By
Ray Blehar
At Joe Paterno's Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Jay Paterno took to the microphone to give a speech before receiving the honor on behalf of his father.
But rather than simply pay tribute to the accomplishments of his father, Jay did exactly as his father would have done.
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| Confronted "false narrative" head on |
Success with honor.
Much like myself, Jay really didn't think much about the removal of Joe Paterno's statue. The bronze cast of Joe, with his finger raised aloft for number one, wasn't the Joe we all knew.
The Joe we all knew was the regular guy from Brooklyn with the accent who was more proud of the accomplishments of his players made off the field -- and in life - than the wins they compiled on it.
Football factory?
Not on your life and certainly not under Joe Paterno.
A school that put football above the values of human decency?
Only in the fantasy worlds of Ken Frazier, Louis Freeh, and Mark Emmert.
It was a "false narrative" -- and Jay Paterno made that point loud and clear.
The rays of truth are beginning to break through the cloud of lies that our University's administration and Board of Trustees have let prevail since November 2011.
However, we need thousands of rays of truth to shine and break through.
This is not about football. It's not about a statue. It's about all of us.
And it's up to all of us.
Every time the Board of Trustees attempts to hide the truth, it needs to be called out. Every time someone writes a fact-free op-ed condemning the University for the actions of Jerry Sandusky, we need to stand up and correct the record.
Pick up a pen and paper or go to your computer and bang out a letter to your newspaper. We can work to change the narrative, even if we do it one mind, one town, and one state at a time.
Write On!
Allentown Morning Call letters@mcall.com- 200 words
Bloomsburg Press Enterprise – Submit through website http://www.pressenterpriseonline.com/content/submit-a-letter-to-the-editor
- 600 words
Bucks County Courier Times - letters@phillyburbs.com - 250 words
Centre Daily Times - cdtletters@centredaily.com - 250 words
Clearfield Progress - Submit through website - http://www.theprogressnews.com/default.asp?ID3=23 - 300 words
Erie Times News letters@timesnews.com- 250 words
Hazelton Standard Speaker letters@standardspeaker.com - 250 words
Lock Haven Express, Williamsport Sun Gazette, Altoona Mirror, Lewistown Sentinel – Submit through website http://www.lockhaven.com - 250 words
New York Times - letters@nytimes.com - Letters should be 50 to 175 words, should refer to an article that has appeared within the last seven days, and must include the writer's address and phone numbers.
PennLive - letters@pennlive.com - 250 words
Philadelphia Inquirer inquirer.letters@phillynews.com - LTE’s up to about 200 words, Op–Eds 500 to 800 words
Pittsburgh Post Gazette opinion@post-gazette.com - 250 words
Pittsburgh Tribune - opinion@tribweb.com - 200 words
Reading Eagle - letters@readingeagle.com - 200 words
Wall Street Journal - wsj.ltrs@wsj.com - Letters must be no longer than 250 words
York Dispatch - letters@yorkdispatch.com – LTE's 400 words or less. "Other Voices" pieces can be up to 800 words.
Listing courtesy of Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship
As a past player I could not have said it any better than someone who played and coached with JoePa! I will always be indeded to Joe for the time he spent making sure I finished my degree even after a year in pro football. What has taken place at PS by the BoTs and the NCAA is more than just a travesty, it shows the true picture of the leaders that have risen from nowhere. Penn State for me will always be a second home, to visit, enjoy and relive great times with past players. I hope the revival of Penn State continues not just in sports but in the great institution that it has always been!
ReplyDeleteBobby,
DeleteThanks. I'm happy that I accurately reflected how you felt about Joe.
Joe's ideals transcended football.
We Are because He Was.
I am a "Penn Stater" in every sense of the word. Grew up in Williamsport. State College is one of my favorite places in the world. Went to a PSU off campus in Williamsport. Looked up to Joe my whole life and was always proud to be a "Penn Stater". I raised my children with PSU values (Success with Honor) and they are big time "Penn Staters". And we have been to our fair share of PSU games.
ReplyDeleteAfter saying all that, I must say that you all need to wake the @&$# up!!! This isn't about Joe anymore. Joe asked us to find the "whole" truth, not just the truth concerning him! That TRUTH is that nothing ever happened at all before Nov. 4th, 2011. Everything happened after that date and PSU and Joe will never be looked at the same until the "whole" truth comes out. I live in Florida now and I have no idea what the hell is going on in the state where I was raised and educated, but from a distance it seems to be the most corrupt state in the union and that is saying something coming from a person who lives in Florida.
