The NCAA hammer has dropped big-time on Penn State University, and appropriately so, with heavy sanctions including a $60 million fine.
“The lesson here is one of maintaining the appropriate balance of our value. If you find yourself in a position where the athletic culture is taking precedent over academic culture, a variety of bad things can occur.” – Mark Emmert, president of the NCAA.
In November, Mr. Emmert sent Penn State a letter demanding answers to questions involving ethics, compliance and institutional control. As soon as the Freeh Report, by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, was released, the NCAA wanted immediate answers.
The independent investigation conducted by Mr. Freeh, was lengthy, exhaustive and explosive. It took eight months. Mr. Freeh’s team interviewed more than 400 people, pored through an unthinkable number of documents and closed the book with 237 pages of staggering revelations.
Among them: Former Coach Joe Paterno, whose presence engulfed the football program and the university, cared more about protecting the program’s image than he did the lives of the young victims being attacked year after year by Jerry Sandusky.
The Similarity: At the Los Angeles VA's National Veterans Home, a public-use culture has taken precedent over a Veteran housing and care culture and bad things subsequently happened.
Twenty thousand disabled and disadvantaged Veterans were dispossessed and exiled from their legally deeded Home. They have been forced to live homeless and hungry on the dangerous streets of Los Angeles. The total number of Veterans who have suffered under this horrific culture is unknown because it has been going on for decades.
One thing is very clear: The VA bureaucrats care more about protecting its image with the public, non-Veteran culture than the lives of disabled and homeless Veterans, whom they are exclusively entrusted to serve and protect.
It's time for bad things to happen to those who have perpetrated these horrendous crimes against humanity affecting the lives of so many helpless and impoverished Veterans who desperately need and deserve proper housing and care.
Full-blown Congressional and FBI investigations need to begin, posthaste. A federal grand ury investigation and VA Inspector General investigation must also begin, including an independent one like the Freeh investigation.
There needs to be a complete “house cleaning” at the Los Angeles National Veterans Home.
Those who initiated, aided and abetted, participated and supported, including the cover up of the biggest land-fraud scam in American history that led to some of the most horrendous crimes against humanity on American soil, need to be held accountable with punishment in the fullest measure.
God Bless America and the Men and Women Who Defend It.
Mr. Rosebrock, a Veteran, may be contacted at RRosebrock1@aol.com
