NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in the following are strictly that of the author. Reader discretion is advised.
"Say it ain't so, Joe!"
"Joe, Don't Go!"
"Screw U, PSU!"
Placards like this were seen all through State College, Pennsylvania over the past couple weeks.
By the way, State College is the centrally-located home of the Pennsylvania State University, also known as Penn State.
This fine institution was stained by a serious scandal recently, as assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was charged with a series of sexual assaults involving young boys, with one episode witnessed in a shower by a graduate assisant.
Though Sandusky had been retired for some time, heads rolled.
An emergency meeting was called by the university's board of trustees. That meeting resulted in the resignation of university President Graham Spanier and the firing of its legendary head football coach, Joe Paterno.
Not long after the scandal broke, I took a stand on social media in support of the man I and countless others affectionately refer to as "JoePa".
And I knew the can of worms I was potentially opening. And I was all but dragged out to the streets and crucified for it.
Some who have known me for years, including some family members, have viciously attacked me for taking this stand, including a self-admitted victim of child abuse herself. Others took the more merciful route and expressed their disappointment or messaged me privately, asking me to explain myself, which I did.
I also have my fair share of supporters.
Those of you who don't agree with me, and those who really, really, REALLY don't agree with me, I understand. Especially the latter.
And I'm not angry about it. You're still cool with me.
Because that's what this country is about. Free speech.
It's also about due process.
But before we go any further, I sincerely sympathize with those who were victimized by this terrible tragedy. I always have since this story broke. I want them to receive their due justice and hope that they get it.
We have a very sophisticated judicial system that's one of the best in the world. It's not flawless, but it's the best one we have.
If you read up on your American and world history, you'll find that most judges actually served three roles as opposed to one...judge, jury, and executioner.
Pontius Pilate, great example of this.
And in most cases, judges were clergymen.
Because hey, who was a better judge of morality? Right?
Wrong.
A judge in those days had the power to simply kill someone they did not like.
Whether he or she did really anything wrong was immaterial. He'd find something to nail them for. Yep, he'll show 'em!
We have a word for this...corruption.
Not to say it doesn't exist today. But let's face it, it's been a part of human nature since the book of Genesis.
Morality is what writes the laws of this country. "In God We Trust". Morality came first, then the law. Carefully crafted in writing.
"You shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor"...translation..."Thou shall not lie".
And in a court of law, we call that perjury. Before or after the time of arrest, we call it unsworn falsification to law enforcement. Sign off on that bold-faced lie, and you're in big-time trouble.
These are all outlined in the Constitution of the United States of America, the law of the land which the men and women of our armed forces are sworn to protect, preserve and defend. Our public servants and elected leaders are also sworn to this oath.
Now that my moral foundation has been explained, so will my stand on the matter surrounding the scandal. But you'll have to wait until next week to read it.
NEXT WEEK: Part II
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