Speaking of crazy lunatics......

[AR]

You don't treat your kids like that. Period. No excuse. NONE.

Really? Ok, hypothetically speaking.

My daughter comes home at age 12. Dressed like a goth chic and tells my wife to go fuck herself and that she is sleeping with her boyfriend and doesn't care what my wife or I think.

I think I might scream at her. Just a little bit. Might use some stronger words than pig too.

Again, you do not have the full story. Bassinger's lawyers leaked that call to get the Oprah crowd all up in arms.

[Deb]

I suppose you are against spanking as well?

No, I'm not against spanking. A good swat on the butt is discipline, but a beating is not! Kids today have no fear of authority figures, parental or otherwise........sad state. Hell, I got spanked when I was a kid and I learned never to do (whatever) again.

"Little pig" = unfit father?

Nowhere in my post did I say that. He is an adult, if he was that frustrated he should have walked away or kept his mouth shut (like I do with you a lot ).

[*Laura]

My daughter comes home at age 12. Dressed like a goth chic and tells my wife to go fuck herself and that she is sleeping with her boyfriend and doesn't care what my wife or I think.

If your daughter does that,it means that something went wrong with her upbringing,don't you think?

[Barb]

You don't treat your kids like that. Period. No excuse. NONE.

Really? Ok, hypothetically speaking.

My daughter comes home at age 12. Dressed like a goth chic and tells my wife to go fuck herself and that she is sleeping with her boyfriend and doesn't care what my wife or I think.

I think I might scream at her. Just a little bit. Might use some stronger words than pig too.

Again, you do not have the full story. Bassinger's lawyers leaked that call to get the Oprah crowd all up in arms.

I'm a mother. I have a daughter. If anyone ever talked to my kid like that, I'd go ballistic. It has nothing to do with Oprah or man bashing. This is about a child being verbally abused by her father. Why you are making excuses for it is beyond me. I'm not going to argue with you about it. There is no justification for talking to a child like that. NONE. Not in my world anyway.

[AR]

My daughter comes home at age 12. Dressed like a goth chic and tells my wife to go fuck herself and that she is sleeping with her boyfriend and doesn't care what my wife or I think.

If your daughter does that,it means that something went wrong with her upbringing,don't you think?

Not necessarily. I have seen children come out of perfectly decent homes and turn out to be whack jobs. Look at that maniac at VT. Apparently his sibling is completely normal.

There are plenty of instances where 1 child from a good home prospers while another rebels and does horrible horrible things. It isn't always upbringing, although it certainly helps to have a strong family foundation. It's still no guarantee though.

[AR]

I'm a mother. I have a daughter. If anyone ever talked to my kid like that, I'd go ballistic. It has nothing to do with Oprah or man bashing. This is about a child being verbally abused by her father. Why you are making excuses for it is beyond me. I'm not going to argue with you about it. There is no justification for talking to a child like that. NONE. Not in my world anyway.

I just gave justification for it in my hypothetical example. And you have no idea what is going on in the Baldwin family. In fact we all shouldn't know and it should be none of our business.

Saying NONE leaves a whole lot of territory uncovered.

I'm not justifying what he did. Just do not see it as this major atrocity it is being made out to be. It is a narrow snapshot. Who knows what is really going on there. It's reprehensible that the lawyers leaked that to gain public support.

People are not perfect. Yes, you can even lose your cool with your kids and blurt something out. He made a mistake. Not an unforgivable one either. We don't have the whole story and shouldn't anyway.

[*Laura]

My daughter comes home at age 12. Dressed like a goth chic and tells my wife to go fuck herself and that she is sleeping with her boyfriend and doesn't care what my wife or I think.

If your daughter does that,it means that something went wrong with her upbringing,don't you think?

Not necessarily. I have seen children come out of perfectly decent homes and turn out to be whack jobs. Look at that maniac at VT. Apparently his sibling is completely normal.

There are plenty of instances where 1 child from a good home prospers while another rebels and does horrible horrible things. It isn't always upbringing, although it certainly helps to have a strong family foundation. It's still no guarantee though.

