Letters to the editor - Tuesday (01-17-2012)

Which is the real Paterno?

“Joe-pa” finally speaks out about the alleged Penn State sexual abuse and cover-up but tries to play the confused innocent. He now says that he was confused about how to respond when faced with credible reports that one of his assistants was sexually abusing a young boy.

No one who has seen Paterno run his team and “educate” football officials on their calls can reasonably accept the “poor, humble, bumbling , confused old Joe” persona that we are now expected to swallow. If the real Paterno is the confused elderly innocent, then he should have been placed where his growing dementia could be clinically addressed in a humane fashion. If the confused Paterno is real, then his nearly mythical accomplishments are a sham, with the credit belonging to others.

If the decisive aggressive leader we see on TV is the real Paterno, then he gets the credit for his sports prowess but infamy for his moral and ethical failures.

— Richard Sorensen

Salisbury

No praise for Lazy 5’s actions

Regarding the Jan. 13 article about the Lazy 5 giraffe’s overgrown hooves getting trimmed:

Surely, Lazy 5 zoo owner Henry Hampton can’t expect to be praised for finally giving relief to a giraffe who has been suffering for well over a year? And surely local authorities won’t stop pursuing cruelty charges just because Hampton finally did what he was ordered to do?

It pays to note that now that Hampton has actually provided the animals’ some treatment, there’s no reason to believe that he won’t feel like it’s “enough.” His track record shows that he balks, procrastinates and prevaricates when animals need care. He admitted he only took action now because he was getting “grief,” not because he believed the animals needed treatment.

— Brenda Kirby

Salisbury