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You're referring to today's column, which was about the Penn State tragedy -- and it is tragic that so many people did so little to protect so many young boys from abuse. Allegedly, I should say. But I agree: How can it be that nobody went to the police? How can it be that nobody even tried to learn the identity of a young boy who was seen being abused? Unbelievable and disgraceful.

I listed the assistant -- reportedly, Mike McCreary -- among those who share responsibility, so consider him hounded. I could not care less how many wins Joe Paterno has. The "right thing" wasn't just to tell his superior and then go back to drawing up plays for the coming Saturday's game. The right thing was to think first of the child -- and other children who might be similarly abused. The right thing was for somebody to go to the police. Yes, this overshadows his legacy. Big time.

Not only that, but apparently his "prohiubition" against bringing Second Mile kids onto campus (after the 2002 incident) was viewed as unenforceable on the main campus -- and not applied at all on satellite campuses. It's hard for me to believe, given the narrative as laid out in the grand jury report, that there weren't lots of rumors.

Right. He continued to work with Second Mile children until 2009, when the attorney general's investigation was launched. You can barely find his name on the Second Mile website these days, by the way.

Well, I went to Big State U, too. I loved my years in Ann Arbor. I enjoyed going to football games, and I enjoy watching Michigan football now. But this awful episode must compel every university president in the country to do some soul-searching about the importance placed on big-time sports. Clearly, Penn State had lost all perspective. Every president has to ask: What about us?

Thank you. I'm not sure about the baseball bat, but if you saw what the witness saw, wouldn't you -- a strapping young jock -- rush over and stop the abuse, using physical force if necessary? And do what you could to comfort the victim? And call the cops immediately? And if the abuser gave you the slightest guff, or tried to flee the scene, punch him out?

Good. Right.

I hope this isn't a gender difference, I really do. Come on, you see a child being molested, before your eyes, and you do nothing to intervene? I get furious every time I think about it.

This is not a sex scandal, and I can't believe anyone would call it that. These area allegations of unspeakable abuse of vulnerable children.

There are reports today that Penn State is orchestrating Paterno's departure, perhaps at the end of the season, perhaps sooner. There's a meeting of the board of trustees this week, and I gave them my advice in the column this morning: Clean house and start over.

One thing I've learned since this story broke is that reporting requirements for alleged instances of sexual harassment in the workplace, or among students on college campuses, are in many ways more stringent than for alleged child abuse. This should be changed.

It's a little early, I think. Let's wait at least until Cain's news conference later this afternoon. I think Sharon Bialek's allegation is being taken pretty seriously -- and given that Cain feels forced to respond, he must think it's serious, too. As for Romney, a lot of conservatives aren't yet resigned to his inevitability. Maybe they will be at some point, but not yet.

Obviously, I don't know what he knew or didn't know. But if he was that close to the guy for that long, given the fact that at least one prior incident had been investigated by University Police... How blind can a person be?

Folks, sorry about that, but I have to run. See you on MSNBC in a few minutes, and again next week right here.