Kids can turn into whack jobs for at least 2 reasons:genetic or environmental.
If it's genetic,you can't control it...It just develops.
If the kid ends up hanging out in the wrong entourage,it's poor parental control and guidance.

[chickpea]

There is never justification for any parent to speak to their child in that tone. I don't care how big a bitch the mother is or how much she's tried to turn the child against the father, there is never a reason good enough to warrant speaking to your child like that. If you're that pissed off and need to verbally abuse someone then go for the mother not a child. And he did threaten her. He said he was going to fly out for one day and "straighten her ass out". Now whether he meant physically or whatever...it doesn't matter.

And if Kim Basinger said those words to her kid and was stupid enough to have them recorded for all the world to hear then she would be getting the same bashing from me.

[AR]

There is never justification for any parent to speak to their child in that tone. I don't care how big a bitch the mother is or how much she's tried to turn the child against the father, there is never a reason good enough to warrant speaking to your child like that

Again see my example. If my daughter ever did anything towards my wife, I would say a whole lot worse to her.

I think a lot of this comes because you all probably have nice families and stable households. Not all children are little angels. This girl could very well be a little Hollywood bitch brainwashed and has done horrible things towards her father at her mother's request.

The guy lost his cool. Doesn't make him the anti Christ.

[yulog]

Here"s the thing folks --your not allowed to touch your kids anymore--they can say you hit them and you could lose custody of your child to Child protective services.The changes now make it more difficult and frustrating for parents to raise their kids, add a nasty divorce and it becomes even more difficult because there is a lot of "using the children" against each other(its a shame but it is a reality).

Almost all parents become frustrated at some point and have said things they didn't mean or that they may have regreted(i heard a lot worse from my mother most of my childhood). Not being able to see your child regularly can destroy a person inside--man or woman. It is unfortunate, and unfair that the children of divorces do suffer from the split .If i lost my child in a break up i think it could really change me as a person, it could be very easy to concieve that i could become bitter and despondent, much like it looks that Alex baldwin has become.Listening to that tape makes me realize that the entire family needs some help getting thru a sad aspect of life, not just Alex baldwin.

[NealIsGod]

Alec would never talk to Canteen Boy like that.

[yulog]

My daughter comes home at age 12. Dressed like a goth chic and tells my wife to go fuck herself and that she is sleeping with her boyfriend and doesn't care what my wife or I think.

If your daughter does that,it means that something went wrong with her upbringing,don't you think?

This is not the case --you can be the best parent in the world ,once you send your children off to school for 6-8 hours a day anything can happen. Children are easily influenced by their peers.

[Deb]

Here"s the thing folks --your not allowed to touch your kids anymore--they can say you hit them and you could lose custody of your child to Child protective services.The changes now make it more difficult and frustrating for parents to raise their kids, add a nasty divorce and it becomes even more difficult because there is a lot of "using the children" against each other(its a shame but it is a reality).

Almost all parents become frustrated at some point and have said things they didn't mean or that they may have regreted(i heard a lot worse from my mother most of my childhood). Not being able to see your child regularly can destroy a person inside--man or woman. It is unfortunate, and unfair that the children of divorces do suffer from the split .If i lost my child in a break up i think it could really change me as a person, it could be very easy to concieve that i could become bitter and despondent, much like it looks that Alex baldwin has become.Listening to that tape makes me realize that the entire family needs some help getting thru a sad aspect of life, not just Alex baldwin.

And completely out of nowhere, comes Yulog, with a great post!

[chickpea]

There is never justification for any parent to speak to their child in that tone. I don't care how big a bitch the mother is or how much she's tried to turn the child against the father, there is never a reason good enough to warrant speaking to your child like that

Again see my example. If my daughter ever did anything towards my wife, I would say a whole lot worse to her.

I think a lot of this comes because you all probably have nice families and stable households. Not all children are little angels. This girl could very well be a little Hollywood bitch brainwashed and has done horrible things towards her father at her mother's request.

