Penn State trustees - Hiding in Plain Sight

We need to play fair.

There are so many people getting so-o-o-o-o much press...it just doesn't seem right that anyone should have to suffer from group anonymity. We talk about the Penn State Board of Trustees as though it is this singular thing. But no, grasshopper...there are many individuals that deserve recognition for the role(s) they have played in this neverending melodrama. We need to fix that.

I can't get a roll call. They insist on this unanimous thing. So be it.

I give you:

Exhibit A - Betsy E. Huber

We could do this like those "employee of the week" posters back in the breakroom, but one way or another, EVERYONE needs credit for their accomplishments.

Now, I know next to nothing about Betsy E. Huber. But, I know this much - she is responsible for firing Joe Paterno, forcing the resignation of Graham Spanier, hiring Erickson, firing Sherburne, hiring Joyner, hiring Louis Freeh, accepting the Freeh Report, accepting the NCAA sanctions, paying Mitchell and encouraging civil suit settlements without the benefit of due process...for starters. Her name will forever be linked to these historical events. THAT'S POLICY.

Does it even matter if a trustee has voting priveleges? Emeritus status? Where's the discussion? Voice of dissent? What, exactly, are they there for?

Every time the media mentions the Penn State Board of Trustees, I recommend that ALL the members names be included. No sitting in the shadows. If you didn't like what was going on, you should have spoken up. EVERYONE needs to be held accountable. Why should everyone else get all the press? Photos and bios are helpful. Maybe a plaque to commemorate all their good deeds?

And here they are:

Steve Garban, Rodney Erickson, James Broadhurst, Michael DiBerardinis, Kenneth Frazier, Edward Hintz, Keith Masser, Linda Strumpf, John Surma, Tom Corbett, Richard Allan, Ronald Tomalis, Alvin Clemens, Mark Dambly, Peter Khoury, Ira Lubert, Paul Silvis, Marianne Alexander, H. Jesse Arnelle, Stephanie Deviney, David Jones, Joel Myers, Anne Riley, Paul Suhey, Keith Eckel, Samuel Hayes, Barron Hetherington, Betsy Huber, Carl Shaffer, Karen Peetz

      http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/01/penn_states_board_of_trustees_1.html

*I'm not sure I have all the names right, considering the sequence of events for the last 15-16 months, but the overall point remains the same. If there is a name missing, or one that should be deleted, I will be happy make correction(s).

Question: Who on the Penn State Board of Trustees said:

• "Wait a minute. We need more time to evaluate the situation."
• "Excuse me...we're firing who?"
• "I'm not voting at this time."
• "Have you lost your freaking minds???"
• "If this is way we do things, I resign."

Answer: Nobody

You like irony? Sure you do.
Try this:
There is nobody on the Penn State Board of Trustees who is qualified to be the president of a university. They don't have the skillset or academic credentials. And yet, these are the people that decided Graham Spanier lost institutional control (within 48 hours), hired Erickson...and will choose his sucessor. Swell.

SNIPPETS

--The trials for Spanier, Curley and Schultz have been moved to The Twelfth of Never.

--According to the prevailing logic, if Sandusky had been a former trombone player, we would have spent the last 15 months skewering the Blue Band.
--Watching Corbett, Corman and Emmert fight over PSU sanction money is pretty close to watching hookers fight over a street corner. Besides, Corbett's and Corman's history with The Second Mile kinda bothers me.
--Spanier was not the only magician at Penn State. Peetz, Surma, Corbett and Frazier made ethics disappear.
--Frazier confuses being arrogant and condescending with being tough...something he can't quite pull off.
--Surma has set his own timetable for departure from this debacle and will go unscathed. I can't describe how much that pisses me off.
--In one video, Peetz actually used the word "superlatives" incorrectly...made me laugh, but there's nothing really funny about that woman.
--I cannot keep track of where the money is coming from to pay for all this. We have these mysterious piles of cash lying around, apparently.
--It's probably just me, but the time to bitch about the NCAA sanctions was before we accepted them.
--It's probably just me, but the time to bitch about the Freeh Report was when he published it.
--It's probably just me, but the time for outrage was November 8, 2011.
--BREAKING NEWS!: Insurance companies don't want to pay out.
--It seems as though the Penn State chapter of the Ron Musselman Fan Club has merged with the Dan Wetzel and Desmond Howard chapters.
--It's probably just me, but isn't it kinda stupid for Myers and others to say "the NCAA was wrong and should admit it," when they all agreed to it (backing Erickson)?
--If legislators really wanted to do something meaningful, they would (1) clean up the government agencies and procedures related to child abuse and (2) restrict/ban the use of grand jury presentments in their current form.
--In reality, would any of these people be backpeddling and questioning the Freeh Report if it weren't for the professional analysis of Ray Blehar and the Paterno family (see Paterno.com)?

--For what it's worth, anyone who is a coach, I refer to as "coach." Always have.
--Former PSU president Bryce Jordan had to learn from his wife that he was still on the board of The Second Mile...22 years after his retirement. Is that a Raykovitz thing or not?
--There seems to be a legitimate case for this: Linda Kelly commited "prosecutorial misconduct" with false information in her presentment.
--Thanks to the efforts of the Penn State Board of Trustees, there are no unemployed attorneys.
--Murder, arson and domestic violence just doesn't seem to turn heads like it used to (re: Matt Sandusky/Heichel family).
--Notice how little I write about football and sanctions? I'll let you know when I think this is about football.
--I see Mitchell got his first $million from us. I was concerned.

 

Worthwhile links. Maybe you've seen/heard/read them. Maybe not.
 

