"It was twenty years ago today..."

My son Paul celebrates his birthday today.

Paul was in the ninth grade when he joined the freshman football team. Being rather small of stature, and possessed with a sharp with that could get him into trouble, he quickly became the object of scorn by the dumb-ass jocks on the team. Early in the season, he left the team. The coach ended up lecturing his former teammates on their behavior.

And yet it was only recently that I learned, that it was the coach that could have used a good talking to.

Just last month, Paul described an incident on his weblog, in which, according to him, "I was f**ted on by the coach." Upon reading this, I was aghast at not having heard about it before (until I realized I was often left out of the loop by his mother, at least until the bill came). I informed Paul that he may have been the victim of assault on a minor, and referred him to an attorney. By now, a complaint has been filed. The statute of limitations runs out two years after reaching the age of majority. And today, Paul turns twenty.

The case probably won't go anywhere. Seems there's very little upon which to establish a pattern of "negligence," even though the counselors charged with evaluating his needs as an ED student admitted to mishandling his case -- a gaff that quickly fell by the wayside when things got so out of hand, and the incident occured which finally got Paul transferred to another school.

Still, it was for the best. Paul ended up in a place where the students were more important than the public relations image. And it wasn't run by a bunch of liars.

So, as is often the case, the public school system will end up beating the rap. There would be much more to tell, but I'll leave it to Paul to tell it. What matters now, is that he took responsibility for his mistakes, against a bunch of weenie grown-ups who couldn't do likewise.

Then again, when you have the power of the state on your side, you don't have to live up to the standards you expect of others. Ignore a cry for help until it's too late, and you are handed a scapegoat on a silver platter.

An approach which came at too high a price at Columbine.

Happy birthday, Paul.