The bottom line is Jerry Sandusky is innocent! There is mountains of evidence that point to that conclusion and you people spend your time on your high horse ignoring it for some unknown reason. It's time for all of you to stop being so damn politically correct. You tip toe around this issue only fighting for the truth you seemed to have worked out in your own minds. I firmly believe that if Joe were alive today things would be a lot different. He would have looked at ALL the facts and would have been on the side of the whole truth. I believe Jay even knows what the real truth is too. You all are so afraid to criticize a victim and that's understandable, but what if the victim really isn't a victim? Ray, I'm sure you will admonish me with the, "I don't have time to defend a pedaphile" CRAP, but I hate to tell you that you are going to be on the wrong side of history. You will only be shown to have half the truth, not the whole truth. I appreciate the web site and all you and everybody else have done, but your missing the boat on this. It's the greatest story never told and you are just one more person not telling all of it. I beg you to please put half as much effort into investigating the fact that Jerry is innocent, as you have investigating everything else. Do you want to be right or popular? Jerry is a "Penn Stater" too and Joe, whether he liked him or not, would have stood up for his rights and I feel we should also. WE ARE not just standing up for Jerry's rights, WE ARE standing up for all of our rights!!! I hope you will consider my words and not blow them off as you have done in the past. Jerry had the beginning of his day in court yesterday and the Judge actually seems like he might be one of the honest ones. Can't wait to here Ms. Kane's response!! Success with Honor will be bringing the "whole" truth out not just part of it! Honor Joe by finding the "whole" truth, as he requested in his final days! WE ARE....better than this! Make a difference!!!!!
Scott, Don't you think Ziegler is already doing a good enough job promoting the "Sandusky is innocent" lie? Why do you want Ray to embrace this farce distraction? You believe that this creepy guy that founded Second Mile, Sandusky, didn't spend an inordinate amount of private time around young boys from his organization? And what, you think he just wanted to play checkers with all of them? And if it's due process that you are concerned with, then why don't you focus on the false charges the corrupt judiciary is manufacturing against Kathleen Kane? I don't know, but it seems to me that 'Ms. Kane', as you call her, has far more credibility as the state's first female democrat Attorney General than a sleazy, behind bars, molester.
DeleteYou act as though you know some big secret the rest of us don't know. So what is this 'whole truth' you are so sure of? Nothing at all happened before 2011? Are you kidding? EVERYTHING happened before 2011! Hmm, 2011 is when Tom Corbett finished his second term as PA Attorney General. Of course you don't want us to see what happened before 2011! Truth is, Mr. Waste Management Tom Corbett was receiving Sandusky complaints in his first term at least as early as 1997! He gave them to his DA, Ray Gricar. Gricar gave the case to his Assistant DA, Karen Arnold. Gricar then took the case back from her with no explanation. Then, subsequently, Gricar "disappears" in 2005. And interestingly enough, 2005 is exactly when Tom Corbett comes back in as Attorney General. Corbett had been doing his private sector stint with Waste Management(Mob ties)? Of course you and Ziegler want people to believe Sandusky is innocent. The sooner he gets out of jail, the less likely he will cut a deal with the Feds and spill the beans on the Second Mile/Gricar/Tom Corbett connection.
Holy cow seeker! What was I thinking? You're absolutely right about everything! And thanks for answering for Ray. Good day. ..... Does anyone on this site have an open mind? Are you all 100% sure he's guilty?
DeleteHi Scott...
DeleteIt's strange how people from far away seem to be able to pick out the obvious holes in the Sandusky monster story more easily than those living right in State College. It is because we are not so influenced by local social pressures I guess. Ziegler reveals many obvious reasons why Sandusky is most probably innocent. But the other part of the story is the influence of the bogus therapy that created false memories in almost all the accusers. That is the untold story of the imaginary crimes manufactured in secrecy for money. thank you for your comment. It is hard for people to abandon first impressions, especially when it means being different from the crowd. Ziegler admits mistakes and corrects them. That is a very good characteristic.
Hi Glenna
DeleteI thank you for your response and agree with your comments concerning the therapy used in the case. It was questionable at best. I wish you and all on this board and of course Ray and John for all their hard work on this matter, the most joyous and blessed holiday season. And I hope for the full truth, no matter what it turns out to be, to be revealed soon.