# Aransas Cty (TX) judge beats daughter for downloading from the Internet (2004 incident) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 2, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577 "2011-11-02T01:41:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/121 "2011-11-03T02:34:31Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > It sounds like the daughter set up the camera, knowing it would happen…because she didn’t listen to her parents. That’s the first thing the judge says in the video. I believe it’s likely she wanted it to happen so she could record it. I also think it’s likely the judge has a temper and it’s not the first time. Considering it happened on a regular basis, she probably had it set up just in case, so she’d have evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/122 "2011-11-03T02:47:35Z")
Spanking is one thing and it is a viable means of discipline. But this wasn’t a spanking, it was a beating and IMNSHO, if the statute of limitations hasn’t run out, both parents should be arrested for it. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/123 "2011-11-03T02:51:51Z")
I have ONE thing to say. If some piece of shit like that ever did that to someone in my family, we would give him a message. Leave or we MAKE you disappear. We don’t give a statute of limitations. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/124 "2011-11-03T03:26:58Z")
All I have to say is that I’ve seen some shitty things said on this board and some pretty fucking disgusting things too, and now you, **Lynn Bodoni** have put the fucking cherry on top of the shit sundae. You’re a foul and shitsmeared excuse for a human being, you insufferable ass, and it is my fervent hope that at some point you experience a beating EXACTLY as severe as that young woman endured and that afterward every single person you take your butthurt whining to tells you how it’s all your fault and that you must’ve deserved it. Repeatedly. I further hope that when it happens there is no midnight pie for you to comfort yourself with. You’re fucking disgusting. Shame on you–however, I’ve had the remarkable displeasure of reading way too many of your posts to hold any illusion that shame is something you’re capable of. **spits** ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/125 "2011-11-03T03:38:19Z")
I bet you she was terrified to turn around with that madman, he was completely beyond sanity and he had a belt and had already administered a beating and threatened to beat her in her “fucking face”, was she expected to trust that monster not to choke her to death with the belt? No one can look at that video and say it was outside the realm of possibility with that pathetic excuse for a man’s lack of self control. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/126 "2011-11-03T05:00:18Z")
Christ, that’s disturbing. I hope this is prosecutable, and I hope Hillary has a better life now. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go hug my son now. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/127 "2011-11-03T05:18:33Z")
> [@Crazyhorse](#): > > If you look carefully at what she actually accomplishes in the video without letting the fog of rage about the entire situation and the words she is saying for the father’s benefit influence you, she manages to: a) get the belt away from the father, b) ensure the daughter gets hit only on the butt instead of the legs, side, arms, and possibly very soon, face and head, and c) turns it into a verbal discussion about the rule that was broken and a grounding from the computer. By the time the father got back with another belt, the situation had cooled down somewhat and the continued lashing was far less severe than it might have been without the mother’s participation. > > I don’t think she deserves a medal, but when viewed in the context of her likely being a battered wife and terrified of the man too, I think it might have been an instinctive, desperate means of protecting the girl, and herself, until she finally wised up and divorced him. This probably wasn’t the first occasion something like this came up, and past experience probably had shown her that begging, crying, or trying to force him to stop would just escalate the situation into something even worse. i totally missed this on the first viewing. she definitely defused the situation, refusing to hand back the belt to the judge. this rings doubly true since the daughter had made a point of not blaming her mother in the quote, whom she says is as much a victim as she herself is. