Jon Stewart Rips Kansas Rep's Insane Child-Beating Bill

Sometimes all it takes is a we bit o' John Stewart to put perspective on something so asinine as HB 2699:

Corporal punishment" means up to ten forceful applications in succession of a bare, open-hand palm against the clothed buttocks of a child and any such reasonable physical force on the child as may be necessary to hold, restrain or control the child in the course of maintaining authority over the child, acknowledging that redness or bruising may occur on the tender skin of a child as a result. As used in this subsection "child" includes a person over the age of 18 who is enrolled in high school.

Jon Stewart Rips Kansas Rep's Insane Child-Beating Bill

And in other news, Spanking bill dies in Kansas House committee

A bill intended to define corporal punishment and ease some restrictions on spanking in Kansas has died in committee.

An official with Rep. John Rubin’s office said Wednesday that the bill “will not get a hearing” in the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee. Rubin, R-Shawnee, is chairman of the committee.

House Bill 2699, introduced by Rep. Gail Finney, D-Wichita, would have allowed parents to hit children hard enough to leave redness or bruising. It also would have allowed parents to give permission to others, including caregivers or teachers, to spank their children.

In a statement posted on her website, Finney said the legislation “is not, as has been incorrectly reported, intended to legalize child abuse in Kansas.”