ABC News wrote:ROCKPORT, TX -- A Texas family law judge says he did nothing wrong when he repeatedly lashed his 16-year-old daughter with a belt in a widely circulated YouTube video.
Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge Williams Adams told Corpus Christi television station KZTV on Wednesday that the footage "looks worse than it is." In an on-camera interview, Adams told the station he was simply disciplining his daughter for stealing.
Rockport police launched an investigation Wednesday after receiving calls from people who saw the video online. The nearly 8-minute clip has been viewed more than 950,000 times on YouTube since being uploaded last week.
The clip was shot in 2004 and shows Adams violently whipping his daughter in the legs more than a dozen times and profanely berating the teenager.
I truncated the article, but it's all found at this link. The actual video can be seen here, and it's somewhat disturbing.
It takes a special kind of sociopath to look at that footage and declare that he did nothing wrong. I have two daughters, and while I have gotten very frustrated with them I can't imagine getting so worked up that I would beat them. The mother, too, seems complicit, but it wouldn't surprise me if she's been beaten into submission in a similar manner. Needless to say, Texas doesn't need judges like this guy on the payroll.
73% of all statistics are made up, including this one.
I am no stranger to the issues of domestic violence in my student's lives. For professional reasons I won't go too far into it but this is, while not the worst example of it I have seen, far beyond what ought to be considered normal behavior for a parent. No... not simply that this was outright unacceptable. There is a difference between the use of corporal punishment in disciplining a child and what this shit is. This is textbook abuse. He beats her, forces her into a submissive position, repeats threats of future violence, returns intermittently to beat her again without warning, and then tries to convince her that its her fault for him beating her with his belt.
We are unquestionably viewing this out of context but I have difficulty imagining a context in which this is appropriate parental behavior. Certainly this seems like excessive behavior for playing a computer game that is forbidden.
The most disturbing thing for me is the youtube commenters who are writing "it's ok because they only hit her back." Seriously? When did horse whipping come back into the parental toolbox of acceptable go-to solutions? Is the cat of nine-tails next?
EDIT: I previously wrote some conditions under which I thought whipping might be acceptable, but on re-reading them I was so disgusted with myself for considering it that deleting it seemed necessary. As a parent beating your child shouldn't ever need to become a child. Restraining a child, stopping a child, and even forcing a child to do what they do not wish are all understandable but I cannot allow myself to create a framework in which intentionally doing bodily harm to a child is a practical solution.
The mother was indeed abused also, and since this was taken she's divorced him and tried to cut off contact. They still have joint custody of the youngest, whom he constantly tries to use as a weapon against her.
And protip: hitting your child is always abuse. This is just a particularly egregious example, and not even the worst I've seen or been a part of.
Just for the record, it was for illegally downloading music, which the father describes as stealing, and not for playing a game.
At the time the mother was complicit in the lashing, but has, as noted, since divorced the asshole and is expressing remorse at having been party to this although yes, she, too was beaten by this man.
But, as bad as lashing his daughter is the fact that this judge sits on the family court, passing judgement in cases of neglect and abuse. I question - and I hope others do - his fitness to sit on the bench at all, much less in that particular sub-specialty.
A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.Leonard Nimoy.
Now I did a job. I got nothing but trouble since I did it, not to mention more than a few unkind words as regard to my character so let me make this abundantly clear. I do the job. And then I get paid.- Malcolm Reynolds, Captain of Serenity, which sums up my feelings regarding the lawsuit discussed here.
If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. - John F. Kennedy
A couple other things to note: Hillary has cerebral palsy, and yes, he is a family law judge. Who has been shockingly lenient to people accused of child abuse, going so far as to say that the mental state of a care provider is irrelevant, the child's testimony is irrelevant, bystanders' testimony is irrelevant, and that unless the incident was taped there's no proof.
It's pretty funny when you have a judge sitting on cases when he obviously doesn't believe anything criminal has occured. How'd he get through law school?
Todeswind wrote:
The most disturbing thing for me is the youtube commenters who are writing "it's ok because they only hit her back." Seriously? When did horse whipping come back into the parental toolbox of acceptable go-to solutions? Is the cat of nine-tails next?