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/128 "2011-11-03T05:56:43Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > i totally missed this on the first viewing. she definitely defused the situation, refusing to hand back the belt to the judge. this rings doubly true since the daughter had made a point of not blaming her mother in the quote, whom she says is as much a victim as she herself is. Yeah, you can see the moment she steps in is [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl9y3SIPt7o&feature=youtu.be&t=01m53s)when he stopped using the belt and shoved her by the throat down to the bed. It was about to get really ugly in a few seconds and he turned around because the wife got up and walked over. At that point she stepped in, took the belt away from him, and said “Here, you turn over _one time_, and I’m going to hit you in the butt”. It was like telling her to protect her head and face and stop making him mad and she would get him out of there as quick as she could, and at the same time telling him ’ don’t worry, I’m mad as hell too and she’s going to get it , so give me that belt’. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/129 "2011-11-03T06:14:56Z")
His bloodlust wasn’t appeased though, he had to go get another belt with which to beat his daughter after that. Her mom’s gambit didn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/130 "2011-11-03T06:27:07Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > His bloodlust wasn’t appeased though, he had to go get another belt with which to beat his daughter after that. Her mom’s gambit didn’t work. It might have saved her life or a trip to the hospital. His rage comes in waves and builds and she bought some precious time right at the apogee of the biggest wave. Notice after she gave her the one obligatory smack she quickly exited the room and closed the door behind her. I’m sure she did what she could to distract him as long as she could before he went back in. By resetting him to zero for a couple of minutes she probably prevented a lot of violence during his second wind. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/131 "2011-11-03T06:39:46Z")
I must admit that my personal opinion of several Dopers has been irrevocably altered by this thread. There is absolutely no reasonable explanation, NONE, for a grown man beating the shit out of 16-year-old girl with cerebral palsy. NONE. I don’t care of the girl was smoking crack in her bedroom - in that case, you get her into a rehab and get her treatment, or you practice tough love and throw her out. In this case, you take the computer out of the house. As an adult, it is your responsibility to act like it, not like a raging 3-year-old. And the fact that there are some people in this thread who are desperately attempting to find a reasonable explanation horrifies me beyond words. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/132 "2011-11-03T07:19:22Z")
> [@Crazyhorse](#): > > It might have saved her life or a trip to the hospital. His rage comes in waves and builds and she bought some precious time right at the apogee of the biggest wave. Notice after she gave her the one obligatory smack she quickly exited the room and closed the door behind her. I’m sure she did what she could to distract him as long as she could before he went back in. By resetting him to zero for a couple of minutes she probably prevented a lot of violence during his second wind. But she still gave her the whack (and not a half-hearted, “there, I can say I did it” whack. That was one solid fucking blow), instructed her to lay on her belly in the exact same tone and words as the husband, and to take it like a woman. If she was really trying to protect her daughter, she didn’t have to whack her - the husband wasn’t in the room. If he was within hearing distance, she could have whacked the wall or the bed ; but nope, she smacked the girl. She could also have asked if the poor girl was OK, too, or tried to comfort her - which she didn’t, not even a little bit. Don’t care what she was trying to do, consciously or subconsciously. I only know what she did do, and what she did do makes her a heartless psycho in my book. Don’t really care if she always was a psycho or got Stockholm Syndromed into becoming one by her abusive husband. Last time I checked, they put Patty Hearst in jail. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/133 "2011-11-03T07:26:13Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Considering it happened on a regular basis, she probably had it set up just in case, so she’d have evidence. So why only \*\*one \*\*video? That was seven years ago. Again, she happened to have a camera set up randomly? I don’t think so. > [@Kolga](#): > > I must admit that my personal opinion of several Dopers has been irrevocably altered by this thread. > > There is absolutely no reasonable explanation, NONE, for a grown man beating the shit out of 16-year-old girl with cerebral palsy. NONE. I don’t care of the girl was smoking crack in her bedroom - in that case, you get her into a rehab and get her treatment, or you practice tough love and throw her out. In this case, you take the computer out of the house. As an adult, it is your responsibility to act like it, not like a raging 3-year-old. > > And the fact