The guy lost his cool. Doesn't make him the anti Christ.

I realize not all children are angels. And no he's not the anti Christ.

But I could never ever talk to either of my sons like that. I don't care what they did or how they talked to my husband. I love my husband dearly but I will defend my children to the death. And they come before anyone...husband included.

[chickpea]

Alec would never talk to Canteen Boy like that.

[nutz4Neal]

Here"s the thing folks --your not allowed to touch your kids anymore--they can say you hit them and you could lose custody of your child to Child protective services.The changes now make it more difficult and frustrating for parents to raise their kids, add a nasty divorce and it becomes even more difficult because there is a lot of "using the children" against each other(its a shame but it is a reality).

Almost all parents become frustrated at some point and have said things they didn't mean or that they may have regreted(i heard a lot worse from my mother most of my childhood). Not being able to see your child regularly can destroy a person inside--man or woman. It is unfortunate, and unfair that the children of divorces do suffer from the split .If i lost my child in a break up i think it could really change me as a person, it could be very easy to concieve that i could become bitter and despondent, much like it looks that Alex baldwin has become.Listening to that tape makes me realize that the entire family needs some help getting thru a sad aspect of life, not just Alex baldwin.

My thoughts exactly, yulog!

This recording made me cringe, but on the other hand, we have no idea what's been going on behind closed doors with this family, so I'll keep an open mind when it comes to pointing fingers.

My question is who leaked the recording? Was it Kim? If so, that was a pretty underhanded thing to do.

I grew up in a normal household, certainly don't ever remember anything like this taking place and was never abused; but I do remember loosing my temper and telling my Mom I hated her. Of course I didn't and regret those words today but isn't that part of being a teen? Point being, no one knows the whole story.

[Wheels Of Fyre]

Since no one has criticized the woman in this matter:

Alec Baldwin had estranged wife Kim Basinger charged with contempt of court Wednesday. Baldwin stated that she was defying court orders in the dreary custody battle over their 10-year-old daughter Ireland.

Baldwin claims that Basinger violated his visitation rights by not allowing him to speak with Ireland and has failed to let Alec know when she it out of town so he could keep his daughter at his house.

Basinger pleaded not guilty to the contempt of court charge. This case has been going on forever, I do wish they could work out their differences already. Baldwin & Basinger divorced in 2002 after nine years of marriage.

Apparently Bassinger has been trying to turn the girl against her father for quite some time. Yet all the loons are already throwing Baldwin under the bus for a moment of frustration that should have been kept private. Damn if calling a borderline teen a little pig is a federal offense to some of you, I'd be executed for some of the things I say.

No one is criticizing Kim on this topic because it is not Kim screaming at an 11 year old child and calling her a pig! If it were Kim, it would be just as abhorrent. Baldwin is an immature, self centered, hot headed prick. What a great dad.

No she's just brainwashing her daughter to hate her father.

And this is one comment on a cell phone. You do not have any right to judge a person based on one message.

You've been making all the right and fair points.

[Angiekay]

There are three sides to every story. Her side, his side and the truth.

[Clasicrockldy]

Speaking of crazed lunatics........ Here where I live, there was a manhunt for a guy who threated a mass shooting like V-Tech, but on a much bigger scale. Schools were locked down, and today they were cancelled. Here is the link from my area paper on it.

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/onset?id=47325&template=article.html

As for Alec Baldwin. This doesn't look good for him, and to me it doesn't look good for Kim either, for leaking this phone call. I agree with Yulog and Angie Kay here. I will reserve any judgement of this situation because I don't know the whole story about this family dynamic. What is so sad about this is that their child is in the middle of this whole thing.

[Lady Luck]

Alec would never talk to Canteen Boy like that.

LOL, I love that skit.

[conversationpc]

This recording made me cringe, but on the other hand, we have no idea what's been going on behind closed doors with this family, so I'll keep an open mind when it comes to pointing fingers.

