"Baby Cockfight"

[Cataholic]

The article I read said that he is Special Operations soldier stationed at Fort Bragg, and that the incident it being investigated by the military police and the State Child Protective Services. It also said that the command will take appropriate actions and cooperate with civilian authorities.

Thanks. I had just found the information online and was going to edit my post when my boss had the nerve to walk in and ask me a question!!!

I also saw that the mom did not have custody, and I do wonder about the story behind the story. I gathered the toddler getting beaten and the older son trying to intervene were her children with the "father"...no idea to whom the other toddler belonged.

I would think if there is military involvement, he is in for a world of hurt.

[Lady's Human]

To say that the military frowns on child abuse would be an understatement.

If he winds up in front of a court martial board he's going to do hard time, and military prisons are a different animal than civilian prisons.

[Karen]

To say that the military frowns on child abuse would be an understatement.

If he winds up in front of a court martial board he's going to do hard time, and military prisons are a different animal than civilian prisons.

That's what I am hoping will happen.

[RICHARD]

Not to make what this guy did O.K. but it reminded me of a comedy routine that either George Lopez or Carlos Menica did- It had to do with pinatas and the kids who are involved with the tradition.

A pinata (peen-Yata) is a cardboard/newspaper/paper maiche figure, usually of the current fad or popular trend in the media, that is hollow, filled with candy and hung from a rope over an open area.

It can be tied off to a post, tree or pole, the pinata tied to the rope and the other end of the rope draped over another post or tree branch-the free end is held by an adult who can tug on that loose end to adjust the height of it.

Children are blindfolded, handed a stick, given a few spins and turned loose, to bash the crap out of Sponge Bob, Spiderman or a star that has a picture of a star on the side-I saw a few Hannah Montana pics that I would have loved to have seen bashed!

When the pinata breaks the candy goes over the floor and you get a free for all for the goodies.

The comic began to laugh at the whole thing. He brought up some points-I am paraphrasing here...

You get the 11 year old, 5'10' monster that steps on kids to get his share.
The tiny kids who get stepped on, the kids who cry because they were shoved, stepped on or didn't get enough candy. You have the parents who are either cheering the kids on to "Get in there!" or have to calm down the crying, tend to the bruises, stepped on digits. Then there are the parents who admonish the children for not being tougher and the ones with the 'Back Up Bag Of Candy' who pass it out to the less fortunate and ones who lack that Killer Kandy Instinct!

It's one of those really goofy traditions where the kids go nuts, the parents cheer on the 'bad behavior' and everyone laughs about it later on.

There is a difference in staging 'kid fights' and the pinata thing but they do resemble each other in the fact that they are a spectacle controlled and put on by adult(s).

When ever I see something like that in the media, I always think of a pinata brawl and how dumb it was to toss your kids into a group of kids that would "go gladiator" for candy.

I guess you can say that the candy thing is just for fun at a kid's party, but really, what is the difference between pitting your kids against each other for sport or candy?

[ramanth]

I can't remember anything that happened to me as a toddler. Andy however, remembers having surgery at 2 years old, and the resulting trauma causes issues in our marriage.

So could the boy end up traumatized? It's quite possible.

[Giselle]

Purely speaking in psychological terms, children experience "childhood amnesia" up until about 3.5 years of age. While very few people can remember from about 2.5 years on, most people who claim to be able to remember events from or before 3-4 years of age are often operating with false or augmented memories. I forget if severely traumatic memories "subliminally" affect a young child in later life, but I do know that the topic of subliminal anything is very controversial with psychologists.

However, I saw parts of the video (made me ill) and the boys look to be older than 3-4... unfortunately.

[Medusa]

Well, if they do forget, their father so lovingly recorded it on video so that they'll have it for posterity. Then they can be reminded of the betrayal of the person who was supposed to protect them but instead thrust them right into the fray. Yay memories.

[Cataholic]

Purely speaking in psychological terms, children experience "childhood amnesia" up until about 3.5 years of age. While very few people can remember from about 2.5 years on, most people who claim to be able to remember events from or before 3-4 years of age are often operating with false or augmented memories. I forget if severely traumatic memories "subliminally" affect a young child in later life, but I do know that the topic of subliminal anything is very controversial with psychologists.

However, I saw parts of the video (made me ill) and the boys look to be older than 3-4... unfortunately.

I had heard that, too...the thing about people claiming to remember..that it was actually an augmented memory.

I think the kids looked about 2ish, judging by the audio and arm movements. I think Jonah could do some serious harm with his eye/hand coordination by 4....

[lizbud]

I forget if severely traumatic memories "subliminally" affect a young child in later life, but I do know that the topic of subliminal anything is very controversial with psychologists.

They do, and just because the child doesn't remember the incident, doesn't
mean that it did not affect them. It becomes part of who he is.

This was mean & it was cruel to treat children that way. I have to think
with that kind of bad judgment, this can't be the first time these kids were
treated that way, or worse.