23 Comments

You learn not to ask questions you don't want the answers to.

Criminal Law 101 - *never* ask your client if they committed the crime they're being charged with.

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That's the thing. You knew enough about yourself to not even chance it. It takes a lot of courage to admit something like that.

These twits? They've got blinders on. "It was always this way" is not a good way to do anything, much less be a parent.

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My father grew up on farms in the south and midwest. When I was old enough for the two of us to talk about such things he told me about some of the beatings that he had received from his father. They were similar to what happened in this instance. Most of his brothers (big family) ended up disciplining their kids the in the same manner using the "My father did it to me and I turned out fine" logic that Mr. Petersen and Mr. Barkley are so very fond of.

My father broke the cycle while raising me. He also let it be known that anyone who wanted to "discipline" me in the old way would get a dose of it from him (and not with votes).

The points to this ramble:

1. My Pop, he was awesome.

2. Cycles can be broken. We do not have to be prisoners of our childhood.

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If someone gave a beating like this to an unconsenting adult, the beater would be arrested. How can can this assault on a four year old be justified?

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Well said, and I think your dad is a pretty awesome fellow!

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Probably the ones that left marks were unintentional.

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At least he didn't fine the kid for bleeding on the carpet.

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I was thinking about dropping bombs on people and expecting them to be nice, but you're right- beating up on poors and minorities fits right in.

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A few years back there was a guy around here who took a belt to his kid in front of the kid's school (kid was 10, maybe 11). This guy was doing a good-old fashioned plantation whipping of his kid in full view. One of the other parents grabbed the guy and slugged him to keep him from continuing. Cops showed up, arrested the guy with the belt. He got tried and convicted of child abuse and assault with a deadly weapon.

Most of the commentary on the story was upbraiding the bystander for "stopping the dad from instilling discipline in his child" and wondering why the bystander wasn't in prison for assault instead. And those people vote...

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The fact that the child was afraid to talk to the police because his father might hit him in the face speaks worlds about what this baby has been through at the hands of this psychopath. He must be in constant fear when he has to spend time with his abuser. I hope the courts step in and terminate his visitations - but increase the child support so the mother can afford to get him the counseling he's going to need.

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I would prefer a god who didn't need to fuck with me just to make me appreciate him. Sounds rather dickish. And I'm sure there's something snarky to be said about his repeated injuries on the field, but i'll save that for later.

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I agree with you on SC BBQ. It is weird and unnatural, mustard sauce isn't in the damn bible!

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The Wire had a stricter code of ethics than the NFL ever has.

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Winner! Yeah, that is pretty much it. As a dude,you hit me in the balls, we're fighting, I think that kid may well hold a grudge when he's older. It is also weird that he calls him 'Daddy Peterson' but whatever, people have weird family structures I guess.

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I can only assume that she's OK with the Vikings' getting whupped.

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Well, obvioulsy, the ones that people can see were unintentional..

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