The problem is that this incident only adds to what others outside of his family have already said about him. A coworker in a recent project he was working in reported that he went completely ballistic over not having appropriate air conditioning. He treats his family AND coworkers like crap and this is just further confirmation of that.

[Clasicrockldy]

Maybe Ireland should divorce her parents and live with a third party that would only have her well being in mind ( I got this idea from the movie "Irreconcilable (sp?)Differences".) It would make her life less stressful.

[Playitloudforme]

I think Alec had one too many Schwetty balls.

Seriously now... the verbal abuse was uncalled for. He is the adult. He didn't act like it. His anger is at Kim, and he took it out on his child. I'm very pleased there was a judge that put a temporary restraining order on that guy. I listened to that tape today, and as a parent, if I'd heard that, I would have notified the police as well. That level of anger was not on par with the issue of a phone call being missed. I'm sure he's frustrated at his situation, but most 11 year olds don't live their lives arranging their schedules for a phone call. If this anger is indicative of his nature when he gets angry, I can see why she'd leave the phone off.

Should this have aired on TMZ? no. and if that was Kim or Ireland that arranged that...that's just as stupid. Alec & Kim are going to be this girl's parents for their entire lives... time to get a grip and agree to be the best parent they can be, just not live together. It's not that hard, fer christsake.

[LucyFurr]

I just heard it and it isn't that bad.

I can bet you because of the bitter custody battle that he can only call his daughter at a designated time once or twice a week or something like that and the spoiled brat doesn't pick up the phone 7 or 8 straight times. I just hear frustration in his voice.

This phone call is also priviledged information and should never have been leaked to the public.

I wouldn't jump to conclusions on his outburst without knowing the full story.

I totally agree with that AR. There are two sides to every story. I'm sure he had every right to be pissed, however, he should have held some of the insults back, after all, it IS his child. My father acted just like that growing up, and because of that, I'm pretty defiant when ANY man tries to dictate to me what I should and shouldnt do. I'm sure given her parents hate eachother so much, she will be in therapy for the rest of her life! Thank God my mom was a good woman and kept her mouth shut and didnt make the damage worse to my brother and I. Anyhow, I feel bad for the kid, and wonder if he/she wasnt just being defiant due to his general attitude. Who knows.

[ohsherrie]

Yulog was, as usual, dead on with his post.

Of course Alec shouldn't have talked to his child that way. Of course Kim shouldn't be using the child as a pawn to play her twisted games. Of course all of these people are human beings with only so much give before they reach the breaking point.

I've been a pretty damned good parent and I'm now a pretty damned good grandparent. I don't know of any parent, who has actually raised their children, who hasn't gotten so frustrated that they've said things that they knew afterward were wrong. I've done it, my husband has done it, my mother did it, my dad did it regularly(but I still loved him dearly), my daughter has done it, my son-in-law has done it, ALL PARENTS MAKE MISTAKES when they reach the end of their tolerance. It's just so sad that these parents have to have their pain played out in the media; especially since Kim is using it to her advantage while she pushes Alec beyond the point of tolerance.

[Ms_M]

I agree that there are 3 sides to every story. With this one, there may be more - the daughter's side, and the lawyer's. I thought it was a lot of yelling, BUT I think that at least some of his anger is directed at Kim. If she (or her people) released this tape, that is just about as bad as the message. This should be a private matter, the whole world doesn't need to know about it. One of my best friends said she thought the kid should live with Billy Baldwin and his wife, Chynna Phillips. I'm not sure that's the worst idea out there....

[whocares]

non news. We aren't here to judge other people for how they raise their children, based on a leaked PRIVATE phone message. WE the people don't need to be subjected to this "news" story. A NORMAL person going through a divorce or child custody battle wouldn't be news, why is this news? There is one difference I think... "Normal" people like us here, would probably have child abuse charges against us. Alec simply releases a statement saying he's sorry we had to know his private business, and he skates by.

The peak of Kim's career was 9 1/2 weeks. the peak of Alec's was his schwetty skits on SNL. No publicity is bad publicity.