Youtube attracts assholes like these as shit draws flies. You just read pretty much any video's comments and you're absolutely guaranteed to find those kinds of posts.
EDIT: In fact, idiotic posts on Youtube are so common it's hard to determine whether or not the posts are actually trolling or actual opinions.
Damn you know it. You so smart you brought up like history and shit. Laying down facts like you was a blues clues episode or something. How you get so smart? Like the puns and shit you use are wicked smart, Red Letter Moron! HAHAHAHAH!1 Fucks that is funny, you like should be on TV with Jeff Dunham and shit.-emersonlakeandbalmer God is like the strict dad while Satan is the cool uncle who gives you weed. However sometimes he'll be a dick and turn you in.
Stark wrote:It's pretty funny when you have a judge sitting on cases when he obviously doesn't believe anything criminal has occured. How'd he get through law school?
He probably didn't. Texas doesn't require judges to have any legal education or experience. It's even an elected position.
Whoever says "education does not matter" can try ignorance
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A decision must be made in the life of every nation at the very moment when the grasp of the enemy is at its throat. Then, it seems that the only way to survive is to use the means of the enemy, to rest survival upon what is expedient, to look the other way. Well, the answer to that is 'survival as what'? A country isn't a rock. It's not an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for. It's what it stands for when standing for something is the most difficult! - Chief Judge Haywood
------------ My LPs
Wow... just.... wow.... that is utterly and totally vile. I deeply hope that he loses in the coming election.... and gets hit by a meteor.... twice....
Stark wrote:It's pretty funny when you have a judge sitting on cases when he obviously doesn't believe anything criminal has occured. How'd he get through law school?
Law school? Why would you require that judges go to law school?
A Government founded upon justice, and recognizing the equal rights of all men; claiming higher authority for existence, or sanction for its laws, that nature, reason, and the regularly ascertained will of the people; steadily refusing to put its sword and purse in the service of any religious creed or family is a standing offense to most of the Governments of the world, and to some narrow and bigoted people among ourselves.
Stark wrote:It's pretty funny when you have a judge sitting on cases when he obviously doesn't believe anything criminal has occured. How'd he get through law school?
Law school? Why would you require that judges go to law school?
In some parts of the world it's actually a requirement, along with a few years of experience practicing law.
There are hardly any excesses of the most crazed psychopath that cannot easily be duplicated by a normal kindly family man who just comes in to work every day and has a job to do.
-- (Terry Pratchett, Small Gods)
Replace "ginger" with "n*gger," and suddenly it become a lot less funny, doesn't it?
-- fgalkin
Stark wrote:It's pretty funny when you have a judge sitting on cases when he obviously doesn't believe anything criminal has occured. How'd he get through law school?
Law school? Why would you require that judges go to law school?
A better question is really why would you not? A judge has to have as good an understanding of the law as a lawyer, if not better, or he has no business being in that position.
"Doctors keep their scalpels and other instruments handy, for emergencies. Keep your philosophy ready too—ready to understand heaven and earth. In everything you do, even the smallest thing, remember the chain that links them. Nothing earthly succeeds by ignoring heaven, nothing heavenly by ignoring the earth." M.A.A.A
Dude released a statement basically saying that she didn't care that much and only released the video because she's a greedy bitch or something to that effect. I wouldn't be surprised if later on he called her a slut or something.
Law school? Why would you require that judges go to law school?
Seriously? Why is it a bad idea for the people who decide matter of law to actually have some training in law?
Could this video have an impact on previous cases this judge has seen?
"If the facts are on your side, pound on the facts. If the law is on your side, pound on the law. If neither is on your side, pound on the table."
"The captain claimed our people violated a 4,000 year old treaty forbidding us to develop hyperspace technology. Extermination of our planet was the consequence. The subject did not survive interrogation."
Not unless it can be shown that there was an error and that the error influenced the case.