"The scandal surrounding ex-football coach Jerry Sandusky and others at Pennsylvania State University is casting a spotlight on a distinctive part of the state's criminal-justice system.

In the federal system and most states that use the grand-jury system, grand juries typically unveil their criminal allegations against someone in an indictment or a criminal complaint. Such documents are usually tersely worded and can run as few as three or four pages, stating only the most essential factual allegations. They also often use initials or pseudonyms to protect people who aren't criminally charged.
But Pennsylvania is one of a handful of states in which grand juries occasionally issue a "presentment," or report, to convey their findings. Presentments, including the one this month in the Penn State case, read as narratives rather than a set of allegations that must be proved in court.
The use of presentments was common in the early part of the century but is now infrequent in many states and extremely rare in the federal system. When they are used, they often try to point out widespread or systemic failings within an institution—not to single out individual wrongdoing."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204517204577042491094936470.html

"The Board absolutely adores seeing things differently from everyone else—and thinking that they alone understand what is going on."

http://www.bennovak.net/2012/04/whats-up-with-the-board/
 

"In reality, the PSU officials’ behavior suggests that they had absolutely no idea

Sandusky was ever a pedophile."

http://notpsu.blogspot.com/2013/02/did-penn-state-officials-know-jerry.html
 

Corbett-remember the ten-year-old:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnNfGo5_tfk
 

BOT contradictions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPL0NMixmxc
 

Lubrano comes as close as anyone to voicing my sentiments...in this interview:
http://wrscfm.com/content/morning-guys-kevin-and-jeff/post/anthony-lubrano-interview

 

"It’s possible that the social norms in this brave new domain will change once more — with users shunning meanspirited attacks from posters hiding behind pseudonyms and cultivating civil debate instead.

Until then, beware the nasty effect."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/03/opinion/sunday/this-story-stinks.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0

FINALLY

I try to keep up with Blehar, Zeigler, Bozeman, Morgan and others at PS4RS, Freedom Fighters, Framing Paterno, Paterno.com, etc...and similar people/groups that show the tenacity and resourcefulness to support due process, PSU governance issues...and especially, the victims.

I know that some people are tired of hearing about the Freeh Report, but it goes to the heart of the matter. It takes a lot of staying power to right a wrong.

"Truthers" - welcome to losing your personal identity courtesy of the media's penchant for pigeon-holing like-minded people with a label. According to most national columnists, you are now incapable of independent thought. To make matters worse, take a look at Twitter. All it takes is one schizophrenic nutcase, with a sprinkle of Tourettes...to have his/her obscenities assigned to your group. Of course, I'm talking about "journalists" who use Twitter as a source. I'm fortunate that I can support a group and still be the lone wolf, loose cannon my mother always said I was.

It transcends incompetence. I cannot shake the overwhelming sense of betrayal exhibited by the Board of Trustees. There have been times when I want to be wrong about them, but the facts just keep getting in the way. It's one thing for the Emmerts and Freehs of the world to do what they did...and the media. But, when your own family turns on you, abandons you and does exactly the opposite of what this place stands for...it is unforgivable.

*I hope the links work. I haven't used them before.
 

Penn State / Paterno / The Rest of Us

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST...revisited.

They fired a coach without due process. They forced the president to resign...because he wouldn't fire the coach and supported his co-workers. They abandoned their administrators. They fired Sherburne. Hired Erickson. Hired Joyner. Hired Edelman. Removed names. Removed a statue. They plead guilty to everything imaginable. Hired Freeh. Accepted his report. Accepted NCAA sanctions. Hired Mitchell. Hired a civil suit attorney from 9/11....

There is a perfectly good reason for the Penn State Board of Trustees to have done all this:

Most of them are idiots.

Now, snicker if you must.
However, if your nostrils are aflarin' and your cheeks are starting to pucker, consider this - I only have so many choices available to reconcile their abysmal track record. I really don't subscribe to the darkside, so I went for the easier, softer way. Now, I think we can all agree that I'm not exactly a lightning rod for intellectuals, so my critics could say "well, it takes one to know one."
Ironically, though, that would validate my point.
Checkmate.
Being wealthy and/or powerful doesn't make you the smartest person in the room. But, it does make you dangerous. I have written about many of the people involved in previous posts, so I'm not going to repeat it all...they are all still there. It's like a nightmare that never ends. Jesus.
If we're gonna repaint a room, first we need to scrape off all the old shit.

Nothing has changed.
Look around. Of the 31 people responsible for this nightmare, 28 are still on the board. They've just been playing musical chairs. Corbett is still governor. Surma is still there. Peetz is still there...chriminy, they are all still there. Masser is the chair, for chrissakes.
Nothing has changed.
Look, we can get as mad as we like at people like Freeh and Emmert, but the fact is, Freeh could have concluded this was the work of aliens or a band of gypsys...it doesn't matter. Men like Freeh and Emmert have seemingly no redeemable qualities...so, what does that say about the people that seek them out? The Board of Trustees accepted the Freeh Report* and acted upon it, like it was the Holy Grail....and so did Linda Kelly (it was the impetus for more charges against Curley and Schultz, and an indictment against Spanier...and Paterno, had he been alive). But most of all, the media ate it up.
*Look, I don't care if it's "accepted" or "approved" or "after the fact" with regard to Freeh's hire or Erickson's signing of the consent decree. The BOT is the group that grants the power to do so. AND, they are cornered with their "all things unanimous" policy.

Freeh most likely doesn't concern himself with slandering people in public or getting sued...if he is acting as an instrument of and representing Penn State's Board of Trustees. THERE'S a bunch of lawsuits just waiting to happen.