that there are some people in this thread who are desperately attempting to find a reasonable explanation horrifies me beyond words. I cannot speak for others. I am pointing out that while beating your child is never REASONABLE, there are reasons why people do it. It’s part of many cultures in the world and legal in many states as well. Hell, schools can administer corporal punishment in Colorado! > [@Kobal2](#): > > But she still gave her the whack (and not a half-hearted, “there, I can say I did it” whack. That was one solid fucking blow), instructed her to lay on her belly in the exact same tone and words as the husband, and to take it like a woman. > > If she was really trying to protect her daughter, she didn’t have to whack her - the husband wasn’t in the room. If he was within hearing distance, she could have whacked the wall or the bed ; but nope, she smacked the girl. She could also have asked if the poor girl was OK, too, or tried to comfort her - which she didn’t, not even a little bit. > Don’t care what she was trying to do, consciously or subconsciously. I only know what she did do, and what she did do makes her a heartless psycho in my book. Don’t really care if she always was a psycho or got Stockholm Syndromed into becoming one by her abusive husband. Last time I checked, they put Patty Hearst in jail. It’s amazing how apparently normal people can wail on their kids and think they’re doing them a favor. This was the norm a few generations ago. Now I think it depends a little on your geographical location and culture. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/134 "2011-11-03T07:34:28Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > So why only \*\*one \*\*video? That was seven years ago. Again, she happened to have a camera set up randomly? I don’t think so. Reports I have read of the daughter being interviewed state that she wanted it caught on camera because it had been going on for years. She did set it up. Who gives a fuck? How does that change anything? > [@CitizenPained](#): > > I cannot speak for others. I am pointing out that while beating your child is never REASONABLE, there are reasons why people do it. It’s part of many cultures in the world and legal in many states as well. Hell, schools can administer corporal punishment in Colorado! Luckily, my opinion of you was not one that had changed because of this thread, because I already thought you were a daft bint. I’m SURE the judge had “reasons” why people do it. Who gives a fuck? It’s part of many cultures? Beating the shit out of your kid is illegal here, and this family is from Texas, so who gives a fuck what “other cultures” do? It’s called child abuse, or child endangerment, and people go to jail for it. This wasn’t corporal punishment. This was a beat-down by an adult male of a physically disabled teenage girl. > [@CitizenPained](#): > > It’s amazing how apparently normal people can wail on their kids and think they’re doing them a favor. This was the norm a few generations ago. Now I think it depends a little on your geographical location and culture. Yes, isn’t is wonderful that adults are no longer allowed to beat their children at their whim? Who gives a fuck if a few generations ago this was “normal?” First of all, I would take issue with such a statement. Physical discipline may have been MORE COMMON “back in the day,” but this was not “normal” physical discipline. This was a beating, and while so many upstanding Dopers seem to think beating a physically disabled teenager is acceptable and reasonable, they’re wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/135 "2011-11-03T07:53:46Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > Reports I have read of the daughter being interviewed state that she wanted it caught on camera because it had been going on for years. She did set it up. Who gives a fuck? How does that change anything? All we know is that her father beat her with a belt and it was caught on camera one time seven years ago. We know the daugther did not listen to her father about the computer for whatever reason, and that she set up a camera with the idea she’d catch him belting her (a common punishment all across America). That is what we know. > [@](#): > > Luckily, my opinion of you was not one that had changed because of this thread, because I already thought you were a daft bint. Be that as it may, I’d at least give myself credit for being able to read and think about things logically – instead of getting all shrill and dramatic. > [@](#): > > I’m SURE the judge had “reasons” why people do it. Who gives a fuck? Understanding why people abuse is one of the best tools society has to combat it. > [@](#): > > It’s part of many cultures? Beating the shit out of your kid is illegal here, and this family is from Texas, so who gives a fuck what “other cultures” do? It’s called child abuse, or child endangerment, and people go to jail