Something is rotten in the state of Pennsylvania. . .

Dear Editor,

Something is rotten in the state of Pennsylvania...

Fire Joe Paterno! Fire them all, I say. Clean house—the sooner the better. Like a Shakespearean tragedy, kill everyone necessary and the one good man left standing gets to be king.   
      
I applaud high standards. But, standards aren’t standards unless they are applied to all. Let’s not be hypocritical about this. So, every university, college and school… every news agency, government agency, business and church must be examined.

If employees have committed a crime, they are fired. If someone knew an employee who committed a crime and didn’t report it, that person is fired. If someone knew an employee committed a crime, reported it to the people who were supposed to take care of it, and didn’t pursue it further, that employee is fired, too. Sorry Coach Paterno, you tried, but for too many, it just wasn’t enough. Heads must roll, and celebrity heads create the most controversy.

Besides, we have a high unemployment rate. Think of all the jobs we could create. For those interested in pursuing a political office, the choices would be endless. Of course, I’m not sure how many of us would be left. Was it Gandhi who said, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”?

Understand. . .I’m not defending the actions of a pedophile like Jerry Sandusky. I’m not saying that Penn State shouldn’t have done more. I think our campus can certainly relate to Penn State.

I am saying we need to be careful. Let’s not operate like an angry mob out to lynch someone. Let’s pursue this in a way that places the good of the children first and not just seek vengeance. Or, we could all end up like Hamlet.

“The rest is silence.”

Lynn McClelland , December 2011
English Faculty