DU folk really need to read this re: Molestation in Philly:

[PCIntern]

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20111220_Four_say_Philly_Daily_News_writer_Bill_Conlin_sexually_abused_them_as_children.html?cmpid=125219969


It's in four Parts...it is, as I had posted when the Sandusky case broke, COMMONPLACE...it is NOT "RARE" as some would have you believe...

[DCKit]

1. FYI

•The typical offender is male, begins molesting by age 15, engages in a variety of deviant behavior, and molests an average of 117 youngsters, most of whom do not report the offense.

From:
http://www.yellodyno.com/html/child_molester_stats.html

[MrSlayer]

2. I was actually shocked by this.

And then I came up with an incredibly crude "When I'm King of the World...." joke. Seriously though, this is stunning. I've been reading Conlin since I was a kid and hearing this about him is like like hearing it about a friendly neighbor. Horrible if true.

[hlthe2b]

3. I wish I could be surprised.... but the insularity of that major $$$ sports community...

and the intensity of its self-protective instincts-- has so much in common with the Catholic church hierarchy that I don't know how any could be really surprised. Add to that the machismo that they perpetuate...

A lot of sunlight needs to be shined on these "institutions"...

[justiceischeap]

4. Makes you wonder if this guy knows Sandusky. nt

[PCIntern]

6. they all know each other and

it wouldn't surprise me if they all know about each other as well.

Conlin is/was a very big deal in the sports world here in Philly and the suburbs...

[justiceischeap]

7. I lived in Lancaster County from 1984-2001 and don't recall him but

I'm not a big sports writing fan.

It makes me wonder if there wasn't a ring of some sort where they passed kids around (horrible thought, I know).

[Blue_Tires]

17. I wonder (if this is proven) what will be done by the Baseball HOF

[Blue_Tires]

15. Like all sportswriters, he had a column on the case

HOW creepy is this comment from Nov. 11 in the context of today's news?

"People who say they would have pounded the snot out of Jerry Sandusky had they been alerted by the alleged shower-room assault will remember Kitty Genovese . . . Everybody says he will do the right thing, get involved, put his own ass on the line before or after the fact. But the moment itself has a cruel way of suspending our fearless intentions..."

http://articles.philly.com/2011-11-11/sports/30387518_1_penn-state-trustees-paterno-joepa

[redqueen]

18. The diffusion of responsibility

was what caused people not to take any action to aid Kitty Genovese. There were many people around, so everyone was able to tell themselves that surely someone else would help.

Not anywhere near the case in this situation.

[Blue_Tires]

27. Aside from Genovese, it could also (possibly) be read as

"People like to talk tough about what they 'woulda' done in that situation, but I've diddled kids and know when push comes to shove, even some of the angriest parents would just prefer to pretend it didn't happen..."

[PCIntern]

22. Pretty creepy...

rough stuff...

[lunatica]

5. A good question is why is there a statute of limitations on molesting children?

If this type of activity was exposed more many of us would be able to save ourselves years of shame. Sexual abuse of children is turning out to be much more prevalent than formerly thought. And the reason it happens so much is because it's all kept a big shameful secret. It happened to me when I was six. And it's still difficult to admit it because people will think it was my fault.

[PCIntern]

8. That's a GREAT question...

probably enacted by male troglodytes...speaking as one, I can say that.

[Brickbat]

12. According to the article, New Jersey changed its law in 1996 to get rid of the statute of

limitations. However, it was not retroactive.

[redqueen]

19. How does that make sense?

If the whole idea is that there should be no statute of limitations, why refuse to prosecute older cases on the basis of an idea that you're saying now is wrong?

Something stinks.

[melissaf]

30. very good question. I agree.

That's what's happening in Syracuse, or rather *isn't* happening, with Bernie Fine: two of his accusers are reporting abuse past the statute of limitations, so the state can't prosecute. Even though the DA thinks the accusers are "credible."

[alcibiades_mystery]

9. Fucking tragic

This part really got to me: one victim's father discussing his confrontation with Conlin 40 years ago:

Hasson said he did not learn the full extent of the assault until about two years ago, when his daughter spoke to him about it in a therapy session.

"For somebody to do that - the son of a bitch," Hasson said, starting to choke up. "That's probably the worst thing you can do to somebody. Back then, I would never even think that anyone could ever do what she said he did."

When he confronted Conlin and Conlin started to sob, Hasson said, "it was such a pitiful sight. It took the fight out of me. I wish now I had done something more, but he swore to me, and I believed him."

