Penn State and the Blame Game

Turn on the news you quickly will learn--the world is in a sad state of affairs. The way we treat one another and the resolve we have to stand up and do what is right seems to be shaky.  When money and politics enter the picture, the issues become more confused and twisted. The buck gets passed and it becomes a question of who is going to take the fall.

I haven’t read the grand jury report in the Penn State situation. All I know is what I’ve seen and heard in the news reports. This may involve a sports team, but there are no winners here.  Despite the cries over destroyed coaching legacies and other sad tales, the boys who were victims of this tragedy must not be forgotten.


Let’s backtrack nine years. An assistant football coach at Penn State witnesses disturbing and criminal behavior in the locker room between a former coach who still used the facilities for his outreach program and an under-aged boy. Some information reached the head coach. He reported it to higher-ups at the institution. I can only imagine what happened from there.

There was probably a discussion. The institution did not want the embarrassment of the incident being dragged into the media. A cover-up was most likely discussed. A hush went through the building. An attempt to silence the situation was put in motion.

Now jump ahead nine years. The heat returns. The media gets wind of the incident and the report from the grand jury leaks to the press. The secret is exposed. Uh-oh. What now? It’s time for the blame game. I’ll repeat – there are no winners. The ones with the greatest amount of political clout either have the most to lose or the ability to pass the buck.

Enter the most successful coach in the history of major college football. He’s caught in the middle and wants to maintain his dignity. He suggests a resignation. But the university thinks otherwise. They dismiss him immediately with a phone call! Isn’t that absurd treatment to a faithful employee of nearly fifty years? Tough luck! That’s the way it works in business. Students revolt. A riot commences.

Now the “he-saids and the she-saids” begin. Who saw what? When? How? What were the circumstances? Everyone gets to hire a lawyer and the legal process is set in motion. Even with indictments and oaths, we may never know the whole truth.

The fact remains that at least one little boy was seen being molested, and there are other alleged victims out there. Penn State wants to save face so the powers-to-be made an attempt to quiet the throngs.

When it’s all said and done--maybe a decade from now--how will the university and the head coach and the victim and the child abuser be viewed? Your guess is as good as mine but the situation is really a reflection of our deteriorating society and the attempt to buy reputations. Stop and think. Where is the twisted person that started it all? I bet he’s hiding under a blanket of lawyers. It all disgusts me.

The Continuing Vaccination-Autism Debate

Another school year is now underway in classrooms all around our country, as our kids resume their studies of math, science, English, history, and hopefully much more.  If you have children in a public school, you know that one of the many pieces of paper you had to submit in order to get them registered was an immunization form.  School administrators want to know that the kids walking their hallways are not going to be harboring measles, rubella, chicken pox, or other diseases that medicine has largely eradicated.  But, there are an increasing number of children who reach school age and whose parents have opted out of having them vaccinated.  They are placed right in the middle of a debate that extends way beyond simply whether or not they should be allowed in a classroom.

Many parents worry about the publicized link between vaccines and autism, even though the scientific community has repeatedly come out against there being any evidence of a connection.  Others don't like the idea of their infants being inoculated at such a young age and choose to develop their own vaccination schedule.  The topic even has earned some attention among the current contenders for the Republican presidential nomination, as Rep. Michele Bachmann spoke out about her concerns that the HPV vaccine may cause mental retardation. 

In my upcoming book, Pabby's Score, I look at the serious issue of autism and the stigma it receives in our country.  I am hoping that my writing on this topic will inspire some conversations among readers about the causes behind this affliction and how best to help families who are dealing with this special need in their homes.

If you have some thoughts about the great debate over the vaccination-autism connection, or if you have experience with autism in your own circle of family and friends, I would love to hear your story.  I know that I can learn a great deal from what you have to share.

My New Novel Confronts a Broken Legal and Political System

My upcoming novel, Pabby’s Score, which is scheduled to be released later this year, makes a strong statement about the controversial advocacy and lack of ethical standards that exists among some in the legal community.

If you’ve read any of my previous books, you know that the characters that I’ve created are opinionated and have a lot to say about controversial social issues as they play a round or two at Prairie Winds Golf Course. Add a candid look at the high level of hypocrisy that we encounter in American society emanating from those in professional circles that are supposedly designed to vet these issues in a fair and judicious manner, and I hopefully have created another work that will spark heated and thoughtful discussions among my readers.

In Pabby’s Score, the collective opinion about politicians, judges, and lawyers among the regulars who bring their five irons to club house on a regular basis is not flattering.  With the mismanagement of government that is occurring on both sides of the aisle and playing out on the news every night, controversial court rulings that seem to fly in the face of our foundations as a nation, and a litigious society that makes a mockery of the serious nature with which legal challenges should be presented, I thought that it would be a suitable time for the regular players at the golf course to voice their displeasure with our leaders.

With this newest release, you’ll find civil justice (or injustice) as criminal acts come to the forefront and the web of involvement by respected members of the community bring into question the value of our leadership. I will be curious to learn if, after reading Pabby’s Score, your thoughts on the current state of our judicial and political process are the same as the guys in the clubhouse.  If that turns out to be the case, we are a people ready for some sweeping changes in how our legal and leadership systems operate.