Talk About Your Pets

[ergo sum]

James Dobson has given new meaning to the term bully pulpit.

On the occasion of his exit from Focus on the Family, let it be noted that the child psychologist built an evangelical empire on families' vulnerabilities. He launched his career urging parents to keep their kids in line by hitting them.

Published in 1970 as a challenge to the liberal child-rearing techniques popularized by Benjamin Spock, Dobson's first book, "Dare to Discipline," advocates forcefully combating rebelliousness. To illustrate his point about asserting his God-given authority over his family, he tells the story of disciplining his miniature dachshund, Sigmund Freud, with a belt. He encourages not only spanking kids, but also leaving belts around the house to remind them of the consequences of defiance.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14485433