Until yesterday, I respected Joe Paterno.  That is all past tense.

Joe Paterno seems to be immune to prosecution in the sad saga of child abuse at Penn State.  The AD and others responsible for this tragedy are using the statute of limitations and other legal maneuvering to escape prosecution for their deliberate lying or inaction in this case.  They will all probably avoid fines or jail time, other than Sandusky, of course.  We can only hope he pays for his crimes, if proven guilty.

There is more to this than just the minimum legal requirements, of course.  If someone, that you have no reason to disbelieve, tells you that a coworker is molesting young children, what should you do?  If you choose to report this to your boss, is that the end of it?  What if there is no sign of any action in a couple of days, or even weeks?  Are you justified in forgetting the whole affair, or do you have a moral obligation to all the other children that might be in danger? By the way, you know this former coworker is actively involved in children's charities.

Now consider waiting 9 years, while making no effort to protect the children who you know are in danger.

Not only should Joe Paterno resign immediately, he should be stripped of every victory since 2002 by the NCAA.  That would take away the one thing he is genuinely interested in, his record number of wins.  He clearly has no interest in the good of the young people under his care.

I know I will get flamed by Penn State fans for this, but sometimes the truth hurts.