True Moral Courage

The victims in the *disaster* (which is not a strong enough word) surrounding Penn State are true heroes. To go through what they did and come forward takes a courage many of us may not be able to fathom. Joe Paterno, Tim Curley, Gary Schulz AND SO MANY OTHERS didn't have the courage to break through the resistance to MAKE THIS STOP. And there is resistance, believe me, I know. There is not a logic to it (though it tries to be logical). It is the nature of evil to hide itself and protect itself by any means necessary. It's almost a kind of laziness, for lack of a better word. Coming out and dealing with something like this feels like trying to beat down a cement wall with only your bare fingers. There's bound to be red tape, financial repercussions, reputations destroyed…and that's just for starters. But, as one of the ESPN commentators pointed out, if this abuse had happened to any of the above-named gentleman's children, you can bet they would not have stopped until there was justice. They would have laid their lives down (one hopes) to defend, protect, vindicate, safeguard and support their child. We all must make this commitment here and now for the boys associated with Second Mile and Penn State, for the women who are coming forward about sexual harassment by Herman Cain and others, for the girls and boys sexualized harmfully in the media EVERY DAY as if it were a matter of taste or personal preference: we are all accountable for protecting our children, for standing up and refusing to back down, no matter what it takes. Shame on all of us for looking the other way or merely observing the bare minimum of the letter of the law. To the victims, you are honorable, courageous, loved…and though it might not seem like it, you are not alone.