A Double Standard

[Posted By Jake]

It seems the media lynch mob and all sorts of government prosecutors and pundits have a rather perverse value system. They want to hold a college football coach to a higher standard than the Attorney General of the United States. There is a sanctimonious roar for responsibility from one, and a deafening silence on accountability from the other. Let's review:

The allegations about homosexual rape and child molestation by former Penn State assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, are reprehensible. Legendary football coach, philanthropist and hero to thousands of Nittany Lion alumni, students, family and community members, the late Joe Paterno, was publicly criticized by law enforcement and unceremoniously fired by the university's Board of Trustees based upon the broad speculation that he "should have done more" to stop Sandusky.

Concurrent with this tragedy in State College is the investigation into the far greater, government-sponsored tragedy known as Operation Fast and Furious. This botched program, overseen by the Department of Justice from 2009 to 2010, cost the lives of at least 200 Mexican citizens and United States Border Patrol agent, Brian Terry. Nearly 1400 of the more than 2000 Fast and Furious straw purchases cannot be accounted for, and some 700 of those guns have been linked to criminal activity.

The man with direct oversight responsibility for this program is Attorney General, Eric Holder. He claims to have no knowledge of Operation Fast and Furious until 2011, has refused to apologize to the border agent's family, and generally stonewalled all congressional and media inquiries into this monumental fiasco. So far, the calls for Holder's resignation have been few and muted.

Granted, neither Joe Paterno or Eric Holder committed the child abuse or murders at issue, but both men were identified as being in charge. Realistically, Holder is more responsible since he heads the Department of Justice while Paterno reported to a larger university bureaucracy. Additionally, Paterno cut ties with Sandusky twelve years ago, while Holder's DOJ bloodbath is but a little over a year old.

Yet somehow, in the court of public opinion, Paterno has been tried and convicted, while Holder dismisses any questions as mere politics and continues his inept tenure as America's chief law enforcement officer. Where are the people who thought they saw Paterno's culpability so clearly? Why aren't they asking Holder if he "should have done more" to save the lives lost in his disastrous Operation Fast and Furious? Why the double standard?