Jury to decide if pastor's paddling of son was child abuse

A Columbia County jury will be asked to decide whether a pastor who spanked his 12-year-old son with a paddle committed child abuse.

[Planet Earth]

WHAT?!? This is what is wrong with America!!!!

I was spanked by both of my parents when I was growing up. And you know what? I deserved it every time. I'll tell you something else. I never did what it was I got spanked for ever again!

There is a HUGE difference between spanking a child for disciplinary reasons and beating the crap out of him. A paddling accross the tush is not going to kill him or hurt him (for long) and the child will definitly remember what it was he did wrong and won't do it again.

Let parents be parents. We will all benefit from it in the long run.

[Former Ranger]

Unless the kid ended up in the hospital, it's just tough love. Who in the heck is charging the father? The courts need to stay out of our lives regarding stuff like this.

[Average Schmo]

Does anyone think that spanking incidents by parents should ever end up in court? I certainly don't. In the right situation, it can be a very effective form of discipline. Also, I think it might me time to say "Time Out" to the idea of time-outs as a disciplinary method. BTW, who turned the father in?

[Average Schmo]

^might BE

[GENO]

Another example of liberal laws gone bad. Every thing one does can be construed to be assault. Verbal, sexual, physical are all types abuse considered. There are know gray areas. Children are encouraged by their teachers to report abuse and then it goes from there. The accused is burded for live with the outcome whether guilty or not. His life ruined.

[HomeSweetHome]

Proverbs 23:13-14

If this is child abuse, then every parent around 30-40 years ago when I grew up would be in jail. I was spanked with a wooden spoon and of course it leaves marks, but I would not considerate it child abuse. "Spare the rod, spoil the child". No wonder there are so many disrespectful, misbehaving spoiled kids running around today. Parents are fearful of disciplining their children in fear of being charged with a felony!

[MisterMarvelous]

I wonder who ratted out this father?

We taxpayers are the ones who are getting paddled by such a frivilous lawsuit.

What's next? Being charged with speaking harshly?

[It can get worse]

One more example that kids now have the upper hand over their parents. My kids knew that if they got in trouble that they would get spanked. Now you see kids yelling, screaming, and throwing fits in public. The parents don't dare do anything about it. If I had acted like that, I would have know what was going to happen to me. It would also have happened in public. No body would have lifted an eyebrow about it either.

[Amused]

GENO wrote:

Another example of liberal laws gone bad. Every thing one does can be construed to be assault. Verbal, sexual, physical are all types abuse considered. There are know gray areas. Children are encouraged by their teachers to report abuse and then it goes from there. The accused is burded for live with the outcome whether guilty or not. His life ruined.

It has nothing to do with Liberal or Conservatives! Get your head out of the political gutter! Poeple are downright sick of it!

[Not Amused]

This is another example of liberals gone crazy. The liberal parasites are ruining our country.

[TNR]

And here is why we have teens attacking bus drivers. Because if a parent who wants to discipline his child even tries to do it the courts will come down on him/her.

[Good American]

Who charged this guy??? whoever it is needs felony charges of stupidity brought against them. This person? should not be left unattended at anytime. Don't ya wish stupidity was painful? this idiot would be on a morphine drip.

[Big Laker]

MisterMarvelous wrote:

I wonder who ratted out this father?
We taxpayers are the ones who are getting paddled by such a frivilous lawsuit.
What's next? Being charged with speaking harshly?

Why yes, speaking harshly especially against a 'protected group' is next on the list. Think it can't happen? Think again, as it already has in certain parts of the world.

Try Sweden, for example:
http://www.cbn.com/CBNNews/CWN/091004sweden.a...

Yes, sooner or later, there will be legislation in the United States designed to limit our speech.

[JBL]

If the kid ended up in the hospital, it was abuse. Otherwise, this is just idiotic!!

[The Last Word]

How did anyone find out about this?

[The Last Word]

Big Laker wrote:

<quoted text>
Why yes, speaking harshly especially against a 'protected group' is next on the list. Think it can't happen? Think again, as it already has in certain parts of the world.
Try Sweden, for example:
http://www.cbn.com/CBNNews/CWN/091004sweden.a...
Yes, sooner or later, there will be legislation in the United States designed to limit our speech.

Don't we already have that type of legislation in place?

[Pico]

yeah, let's raise my taxes to make government larger and more intrusive.

someone ought to paddle the clown who filed these charges.

[jamal]

he is lucky he only got two whacks. back in the day two whacks was just to say "i know you did something"

[Mandy]

The school turned him in, even after they told the Barnetts that they knew the children were not being abused.

Average Schmo wrote:

Does anyone think that spanking incidents by parents should ever end up in court? I certainly don't. In the right situation, it can be a very effective form of discipline. Also, I think it might me time to say "Time Out" to the idea of time-outs as a disciplinary method. BTW, who turned the father in?

[madgranny]

MisterMarvelous wrote:

I wonder who ratted out this father?
We taxpayers are the ones who are getting paddled by such a frivilous lawsuit.
What's next? Being charged with speaking harshly?

It was the 3rd grade teacher of a sibling to the one who got spanked! People in Wisconsin are trained by authorities that it is illegal to spank with an instrument - it is not!