NCAA a knee jerk reaction
The evil that men do lives after them,
The good is oft interred with their bones…
So said Marc Antony about Julius Caesar in Shakespeare’s play.
Jerry Sandusky’s predatory perversion has wrought more than responsible outrage over child sexual abuse; it brought the wrath of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
It was a crime, not a rules infraction.
Penn State undoubtedly erred in its handling of the Sandusky scandal, but the heavy hand of the NCAA hit the school with sanctions never before thought of.
In effect, the penalties will rewrite history.
Far from doing what it should, the punishment only strengthens the argument that football is all that matters. The unprecedented action seems the work of an organization trying to make sure its own importance is assured.
Fining the school $60 million, reducing scholarships from 85 to 65 in each of the next four years, erasing 111 wins and taking away any bowl appearances for four years, NCAA President Mark Emmert sent the wrong message.
For more on this story and many others, subscribe to the WCN or the WCN e-paper today!
______________________________________________________________
Parallel universe, stupid or what?
Does PeeBO just not get it?
Are he and his ilk living in a parallel universe?
THEY all say he’s one of the smartest Presidents we’ve ever had, so he can’t be stupid.
After all, THEY would know.
So what’s the deal?
Anyone with the tiniest bit of intelligence knows that a successful business begins with a VERY important building block:
An idea from someone willing to work hard for however long it may take, risk as much as it may take, and worry and fret until the business succeeds.
But PeeBO the Magnificent, the All-Knowing, All-Seeing, let the whole world know what he thinks about capitalism, job creation and free enterprise over the weekend.
For more on this story and many others, subscribe to the WCN or the WCN e-paper today!
‘Jury’ still out on Wayne committee
By RON FERGUSON
And MICHAEL HUPP
Wayne County News Staff
The ‘jury’ is still out over its previous actions and promises made Thursday by the Wayne County Democratic Executive Committee in the commission chambers at the Courthouse.
The first ‘jury’ will be a panel of three state committee leaders who will decide Friday if actions taken to install John Cavins of Prichard as the party’s candidate for the magistrate post left vacant by the unexpected death of Teddy Mays nearly two months ago, were legitimate.
During Thursday’s meeting, several of the committee complained of not being notified in time to attend the meeting in which Cavins was named to the ballot. One person said she had been hospitalized the morning of the meeting and could not have secured anyone to vote for her. Another had surgery scheduled but was told since she had a person there beside her when she told Chairman Dr. Rodney Thompson she couldn’t attend and Thompson told that woman how to do the proxy, then she too could have had her vote into consideration.
So two days before the meeting that person is a proxy because Thompson told her how to do it?
For more on this story and many others, subscribe to the WCN or the WCN e-paper today!
______________________________________________________________
Hoppy Kercheval
Penn State a case of institutional failure
OUR country was founded on the principle of individual freedom and liberty. We are born free, with God-given rights to pursue our hopes and dreams.
But if it’s individual liberty that defines us, it’s the institutions of our society that hold the country together and keep us functioning.
Family, religion, government, business, schools, and others provide the necessary structure and guidelines for behavior.
We may constantly complain about these institutions, but we ultimately have faith in them, otherwise we would be in a state of anarchy.
That’s why when institutions fail, the country shudders.
The banking crisis during the great recession caused us to question Wall Street. The Enron scandal triggered distrust in big businesses. The Catholic Church sex abuse scandal shook the foundation of the church.
The case of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is yet another example of institutional failure.
The independent report by Louis Freeh released Thursday shows that trusted, powerful and respected people in positions of responsibility at Penn State got off track.
For more on this story and many others, subscribe to the WCN or the WCN e-paper today!
______________________________________________________________
The United Nations taking over gun control?
By RON FERFUSON
Managing Editor
There’s a little known, or at least little mentioned, conference going on in New York City right now that very well could effect this nation’s gun owners and the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
This week, the 190-plus members of the United Nations General Assembly are discussing the Arms Trade Treaty, to establish “common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms.”
The treaty will cover everything from tanks and other military vehicles, even drones, to ships, submarines and ammunition. The treaty would regulate the import, export, transfer and brokering, as well as the manufacturing of the arms.
According to the Washington Times, the George W. Bush administration blocked the treaty in 2006, but the newspaper said Thursday the Obama administration “is giving it high-level support” which has “generated legitimate alarm on Capitol Hill.”
Some 130 members of Congress sent the President and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a letter expressing “strong objections” to the treaty.
For more on this story and many others, subscribe to the WCN or the WCN e-paper today!
______________________________________________________________
Political parties apparently private