Posted on 07/01/2009 7:11:49 PM PDT by Chet 99
BOSTON -- The beating death of a cat in front of shocked children prompted protests Sunday in Worcester.
A group of people gathered in front of the city police department, demanding police put Tom Foley behind bars.
Foley admittedly beat a cat named Lily to death in front of several children on Friday.
The owner, Lisa Tuttle, said her cat Lily had just given birth to a litter of kittens and may have been feeling territorial when she charged Foley's dog and scratched Foley several days earlier on Dupuis Avenue.
"I just came out. I saw the cat in a pool of blood, my daughter screaming," neighbor Lisa Tuttle said. Witnesses said at least one adult and four horrified children saw Foley beat the cat to death with a stick.
[Lisa Tuttle, cat's owner] Lisa Tuttle, cat's owner More "I think it's an awful crime that he did it in front of kids. I think it shows his lack of humanity. I think that these kids are going to be traumatized," protest organizer Jaqueline Corliss said.
Foley, of Stoneham Road in Worcester, claimed he was defending himself from the seven-pound cat.
He has not been charged.
The College of Holy Cross put Foley on paid leave from his job as a public safety officer.
The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals law enforcement department is actively investigating the incident and asked any witnesses to any animal cruelty to contact them directly at: 617-522-6008 or 800-628-5808.
Animal cruelty is a felony in Massachusetts punishable by a fine up to $2,500 and up to five years in prison.
> So, you’d hit your child but not a pet. Ok.
Yes, I would correct my child with physical discipline, but not my pet. Do you have a problem with that?
I wouldn't strike either, personally and I think it's odd that you appear to show more restraint for your animal than your child.
"A damn good spanking..." you say? Maybe I misunderstood. A lot of times people use really outrageous terminology to describe how they correct their children.
Fortunately for me, I trained them when they were young and whippings have never been necessary.
> I do think it’s inconsistent that you’d never hit your pet but you’d give your child...(what was it you said?)...a “damn good spanking” for hitting an animal.
How is that inconsistent? I don’t hit animals and I require that my children don’t hit animals — perfect consistency.
And if my children do hit animals, they may receive physical punishment — a form of discipline which people understand and respond to, but which animals do not.
Surely you aren’t suggesting I should treat my children the same as my animals, for the sake of “consistency”? My children would not enjoy sleeping outside and eating one meal of dogfood per day and drinking clean cold water out of a bowl.
> I wouldn’t strike either, personally
As a pet owner and parent, that of course is your choice. I’m glad you don’t strike your pets, and if you are able to raise your kids without physical discipline, more power to ya.
> and I think it’s odd that you appear to show more restraint for your animal than your child.
Disciplining your children is not a loss of “restraint”. Quite the contrary. It is an orderly re-establishment of the rule of Law: something that always requires restraint.
Recall that I said there was a difference between “spanking” and “hitting”. Spanking as a punishment is never done in anger but always under complete self-control.
Hitting isn’t. I would never “hit” my children.
> “A damn good spanking...” you say? Maybe I misunderstood. A lot of times people use really outrageous terminology to describe how they correct their children.
A “dam’n good spanking” involves between six or twelve of the best, with an open hand across the backside, with an explanation before and after about what was happening and why.
It only works up to a certain age, and then other disciplinary measures work much better. But of course you know all this.
> Fortunately for me, I trained them when they were young and whippings have never been necessary.
“whippings” are never necessary. I don’t believe we need weapons (whips, belts, canes &tc) to discipline our kids, ever. If we do, then we as parents are doing it wrong.
Well...at least your pets are safe from that kind of treatment.
What’s the difference between your hand and any other tool? Do you really think the child (or animal) cares what they are getting hit with?
> What’s the difference between your hand and any other tool?
My hand is attached to me, and it provides direct bio-feedback on the amount of force being applied. Any other tool or weapon (eg belt, switch, stick, wooden spoon, whip, cane, &tc) does not provide this bio-feedback and is therefore dangerous.
> Do you really think the child (or animal) cares what they are getting hit with?
I suspect the child would rather not be hit with anything — and if the child doesn’t misbehave then it certainly never shall. And I suspect the child would far rather be struck with the hand (you know, the hand with built-in bio-feedback to make sure it doesn’t strike too hard) than with a tool or weapon like a belt or cane.
> In order to “spank”, you must strike (hit) your child. And I’m sorry, but hitting them 6-12 times is outrageous...controlled or not.
In your opinion. To my experience it works extremely well.
> Well...at least your pets are safe from that kind of treatment.
My pets are also safe from ever having to be productive, law-abiding, contributing members to our Society, whereas my children aren’t.
It is my job as a parent to ensure that they survive childhood and adolescence and develop into responsible adults having a good moral foundation and strong personal ethic and disciplined behaviors, and for me to deliver them safely at the end of their upbringing to being productive and decent members of our Society.
One of the tools that my wife and I have elected to use to achieve that end is physical discipline. It is perfectly safe and delivered firmly and out of a loving concern for their long-term welfare. It is not the only technique we use, but it is one of many that we keep available for use when and as appropriate.
You may or may not agree with that methodology of raising children: if you are or have been a parent then you are entitled to your informed viewpoints and parental practises as I am to mine. If you haven’t raised kids then your opinion on this matter is interesting but not overly informed and thus not overly useful.
Ah...so if it hurts YOUR hand, you know you're hitting too hard. Again, spanking is a tool used by parents with limited skills and probably limited time. Good luck with it.
> You are correct, it is a matter of opinion and I would probably add parental experience.
Yup, and in this case our parental experience is about equal.
> Spanking is the easy way out
Not if it is done properly it isn’t. It is a punishment of last resort, to be used when all else has failed. It should never be entered into lightly.
> and any lesson that can children learn from it is extremely limited.
Such as “never do that again or else” — which is precisely the lesson that is needed.
> Ah...so if it hurts YOUR hand, you know you’re hitting too hard.
Not at all. I can break boards and bricks with my hand, so I would be silly and unwise to spank my kids hard enough to hurt myself. I do, however, use the tactile biofeedback to adjust the effort I am using to an appropriate level. The objective is never to injure your children, but merely to correct them. But you knew that already and were only arguing to be perverse, ay.
> Again, spanking is a tool used by parents with limited skills and probably limited time.
In your opinion. However, if you do not feel safe spanking your kids for fear of hurting them, I encourage you not to. If you cannot do it properly you are best to resort to other methods of correction that do not require using force: this is safer for your children and safer for you.
> Good luck with it.
Likewise.
But I would give you some advise...stop telling folks you are hitting your kids up to 12 times. Not a good idea. If that's how you have to discipline, you are probably better off keeping that to yourself.
> I hope I never get to the point of using the “punishment of last resort.” I prefer to do it “right” the first time so that it doesn’t escalate to where I’d ever need to strike my child.
You’re welcome to raise your children the way you want to, and I will continue to raise mine as best I feel appropriate.
> But I would give you some advise...stop telling folks you are hitting your kids up to 12 times. Not a good idea. If that’s how you have to discipline, you are probably better off keeping that to yourself.
Why? Should I be afraid that somebody’s going to “tell” on me?
It wouldn’t be me, but just look around the forum a bit, Hunter. You think Freepers don’t have enemies willing to do whatever necessary to hurt us? It was advice...not a threat.
> It wouldn’t be me, but just look around the forum a bit, Hunter. You think Freepers don’t have enemies willing to do whatever necessary to hurt us? It was advice...not a threat.
Noted. Luckily in my country we have Due Process.
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