It's Hard to Imagine

I pity Paterno.

No, not because they booted him.

Rather, I feel sorry that he didn't immediately walk off the field, his head down in shame, rather than announcing he'd stick around until the end of the season. Like what he did, or didn't do, twenty years ago was not really such a big deal. That maybe everything wouldn't look so bad if he could ring in another winning season.

And I feel sorry that, twenty years ago, he believed the reputation of his institution was worth more than the emotional well-being of a child. That he may still not comprehend the enormity of the thing he helped kick under the rug.

I wonder if he's ever had a sleepless night over it. I wonder if he's ever allowed himself to imagine the terror that ten-year-old boy felt in the Penn State locker room while he was alledgedly being assaulted by Joe's good friend. The hopelessness and despair and confusion that inevitably followed.

Or the fact that, by remaining silent, he may have allowed other tragedies to occur.

I wonder how Joe feels in the wake of the shameless behavior of the student rioters. They certainly do not exemplify the honor he tried to instill in his players.

Frankly, neither does he.

Football's emperor is without clothes.

And that's a shame, too.

Lifetime Lockups for Sexual Predators

Should rapists, pedophiles and the like be dropped into a black hole and forgotten about? I suspect most victims, cops and politicians would say yes.

The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments today challenging a federal law, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, which does the next best thing.

The Walsh Act, along with statutes in twenty states, provide that convicted sex offenders who have served their time can be confined past their release date, usually in a mental health facilty. In other words, you do the crime, you serve your time...and then you serve more. Maybe a lot more. The extended commitment can be indefinite. Many offenders will be locked up for life. Not for what they've done...but for what they MIGHT do in the future.

Lawmakers acknowledge civil committments are expensive, perhaps three times the cost of prison, but they argue the program is designed to give serious sexual predators extended treatment and a shot at rehabilitation not available to them while serving their criminal sentence.

Those taking a more liberal view claim it "demonizes" predators.

What it really does is "incapacitate," them, in the words of law school dean Eric Janus, author of "Failure to Protect."

"Incapacitation" works for me. Let's come right out and say it. These are not likely candidates for rehabilitation. These are violent predators who will hurt more people if they are released from custody. Freedom for them should never be an option.

A "black hole?" Perhaps not. But civil commitment of sexual predators is the best we can do.

Let's hope the Supreme Court rules the Adam Walsh Act is constitutional.

Are We Really So Helpless?

I shared some good conversation over dinner tonight with a nationally acclaimed expert on the prediction and mitigation of violence. It got me thinking.

As a nation, we tend to avoid responsibility. Denial is one of our most inherent traits. If bad things happen, we don't like to admit fault. Better that it's the other guy or the collective "them."

We insist, "Those greedy oil companies are keeping gas prices high. Me and my Hummer aren't the problem."

"The cops should arrest those drunk drivers before they kill someone. It's not my place to take their car keys away."

"It's not my fault that I got beaten up and carjacked. All I did was drink a li'l too much and walk to my new Mercedes convertible down a dark alley in a questionable part of town. The carjacker was the one with the gun for cryin' out loud!"

And, of course, shame on the thoughtless, sexist bastard who would ever suggest that a woman who is sexually assaulted may have done something to precipitate it.

Consider this, however. We know that sexual predators frequently begin their careers by prowling homes and peeping in windows. Should it then come as a surprise that convicted rapists report choosing their victims on the basis of who keeps their blinds open?

Think about what a creep might see when peering in a woman's window. Not just her nakedness. The fact she lives alone. The layout of the place, allowing mental preparation for a later home invasion. The lack of a security system or a dog. The placement of telephones or the fact the woman uses only a cell phone which she frequently forgets to charge. Perhaps even the location of potential weapons such as kitchen knives. The list goes on.

So, is it "wrong" to leave blinds open? Is it "bad" to drive a Mercedes? Can we be "blamed" for having a few drinks in a questionable neighborhood?

Of course not. But we need to be aware that each of these innocent actions may contribute to later victimization.

Crime doesn't "just happen."

I don't believe domestic abuse does either.

More tomorrow.