Stun gun used on boy -- Stepfather: Device suitable disciplinary tool

Houston Chronicle ^ | September 26, 2002 | Eric Hanson

[willyone]

Shame they did not use one on you a few times. There is discipline and abuse. Maybe some of Saddams discipline would give you a clue as to the difference.

[A Vast RightWing Conspirator]

officials removed the boy and three other children from Moody's home near this Brazoria County town after learning that he had been disciplining the boy with the battery-powered device.

Sorry, can't defend this. This is not little spanking. It's a clear case of battery (see above).

However, what would self-hating whites call the boy's father? White Trash perhaps? Possibly African-American White Trash?

And I can't wait to hear more about Gypsies.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

I think the kid must be a pathetic wimp. My eight year old girl can run farther than that and ride a bike over 30 miles.

Have you often stun-gunned her while she's undertaking these activities? (She might react a little differently.)

[lavaroise]

This is sick ape behavior. There is no knowledge by the pain inflictor about the pain transmited. It is cowardice.

[Wallace T.]

CPS is a horrible agency, staffed to a great extent by left-wing females, often lesbians, with an anti-Christian, anti-family bias, that abuses parental rights regularly and tramples the Bill of Rights routinely. That being said, this is one instance where we do have a truly abusive parent. A grown man shocking an 8 year old boy with 300,000 volts is wrong and indefenisble.

There has to be a middle ground between the current situation, where government intervenes almost at will in family matters, and the Roman concept of the pater familias, the father who had the power of life and death over his children. The situation that existed prior to about 1960, where there had to be clear evidence of true abuse or neglect before a judge would remove children, evidence equivalent to the habeas corpus standard used in criminal law, better protected the rights of families and individuals.

Also, prior to about 1930, churches and private charities, rather than government, took care of orphans and abandoned chidren. Despite all the negative stories about orphanages, such as in Dickens' novels and in the Little Orphan Annie comic strip, the orphanages and even the much maligned "orphan trains" provided an invaluable service to the nation, without one cent of taxpayer money being spent. Given the horrors of the foster home program under the present state-controlled system, it is hard to imagine how the former system was worse. If the old system was like Tsar Nicholas or Batista, the current system is like Stalin or Castro.

The best solution would be the abolition of CPS agencies, with the transfer of foster care to organizations like the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities and with the prosecution of child abuse and negligence, with the same safeguards to accused parents as afforded other defendants, to police agencies and district attorneys.

[kjam22]

I don't know.... I thought the whole thing was kinda funny. I can remember the anxiety I suffered while I was "looking for the belt"... and bringing it to my parents. I'm probably a better person today for it.

The guy was deliberate... he checked it out on himself and his wife and his neighbor to make sure it was safe. Potential FDA employee. :)

He was resourceful.... I mean at least he recognized the fact that spankings weren't working... so he tried other alternatives that were tested to be safe. (no doubt the PC grounding and timeout junk didn't work either)

And honestly... just going through life... haven't we all seen kids that needed a stun gun or a paddle applied on occassion to get their attention?

I can walk through the mall most any day and see a few kids that I wouldn't mind zapping with the thing myself. :)

[kjam22]

This is sick ape behavior. There is no knowledge by the pain inflictor about the pain transmited. It is cowardice.

That's not accurate. He did test the device on himself, his wife, and his neighbor. And apparently all agreed that it was "safe" and effective for discipline. I would contend that he had "first hand" knowledge of the pain transmited.

[Dog Gone]

I have real problems with CPS, but this is clearly a time where the child is in a position where he needs to be protected from the father. I wish I had a photo of this guy to post here, because I saw him on local television this morning and he is one freaky-looking dude.

It sounds as if this kid has been beaten for years, and it's not going to get any better. I can only imagine what the father would be using in another five years.

[sinkspur]

However, what would self-hating whites call the boy's father?

Since I'm not a "self-hating white," I wouldn't know.

But I would call Moody (who's the step-father, not the father) a knuckle-dragging slope who has no business being around anybody's children.

This abuse is the kind of thing that inspires children to grow up to kill their parents.

[avenir]

Shame they did not use one on you a few times.

You're probably right. I've had many problems as a result of my liberal 60's upbringing, devoid as it was of peach switches.