The Paternos.

It's now time for Clash of the Titans. It's not which report came out first. We'll see who gets in the last word. Most importantly, one does not have to be a member of the lettermen's club to have a say, or have a stake in the outcome...that will play out in a much larger venue than Beaver Stadium.
Step away from football for a second: I have had the benefit of 60 years of positive influence from a man, a school and a community. That's a debt I will never be able to repay. People need to go to Paterno.com and actually read the reports written by experts. It's not a question of critiquing their work, it is required for educational purposes. They contain...FACTS.

Can you keep a secret?
Tom Corbett can. He even has a secret handshake. He likes grand juries...they're secret. He likes priveleged relationships...they're secret. He likes ongoing investigations...they're secret. He likes confidential meetings with PSU lettermen...they're secret. He likes civil suits, because non-disclosures are...secret. But, most of all, he REALLY likes being a PSU trustee...because everything they do is a secret.
But unanimously, of course.

This is all you need to know:

PRESENTMENT.    BOT.    FREEH.

Tom Corbett was the major player in all three.

Gricar/Corbett/Kelly
Let's review. This entire saga is predicated on what some people did or did not see, say or did not say, in 1998, 2001, 2002....well, pick a year.
After 13-14 years, 3 AGs and a grand jury, countless investigations and testimony, Tom Corbett would have us believe this was a major victory...45 COUNTS!
Prosecutors just LOVE counts.
The last time I looked, they managed to put away one old man. ONE.
Let's use the County Fair analogy, Tom. If you eat ONE ear of corn, you do not get credit for 247 kernels. Just ONE ear, Tom. ONE.

And, you could have ended this a long time ago.

We'll see what Kane has to say about that.

It's getting ugly over on Twitter...or, as I call it, The Anonymous Fight Club.

This is where people go to throw short jabs and wear masks. The land of RTs and "Favorites."
I have 544 "followers," which is equal to, or less than, the number of people at a grand opening for Ben and Jerry's. Check your I.Q. at the door and hope for the best. My stats:
Total followers: 544...of those, here's the breakdown:

• Salespeople: 365
• Poledancers: 38
• Trolls: 107
• People who use their real name: 29 (not to be confused with @bert vs. @therealbert)

When I post something important, at least 17 people form a wave.
OK, OK, I'm poking fun...but, really. Like any other resource, if you can avoid getting sucked in to the vitriol and passion that can be expressed in 140 keystrokes, there are plenty of good people out there...and they provide links to articles and information of merit on many subjects. If you can locate people like: Zeigler, Slaten, Rubin, Blehar, Morgan, etc., and the groups they are affiliated with, I believe it would be time well spent...they are putting in a lot of time and hard work that is grounded in common sense, logic and facts. You can say you owe it to Twitter...like me. 

SNIPPETS
- Jake Corman is "outraged."
Well, do tell. According to my calendar, he's about 15 months too late and I'm not impressed. It's like taking a swing after the ball is in the catcher's mitt. This is the same guy who sued the NCAA or sponsored a bill "to keep the fine money in PA." Think about that. He accepts the Freeh report and Emmert's sanctions and fines...he just. wants. the. money. And, besides, he was on the board of The Second Mile...so, there's that.

 - If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we make it Louis Freeh?...or Tom Corbett?...or Mark Emmert?...just askin'.

- THON - remember when it was just the right thing to do? Now, we have to brag about it?
- 2nd Mile - I have no compassion for people who profit from charities. On the other hand, over a period of 30 years, I would believe that thousands of kids were helped by thousands of adults who had their hearts in the right place...donating their time and money. It's just sad.
- Sherburne - I always ask...nobody answers.
- Matt Sandusky - someday. someday.
- Mitchell shows up every so often to collect his bag 'o cash and tell us what good little boys and girls we are.
- Kevin Slaten - is back on the radio. He stuck his neck out when it wasn't the thing to do.
- Greg Buttle - a kindred spirit who knows the proper use of the word "cabal."
- Ryan Bagwell - he has been trying to get BOT documentation on contracts, etc., exercising Right to Know options...and getting constantly stonewalled. (I think this is right...correct me if I'm wrong).
- Al Clemens - broke away from the BOT pack. Good for him.
- Phil Knight - sacrificed a friendship for business and PR. As far as I'm concerned, he burned that bridge. He turned his back on Paterno for the greater good of Nike and that's all I need to know about the man.
- McCombie - gets little or no credit for being the first to sue the NCAA (he was asked to put it on hold) and the only trustee to invoke the due process standard to shelve a vote to remove Schultz's name from it's center. Stand-up guy from day one.
- Taliaferro - crossed over. Junior partners in a law firm do what they're told...AND he went to the Corbett compound as part of the confidential lettermen gathering...on the anniversary of Paterno's death. Now, he wants us all to consider the Paterno "rebuttal" and claims the BOT did not actually accept the Freeh Report.
- Lubrano - marches to the beat of his own drummer and he's a calming influence. He says Freeh's bill was/is closer to $12million...but who's counting?
- Victim video - I heard this announcement from one of the attorneys, and once again, I am at a loss for words. - Speaking of victims...other than trotting in a few celebrity speakers every now and then, I never hear much about what's actually being done...for them...and I don't mean civil suits. - Mainstream media has entered the "oops" phase.

- PSU Football - college football will always survive, because, like Wall Street, it's too big to fail.

- There is a disconnect with today's student body because most of the people involved in this fiasco still think Chippendales has something to do with furniture.