Even so, Hasson said, he kept his daughter away from her uncle after that. "I said, 'Never come back to Margate. Never touch her again.' "

As the father of a young daughter, this makes me absolutely fucking crazy.

[justiceischeap]

10. You know, I don't get his line of thinking

He believed his brother but insisted he stay away from his kids. Which tells me he didn't really believe his brother at all and probably just wanted the whole thing done with.

I can tell you as a daughter of a father who was told his child was molested, the worst thing you can do to your daughter is not believe her. It erodes all trust between the daughter and father. If you tell someone who is suposed to protect you that you don't believe they need protecting... well, you can imagine what that does to your self-esteem.

I'd say the reason it takes so long for people to tell their stories to parents and others is that it takes a lot of courage to crawl through the shame of the act to be able to talk about it. And when you finally build up that courage and then are told it can't be true--it sucks on so many levels.

[alcibiades_mystery]

13. The story puts in stark relief the complete shift in the way we handle these issues

In just 40 years time, there has been a monumental change in the way we view and handle such charges. The end of the story (on the boy and three girls in Conlin's neighborhood) is astounding, but only by today's standards. Things were largely handled precisely that way 40 years ago. I mean, a father of a molested girl called Conlin and told him, essentially, to cut it out. The three mothers of molested children decided not to call the police, "out of loyalty" to Conlin's wife! This is precisely how such issues were handled all over the country, probably until quite recently.

[Blue_Tires]

16. Yeah, I imagine trying to avoid the "shame" of going public with a drawn-out court case

trumped a lot of common sense in those days

[RobinA]

21. Those Days?

I'm a female and I have never been molested, so I can't speak with complete confidence, but I have a hard time imagining myself coming forward with something like this given the over the top press coverage that goes on today. I think I'd elect to deal with it in private than face a firing sqad of cameras on my way to court.

[redqueen]

20. All over the world.

And it's not so different now. It's only even possible to be handled differently if the kid speaks up, and many don't.

The silence needs to end.

http://www.wfaa.com/sports/dale-hansen/Dale-Hansen-Thank-God-for-Kids-135840468.html

[Brickbat]

11. The ignorance and pressure to not rock the boat shown by the parents in that article are

heartbreaking.

[Blue_Tires]

14. if this is true then I'm beyond words

I've read Conlin for a lot of years...

But I am glad more and more people have had newfound courage to step forward and expose the evil done to them (including the disgusting Boston Red Sox case)

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. What is happening is something else

the veil of silence on this is breaking...

[Initech]

24. I really wonder what kind of creepy guy club they belong to.

This is becoming scary... Like really scary.

[SoCalDem]

25. Often , they belong to the club where young people are always presented to them

People always react with horror when they find out, and they wonder how the coach, scout leader, youth minister, camp counselor, teacher, etc could have done such a thing.

Pedophiles SEEK OUT occupations that keep them close to kids. Jobs with kids have a built-in "protection" for pedophiles, since they tend to be serial abusers, and rely on a self-replenishing supply of "new ones", as the older ones move on in their lives.

Most of these predators prefer pre-pubescents because they are less likely to resist or to "tell", and if they do tell, they are less likely to be believed.

Our society demands obedience to these figures, since we entrust our kids to them in exchange for their expertise in whatever their job-title indicates.. "Listen to the coach../do what he tells you".. "The teacher is always right", etc.

Pedophiles are very deliberate in their obsessions, and the plan everything out to the nth degree. They are not the creepy guy in a raincoat..They are friends, relatives, trusted community leaders.


Watch your kids and go to all their practices, and teach them at an early age to NEVER be alone with male adults. This may seem harsh, but we are only really talking about a few years of their lives.. 5 to 10 would be my choice of the biggest danger years. Once a kid gets past 10 or so, they tend to be more ready to object (for a first attempt)..and to tell someone about the creepy guy.

[Blue_Tires]

26. That's what made Sandusky even MORE reprehensible

He used his foundation to deliberately exploit disadvantaged boys from broken homes, who were desperate to have a positive father-figure in their lives...There's already an emotional/psychological bond and the kids feel indebted before the abuse even starts

[Initech]

29. What's really pissing me off is he won't shut up.

There's literally *NO* good defense for what he did, and every time he opens his mouth to try to justify the whole thing he makes it worse. And the media is playing along like it's ok!! It isn't!!

[Initech]

28. I don't have kids but if I did...

I'd definitely make sure they were protected from these scumbags. The Jerry Sandusky thing really opened my eyes to this kind of crap. And how poorly he's handling it really says a lot about our society.