Husker fans to wear blue ribbons at Penn St game to highlight the plight of child abuse victims

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20111112/NEWS01/711129909#husker-fans-to-wear-blue-ribbons

By Leslie Reed
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Some Husker alumni attending Saturday's Penn State football game in State College, Pa., will wear blue lapel ribbons to highlight the plight of child abuse victims.

The Nebraska Alumni Association will distribute 400 ribbons to those attending a pregame "Husker Huddle" this morning at an off-campus hotel and conference center, said spokeswoman Shannon Sherman.

Eight alumni association staff members assembled the ribbons in Lincoln and they were flown to Pennsylvania on Friday.

Blue ribbons calling attention to child abuse predate the child sexual abuse allegations involving a former assistant coach at Penn State. The Blue Ribbon Campaign was started in 1989 by a Virginia grandmother in memory of her 3-year-old grandson, an abuse victim.

FULL story at link.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Is the issue of child abuse so sacrosanct that the messenger is irrelevent or do

any of you see the fans of the opposing team distributing blue ribbons as disingenuous?

[rfranklin]

3. It sounds like a way to needle the opposite side...

and will probably be taken that way.

[MadHound]

4. And Penn State fans shouldn't be needled?

After Wednesday night's little riot, I think they need more than needling.

[rfranklin]

5. Actually, if you do it just to needle them, how does that help the victims?

seems like just another aspect of the football competition and thus trivializes the issue.

[MadHound]

9. I think that Penn State needs to be shamed, and this is one way of doing so

After all, when students instigate a riot, involving a quarter of the student population, in support of Paterno, I think those students, those PSU fans needs to be publicly shamed.

[HereSince1628]

8. That was my first thought, too...

I don't seriously believe that University of Nebraska is terribly worried about becoming tainted by having an athletic team compete with Penn State.

[Bluenorthwest]

10. I think all who are playing today are heartless clods

same for those who will watch and cheer. These are people who are having the party anyway. I have no respect for anyone who is playing today or watching. Penn State should have forfeited the game.

[Atman]

2. Meanwhile, Penn State fans will wear white in solidarity with the child rapers.

Gonna be an interesting day.

[HughBeaumont]

6. Thank you for using the proper term.

These children were raped by a predator scum and left to the wolves by Good ol'boy enablers.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

11. I think they changed it to a "blue out" for today

[CanisCrocinus]

17. It was also reported

that the (remaining) coaching staff was urging players' families and others to wear white in support of Paterno. I don't know if that is true or not, but I hope not.

[Upton]

7. Sounds like they just want to taunt Penn State..

over these child abuse allegations...real classy.

[Bluenorthwest]

12. After the riots and the whole week of horrors

Penn State should be too ashamed to play a game, their desire today is for fun and diversion, and in that desire there is no class whatsoever.

[CanisCrocinus]

13. How is that a taunt?

The alternative being to make no acknowledgement at all of the situation and be seen as oblivious? I wish -- many Nebraska fans wish -- that the game had been cancelled. We knew that playing the game today would put us in the peripheral spotlight and associate us unfairly with this. But it wasn't cancelled, so here we are.

[City Lights]

15. That's not how it sounds to me at all. eom

[ChairmanAgnostic]

14. I could never understand this whole ribbon thing

It never accomplishes anything, it trivializes the real issue, and acts like a bandaid, when the whole dike is caving in, ready to collapse.

Instead of ribbons, it would be far better to boycott the whole fucking game.

This was/is a corrupt organization. Make no mistake about it, it is a huge business, with $70 millions being gathered and spent yearly. The idea that the game must go on is repulsive.

[Earth_First]

16. This. n/t

[NYC_SKP]

18. Ribbons:

For some it's a show of solidarity, of caring, and a demonstration of these considerations.

For others I'm afraid it's just a shallow form of fitting in, societally.

FWIW, I don't do ribbons.

:hi: