I am shocked at the decision made by a popular entertainment venue to fire Franco Harris for defending Joe Paterno at a time when Paterno seems to be taking the fall for all of the unfortunate events at Penn State.
The last time I looked, we still live in America, where a person once had the right to speak his mind and, as far as that goes, the right to a trial by a jury of his peers, not by the media, and certainly not by public opinion.
Mr. Sandusky has not been convicted of any crime and, although he may appear to be guilty, I believe that we still have the assumption of innocence until proof of guilt. At worst Mr. Paterno is guilty of a lapse of judgment.
I wonder how many of us would believe in the guilt of a colleague with whom we have worked for decades, especially of crimes, which, even in the close relationships of families is beyond comprehension.
I, for one, applaud Mr. Harris for his loyalty and his, apparently misplaced, conviction that, even in this day and age, Americans still have the right to express our beliefs, regardless of whether they are popular at the time.
How many other people will be made to pay for the alleged, and I stress the word alleged, crimes that have taken place? If I were a journalist, I would have to take a long, hard look at what has taken place in the last few weeks and examine whether I were qualified to cast the first stone.
I thought the witch hunts in America had ceased centuries ago. Apparently, I was wrong.