Whoever says "education does not matter" can try ignorance
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A decision must be made in the life of every nation at the very moment when the grasp of the enemy is at its throat. Then, it seems that the only way to survive is to use the means of the enemy, to rest survival upon what is expedient, to look the other way. Well, the answer to that is 'survival as what'? A country isn't a rock. It's not an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for. It's what it stands for when standing for something is the most difficult! - Chief Judge Haywood
------------ My LPs
Todeswind wrote:Wow... just.... wow.... that is utterly and totally vile. I deeply hope that he loses in the coming election.... and gets hit by a meteor.... twice....
Electing public officials! What can possibly go wrong?
Seriously is there no disciplinary or other actions available aside from "don't vote for him next time"?
No. Statue of limitations has run out. Only thing possible is for him to get reassigned to desk duty, but even that may not be possible if he was voted into a specific position (not sure how the exact Texas law deals with that).
Whoever says "education does not matter" can try ignorance
------------
A decision must be made in the life of every nation at the very moment when the grasp of the enemy is at its throat. Then, it seems that the only way to survive is to use the means of the enemy, to rest survival upon what is expedient, to look the other way. Well, the answer to that is 'survival as what'? A country isn't a rock. It's not an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for. It's what it stands for when standing for something is the most difficult! - Chief Judge Haywood
------------ My LPs
I'd like it to be applicable here, but I don't know if it is.
Whoever says "education does not matter" can try ignorance
------------
A decision must be made in the life of every nation at the very moment when the grasp of the enemy is at its throat. Then, it seems that the only way to survive is to use the means of the enemy, to rest survival upon what is expedient, to look the other way. Well, the answer to that is 'survival as what'? A country isn't a rock. It's not an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for. It's what it stands for when standing for something is the most difficult! - Chief Judge Haywood
------------ My LPs
Beating a kid who isn't disabled is bad enough, but with cerebral palsie? The sad part is, this being Texas, I'm sure plenty of voters agree with his methods.
We pissing our pants yet?
-Negan
You got your shittin' pants on? Because you’re about to Shit. Your. Pants!
-Negan
He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches.
-George Bernard Shaw
Pretty fucked up affair but the comments from Youtube effectively demonstrate how disgusting folks can be behind closed doors.
The timing of it being released is rather suspicious though, having something like this sitting on your computer for this amount of time and suddenly releasing it would indicate SOMETHING must have triggered this. Did she recently move out or something ?
TYT had an update that claims she was 'threatening' the father with release of the video and her told her to do it. That sounds like attempted blackmail or SOMETHING more is going on.
Why would she tell him she has a years old video of her beating her and will release it ?
She wants him to get 'help' and for them to go to 'Therapy' ? - Why the sudden need for this now rather than... when it happened or when the mother left him ?
The reporter clip claims she released it cause the dad was gonna take her car away. Frankly, it seems like she kept this video as ammunition to be used against her dad and decided to use it when her dad was gonna take her car away. I would be curious to find out if the car is actually hers or the dads or if she has been getting 'generous' gifts from her father. Any sympathy I have for this situation will evaporate if it turns out this girl has been blackmailing him and he finally called her to task. I dont condone abuse like this but it does not justify blackmail especially if it turns out she has been doing it for a while.
Stark wrote:It's pretty funny when you have a judge sitting on cases when he obviously doesn't believe anything criminal has occured. How'd he get through law school?
Law school? Why would you require that judges go to law school?
In some parts of the world it's actually a requirement, along with a few years of experience practicing law.
loomer wrote:
Surlethe wrote:
Stark wrote:It's pretty funny when you have a judge sitting on cases when he obviously doesn't believe anything criminal has occured. How'd he get through law school?
Law school? Why would you require that judges go to law school?
A better question is really why would you not? A judge has to have as good an understanding of the law as a lawyer, if not better, or he has no business being in that position.
Chirios wrote:
Law school? Why would you require that judges go to law school?
Seriously? Why is it a bad idea for the people who decide matter of law to actually have some training in law?
Man are you guys for real.
I am pretty sure Surlethe is practicing his dry wit on us.
PREDATOR490 wrote:Any sympathy I have for this situation will evaporate if it turns out this girl has been blackmailing him and he finally called her to task. I dont condone abuse like this but it does not justify blackmail especially if it turns out she has been doing it for a while.
Not to go all Internet tough guy here, but I sorta think that blackmail is the least that this guy has coming to him.