FINALLY

1. Based on what we've learned, there seems to be a systematic maze that has reporting procedures, confidentiality issues, minors' rights, agency requirements, legal ramifications and law enforcement restrictions that make these crimes a nightmare to charge, let alone prosecute. Then, there's the victims' ages, "grooming" issues, dysfunctional backgrounds and the insiduous nature of the crimes themselves. We can be as informed as possible and know all the "red flags," but that seems useless if the state and state agencies do not have laws and procedures that are enforcible. Once again, there's no accountability....which brings us to:

UNLESS YOU ARE A FOOTBALL COACH OR ADMINISTRATOR AT PENN STATE.

That smell is not coming from the cow barns.

2. Everyone, including me, is excited to see the Paterno family enter the fray. They have the power and presence to make an impact, where the rest of us cannot. But, I will not hesitate to remind everybody that there are 3 other respected members of the community awaiting trial...and this is not a popularity contest.

SPANIER. CURLEY. SCHULTZ.

They are entitled to the same courtesy and rights.

DUE PROCESS. BILL OF RIGHTS. THE CONSTITUTION.

Once again, these are my rights and these are your rights. Make it work.

I need 10,000 followers and a bigger stick.

It's not always about Sandusky

I just made a recent, terrible discovery regarding this Sandusky business.

After endless hours of reading, fact-checking, corresponding, comparing notes and examining evidence (or lack thereof)...apparently, all I had to do was ask ESPN basketball commentator Jay Bilas. He has all the answers. There's a year-and-a-half shot to hell. Sumbitch.
ESPN, home to Mark Schwarz and Van Valkenburg. Champions of Ray Lewis and Jim Boeheim.

I quit.

"Sometimes you just need to know when to fold 'em."

"There so many people, screwing up in so many different ways, I don't even know where to start."

If these thoughts cross your mind, you are not alone. But, you should never quit.
My problem is I'm a half-Irish, half-Italian, college-educated hillbilly...and I'm either too old or too stupid to walk away from a fight. If I can help, I will share how I manage to break things down into managable parts. I've tried to make it clear that, given my background, I actually allow for the fact that people may claim I'm biased. I'm OK with that. I try to concentrate on asking reasonable questions, defering to experts on particular subjects...and defending people's rights and due process..

Things I've learned

- Presentments should be banned. *See my previous posts.
- The Freeh Report was presentment#2
- Victims: everyone who says "what about the victims?" is correct.
- $60 million: this is nothing to Penn State. It won't cover the salary of a utility MLB infielder. And the worst part is, victims won't see a penny of it. We'll pay the NCAA, the task force and then what?...more telephones for hotlines, bigger web sites? Maybe construct some office buildings? Print brochures? Buy TV advertising? Jobs for therapists/psychologists/psychiatrists/attorneys? You could give $25,000 to 2000 different victims and have $10million left over for Emmert's yacht collection...and I could at least say most of it went to actual victims. BTW - I have seen the financials for RAINN and I don't get it. There are hot dog stands with bigger budgets than that and I don't understand paybacks to the founder and attorneys' fees. I'm not casting stones...I'm willing to be educated. The people who have made the most lasting impression with me seem to be the "Adult Survivors" group. They had some meaningful press over on HuffPost. I have no idea what happened to Fisher's group, the high school administrators, CPW, DPS, etc. Zero press coverage since their demonstration.

Things/people I can't/won't do anything about

- NCAA: a class action or anti-trust suit just going someplace to happen. Clinging to college basketball and the Big Dance as it prepares to fold and surrender college football to ESPN. We made our bed with these people and the BIG(fill-in-a-number-here) conference.
- ESPN: owners of college football. Those who say we are headed for 4 mega-conferences and a playoff system are probably right.
- Freeh: recently voted "Mr. America" by the Cayman Islands...or something like that. If the reports are true, this man has the worst record in the history of the American justice system.
- The price of tea in China.
- O'Brien: I like this guy. Whether he goes or stays...I don't really care and I'm not going to be mad if he does. PSU is going to have to adjust to what it is like everywhere else. Loyalty is not a factor and it's not personal. If someone waves $10million and a lifetime of security for you and your family in your face, you will be obligated to chew on that a little...maybe a lot. If he/we go 4-8 next year and our coliseum falls short on Romans, the fanbase will encourage him to move on. It's the way it is...get used to it.
- Erickson: I don't hate the guy. He's just the Peter Griffin of college presidents.
- Baldwin: I wrote about her a year ago...got zero replies.
- Emmert: He did not invent the expression "arrogant, money-grubbing prick." He embodies it.
- Red Sox, Montana, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Ohio State.........: It would be nice if there was some parity in the coverage/punishment levels of these issues. A level playing field, if you will. However, PSU critics will cling to the notion that it's just our attempts to deflect attention away from us.
- Raykovitz/2ndMile: Everyone asks...nobody answers. Same with DPW, CPS, etc.

