Guilty

    Justice was served on Friday, when Jerry Sandusky was found guilty on 45 of the 48 charges, and shipped off to jail.  Which is poetic justice since inmates are notoriously brutal to child molesters.

    So one predator has been removed from society, pending appeals and sentencing.  Penn State will recover with time from this tragedy, probably rapidly.  There is no reason why this can't happen anywhere else; nothing is unique about the Penn State atmosphere.

    Which raises the question - what will be done to minimize this from happening again?  Sadly, I'm afraid the answer is 'nothing'.

    Sex molesters know the best ways to ply their trade.  The common thread is to be an Authority Figure to the kids.  Priests molest altar boys; fathers molest foster children; and administrators molest "troubled kids" at Boys' Homes like Sandusky's preying ground.

    It is time to start heavily monitoring such situations that attract predators.  The administrations certainly won't do it themselves.  Pope Benny thinks activist nuns are more of a threat than predatory priests.  CPS has neither the will nor the resources to scrupulously check for abusers.  And top dogs like Sandusky certainly won't police themselves.

    But we have to do more than monitor.  At-risk kids need to be repeatedly educated about what is unacceptable behavior by adults.  If the predator-harboring institutions don't go along with it, then take away their tax-exempt status, their charter to operate, or their credentials to assign vulnerable kids to dangerous guardians.

    You should get two strikes before sanctions take place.  The first embarrassing incident should motivate you to vigorously monitor your own operation.  The second means you didn't try hard enough, you're incompetent, or your predators are running the show.  You need help.  Strike three means you're out.