Penn State. Up close.

Poll Dancing
GET OUT AND VOTE

Alumni trustee positions are up for grabs. It seems as though there are quite a few qualified candidates, so I encourage y'all to exercise your right to be heard at the polls. It is no secret that I favor replacing any and all trustees that played a part in the Sept., 2011 decisions and the subsequent atrocities.

I was going to have one of my daughters or sons write a letter to the editor,

but Joel Myers beat me to it.

It has been a while, so try to bear with me.

HUMANIZING, PART 1:
Over the past 2-plus years, I've made it a point to go to several "March for Truth" and/or "Under Further Review" events, meet-and-greets for trustee candidates (Doran, McCombie, Oldsey, Brown), lunches, dinners and several casual get-togethers with the Blehars, Masellas, Ryan Bagwell, Ben Novak, John Zeigler, Franco Harris, Bob Tribeck, Eileen Morgan, Anthony Lubrano and others. Sometimes just a handshake, sometimes more.
I've had a chance to sit and chat with some people who know my Twitter handle or read this blog, but I generally find myself apologizing for not walking around introducing myself at most events. I'm not very good at "working the room." It's not that I'm anti-social, it's mostly because I'm vocally handicapped (crushed vocal chords, talk in a whisper) and I don't wake up in the morning thinking people are dying to meet me. I've seen and met people who have traveled considerable distances to attend these events and volunteers/groups who work exceedingly hard to support them.
The point is this:
I like to see people in person just to satisfy my curiosity. There's body language, voice inflection, interactions with others that transcend the written word...and even staged broadcasts. There's a dedication and better sense of purpose to observe. I know, I know, it's old fashioned, but I like to look people in the eye. Much better than tapping "like" on a keyboard. There are a lot of people out there in front of LCD screens, pounding those keyboards, "telling it like it is"... that don't show up in real life...and they don't actually know "how it is."
The MAIN point is this:
I'm not an attorney, nor a legal analyst, nor a movie producer. Whether they fight with each or not, if it weren't for people like Blehar, Bagwell, Zeigler, Morgan, Harris, etc....and groups like PS4RS...none of the rest of us would have had much to talk about for the last 2+ years.

HUMANIZING, PART 2:
It's not exactly a secret that I grew up here, I live here, I work here...and I know a lot of people in this story...attorneys, judges, witnesses, defendants, trustees, current and former administrators, athletes, coaches, trainers, editors and reporters. Some are personal friends, some family friends, some acquaintances. Some of us go back decades, some more than 50 years. I know their families and they know mine. We've been on the same teams (maybe different years) at PSU and the same lettermen's club...from the same high school, even. Our children grew up together, and in some cases, our grandchildren.
I have seen the damage up close.
The point is this:
It would appear that I am uniquely qualified to have an opinion on everything.
But, it's not that simple. I've been in this business for so long that I know much of what I would say would be dismissed as biased, so why bother. It is more useful for me to make observations, show support, eliminate noise and maintain focus on constitutional rights. It is easy for me to disregard 95% of what I hear and read. I concentrate on facts and what key people have said or done that is a matter of public record. Then I spread a little sarcasm on the whole mess and put it out there.
The MAIN point is this:
There is a significant difference between showing support and making an empirical decision as to one's guilt or innocence. I don't try to convince people of anything, convert them, change their minds or God forbid, think like I do. On the other hand, a lot of other people seem to have all the answers. They are certain. I have spent over 2 years reading articles/opinions written by people that I'm not sure they've ever met the people they are writing about. I'm not sure they've ever been to Happy Valley or even set foot on Penn State's campus.
How is that possible?
I made this test almost a year ago. Anyone is free to compare notes:
Rate your reactionary investment and knowledge in all things Penn State:
http://rantkingdom.blogspot.com/2013/06/all-things-penn-state.html

IN THE MEANTIME

There are a handful of things that have happened that I believe are worth a mention:

1. (paraphrasing)  A judge ruled that "the crime is the access to children, not the location of the act(s)."
2. (paraphrasing) A legal precedent has been set with regard to a "supervisor's" responsibility for the action of others.
3. There is more traction over in the Paterno+ vs. NCAA lawsuit.
4. ABC released the complete 2-hour interview with Graham Spanier.
5. Spanier vs. Freeh is still heating up
6. Ryan Bagwell's RTK efforts continue to let the "sun shine in."

QUESTION: If Joe Paterno had not been dragged into this and the NCAA never imposed football sanctions, how long and how hard do you believe people would have fought for the rights of Spanier, Curley and Schultz?

QUESTION: Anthony Lubrano has been about as outspoken as one person can be, and yet, there have been no fundamental changes in the PSUBOT governance. What comes after replacing all the elected alumni seats?

SNIPPETS 

-- PATERNO:
I agree with those who are fed up with everyone using the Paterno name as a personal platform.
-- SURMA:
Barry Bozeman and Barbara Doran have both addressed a tragic story.