Things/people I can do something about

- Corbett: I've actually developed a tic at just the mention of his name. This is the guy who single-handedly got us to where we are today. I don't care if he said "boys..." or "10-yr.-old boy" or "The Vienna Boys Choir." The fact is, he said it. It's public. He admitted it. He bragged about it. Prior to an epic vote that we are not entitled to a roll call. It is somewhere between bullying, influence peddling, malfeasance of office...or extortion. It's a mood thing with me. He and Corman, et. al., can have dueling lawsuits all day long, but it's just political posturing to me...and it's about only the money...or PA. News flash - PA doesn't contribute to the athletic/football programs and that's where the $60million is supposed to come from. This is about merchants and individuals that have suffered, not the goddamn state. However, if the best the merchants can come up with is lost revenue on bowl t-shirts, that's kinda weak. Corbett's mea culpa was he "didn't know the NCAA broke it's own bylaws." He's a trustee, it's his job to know...quit trotting out presidents in front of the firing squad, when you guys gave them the power to begin with. He is one of 3 people who have admitted knowledge of Sandusky's true nature. Now, the only way he won't get re-elected is if he's indicted for something. Know why? There's a Corbett-friendly oil slick out there that is bigger and more powerful than Penn State.
- Surma: for the life of me, I cannot figure out how this guy is still on the board.
- Masser: Keith Masser for chair; Stephanie Deviney for vice chair. OK. Sure. Let's see now, Masser broke a standing order while publicly making a "presumption of guilt" statement, as it related to the Freeh Report, the accused...and no due process. Deviney apparently is a former cheerleader or pompom girl. Welcome to Ken and Barbie on acid.
- Dambly: arrested development.
- PSU Board of Trustees: Affluence and influence. Two different words. Two different meanings. When co-mingled, you have shit on steroids. Governace problems is almost too polite. Indifferenence to concerned alumni, due process, government agencies, transparency issues, accountability is beyond belief. People outside of the PSU community think we're all nuts...and I have no snappy retorts for that. They are right. I have written about so many of these people, I'm losing track. *You will have to read my previous posts (Peetz, Lubert, Joyner, Frazier, Courtney, Alexander, Mitchell, Marsh, Emmert, Erickson, Sherburne, Poole, etc.)
- Suggestion: Beaver stadium can host the X-Games, NFL games/exhibitions, soccer matches, Penn State Invitational college football, or let a Div.II or III championship game experience life in the bigs, outdoor concerts or mud wrestling for all I care. Let's see a little entrepreneurial spirit and feed the beast.
- Recommended: people with credentials that far exceed mine - I usually point to Ben Novak for his insight as a former trustee and historian, Ray Blehar for his comprehensive legal analytics, and filmmaker John Zeigler for his relentless pursuit of the truth. These are a few of many that can found intertwined with groups like PS4RS and PSUreBOT.
- Keep asking: Most of the questions I have asked in previous posts have gone unanswered. I believe they are reasonable, uncomplicated and do not require a 40-page reply.

Matt Sandusky:
Speaking of reasonable questions, here's a few snapshots of an exchange I had recently. I know, I know, it's Twitter...not exactly the communication highway of the highest caliber.
But, it was a brief article that contained the highlighted text in yellow portion below.
Now, I've written a little bit about Matt Sandusky, and he's not some 12-year-old, playing with legos over in the corner. He's a grown man, in his 30s, kinda married or not, with kids...and within 24hrs., changed his testimony at trial. I honestly don't believe Mr. Winter knows who the Heichels are, or that he brushed up against one of the potentially strangest stories that nobody talks about.

I thought I was doing the guy a favor. Enlighten the masses, so to speak.
A journalistic courtesy.
Well, wrong.
Here's the exchange, you be the judge:

Now, my references are to:

1. Matt Sandusky admitted commiting perjury during his GJ testimony when he changed sides during the trial, and yet, he has not been charged.

2. Other victims have placed him at the scene(s) of crime(s). Actually, so did he.

3. He has never testified to any sexual abuse that has been publicized.

4. So, did he or did he not cut a deal with the AG on the perjury charges for his testimony against Jerry Sandusky? THAT was my question. Which, by the way, never happened...since that turn of events convinced the defense to keep Jerry off the stand.

5. Matt CHOSE adoption by the Sanduskys over his birth mother.

6. Finally, does anyone besides me find the Heichels (Debra, Matt, Ron) just a little bit interesting?

Anyhow, I saw Mr Winter's generic reply and went looking for my anti-bristle meds.

Excuse me? Vitriol? Anti-victim? Are you shitting me?

No, wait. Benefit of the doubt kicks in. He probably did have a lot of nutcase responses.

No, wait. He has fewer followers than I do. How inundated could he have been?

Besides, I sent him a link to my blog for a background check and source info.

Damn.

What I need is about 10,000 followers and a bigger stick.

Penn State Culture

Well, shucks....

Just about the time I think things have leveled off, we just keep adding characters to the plot around here.

In short, this is what I have learned so far:

Never try to tap dance in flip-flops.

Recap: A presentment is nothing more than an accusation. Based on that alone, the media skewered the accused, an entire university, it's surrounding communities and their defining culture(s). The governor issued a threat and the Board of Trustees imploded. Reputations and careers have been irrepairably damaged without the benefit of due process.

My understanding is this - this is not about what people knew. This is about what they said they knew...to the grand jury. There is no way I can have an opinion on this. I wasn't there. Were you?

We have seen some measure of justice for the victims, criminal punishment for the perpetrator...and now we wait for due process for Spanier/Curley/Schultz...almost as an afterthought. Civil suits are lining up like ticketholders to a broadway show, while the rest of us watch in stunned amazement. While time marches on, it is so easy to fly off on tangents. There are so many characters and subplots, it can be disorienting. There are pro groups and anti groups and Twitter feuds aplenty.
I am resolved to stay focused on the fundamental issues that drive this story:
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. DUE PROCESS. FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

Something we all seem to agree on: Penn State has a governance problem.
To infer that the president has/had too much power is double-speak, when the BOT is the very instrument of that arrangement. It laid the groundwork for zero accountability for the board, should things go badly...and they did. They have since demonstrated the inability to perform at any acceptable level of competence and if any group of people has been exposed as woefully inefficient, it's this bunch...individually and as a whole.