for it. I don’t know where ‘here’ is, but judging by your use of the word ‘bint’, I’ll assume you are from the U.K. Newsflash: The U.S. has many subcultures and regional differences. People in Texas may easily spank their kids but people in Boulder, CO would not. Do you need a map? > [@](#): > > This wasn’t corporal punishment. This was a beat-down by an adult male of a physically disabled teenage girl. A quite possibly legal one. > [@](#): > > Yes, isn’t is wonderful that adults are no longer allowed to beat their children at their whim? Belting a kid is legal in many states, if not all of them. Whether or not it was ‘reasonable’ is the part that’s up for debate, and I’m not sure how you could blame one parent without the other. [Texas statute](http://kidjacked.com/legal/spanking_law.asp#texas) > [@](#): > > Texas > > [Texas Statutes] > > Abuse does not include reasonable discipline by a parent/guardian/managing or possessory conservator if child not exposed to substantial risk of harm. Family Code § 261.001. [Civil Code] Parent/stepparent/person standing in loco parentis to child is justified to use non-deadly force against a child under 18 when and to degree the actor reasonably believes necessary to discipline, or safeguard or promote child’s welfare. Penal § 9.61. [Criminal Code] (Yes, I know this is not GQ, but you could use a little help.) > [@](#): > > Who gives a fuck if a few generations ago this was “normal?” First of all, I would take issue with such a statement. Physical discipline may have been MORE COMMON “back in the day,” but this was not “normal” physical discipline. This was a beating, and while so many upstanding Dopers seem to think beating a physically disabled teenager is acceptable and reasonable, they’re wrong. I haven’t seen anyone, even Lynn, saying that beating was OK. You, on the other hand, have gone off your rocker. iirc, Focus on the Family advocated spanking children and not ‘being too soft’ or ‘praising them too much’ to keep them in line. My dad (a born-again Evangelical back in those days) followed it and we all suffered. It’s a fairly common practice. It may not be _okay_, but spanking isn’t _psycho_. eta: Oh, I just had myself a chuckle. You live in Denver, too. What the fuck is your excuse? Corporal punishment is very much legal here - belts and boards, too. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/136 "2011-11-03T08:00:45Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > Be that as it may, I’d at least give myself credit for being able to read and think about things logically – instead of getting all shrill and dramatic. The guy in the video was pretty darned shrill and dramatic. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/137 "2011-11-03T08:04:54Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > The guy in the video was pretty darned shrill and dramatic. Absolutely. And many Dopers in thread were assessing that, myself included. And while I fault the mother for some of it, I’m not going to call the potentially abused woman a psycho. Actually, you don’t have to be ‘psycho’ to hit your kids. I feel like if people really cared, they’d want to get laws changed about child abuse/spanking…instead of just saying, “Well, I probably wouldn’t do that, and it was wrong, but…” I’m 100 per cent in favor of outlawing spanking/whipping. Anyway, a shrill college professor just called me a ‘daft bint’. Good thing she’s not my angry mother. Who knows what kind of assault would come next? ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/138 "2011-11-03T08:11:09Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > A quite possibly legal one. > > [Texas statute](http://kidjacked.com/legal/spanking_law.asp#texas) One of the factors the investigators said they have to consider is that she has cerebral palsy. And Texas law doesn’t allow for emotional abuse. Beyond this single video I’m sure there was quite a bit of that going on in the house. Just allowing a scene like that to unfold in front of the toddler could be considered emotional abuse. Even strong advocates of corporal punishment who believe their rights are being taken away by the threat child protective services more and more often, are frequently adamant in their own circles that a strong man should never use more than an open hand, and should never spank a child out of anger. Texas has its quaint traditions to be sure but savagely beating kids for small infractions is not among the mainstream. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/139 "2011-11-03T08:11:43Z")
