Watched a movie, checked my email (none), made a few calls (no answers), and read some more in a book. I guess it's a typical Saturday night here. So now I turn to speaking out into the void of cyberspace.
Blogging
I guess you could say I'm glad I'm at where I'm at: I don't have to worry about being prosecuted for my political or religious views. That isn't the case everywhere as this report from Egypt shows.
Politics
Perhaps I won't be raising a family in California: Proposed Spanking Ban Sparks Debate
While I certainly do not advocate abuse nor do I go to the extremes for punishing those who do not understand what they are doing (whether the very young, very old, or those who are insane), I do not like the idea of a government telling parents how to discipline their children. Protect the children, yes. Some reports I've seen show the proposed bill to be for 4 years and under, while others are 3 years and under. For the record, I do not consider "spanking" and "beating" to be the same thing. Both are striking someone, however I differences. Any physical contact that is used to express anger, frustration, or another strong, negative emotion is "beating." Beating is not discipline. (And if it brings pleasure to the one administering the "beating" then something is seriously wrong.) Spanking should be non-emotional, relevant to the situation and the child. I can remember being spanked and thinking nothing of it. Sure it hurt, but it didn't mean anything to me: I could take the pain. In that specific case, the punishment did not fit me. The goal is not to inflict pain or suffering: it is to teach that there are consequences to actions and that bad/wrong behavior/actions will not be tolerated.
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