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Monday, November 14, 2011

Our Lady Of Penn State.

I've heard a lot of talk about how last Saturday's football game between Penn State and Nebraska should have been cancelled, because of the horrendous child molesting scandal that went on in the locker room showers several years ago.
And how they should not be allowed to go to, or accept any Bowl Game appearances this year.
Or how the entire football program should be placed on a long probation, or be eliminated entirely.
And how the least that should happen to coach Joe Paterno is his being fired.
And what a disgrace that there were a huge throng of fans rallying and cheering him at his house the night of his firing.

The first and loudest voice in support of all these things is Ed Schultz, a major voice of left-leaning reason on MSNBC.
I agree with everything he has said on the subject.

But there is a disturbing parallel to this situation that I've heard nobody address in the same manner.
And I think it should be addressed in exactly the same way.

Anyone remember what went on with priests and altarboys in the Catholic Church?
It wasn't that long ago.
It was rife throughout the Catholic Church in many many venues.
Remember?

When that scandal broke big, I didn't hear anyone call for Church services to be cancelled anywhere.
And people kept showing up on Sundays as if nothing had happened.
And the Deacons and Pastors kept passin' the plate, and fillin' them coffers.
Nobody made even the teeny-tiniest suggestion that at least some of that money be used to help their victims.
No. Lawsuits had to be settled for that to happen.

And nobody suggested that any major Church events, like Christmas, Easter, or Ash Wednesday be cancelled that year.
Or forever, for that matter.

And nobody would even dare suggest that the Pope should be fired.
Or should even resign.
After all, it happened under his watch.
As far as we know, he totally swept it under the rug.
And nobody thought it was a huge disgrace that his huge throng of supporters rallied and supported him at his house (I believe it's called The Vatican), and still do, every chance they get.

And there were far more victims here than at Penn State.

If we're not letting Joe Paterno off the hook, then why the Pope?
This was only football. Just a game.
Catholicism is supposed to be about teaching morality.

Now, don't get me wrong.
You and I both know that I am a Jew.
And that this may have the smell of my being anti-Catholic.
But if it turned out that there was a mass child-molesting scandal among Rabbis and their young flock, I would be the first one calling for the closing down of shuls and synagogues.
And, if I had anything to say about it, there would be no more Chanukah, Pesach, or Purim .

It's the least we could do.

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Just Google On Screen & Beyond to find them if you're interested.

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2 comments:

  1. Though he didn't call for Christmas, Easter, or Ash Wednesday to be canceled, Jon Stewart did compare Penn State to the Catholic Church the other night.

    You can't cancel Christmas. The rioting among retailers would be even worse than that among Penn State students.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well calling for the day to be eliminated- where a great many think the Savior was born, probably not equatable with Bowl games, though quite a few might not get the distinction. Sports being elevated to what it is. And I know this is hard but the day is celebrated by many people of other denominations NOT in that church, that might be a distinction I know I'd appreciate being seen. So I think this might be more like calling for the end of ALL bowl games and football completely in reaction to it.

    Calling for the removal of leadership in a huge vast religious group that allowed such stuff-great-calling for criminal prosecution, even better, suggesting this group harbored, protected and "knew" yep yep yep. They appear to be paying up, and why anyone would donate to that church now is as mystifying as the entire way the church behaved through it.... I can't imagine why anyone would allow it to continue to function. But it is so vast....

    I suppose it HAS taught us about morals, but exemplified the utter chaos going on in them. I can, for the life of me not understand why people would ever do such things to children.
    It's just awful thinking of the lives so damaged by this abuse in both arenas.

    ReplyDelete

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Hi. I am, according to my Wikipedia entry,(which I did not create) a noted television writer, playwright, screenwriter, and occasional actor. You can Google me or go to the IMDB to get my credits, and you can come here to get my opinions on things, which I'll try to express eloquently. Hopefully I'll succeed. You can also e-mail me at macchus999@aol.com. Perhaps my biggest claim to fame is being responsible, for about six months in 1975, while Head Writer for the "Happy Days" TV series, for Americans saying to each other "Sit on it."