… President-for-Life (scroll down), Penn State’s God-for-Life-and-Afterlife, or any number of the world’s tinpot Dictators-for-Life, daily existence always eventually devolves into farce under the Beloved Leader.
Quickly, it became clear that Mr. Paterno … had failed to go to the authorities or even to confront Mr. Sandusky after he had been told in person of the episode. The prospect that Mr. Paterno, a revered figure, might be fired by the board of trustees was suddenly real.
Mr. Paterno quickly issued a statement saying, in effect, that the board need not act, that he would resign at the end of the season. Neither he nor the university revealed that he had effectively agreed to do so already, in return for an expensive financial package.
The board fired him anyway, a decision that caused rioting and led to an angry and often very personal backlash against the trustees, but it agreed to honor his contract. It was then that the full board came to find out what the university was obligated to pay Mr. Paterno.
You see all the familiar elements. The pathetic ignorant violent mob (“During a conference call, one board member worried aloud that failure to make good on what was owed to the Paterno estate could lead to another “reign of terror” by Mr. Paterno’s supporters …”); the pathetic, useless, out of it, trustees; the snarling Leader and his snarling family, brandishing lawsuits and demanding entitlements and pots of cash.
Think of the on-field violence of football as the ceremonial violence of this country’s Happy Valleys; behind the headbutts and quarterback sacks lie boosters, coaches, and fans ready to riot and issue fatwas.
La vie est une farce à mener par tous said Rimbaud. Take a comfy seat. This particular farce has only just begun.
July 14th, 2012 at 6:12PM
Penn is going to remodel the bathrooms as a response to the whole incident: cleveland.cbslocal.com/2012/07/13/ap-penn-state-to-renovate-showers-where-victims-abused/
The article discusses the fact they probably will have to rename everything. Why on earth is a *public* employee making enough to donate several buildings?
“That accomplishment stands. He helped build Penn State as it is today. He stood for integrity.” Dear Leader, indeed…
July 15th, 2012 at 2:39PM
Paterno the Dirtbag! Too bad he’s not around to suffer the consequences.