How many of you have failed to live up to your standards?

While some of the flak you're getting is deserved, I think you have a reasonable point: there is something recognizably human in the colossal, protracted, catastrophic "mistake" Paterno made. Perhaps he found it difficult to believe such terrrible things of a man he knew and trusted. He may have deceived himself into thinking that he had done his duty, that it was up to the University to go further, that he was too closely involved. He may have been afraid for himself and the institutions he had built up.

Point is, Paterno is and remains human, that is, his actions are intelligible, and I think most of us can imagine making mistakes of a similar type.

However, the particulars matter. In this case, the consequences are among the most heinous imaginable. And the power and respect Paterno enjoyed mean he could have easily averted much of it. Life is a "results-based charting service," so to speak. The punishment, in the form of lost admiration and respect if nothing else, have to match the gravity of the specifics of Paterno's offenses. I myself am not prepared, though, to say that Paterno is now or ever was a  monster. I know he has done and still has the capacity to do good, which makes what has transpired all the more tragic and baffling.

who rapes children and you write a response like that? He allowed more children to be molested. What the hell is wrong with you? What else is swept under the rug at psu?

Errbody dus it.

nevermind.

He he;ped to provide a safe haven for a serial rapist and child molester.  Far worse than any of the things you listed.  He also chose this not once but to let it slide for 10 years!  I may feel a little different if at some point he would have stepped forward shortly after and reported it or something.  The fact is he didnt and was prepared to go to his grave with it.   Selfish and cowardice and not exceptable especially from a life long leader of young men.

This thread, the apologetics, the Joe Pa rallies ... wtf is wrong with these people?  How can the real issue be swept aside so easily?  How is the focus of the conversations not on how we protect our kids from monsters?

I believe the false moral equivilency aspect has been adequately addressed above.  While implicit throughout, it's not what JoPa "knew" occurred, rather it's what he knew "may have occurred".  And that was enough to do more--much more.

You're at the lake when your child (let alone your wife) comes to you and says that there is another child drowning in the lake.  You go to the lifeguard and report it.  You then leave.  The child drowns.  Begging the answer, did you fulfill your moral duty as a human being?

This is a horrific tragedy, especially when one considers how much of this could have been avoided. We live in a society where being a sex offender does not carry harsh penalties; imagine how many of these occurences would be reduced if...

     The OP makes a good point reminding us that we are all human and have all made a mistake here or there that violates our own standard of conduct.  There are moments of failure and weakness in our own lives.  It is how we respond and react to those moments that makes the difference in what type of person we are.  Do we cover it up continually, or do we deal with it, correct our mistakes, take the consequences we deserve and do everything we can to make up for it and fix any more problems. 

   In the case of Paterno the problem is not that he made ONE mistake, corrected it, took his consequences and did everything he could to make up for it and fix the problem.  He made MANY.   To report this to his superiors was the correct move.  But after that he made MANY mistakes:

1.  Not reporting the incidents to the police when he first realized his superiors had not

2.  Allowing Sandusky to CONTINUE to access Penn State facilities with his victims

3.  Allowing his own football players that he was responsible for to participate in Sandusky's charity event with the knowledge of what type of person Sandusky was.

4.  Withholding this information for nearly ten years without taking action.

     I'm sure there are more things that could be added but this was not just a one-time event where Paterno made ONE mistake or even a few in a row.  How many times over the last 10 years has he been reminded of these incidents?  Every time he remembered he made a nother choice to cover it up.  Every time he saw Sandusky or was reminded of his charity event he made another choice to do NOTHING. 

  This was NOT A ONE-TIME MISTAKE.  THIS WAS A TEN YEAR COVER-UP AND CONDONING OF A HEINOUS AND HIDEOUS CRIME.  WITH THE RESULT BEING A DESTRUCTION OF HIS OWN MORALS!!

GO BLUE!!  :)

......from the standpoint of JoePa knowing about it, for only a few months or so, and his only action was to report it to PSU admin, before it finally blew up like it did, then the OP has a valid point. However, to let it go on for as long as it did, without any further action on his part, is unacceptable in a moral society.