By John Ballard
Nearly thirty years ago I saw a video of Dr. James Dobson that haunts me to this day. I was a young parent of what would later be labeled a "strong-willed child," looking for effective ways to conquer his ungovernable behavior. Even now I have pangs of guilt remembering how badly I behaved and how ineffective and misdirected my efforts proved to be. I remember the image of a younger Dr. Dobson illustrating on screen how a parental pinch of the trapezius muscle, handily placed left and right of a child's neck, is a quick and easy way to deliver a screaming pain to the child which can be as effective as that of a cattle prod. (The modern, more dangerous alternative are tasers, but cattle prods were the instruments of choice in the Sixties.)
To my eternal shame I used that technique (and worse) on my own children a few times before I came to the sad realization that corporal punishment is not only mean but ineffective. My own parents used the same techniques on me and I know personally how bad it can be. It was one of many stains on their generation which, thanks to the ministrations of people like Dr. Dobson, continues to this day.
This snip is part of an hour-long presentation by Max Blumenthal summarizing his book Republican Gomorrah. I'm not going to read it because I already know what's there. The tragedy is that the very people who should be hearing this lecture or reading Max Blumenthal's book are not likely to read or hear the message. It makes me sad to think about it because people I know and love cling to these evil principles as tightly as they do their evil politics.
I tried to embed the snip but all I could get was the code for the whole hour-plus program.
This introduction will give the reader an idea of what follows.
Click on the link above to see the portion that caught my attention.
I loved that interview! I like Scarborough. Let's face it, for a Conservative he's fairly likable and has moments of lucidity - but Blumenthal cleaned his clock!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great time to be alive. It really is! The horrific train wreck that we euphemistically refer to as "the American political system" is so interesting and indescribably amusing. I am up every morning before the crack of dawn just so I can be at the Kwik Stop grocery store down town when the papers arrive (There's a shameless plug for you, Ben. I'll expect a check in the mail). After a mere ten minutes with the New York Daily News or the Times, I look up to the heavens with profound gratitude and quietly say, "Thank you." For someone who makes his or her name by writing about politics, these people can only be described as a celestial gift.
And while we're on the subject, is it just me or have you noticed lately that C-SPAN is starting to look more and More like Comedy Central? I was just wondering.
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Tom Degan
Goshen, NY