In short, these (Penn State Board of Trustees) are the people who abandoned their own president and coach, followed Corbett and Surma, pleaded guilty for all of us, leaked information, brought Erickson and Joyner into the fray, hired a PR firm, hired Freeh, caved to Emmert and the NCAA, listened to Mitchell, denounced due process, ignored the alumni, snubbed Wagner and they consider transparency as optional...with questions allowed...but no answers.

Feel free to correct me if I got any of this wrong.

My current menu:

• Wagner - didn't have anything new to offer...in the sense that Penn State has a governance problem...we all know that one. The BOT told him to kiss off. The scariest scenario was having the governor and legislature run Penn State while there is a search for a new prez. I don't care if the board is reduced to 6-7 members, because that's how many actually run the show, anyhow.
• Mitchell - completely disregard anything he has to say. It's the NCAA speaking. I'm more interested in what he/they get paid...and some of those numbers are just starting to surface. Monitor that.
• BOT publishes Spanier info - salary + compensation money is a classic example of the BOT's selective transparency: trying to direct people's angst somewhere else. Spanier was our president for 16 years. He was given a 5-year contract extension and a vote of confidence by the same BOT who decided in 24-hours that he lost controll of the school. Like it or not, his contract and compensation is nothing short of normal.
• Corbett / Kane - we'll see. Corbett already treats her like a child.
• Baldwin - dead center of everything. I called this last year.
• Presentments - only 2 states (PA and Conneticut) use this form of presentment. They were determined by all others to be too "inflammatory and unfair to defendents." Gee, ya think???
• Poole your efforts - construction contracts and money questions all over the place.
• Clery Act and Title IX issues have yet to play out.
• I'm imposing a ban on the term "task force."
• I have written about 50+ individuals in these blogs...and there's probably 200 more that deserve a mention...and I don't mean in a kind way. I've asked a lot of questions. Almost none have been answered, except through the passage of time. Review, if you must.
• I would be remiss if I didn't repeat the following: at least 3 people have committed crimes, publicly admitted it, but have not been charged - Tom Corbett, Matt Sandusky, Mark Schwarz.

It's just another bowl movement

Imagine this:
You are a 6"7", 310lb. senior offensive lineman, picked to go in the first round of the NFL draft. Your problem is - you play for a 6-6 "bowl eligible" team. Lucky you. You get 5-6 weeks of additional practice, to go play in a meaningless Atrophy Bowl, in Duluth, on a Wednesday, at 4:00am (kickoff determined by ESPN) in front of 300 fans (family and friends)...and risk a career ending injury and multi-million contract.
I don't think so.
So, let's just say that missing the post season is no BIG deal. Get it? We still have revenue sharing.
It was so great to see our team have the year they did and receive the accolades they richly deserved. Same for the coaches. I'm satisfied.
But, I know how this works. I will see fans turn on the very same people if it doesn't go well in the future. We are stuck with a 109,000 seating problem, conference expansions, scheduling problems and recruiting issues and a rumor mill that is never going to go away.
So, savor the moment(s) while you can.

 Culture This II

Let me try to color between the lines for everyone.

State College, PA, aka Happy Valley... I grew up up here.
Apparently, our founding fathers couldn't find the time to come up with an actual name for my hometown. "State College" didn't require a lot of thought.

College Avenue is the moat that separates academia from hunting season:

• "Knowledge is Power" vs. "Yea, but I'm armed."
• Pick-up trucks vs. pick-up artists.
• Opera vs. Oprah.
• Grange Fair vs.Vanity Fair.

Most everyone I grew up with thinks Curriculum Vitae is an Italian porn star and a tenure is someone who can hit the high notes. In the meantime, on campus, we have the "Trying to be the Most Important Person at the I Don't Give a Shit Party."

WE ARE....

.....an agricultural school with a nuclear reactor.
.....PhDs going to a tractor pull.

Bottom line:

I like it this way. I'm proud of my heritage, both as a local boy and as a Penn State grad.
I don't owe anyone an apology for any of it.
It's the best of all possible worlds.... and if nobody else wants to come here, I'm fine with that.

Sandusky fallout (11-12-12)

I may be on the cutting edge of stupid.

And yet....

1. If you give me 3 or 4 years, or 14 years, 1-15 investigators, 10-20 victims/witnesses...even I could get a conviction against one old pedophile. I don't get Corbett's and the AG's thrill of the stats. Besides, didn't Sara Ganim do most of the hard work?
2. Are The Second Mile, DPS, CWS, and school districts ever going to be held accountable?
3. Didn't Schultz and Curley file motion(s) for separate trials? What happened with that?
4. Matt Sandusky confessed to perjury, but has not been charged? Why?
5. What was the roll call vote on Paterno's firing? I have it at 7.
6. Cynthia Baldwin is a ninja.
7. The evidence against Surma's prejudice is overwhelming and Masser violated a standing order by not only leaking information to the press, but also by making slanderous statements regarding the accused. Neither have been forced to resign. Why is that?
8. Anybody get me that info I requested on Mark Sherburne?
9. Baldwin, Corbett, Emmert, Raykovitz, Freeh, Emmert, Mitchell, Peetz ........when I start to write this thing...it always feels repetitious. Probably because I tweet too much.
But then, I only have 23 followers...and at least 11 of them are either hookers or salespeople.

Then I realize, it's IS repetitious because it's mostly the same people...doing the same stuff...over and over again, that is the source of my amazement/anger/disappointment/confusion/disgust.
It seems as though:
- There are no rules, codes of conduct or ethics involved in Linda Kelly's news releases/presentments/wantedposters/badphotos/PRflyers/accusations presented as facts.
- The media keeps getting lead around by the nose.
- Not many people actually read legal documents.
- The Board of Trustees and Erickson are a constant embarassment.
- Due process simply is ignored, as are constitutional rights.

