being in a country that granted, has some work yet to do with women's rights, but at least criminalizes men throwing acid on your face if they don't like how cook dinner is that white privileged women who have resources do not get a pass when it comes to offering up their and other women's children in order to keep their privileged position.  Those damaged children's lives are on her as well.  I'm not saying it would be easy for her to face the truth and do what she needed to do to protect those children.  Too effin bad.  Sometimes the price of getting to be a grown up independent equal citizen is that you are responsible for doing hard things.

So while I  see it is a very good thing that eight victims of a powerful influential man were believed, we still got some work to do.  And if that's what people mean by "moving forward", yes let's move forward.