-- Pontificate: is there a better word to describe a lot of commentary directed at today's student population?: (1) AARP gone wild? (2) I have never found it difficult to bridge the age gap if I stick to fundamental rights (due process, freedom of speech, Bill of Rights, Constitution, etc.) that apply to all of us.(3) If a student refers to me as an old, white-haired, cranky alumnus...I have to concede to accuracy. (4) Bottom line - if the Faculty Senate can't measure up with a vote of no confidence, I don't know what people expect from 18-22yr. old students. (5) The adjectives and slurs aimed at different groups of Penn State students has been insufferable, but, once again, it reflects more on the speaker(s) and I do defend Freedom of Speech. If that's what gets you through the day.

-- Twitter and Facebook: comments sometimes resemble a Tourettes convention.
-- Passion: a word too often used to justify reprehensible behavior.
-- Culture: liberal use of this word to describe a situation quite often means nobody has a factual argument to bring to the table, so a generic, blanket indictment invokes a pointless, heated debate...like a farting contest. Nobody wins and all that's left is a bad smell.

-- We have apparently survived several football seasons, coaching changes, Sweet Caroline resurrection, the Grand Marshall snit, 679 motions/appeals/rulings, etc...you know, all the important stuff.
-- Matt Sandusky got rich. Corbett is still Governor. Freeh keeps getting hired. Emmert is still NCAA prez. Masser is still PSUBOT prez. It's like a Prozac commercial.
-- Tribeck doesn't get much acknowledgement, but I like the cut of his jib.
-- Al Clemens got it right.
-- Everything has been Fina-lized.
-- The Kane mutiny.
-- I have yet to see "365 Days." Probably because I don't know what the Amish have to do with any

of this.

-- I'm prepping my own movie. Working title is "21,900 Days."
-- I have not seen "Happy Valley." I don't plan to. Pricks.
-- Rodney Erickson ordered a bouquet of Forget-Me-Nots.
-- Penn State's Ag Extension has not gone to the dogs...it has gone to the ponies.
-- Cynthia Baldwin is queen for a day (if you don't understand this, go to timeout).
-- People will get popcorn and drinks and settle in for a 2-hour HBO special where a serial killer will regale you with detailed accounts of all the atrocities he committed. BUT, only hushed tones and agony prevail when someone tries to shed light on pedophilia.
-- Why would anyone want to be on the PSUBOT? - and don't say "to make a difference."
-- All the accolades heaped upon Penn State...have nothing to do with the BOT.
-- What's the over/under on discovery? 18 months?
-- Thornburgh went on TV to support the Paternos. Then he endorsed Corbett for another term. So, there's that.
-- Rominger. That is all.
-- Jay Paterno ran for Lt. Governor. Tom Corbett ran for cover. Joel Myers ran at the mouth.
None of it went well.
-- 10 PSU student trustee positions were approved by the BOT and they were immediately appointed to the "Who Wants Coffee? Committee." along with all the alumni elected trustees. Their first official act was to hire a consultant. Juan Valdez.
-- McQueary's idea of a "selfie" is a bit different than the rest of ours.
-- According to the vetting process at ESPN, McQueary was abducted by aliens. We know this because he said so. He confessed to it at an "emotionally charged" meeting of Gamblers Anonymous...and then he cried. I may need to confirm all this with Van Natta.

Which brings us to:

I have spared no expense to create the following graphic.

Note the attention to detail.

I was going to do one for Freeh and Baldwin, but, as it turns out, they're exactly the same.

Sticking with the basics

The original charges in the presentment were centered on the credibility of Mike McQueary. More charges were issued following the Freeh Report. Then we have Cynthia Baldwin.
I really don't think you could convict someone of loitering with these 3 as witnesses. Period.
It's called REASONABLE DOUBT. You know, the bedrock of due process.

The Sad Truth

No matter how this turns out in a court of law, I will never forget how easily an entire Board of Trustees and a nation will condemn and turn their backs on 4 men of character with impeccable reputations, based on outrageous accusations (that's what a presentment is, folks). Showing support for these men would have had nothing to do with guilt or innocence, it had a lot to do with integrity and respect for the system. It is one thing to be outraged at how things are managed or mismanaged, but, goddammit, there's a line in the sand if you are going to accuse someone of being a pedophile or people who would knowingly protect or enable one. If the system is broke, fix the system. We are all responsible for the welfare of children, and to claim that 4 people are less inclined to do so is patently absurd. For people to say they would have done this...or would have done that, that's horseshit and everybody knows it. You can't know what you would have done, because you weren't there. Even the people who were there don't seem to know what happened. It has become painfully obvious that arresting and convicting people of these crimes is a procedural nightmare. Hopefully, the experts can figure it out.

LASTLY
People can piss and moan and hurl insults all day long. I don't really care. I can find the little nuggets of effort that contribute to a solution.
It is easy to get sidetracked with all the issues and personalities surrounding this story. That's why I choose to concentrate on Constitutional Rights.
When writing opinion, I know that facts are not required and I could be wrong about anything I've written. Sometimes, you just go with your gut.

FREE SPEECH. DUE PROCESS.

We Are.