Reply #209: Party Affiliation Is Not relevant here.

[Indepatriot]

My dad was from Arkansas, a lifetime Democrat, with much family in Texas, and he used The Belt on my brothers and I. The rules were clear, and I only got it a few times, but I've always thought it was the one very, very bad part of my childhood, and a major blight on an otherwise great job my folks did raising us. My sisters were never hit, and my Mom would freak the hell out if he tried it in her presence. Truthfully, I think my Mom's/sisters reactions made me feel much worse than the whipping itself. That, and I could see my Dad's unspoken regret at losing his cool for the next day or so. He was a very quiet, soft-spoken guy, who prided himself on staying cool, but occasionally his temper got the best of him. He thankfully quit drinking when he was about 45. and the violent episodes ceased entirely after that. From what my aunts told me when I was older, my Dad got it way worse than we ever did, and that was a common practice where they were from. Although I've always loathed physical violence, and, I think, held it against him unconsiously for a few years, we had a great relationship for the last 25 or so years before he passed on, and I harbor no animosity toward him now. He was a remarkable guy considering his background, and made the most of what could well have been a very tough existence. As for me, I've never laid a hand on my two kids. The Judge needs help, the kind he can only get while incarcerated. Lock his lunatic ass up.