What a week? Woodward's book comes out, Foley's emails come out, and I have to go to jail. When I get back, you'll see my articles again on opednews. Sorry!

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It's been fun while it has lasted, but I must admit that I will be going to prison for a couple of years. My fault. I knew better, but I didn't speak up.

As an educator in the United States, I am bound to a system of justice that says, if I know or even suspect a case of child abuse and don't report it, I am heading for the joint to spend some time thinking about the crime I committed.

In fact, in my 34 years, in the education business, I have reported nearly a dozen cases of pedophilia, and once I reported it, it was quickly out of my hands.

First the DHS people were at my door at school. I stepped out of my office, while they interviewed the student. Then the child, and all other children in the household are jerked out and put in a temporary shelter until placement is made. Then the investigation starts. Would you like to hear an example of such a case?

I was seeing a 4th grader who lived with his step-mom and dad, newly here because of the 80's oil boom.

The youngster came to my office, at least once a week and sometimes more, having been identified by his teacher as in need of counseling. He would always have lots of things to say, as we played checkers.

One day he came to my class, and the game scenario changed.

"Mr. Hill, I bet you can't guess how much money I have on me?"

"Five dollars."

"No, I have $14.47 cents!"

"Wow, that's a lot. Are you saving your money?"

"Yes!"

"Why are you saving your money? Are you going to buy a toy?"

"No, I am saving it up to run away."

When a student says that, it hits you like a freight train. The boy was dressed fine, and he had never had bruises on him. Odd! Unreal! What could I say?

"Why are you planning on running away?"

"My daddy is doing things to my sister what you shouldn't do until you are married. I am planning on running away and staying with my sister."

"I've got to tell someone else about this. I promise you will like them, and your dad won't know about it. Is that okay?" The last weekend he had stayed with his sister and her husband.

The boy stayed in my office and in 15 minutes DHS workers were there. After thirty minutes, they sent the youngster back to the classroom. The boy wasn't going home that night, and in fact, they had contacted the older sister, where they moved him. His sister admitted that her dad did the same to her, and that is why she got out of the house by marriage, as soon as she did, which was before she graduated from high school.

What about this boy's step-sister? She was in the 2nd grade and was NOT his sister. The mother picked her up at school and left town. So did the father. And that is the way it is in real life.

Dennis Hastert used to be a teacher. Rep. John Shimkus, Rep. Tom Reynolds, and Hastert are all professional and should be in deep water over this. They should lose their jobs, at minimum, and at most, spend a year or more in jail. That's the way it is, under child abuse laws, going back, long before 1998.

Foley? He should see some jail time. This "get out of jail free" card doesn't cut it, when someone fesses up to alcohol problems and quickly goes to "The Betty Ford Center, " doesn't cut it.

And me? I was lying. I'll be sitting at this MacMinni, hoping to see some Republicans pictures on the Internet.

Authors Bio:
Is a 34 year retired educator with a Masters Degree in Counseling - a free-lance writer with articles in Spanish and English Guideposts, Mothering, Oklahoma Observer, Oklahoma Gazette, Westview, Oklahoma Reader, The Lookout, Christian Standard, opednews.com ... . The author has the largest number of published "letters" in the history of Time magazine and NEA Today. had an LTTE in NEWSWEEK in December, 2007. Dale W. Hill is married with 5 children, 7 grand-children, one foster child, and 4 foster grandchildren. He and his wife, Marcella, live in Lawton, Oklahoma; he retired from Anadarko Public Schools in 2002. Hill is a computer collector, writer, and musician. Hill is a historian of Country Music, with 1972 Ovation and Martin BackPacker guitars. Favorite diatonic harmonica is a Hohner Special 20 and all chromatics, that "...scream The Blues!!"