Let's hope the kissing 6-year old has learned his lesson

Georgie Porgie, puddin' and pie,

Kissed the girls and made them cry.

Then the principal came out to say,

"We gotta put little Georgie away."

It's the '90s, folks: You steal a kiss these days, you pay. Ask Bob Packwood about the new rules. Trap the odd woman in the elevator, stick your tongue down a few reluctant throats, and the next thing you know you're out on your butt faster than you can say Senate Ethics Committee.

So, maybe little Johnathan Prevette, a modern-day Georgie Porgie, should have known better.

Maybe little Johnathan Prevette -- a tow-headed 6-year-old with thick glasses and a winsome smile -- had to be stopped before the boys came out to play.

Maybe in little Johnathan Prevette we have the makings of a future senator who will someday have to resign in disgrace. Either that or grow up to be a pro football player.

Maybe . . . maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. Have you heard the story?

In the small town of Lexington, N.C., Johnathan Prevette, a first-grader at Southwestern Elementary, "stole" a kiss from a classmate. (We used to speak, in innocence, of "stolen" kisses. Now, we speak of "bringing charges," which, if you think about it, is hard to rhyme in a love song.)

Little Johnathan got her right on the cheek. From all reports, it was one time. No exchange of saliva. I think the official term for such a kiss is a peck.

He got her good, though.

He got her so good that the name of the "victim" is being withheld.

A teacher spotted the violation, or who knows what might have happened next. Little Johnathan and his tow-head were marched off to the principal, who did not suspend him, as reported.

What he did was send little Johnathan to the school's high-management classroom (which is where they send bad kids), made him miss an ice cream party (which, to a 6-year-old, is far worse than a 20-year stretch at San Quentin) and turned him into a national celebrity (which is way cool, dude).

Why all the fuss?

Because his crime was ... sexual harassment.

No, I'm serious.

Allow me to quote school spokeswoman Jane Martin: "A 6-year-old kissing another 6-year-old is inappropriate behavior. Unwelcome is unwelcome at any age."

A day later, they were backing off the sexual harassment charge because it sounded, well, stupid. They said little Johnathan broke a rule about "unwelcome touching," which is quite different, somehow. Or maybe not.