I’ll type slower and use smaller words. > [@CitizenPained](#): > > All we know is that her father beat her with a belt and it was caught on camera one time seven years ago. We know the daugther did not listen to her father about the computer for whatever reason, and that she set up a camera with the idea she’d catch him belting her (a common punishment all across America). That is what we know. Belting someone like that is not a “common” punishment across America. Certainly many people on this board can think of times they were spanked with a belt, or a hairbrush. This is not the same thing. We do know that 1) the daughter has stated that this abuse had been going on, 2) the daughter states that the mother was also the victim of abuse, 3) the judge has not denied that the beating took place. And again, who gives a fuck? It happened once, and that makes it okay? It happened but wasn’t filmed, so no one would know about it? What, really, is the point of your statements? > [@CitizenPained](#): > > Be that as it may, I’d at least give myself credit for being able to read and think about things logically – instead of getting all shrill and dramatic. Oh, honey. No. > [@CitizenPained](#): > > Understanding why people abuse is one of the best tools society has to combat it. We are not here for a Dr. Phil session. We are here to look a video of an adult man beating a teenage girl, and determine whether or not the behavior in it was inappropriate. And since you, and several other people in this thread, are denying that it’s abuse at all (or using weirdly defensive derailing tactics like “why did she video tape it, huh? huh?”), then “understanding” the abuse is irrelevant, isn’t it, because y’all don’t think it’s abuse? Or something. > [@CitizenPained](#): > > I don’t know where ‘here’ is, but judging by your use of the word ‘bint’, I’ll assume you are from the U.K. Check my location field. > [@CitizenPained](#): > > Newsflash: The U.S. has many subcultures and regional differences. People in Texas may easily spank their kids but people in Boulder, CO would not. Do you need a map? Check my location field. And this was not a spanking. This was a beating with a weapon. > [@CitizenPained](#): > > Belting a kid is legal in many states, if not all of them. Whether or not it was ‘reasonable’ is the part that’s up for debate, and I’m not sure how you could blame one parent without the other. > > [Texas statute](http://kidjacked.com/legal/spanking_law.asp#texas) > > (Yes, I know this is not GQ, but you could use a little help.) Who said I wasn’t blaming the mom? Given that the daughter stated the mom had been the victim of ongoing abuse herself, I am able to accept the idea that she probably felt coerced into participating for her own safety, but that does not, in any way, mean that I’m giving her a pass. I need help understanding the different between a spanking and a beating? I think I’m not the person who needs that assistance. Even in Texas, as benighted as that state may be, they have laws against child abuse. This video is being investigated as to whether or not it fits that criteria. Legally, that’s still up in the air for the Texas system. Morally, it’s not up in the air for me, or for a number of people on this thread, or who have seen the video. > [@CitizenPained](#): > > I haven’t seen anyone, even Lynn, saying that beating was OK. You, on the other hand, have gone off your rocker. Oh, honey. No. > [@CitizenPained](#): > > iirc, Focus on the Family advocated spanking children and not ‘being too soft’ or ‘praising them too much’ to keep them in line. My dad (a born-again Evangelical back in those days) followed it and we all suffered. It’s a fairly common practice. It may not be _okay_, but spanking isn’t _psycho_. Focus on the Family is hardly a decent cite for anything, much less how to raise children. And this wasn’t spanking. This was a beating. I’m terribly sorry that something happened to you at some point that you can’t see the difference between physical discipline and a beating. What you, and others are doing, is called “derailing.” Asking questions like “why’d she video tape this?”, “why is she releasing the video now instead of earlier?”, “what about the mom?”, etc., are distractions from the real issue. The real issue is actually quite simple: a physically-disabled 16-year-old girl is being beaten by her adult father, with the assistance of the mother, with a couple of large belts. The rest is distraction. As is your misogynistic use of the word “shrill” to dismiss statements with which you disagree. I’m sure you would use a different word to be contemptuous of a male poster. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577/140 "2011-11-03T08:12:43Z")
**CitizenPained** : So what’s shrill about **Kolga**? That she doesn’t like seeing a child getting beaten, or that she thinks what’s shown in the video is a beating? I’m not clear on what is supposed to mitigate the judge’s actions. Or is it just that **Kolga** is expressing too much emotion for your tastes? What do you say to a teenager with 18 welts on her body? Nothing. You already told the little bastard 18 times. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aransas-cty-tx-judge-beats-daughter-for-downloading-from-the-internet-2004-incident/601577.md?page=8)