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The Sandusky Scandal's Possible Impact on the WTS
by Quendi 58 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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Jesuit Scholar
Interesting that the Sandusky case is in Pennsylvania.
The catholic priest convicted and jailed for a pedophile cover-up (first ever clergy conviction for a cover-up and not an actual first-hand molestation) that was passed down just instants away, as the Conti news was breaking and days within the Sandusky news, also in Pennsylvania.
Easily and quickly creating precedence in that state's courts.
All the while...
The founding and primary legal entity of Jehovah's Witnesses, The Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of PENNSYLVANIA, incorporated in PA in 1884, is the corporation that holds most of the hard assets.
While not a necessity for litigation, it's easily a convenient coincidence.
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Band on the Run
The report is more of a fact-finding and analysis document. PA is a different state from CA. No First Amendment issues are present with Penn State.
Judges are not isolated from society, however. It is so sad how Penn State, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Witnesses cover-up at the expense of small children. It is repulsive. The lawyers representing the Church were ruthless beyond any standard. Some accomodation to the needs of children would not jeopardize their liabillity.
There are no First Amendment problems with laws of general applicability with no intent to discriminate against religion. I suspect state legislatures and Congress will pass mandatory reporting laws that impact clergy. Clergy-penitent privilege may be harder to collapse. Fewer and fewer Americans seem to believe in the formality of confession. It harks back to a very different time.
The Roman Catholic example and now Penn State may compel legislators to clearly state liability. Now is the time to act while the press and the public are so heated about this topic.
An adult vs. a defenseless child.
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james_woods
What I do not understand about this is how all those PSU students and alumni are still avidly supporting Paterno - now that we know what we know.
His ardent supporters are delusional.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/s...,7314729.story -
Band on the Run
Columbia is my alma mater so I have zero comprehension. Penn State is best known for football and then academics. I travelled to West Virginia for surgery (believe it or not) and saw football frenzy first hand. It was completely different from my experience. A professor stated to me when I remarked about the difference in cultures that he was embarassed by it. He wanted it continue, however, because people contribute very large amounts to the university because of football. It funds many program that would not otherwise exist.
Regarless of status, the Ivy League was a wonderful idea in my book.
Certain towns seem more sports crazy than others. I cheered so hard for the Yankees and the Giants. The Philadelphia area is much more sports friendly. The people seemed crazed.
When love for a winning team defeats protection children, though, I cannot begin to fathom it. Denial.
Obviously, football is more than a sport. It must channel agression.
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Quendi
Clearly, Band on the Run's familiarity with big time college football is extremely limited. I don't say that disparagingly or as a criticism but simply to agree with what she has already stated. Football mania is not limited to places like Penn State's Happy Valley or Morgantown, West Virginia. There are entire states which are completely consumed by college football and where the only months of the year that matter are September to January. Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas easily come to mind where this phenomenon is in full flower, and these states are just the tip of the iceberg. I once was one of those football fanatics, so I can comprehend what it is all about. I currently live in Alabama and find that anticipation of the coming college football season in this state is already at a boiling point and the season's start is still seven weeks away.
That doesn't justify it, however. But football mania is no different from the same craze that exists in other fields of human endeavor and achievement. Big time sports--either amateur or professional--allow their fans to be part of something much bigger than themselves, thus fulfilling a basic human need. Thus, I knew people who had never set foot in the state of Indiana, let alone on the campus of the University of Notre Dame located there, who lived, breathed, ate and drank Notre Dame football. I saw others who felt the same way about University of Kentucky basketball, New York Yankees baseball and Boston Bruins hockey. These people may never have traveled to the home venues of these sports teams, but they identified themselves with those teams and always used the pronouns "we" and "us" in any discussion involving them.
So when trouble comes, as it invariably does, these fans cannot accept the harsh and unvarnished truth. For those who are rabid Penn State football fans, the truth about the head football coach participating in the coverup about Jerry Sandusky's pedophilia is too painful to accept. That is because they think that admitting the truth says something horrible about themselves. So they close ranks and refuse to consider any criticism, no matter how mild, because they think that since they would never do such a thing, nobody they want to associate with should or would either.
We may well see the same thing happen if the Conti case gets the kind of exposure it deserves. Rank-and-file Witnesses will have to confront an ugly, even hideous, truth about an organization they revered. Some will swallow hard, accept the facts, and then adopt the right attitude. Many will simply refuse because they will equate the Society's callousness with some flaw in their own character. Whatever the case, I hope that should some of these people turn to us fading, faded or former Witnesses for help we'll gladly and lovingly give it to them.
Quendi
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Quendi
More legal eagles are sounding off about the Sandusky pedophile horrors at Penn State and linking them to the recent conviction of a Roman Catholic cleric in Philadelphia. One can only wonder how much longer before the same linkage is made to the Conti case in California. I'm sure there are already those telling the Conti legal team to make this connection. Even though the Freeh report came as a result of an investigation and not a trial and so has no true legal bearing, it nevertheless outlines what went wrong and who were responsible. I don't doubt that the WTS's Legal Department is also keeping its fingers on the pulse of legal opinion and its lawyers must be getting increasingly worried. The Conti case should be on top of the agenda, if not its sole item, at next Wednesday's Governing Body meeting. Here are more details of the gathering legal storm the WTS may face:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/legal-expert-links-psu-catholic-070241869--ncaaf.html
Quendi
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Refriedtruth
GOOGLE-Penn State,Pedophile Priest and Jehovah's Witnesses
Showing thousands of pages
Watchtower monitors take notice
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Scott77
bttt