Convenient Timing, Don't You Think?

Less than a week after Pete Coors announced his run for the Colorado Senate, a woman decides to sue Coors for the drinking-and-driving death of her underage son... 2 years ago.

I could understand her lashing out in an irrational way right after the tragedy, but waiting 2 years (and 3 days after the announced Senate run) to announce her lawsuit just makes the whole thing reek of blackmail.

The suit also names the son's girlfriend and her mother. If the mother provided the liquor for the party(rather than just being the owner of the car), then she is a valid target (whether the girlfriend could have stopped him from taking her car is an important factor in her liability); but this is really bout the woman's denial that her son had any responsibility for his choices. One question I have to ask is whether Coors was the only alcoholic beverage offered at this party.

I don't think that Coors has any liability in this matter, but they will probably settle out of court because of the Senate run. That is exactly what the mother and her lawyer are counting on. Sad, shameful and yet true. As long as none of the Coors representatives tell her to get a life, I'm on their side.

It isn't the beer companies that promote underage drinking, it is our culture. We seem to think that underage drinking is some kind of rite of passage for our kids to navigate before becoming a more responsible adult. Movies, TV and books have reflected this moronic situation for decades (and yet I don't hold them responsible for the problem either); it is a cultural problem. Nonetheless, a 19 year old young man should be responsible for his own actions.