OK, we've played some football.

Won some, lost some. Fans went from wanting to fire the defensive coaches to "they're starting to gel," to O'Brien for coach of the Year and McGloin for the Heisman.
Every now and then, we hover around reality. In short, Penn State has some pretty good athletes, pretty good coaches...and a loyal fan base. I think they're fun to watch and can hold their own with anyone in the country. That's good enough for me. I'm proud of all of them.

Side Notes

1. Just so you know: making the Ohio State game into some pseudo-bowl, bigtime, all-or-nothing, BTN division championship, whiteout, in your face, stress-test was an example of..."football culture." Just playing Ohio State used to be enough incentive.
2. People booing Erickson was an example of betrayed alumni voicing their displeasure.
3. Desmond Howard has a crush on Mark Emmert.
4. Smart bet: Freeh and Mitchell will make more money than all the victims combined.

The Sandusky Icon Myth Test

I'll give you 30 seconds to name 5 college football defensive co-ordinators...GO!

-------------------------------I'm waiting----------------------------

Outside of a small circle of sports junkies, there's no such thing as a famous "assistant" coach. Outside of the top ten, most people can't name 5 HEAD coaches.
Sandusky's "fame" was created by and for The Second Mile. Period.
That's how it works...spin doctors and PR took his relationship with Penn State and the football program to generate interest and draw attention to their cause. Prop him up and parade him around for 3 decades to help "children at risk."
Sandusky had the prior exerience with his father and the personae to make it work. But, he never had the money or business acumen to make The Second Mile into what it became. That took deep pockets, power, networking and organization. It's a "Who's Who" list that nobody wants to pursue. But mostly, it was the charity golf culture. (Sorry, just had to throw another sport on the grill).

Since my last blog, 4 significant things have happened:

1. PA elected a new AG.

Now we'll see if there's been a lot of wishful thinking, or the next presentment will have Corbett's name on it.

2. Spanier was indicted and additional counts were added to Schultz and Curley.

People really need to get their heads on straight about this...and knock off the cheap shots. As these men go, so does Paterno...make no mistake about that. BUT, what is really damning, if you believe these men are guilty, is that the Clery Act will literally crush Penn State . If you don't believe me, look it up.

3. Aaron Fisher's "book" came out.

Then there was a small demonstration at his former school. Then nothing. So much for victim's advocacy and holding the real enablers accountable. Pretty disconcerting.

4. John Zeigler debuted his mini-movie, or mini-documentary
on "The Framing of Joe Paterno."

Now, this is 30 minutes well spent. A professional filmmaker and interviews with people who have impeccable credentials, speaking with reason. Throw in some gut-wrenching reminders of the news and opinions from the past year...and a classic "shoe-on-the-other-foot" confrontation with Mark Schwarz of ESPN...it is a "teaching moment."

And finally:
- For those who say "there's no such thing as a simple answer"...I say "yes, there is."

- For those who say "move on"...I say "move over."

Paterno/PSUBOT/Faculty Senate

Just to set the tone for this blog:
Rodney Erickson's remarks to Penn State's faculty senate (10/16/12): "We're about three weeks from my one-year anniversary as president"
Considering that is the date marking one of the darkest hours in Penn State University history...that may be the most insensitive, self-absorbed, classless sentence ever uttered by a sitting administrator.
But, it sets the table. Let's review.

THE NOVEMBER SEVEN

Everybody know this?
The vote to dismiss Joe Paterno as head football coach was not the unanimous vote people think it was. 32 members did not say "Aye," or a show of hands...or write on slips of paper. Many were not present and some did not even participate by phone.

As Adrian Monk would say, here's what happened:

Corbett led the charge with his infamous "remember the boy(s) in the showers" quote. That threat was not to get members to vote Paterno out, as most would think. It was to keep potential "Nay" votes from being uttered on the motion. Surma was on board, for reasons that have become abundantly clear. Now, executive sessions require a minimum of 7...and I've already written about 7 being the majority in a quorum of 13. So, after the motion is made and seconded, here is how the vote on Paterno's dismissal went...by phone: "All those in favor, say aye." 7 members said aye. "All those opposed, say nay." Silence. "Ayes have it. Motion approved." The end.
At this point in time, you would think that any member who did not vote in favor, or abstained...or simply was not present, would want everybody to know they weren't part of it. But, you see, there's this little problem (sent to my comments):
the BOT's standing orders and bylaws state that any vote will be considered unanimous after passing, and further state that no board member may criticize those decisions after they have been made. [This sort of "we all stand united" attitude would make good financial sense for the Board of Directors of a publicly traded company -- but it makes absolutely no sense for a university]

You may assume that my sources are very good and I know who the 7 culprits are...and most of you should be able to figure it out for yourselves.
2 things:
1. There's a trick to the 7 that involves proxies.
2. The fun part of this is...they can all deny it, but nobody can prove me wrong without providing an actual roll call on the vote. Either way, I'm gonna win.

