PA- Victims blast new Paterno statue
For immediate release: Thursday, April 24, 2014
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003, SNAPdorris@gmail.com)
It breaks our hearts to see Penn State alums acting so irresponsibly by erecting a privately-funded new statue to Joe Paterno.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/new-paterno-statue-planned-state-college-article-1.1766147
Penn State officials should denounce this callous move.
Paterno was not the most egregious wrongdoer in the Jerry Sandusky horror. But it's clear that, at best, he should have done more and at worst, he was a part of a school bureaucracy that turned a blind eye to suspicions about Sandusky's crimes.
This hurtful decision will deter victims, witnesses and whistleblowers in child sex cases from protecting kids by reporting abuse, by reinforcing their often-justified pessimism that adult wrongdoers matter more than wounded kids and their fear that even if they speak up, powerful and popular grownups will usually escape being exposed or punished for ignoring or concealing child sex crimes.
It will further victimize those already victimized - at Penn State and elsewhere - by child molesters, by showing them that many adults are willing to ignore or minimize their pain and honor a wrongdoer so they can feel good about a football team.
A doctor's first job is to "do no harm." In child sex cases, that's the job of every caring adult. These alums are, in fact, doing harm. They should know better.
Those who donated are putting the reputation of a deceased wrongdoer ahead of the healing of child rape victims. They are doing precisely what hundreds of Catholic officials and other complicit church staff have done for decades: putting more value on the reputation of an institution than on the safety of kids and the healing of victims.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 15,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003, [email protected])
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It also seem very unfair to condemn a dead man who was never charged with a crime and who testified against Sandusky, the convicted child abuser.
The much larger problem is that PA police, prosecutors, and child protection agencies (CYS and DPW) failed horribly in the Sandusky case, and are probably failing for many other children at this very moment. Denigrating a dead Paterno does nothing to protect those children from abuse.
WE Are All in this learning and growing.The immense scope of this is mindblowing it may be just about all of us.Congrats on the effort with helping the children thats whats important here.
Some Penn State Alum seek:
1. To bring to the forefront the failures of the numerous State Agencies of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, specifically charged with the welfare of children.
2. To bring attention to the convenient, Disney-like ending to the Sandusky Horror, by placing sole blame on a devout Catholic (a very public one, at that) who lived his entire life according to his Faith. Ms. Dorris says “But it’s clear that, at best, he should have done more and at worst, he was a part of a school bureaucracy that turned a blind eye to suspicions about Sandusky’s crimes.”
What should Joe Paterno have done in 1998, when the PA State Attorney General exonerated Sandusky? Should Paterno, while coaching his football team, have conducted his own investigation? With all due respect, I believe he, as any of us would have, relied upon the expertise of Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Agencies.
3. I agree with Ms. Dorris’ admonition that “A doctor’s first job is to ‘do no harm.’” Why isn’t SNAP and Ms. Dorris questioning the Doctor to whom Mike McQueary first reported his suspicion? As a mandatory First Reporter, Dr. Dranov was charged with calling the Police. Instead, he advised McQueary to talk to Joe Paterno the next day… THE NEXT DAY… Now, as a hearsay witness, Joe Paterno reported what McQueary admitted was a “watered down” version, to both the Athletic Director and the Head of Campus Police. (Their trials are upcoming…We shall see.)
This has been a very carefully orchestrated Public Witch Hunt to fault a man who exemplified “Success With Honor” all of his life, and distracts from the “True Enablers of Child Pedophilia.” I am deeply saddened that SNAP, instead of researching the TRUTH, for the sake of the children they purport to protect, conveniently bought into the FICTION of the News Media.
As she is neither God nor Jesus, I find it extremely offensive that Ms. Dorris has the audacity to act as Judge, Jury, and Executioner of Joe Paterno, as evidenced by her declaration of him as a “deceased wrongdoer”! (Perhaps she has not sinned, but she certainly cast that first stone!)
Ms. Dorris further condemns all Penn State Alumni who show respect for the legacy of a philanthropist. She seemingly equates this respect to a blatant disregard for child rape victims. I’d like to assure Ms. Dorris that NOTHING could be further from her carefully scripted “Truth”. (Quite frankly, Penn Stater’s possess the ability to “Multi-Task”!)
WE ARE…Challenging the Pennsylvania State Agencies specifically charged with the Welfare of Children, as to why they failed ALL of Sandusky’s victims!
WE ARE…Asking why then Attorney General, now Governor, Tom Corbett, did NOT prosecute Sandusky in 1998, yet accepted hundreds of thousands for his Gubernatorial Bid from Sandusky’s Charity, The Second Mile?
WE ARE…Questioning why PA State Agencies allowed Sandusky to continue to adopt children?
WE ARE…Challenging the Penn State Board of Trustees, and asking for full disclosure of what THEY knew, when THEY knew it, and WHY, despite Paterno’s dismissal of him in 1999, Sandusky was still allowed access to Penn State facilities?
WE ARE…Wondering why the WORLD believes the man who ALWAYS took the High Road in both Football and Life, who fired Sandusky in 1999, and who objected to the Penn State Board of Trustees unprecedented “Emeritus” status bestowed upon Sandusky, is…according to 58% of the WORLD, “The Pedophile.” (Yes…The World, despite the facts, believes Joe Paterno IS the pedophile!)
WE ARE…The largest Student Run Philanthropic on Earth! (FTK..”For The Kids” with Pediatric Cancer.)
WE ARE…The largest Alumni Association on Planet Earth!
WE ARE…Success with Honor!
WE ARE…PENN STATE!!!
If he seen smoke comming out of his own house he would do alot i would assume and for the 40 years i knew of this i am sure he could have shed more light on what really happens but that money and other issues come into play here it was put to bed.You cant cross the big boys line and get anywhere or so they assume.