Pro-Smacking Poster Girl In Jail

The SST reports that Barbara Bishop, who was frequently at the forefront of a pro-smacking lobby group “Family First”, is in jail for assaulting her teenaged son. Details of the attack mention that the child was hogtied, kicked and beaten.

Maybe he was trying to stick his finger in a light socket or something.

Family First is the organisation trying to get together a referendum to repeal the latest anti-smacking law. Bishop had previous convictions for violence and even “attempting to procure the murder of her ex-husband”. I have to hand it to Family First for selecting the most suitable candidate to portray as a “victim of the state” and just being a normal mother trying to keep her kids under control. Not to mention demonising CYFS for stepping in and Labour for pushing through this anti-family legislation.

In interesting points across other blogs, Russell Brown writes:

While we’re at it, perhaps the other news media could forswear from fanning cheap outrage every time one of these “smacking” cases becomes news. Jimmy Mason’s recent account of having “flicked” his son on the ear was almost universally reported as fact, for example, when it would have been wise to avoid treating the defendant’s characterisation of events as gospel until his two consequent child assault charges have been heard in court.

That whole fiasco was ridiculous really. Almost as sad, is that the mainstream public appeared to have believed without question that a man flicking his son’s earhole required a response of 6 policemen, via an off duty cop and it didn’t even occur to them that someone was telling porkies.

Bomber also covered this briefly but signed off with

What part of “don’t hit your kids” do these people not understand?

Good question.