There is discipline and abuse.

And I'd be willing to consider with you that a stun gun is abuse, not discipline. But don't even think about touching my peach switch...

Maybe some of Saddam's discipline would give you a clue as to the difference.

Are we getting a little vaklempt? Talk amongst yourself.

[Wallace T.]

Such a situation as exists here should be handled by local police and the district court, without the intervention of CPS. 300,000 volts of electricity will affect an 8 year old boy, with a small frame, far more severely than a full framed adult. What happened here is assault and battery, and the stepfather should receive the full measure of punishment Texas law allows. But the case should be handled by the courts and criminal justice, not social welfare. If the mother cannot supervise the child, she, or the court, should turn the child over to a church or private orphanage or give him up for private adoption.

Severe abuse of children has occured throughout history, and will likely continue until the Second Coming of Christ. There will always be "rotten apples" like the stepfather; however, there is an old saw that bad cases like this make for bad law. CPS agencies grew out of such bad cases, and now are empowered to intervene when a child is spanked in public or to repress homeschooling. They need to be abolished in the name of Constitutional rights and limited government.

[philetus]

"Using a stun gun on an 8 year old is a criminal offense"

What kind of criminal offence? How many years should we put the guy in prison for it, so his two blood children and his two step-children can grow up without a father?
Do you know this 8 yr. old?

8 year old are out there killing people because they never learned disipline or respect for authority.

Maybe this kid is a mean little shit.
But he's only 8.
If you had known me when I was 8, you would have been putting crosses and garlic on your doors in hopes of keeping me away.

My dad used to whip me with a switch and he made me take off my clothes first.The whole neighborhood knew he beat the crap out of me and they didn't think it was wrong.They knew me.

I would have very much preferred he zap me with a stungun a few times than that switch.For all the whippings I got ,I got away with a whole lot more.If my dad had been a permissive parent who didn't use capitol punishment, God only knows where I would be today.

I know a lot of you are going to flame me,but let me ask you this:

Whats worse, for a cghild to be zapped with a stun gun or for a child to be sold between inmates for a pack of cigarettes?

[monday]

""It hurt. It was very uncomfortable," she said. "I don't think I will do it again."

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! ...ahh, come on, do it again!

The district attourney isn't as dumb as she looks.

[monday]

"My point is that we have become a society where as long as something happens to the other guy, we're OK with that: He probably deserved it. Put the word "child" in the same argument, and we freak out. A human is a human, so why the difference? "

I agree, seems we, as a society, have become a bunch of blithering idiots when it comes to kids. Its no wonder so many of them grow up to be such self centered monsters.

[Dog Gone]

Whats worse, for a cghild to be zapped with a stun gun or for a child to be sold between inmates for a pack of cigarettes?

Those aren't the only two choices a parent has to choose from.

Some kids are bad. Maybe it's genetic, I don't know, but they're just bad. They require special handling. Discipline is going to be required, probably along with rewards for good behavior.

But I doubt we'll ever hear someone credit repeated use of a stun gun by a parent as the reason why they're a model citizen today.

[archy]

He said he had never heard of one being used to discipline a child

They do work pretty well on wives though.

-archy-/-

[hunyb]

"It hurt. It was very uncomfortable," she said. "I don't think I will do it again."

well, we know she is AS smart as a test monkey!

[TamiPie]

Hold Muh Beer Alert Ping!

Problem today is that many women think they're marrying/cohabitating with men who would be "ideal" fathers to their kids.

[monday]

"This abuse is the kind of thing that inspires children to grow up to kill their parents."

A bit mellow-dramatic don't yo think?

I don't know the people involved so it's hard to say if the step dad is a evil child abuser or if the child is a manipulative little monster. I can see where both might be the case.

All I can say is that if it were me, this is the kind of thing that would inspire me to make *amn sure I never missed the bus. I wonder why it didn't have the same effect on this 8 year old?

[hunyb]

"I think the kid must be a pathetic wimp. My eight year old girl can run farther than that and ride a bike over 30 miles. He must be a feminized public school kid. perhaps on ritilan or something."

OR, the poor kid was EXHAUSTED from being 'cattle-prodded' every time he slowed down.......gee whiz......you sound like a very nice person! NOT.