Mueller, She Wrote: Biden did not call you garbage... Personally, I disagree with Biden because I think you're garbage.

[H2O Man]

20. I felt bad

for him, not for me. Back 40+ years ago, when he was the "most expensive JD in the county," I was assigned his case. The previous day, his probation officer was frustrated with him, and beat him up. I remember that first day, driving him to a meeting at his school, after he was suspended. He was calling the teachers & adminstrators assholes etc on the ride. When I parked the car, I looked him in the eye and said, "If they really are assholes, why do you behave in a manner that gives them power over you?"

He sat quietly for a minute before we went inside. About a week later, he did some more angry teenaged boy crap, so I talked to my brother-in-law, who worked in a "youth prison." We opted to do a variation of a program that Rubin Carter started in Rahway State Prison called "Scared Straight." This kid was the first of a series of kids we did this with, and the goal was to keep it fresh for two years.

He did have some minor trouble after that, but never would be arrested again. As an adult, he worked full-time as a farm hand and wood-cutter. He raised two daughters, and is now a grandfather. He still struggles with some old issues, including the toxic influence of the father who abandoned him. That is mainly what we talked about in recent years, when he was having a hard time. I've also helped his wife out a few times.

I still like many things about him, but he mistook the nature of our relationship. He seemed to hold some resentments with my having more education than him, though I wasn't aware of it until yesterday.