SNIPPETS

- I've been informed that there will be separate trials for Curley and Schultz. Not confirmed yet.
- Cynthia Baldwin must be the worst attorney in history. She even showed up in McQueary's lawsuit.
- I found myself involved in the beginning of a twitterbitchfest with several publications and journalists over just trying to get the McQueary testimony right. It's written down. It can't be this hard to get it right. Copy and paste if you have to. And yet...I tweeted Ganim at the Patriot-News, then Rosenburg at SI. The next thing I know, McCann is all over the map...and Zeigler tries to reason with him...all over indisputable evidence/testimony. Unbelievable. I may not have a law degree, or a Pulitzer...but I can read. Godammit.
- The victim count is now 87,492. Erickson wants to settle by yesterday. No need for due process.
- Michael Berube, former Paterno Chair, single-handedly resurrected the expression "pretentious twit."
- Send a note to Surma with your name and phone# on it.
- George Mitchell celebrates his 150th birthday, gumming caviar he just bought with a blank check from PSU...at the NCAA headquarters.
- There's a reason legal papers require 400 pages to explain what should take a paragraph: billable hours.
- Nobody has ever paid me $800,000 to run a $4billion-dollar enterprise. I have zero diplomatic skills. I still can't balance my own checkbook. And yet, I still would make a better president than Rodney Erickson.
- The Penn State Faculty Senate secretly enjoys watching the athletic side suffer.
- I have 2 words for Governor Corbett: 1. hoist. 2. petard.
- Words don't kill people, irresponsible "journalists" kill people.

SUMMARY

As much as we may want to clear the names and reputations of people we know and respect, and the reputations of our school and community, I try to be open-minded about those who wish to close this chapter and move on with their lives...especially younger generations that may not be as emotionally invested in this chapter of our history.
However, traditions and legacies are the very hallmarks that give texture to our lives and a meaningful transition into the future.
It would be easy, at my age, to walk away from all this this. I've had a pretty good run.
But I can't.
The Faculty Senate had an opportunity to do the right thing by endorsing 2 motions (re: Freeh Report and the NCAA sanctions), regardless of the fact that it would not change either of the results. The point was lost that fundamental rights and truth are being sacrificed in order to expedite an agenda.

 

This is my point:

Somewhere along the line, people need to understand that this is not about Paterno, Spanier, Curley, Schultz...or even Sandusky. This is about free speech, due process, the Constitution and Bill of Rights. As a Penn State alumnus, I am embarassed to be affiliated with the current administration, Board of Trustees and Faculty Senate.
There are precedents being set that may affect future generations in the worst way.
These are MY RIGHTS getting trampled on.
These are YOUR RIGHTS getting trampled on.
Keep that in mind the next time someone suggests moving on.

Sandusky (10-10-12)

Ok, Sandusky has been sentenced.
Now, instead of moving on, let's examine this mess.
For instance:

1. PSUBOT vote count.

Based on information from Rumor Central, the "unanimous" vote on Paterno's dismissal is probably misleading and needs a roll call publicized. 32 people did NOT make that call. Secondly, it has been rumored that a "majority" vote is publicized as "unanimous," to show unity. A quorum is 13. A majority of that would be 7. So-o-o-o-o, it is conceivable that 7 people showed JoPa the door. The ONLY way to resolve this, in the interest of transparency, would be to publicize the actual roll call and vote.
Right??? You betcha.

2. Sherburne.

Once again, in the interest of transparency, the reasons for the abrupt dismissal of Mark Sherburne keep falling through the cracks. Inquiring minds want to know what happened.

McQueary

3. McQueary lawsuit.

Legal pundits don't give it much merit. I suppose it's the language. Instead of holding fast to areas of sympathy, his attorneys chose to risk it all on the outcome of the Curley/Schultz trials. Not smart.

4. Victims and alleged victims.

This is getting tricky. We have victims that have testified at the Sandusky trial. We have victims that did not. We have a victim that couldn't be found, but suddenly appeared for civil proceedings. We have have a victim publishing a book. To my knowledge, we have no cooborated evidence of crimes committed on Penn State property (McQueary's testimony failed to convict and the "victim" at the time was unknown)...and, like it or not, insurance companies aren't known for their compassion. We all know this is about money...and Penn State has the most. Erickson and the PSUBOT have made it clear that we are all guilty and please come and get it. I suggested that the Second Mile donate all their assets to a victims' fund, but they won't, because that would be an admission of guilt.
In effect, and grudgingly, doing nothing would make them smarter than Erickson and the PSUBOT. The victims don't seem to be suing the Second Mile, any hotel chains, CWS or even Sandusky. Civil suit attorneys know where to get their 60%.

 5. Matt Sandusky. (follow closely)

Here we have a 33-year-old man, father of 3, with a history of violence and arson. He spent over 2 decades with the Sandusky family. He did not testify to any sexual abuse, but he was placed at the scene(s) by others. At age 18, he chose adoption by the Sanduskys over his biological mother, Debra (Heichel) Long. He was an equipment manager for PSU football and attended PSU on Sandusky money. He brought his children to the Sandusky household.

His real name is Matt Heichel.

Ron Heichel, his brother, is a convicted murderer. He shot a man at point-blank range. Twice. With a shotgun.

I have read interviews where you would tend to think these were the Waltons.

The prevailing theory is Matt reversed his testimony to avoid charges himself, aid the prosecution...and that is why there have been no perjury charges.

Makes you wonder what Dottie and the rest of the Sandusky children think of Matt?

Finally.

- It's interesting that not one person has testified to the possibility of other pedophiles. This really has been all about Sandusky. Perhaps that will change with the feds (Second Mile, CWS, etc.)

- That sound you hear is the Surma family name going down the toilet.

- Freeh owes us $6.5million.

- Corbett won't be the first governor I've seen go behind bars.

- I'm waiting for the judges decision on separate trials for Curley and Schultz (which I prefer). One way or another, the final determination on many of these points rests with those verdicts. It could be an epic example of how due process clears the air and provides an avenue for legal recourse, retroactively, i.e.- NCAA sanctions, civil suits, defamation of character (Paterno, Spanier, Curley, Schultz).

Debra (Heichel) Long

Matt (Heichel) Sandusky



Ron Heichel