Great job demonizing the greatest man in Happy Valley history. The man who drove hundreds of young men to greatness in their lives both in and out of football. And the man who inspired and led an entire, extended community.All for his tangential part in a horrific, ongoing, ubiquitous evil that is one small corner of the larger, national NAMBLA abuse of young boys by gay men and the progressive establishment that not only enables them but promotes them.Doubt me? Where is the condemnation of the judge who ripped a nine-year-old boy, Matt, from his biological family and presented him to the pedophile Sandusky? Despite the mother's plea not to, including the allegation that Sandusky played mind games with the boy and that he did inappropriate things to him? Why didn't that judge "do more"? Why didn't that judge investigate the mother's accusations? And why, despite the accusations, did the judge award this boy to this man? Why no inquiry, no documentary about the judge? Why no mention of the judge's culpability in this evil during this documentary? Why no inquiry into the role of NAMBLA and the progressives who promote it? No investigation into those who cowed a judge into ordering the Boy Scouts to put gay men into the pup tents of prepubescent boys? And when THOSE lawsuits ensue, will anyone investigate the role of that judge who precipitated the predation, or the progressives who remonstrated for it? Of course not. They'll blame the Boy Scouts for what was forced on them by the progressive establishment. They'll blame the institution that transformed millions of boys into responsible, moral young men for over a century. They'll not rest until they win that scalp for their belt. Mark my words.Always the institution that was forced by the progressives to accede to the NAMBLA agenda. The Catholic Church to allow gay priests. The Boy Scouts to allow gay Scout leaders. Society--including Penn State--to give the benefit of the doubt to the gay man in their midst. Can you imagine if Joe Paterno had come running, yelling "Pedophile! Pedophile!" when first given the ambiguous accusation that "something" "might have happened" in the shower between Sandusky and a young boy? Paterno would have been brought down by the same progressives in the media and culture who claim he didn't "do enough" (especially ESPN and the NCAA and the others in the progressive establishment), as a homophobic bigot without any proof. A Neanderthal who hates gays. Better to keep it "in house" and let the administration vet the charges.But the progressives want The Moral Man's scalp. And they don't rest until they get it. And in doing so, ignore the real culprits.

The crimes of Jerry Sandusky and the facts regarding the cover-up are well known. What this documentary, perhaps unwittingly, uncovers is how football enthusiasm at Penn State had long ago metastasized from from a sport to a full blown cult. The disturbing and unhealthy blind obedience to all that is "football" is on full display. The son of Joe Paterno, who covered for the pedophile, Joe Jr., says with no sense of irony whatsoever, "If I don't see it, it didn't happen. Some would call that denial, but it works for me". And then he laughs. He is not referring to Sandusky's crimes but rather to criticism of the cover-up. But it clearly speaks volumes to the mentality that created the safe haven for a serial child rapist and would do it all again given the same set of circumstances. A student fan compares Joe Paterno, again with no awareness of inappropriateness, to Jesus. Jesus would never have turned a blind eye to the suffering of a child. I thought that the conviction of Sandusky the reprimand of Penn State by the NCAA would confer a sense of justice and finality to what can only be described as complete moral failure by every individual at every stage of this more than 20 year crime spree and cover-up. After watching this documentary, however, I am disturbingly convinced that something about Penn State football is still rotten at the DNA level, and that ANYTHING could happen again and it would come as no surprise. The disturbing resolution is not the fault of this very good documentary. It is the fault of the morally bankrupt individuals who still run the town.UPDATE: 6/2/17, Ex-president Spanier, 68, sentenced to 4 to 12 months, with the first two to be spent in jail and the rest under house arrest, athletic director Curley, 63, received a sentence of 7 to 23 months, with three in jail, former vice president Gary Schultz, 67, sentenced to 6 to 23 months, with two months behind bars. None of them will spend more than a few months in actual jail. It was reported to these men by Joe Paterno that Mike McQueary saw Sandusky raping a boy in the showers in the Penn State locker room late at night. They did NOTHING!!! Another 10 years would go by before Sanudsky was finally stopped and brought to justice. Who knows how many more children were abused and raped because these good men allowed a monster to his undeserved freedom. Why has it taken 16 years to bring these enablers to justice?

Disclaimer: I have always had an appreciation for the Penn State football program. My mother was a Penn State fan (not an alumnus though), and she would always say that Joe Paterno represented class, while almost in the same breath denounce the legendary coach of my favorite college team, Barry Switzer as being anything but. Even though I am a loyal Sooners fan (though not an alumnus of OU, simply having been born in Oklahoma), I could appreciate what JoePa and Penn State stood for.I couldn't help but think of that as I watched this documentary. In his lifetime Joe Paterno went from being a mere man into being a mythical one. It was one legend right after another, and I don't believe it matters who you are, if left unchecked, a person can buy into their own hype. I believe that happened with Joe Paterno, and it has left an impression on a program, a university, and a community struggling to make sense of it all. The whole truth may never fully be known.From watching this I got the sense that Joe Paterno genuinely wanted to do the right thing. Having however the myth of "St. Joe", I believe he hindered himself from doing more because he couldn't believe a monster had gotten so close to him, and he couldn't live with what that would do to his perception. His son seemed to confirm as much as he stated both his parents were very well read, but naive about many other things surrounding them. Joe was too wrapped up in his own myth.This documentary goes to great lengths to show how others have bought into the myth as well, and their support is as blind for him as it is deep. On the one hand they'll acknowledge what was done to the kids Jerry Sandusky was supposed to be helping was terrible. Just as quickly though they will try to absolve Paterno of any wrongdoing, saying he reported what he knew. In other words, the bare minimum. For a man that had built a reputation of going above and beyond the bare minimum, this seems to me, unacceptable. Yet they don't see it.However, the lasting impression I got from watching this, and honestly I believe this was the point of the documentary, was that there is no prototypical child abuser, and that it is possible to dupe many into thinking one thing about you when something else may be the reality. That's a sobering thought for anyone.The line that sums up this documentary for me though is quote "You should never build statues for guys who are still alive." True character is revealed when nobody else is looking. We may think we know someone, even if only by reputation. That reputation however may be little more than a house of cards ready to fall. In the end, regardless of what Joe Paterno knew or didn't know, what he reported or didn't report, the carefully crafted myth has come crashing down.

A well done documentary about how people react when the people and things they believe in turn out to be an illusion. Being from the 'liberal west coast', I've never understood how football could possibly reach the level of reverence it enjoys elsewhere. But here it is in all its glory... supported by hoards who seem more concerned with sportsball than anything else in their lives -- including justice for abused kids. Well okay, maybe they care for the kids as long as the football games don't stop and no one attacks their coach. For without football, we are nothing.In all fairness, the documentary did include representatives from the non-reverent point of view. But it's witnessing the reactions of people who have so much invested in a sport that has achieved cult status, as well as the mechanics of group think, that make this an interesting doc. A good study in the sort of self-righteous mentality that starts wars. But who am I judge? I'm a west coast liberal. I'd rather do almost anything else than watch football.