13 June 2008 – Family Integrity #399 — Anti-smackers lose their cool
ANTI-SMACKING: The destroyed petition.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/northland/4581394a23016.html
Anti-smackers lose their cool
By GEMMA REDDELL – Rodney Times | Thursday, 12 June 2008
Anti-smacking supporters got violent at a gathering of signatures for the Citizens Initiated Referendum campaign last Saturday.
Whangaparaoa resident Arna Mountain was gathering signatures for the petition when two women, on separate occasions, started abusing her.
She says many people were eager to sign the two petitions, which ask ‘should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?’ and ‘should the government give urgent priority to understanding and addressing the wider causes of family breakdown, family violence and child abuse?’
She says she was shocked by what she sees as violent, anti-democratic behaviour.
“These petitions are asking for the democratic right to vote on what has been a contentious issue, but these two women seemed determined to intimidate the public and those collecting the signatures.”
She says the first woman took offence to the gathering of the signatures and started yelling.
How dare we smack our children, she shouted. Mrs Mountain says she then started telling bystanders to “roll up and sign the petition that allows you to abuse your children and then kill them, yes murder them, come on sign up.”
Later she was approached by another woman who asked if this was the petition to sign, then grabbed it, tore off the signed part and ripped it into pieces.
“The woman then took the clipboard which had other completed forms underneath and took off.
I called her to give back the clipboard and the legal document she had torn. She threw it across the entrance-way and yelled about how smacking children was wrong,” she says.
Mrs Mountain says that while she is shocked at the intensity of the behaviour, there are obviously a few people who are mistaken about what the petition is about.
“There are a few people who are completely unaware of the statistics that show that abuse and parental correction are completely different issues. No one in their right mind wants to abuse children. She says the vast majority of people are still against this law.”
They received 144 signatures in a two-and-a-half hour period in Whangaparaoa.
Petition forms can be downloaded from thekiwiparty.org.nz under ‘referendum’ or from Orewa and Whangaparaoa libraries. The last date for signing is June 15.
Sadly this sort of behaviour from people who claim ‘to be anti-violent’ is a regular occurance for those people out collecting signatures for this important referendum. In the 18 months that my husband and I have been collecting signatures there will be ‘one in every crowd’ that is so vehemently against the gathering of signatures. They just can’t walk on by and let the democratic process have its way – they have to turn and return and pester or insist that ‘their ideology’ is the right and only way – a bit like how MPs failed to listen to the overwhelming majority of New Zealanders when they passed this contentious law.
This is a good example of people who were not disciplined properly when they were children.
There is a big big difference between smacking a child and explaining what they have done wrong, and beating (= abuse) them with a broomstick, a jug cord or a closed fist, all of which can do serious physical damage.
interesting how some people
consider it acceptable to verbally abuse and to do physically unacceptable things to other people’s belongings to make a point that smacking children is not ok……do these poeple not realise that their own verbal abuse is a form of violence itself? In effect they are saying violence towards children is unacceptable (with which I agree), but its acceptable for me to be violent to another adult in order to make a point about it.
March 2007 a supportive Feilding crowd agreed with me in protesting against Miss Clark and Mother of all Mothers Ms Sue Bradford urgently pushing through their antismacking bill as I was trying to speak my opposer Mrs Perigo (a reformed smacker) was screeching and yelling in my ear that I was a child thrasher, beater, abuser and I felt like the scum of the earth getting accused of things I’ve never ever done because I love my 4 sons to bits and to have the likes of these 3 bullies slandering me is upsetting who says they’re the experts. Its asking for trouble to encourage children to believe they have more rights than their Mums and Dads who love, nurture, guide, cuddle and train them. Parents presently feeling guilty for a light smack that doesn’t bruise, maime or sadly kill isn’t sensible legislation (bring back historic section 59 I say) we only want our babies to grow up into law abiding adults. Then in my 3rd final protest Reverend Rilma Sands (an ex smacker now converted)tried to grab my megaphone to promote her new biblical views insisting to me the Bible wouldn’t allow smacking. However I disagreed the Jesus I know didn’t have his own children or the day to day care of raising boys and girls into adulthood like us therefore Jesus wouldn’t have smacked other peoples children either just as I wouldn’t however enough is enough, the Media comparing me with Bishop Brian Tamaki has done me a favour as I believe he is a Real Man of God with bold conviction and guts just like MP Gordon Copeland leaving Peter Dunne on principle its to be admired. As usual John Tamahere voiced yesterday on Radio Live exactly what 85% of desperately need to hear he needs a Medal for always giving his commonsence approach to life sure sounds like he would give up his life for his wife and kids but he smacks we need more Johns like him thats the Key.