May 29, 2001

Dear Mr Riak,

I sent you a e-mail a few months ago about my daughter being hit at school and she walked out of her classroom, your information was very helpful, I just wish there was a activist group like yours in australia. Do you have or know of any one in australia that does this sort of work, i am trying so hard to set something up myself but it is too hard to do on my own, You mentioned about maybe starting a australian section, did you give this any more thought? I would think it would be wonderful. Thank You so much for your badge and poster, booklet etc, i really appreciate these, I am wanting to get a badge or T-shirt printed that relates to Australia, if you have any ideas or where i can get an idea to put on these.

Also please if there is any way at all that i can help your organisation, even from Australia i would gladly do anything to help, let me know.

I love your site. You are a wonderful inspiration.

Christine B.

May 29, 2001

I learned about No Spank when I read an interview with Eric Roberts in the OK Magazine here in the UK.

I visited your web site as I have a great interest in your cause.

I myself was spanked by my father throughout my childhood and admit that this still haunts me. My father until recently used to almost boast about hitting us as he thought it taught us a good lesson. I reacted finally but telling him I thought it was something he should be ashamed about not something to boast about.

I suffered very low self esteem throughout my teenage years and when I starting dating I always thought I wasn't good enough to have a really nice boyfriend.

I married and it didn't even last 1 year. I met someone just before I got married who helped me believe that I was worth something and deserved better than what I had settled for.

I have just recently come off anti-depressants but honestly cannot remember the last time I could honestly say I was truly happy.

My relationship with my father is better than it was but I can still never forget him coming home one day when I was about 10 and taking me upstairs and telling me to take down my skirt and pants and putting me over his knee and spanking me four or five times then telling me he'd waited all day to do that as we had had an argument in the morning. My mother says she does not remember this happening but I do.

I have the problem now where my brother has two young children, 4 and 2 and his spanks my nephew (the eldest) and it upsets me. He did it once when I was on the phone with him and I felt physically sick. I don't know how to approach this as I know he will tell me that I don't have kids of my own and it's none of my business how he raises his kids but I can't stand back and watch this happen.

To this day I can still feel my dad hitting me and the hatred I felt afterwards.

I would be grateful for any literature you could provide me that would help or any links on your website.

I am glad I read the Eric Roberts article and admire the work you are doing.

Yours sincerely
Claire G.

December 8, 2000

My dear friend, Jordan:

I spend so much time looking at things ugly and irrational that it is difficult to be hopeful about humankind.

These updates are particularly uplifting and they remind me that there is progress for humankind. They also remind me of the importance of the efforts of people like you and what a wonderful and important thing you are doing. You once said that you get a lot of attacks and that you were appreciative when I praised your efforts. I want you to know that your efforts are also uplifting to me.

I thank you for your wonderful work on behalf of the children of the world and on behalf of those who are progressive enough to understand that the future of humankind depends upon how we treat our children. I am proud to know you and proud to call you friend. Thank you for being you.

Your devoted,

Bob

January 1, 2000

I was spanked as a child. This is a sampling of the things I have endured as an adolescent and adult: low self esteem, bulimia, suicidal depression, self mutilation, attempted suicide, tendencies towards violent outbreaks, abusive relationships due to my skewed perceptions of love. I became a workaholic as a way of escaping a dysfunctional household, and to feel like I was worth something. I have been hospitalized for suicidal depression and in therapy for years. I am 20 years old.

Only for the grace of God and many caring individuals have I been able to identify and overcome these problems. I still struggle. I am having a baby girl any day now and I am proud to say she will never endure the pain, suffering, or humiliation of corporal punishment. My husband was never spanked and cannot believe that people think it is a good thing. Spanking IS abuse, and it needs to be made illegal so people will learn and use other more positive forms of discipline.

The stories on your web site made me sad and sick to my stomach. The people who wrote in opposition only seemed to prove your points over and over. I just wanted to let you know that your work has not been in vain. Your work is important and I look forward to the day when it makes a difference to the laws of this country.

From an inmate in a Georgia prison

September 19, 1996

Dear Jordan Riak
I hope you are having a good day. I hope you can help me. I like to get some of them booklet and other things on parents and teachers. Im going to a parent class here in this Institutions. I need all the help I can get from parenting class. The class here do not have no booklet and other things. I have children. I wont to be the best parent I can. I hope you all can help me with some booklet and other things. See the more I now the more I can tell other parent about there children. I hope you can help me. Thank you for your time. Hope you write back.

Letter from same writer as above

October 6, 1996

Dear Mr. Riak,
I like to thank you for writing me back. Thank you for your good letter you wrote to me. I like the booklets you sent me. The books of Violent Criminal Behavior and the books of Plain Talk about spanking. Thank you for them. Im going to talk to my friends about them. And hope I can get a lot of men here to read them. My parent class are going good here. Im working on getting a parents class and meets together wend I get out and go home. I have a church that will help me. I hope you will write me back and tell me some things i need to do & to now about puting together a parenting class. I like to now your feels about it. Hi, to day was my little girl birthday. We was together to day. Thank you & and I thank God for this day. Looking for your letter soon. Thank you for your time.

From the The Menninger Foundation

February 6, 1984

Dear Mr Riak:

I am positively and actively and outspokenly in favor of the position set forth in your letter and enclosed materials. I am glad to see the movement grow.

We are making progress from the old days when English children went to school to be tortured by sadistic teachers, mixed with the earnest, dedicated teachers that are always there too. I don't know where torture belongs, but certainly not in the schoolroom, not even in the jail or court. Whipping is torture and humiliation, and pain. I thought we human beings were trying to get rid of these afflictions, and that civilization had partially done so. In some countries you say it has. Why not ours?
Sincerely,
Karl Menninger, M.D., F.A.P.A.
KAM/drr

Letter from a counselor working with a high school class for students who are parents, mostly women in their teens

May 9, 1996

Dear Jordan, Thanks for all you have done and are doing for children. Thank you for your efforts to educate our community.Terri & I feel that you were the best speaker we had all year and the impact you had on students was quite dramatic.

I apologize for getting this to you so late.The day after you spoke, I got involved in writing a grant and we had a deadline, so I had too much to do & not enough time.In the end, the district vetoed the grant anyway because it was a teen pregnancy prevention grant & they felt it had too much "counseling" and it had to do with "values" which they are afraid of.So, that's what we're dealing with now.Thank you again for being with us.We'll return the extra materials you left.
Sincerely,
S., School Counselor

Undated nonymous letter received several days after my distribution of "AN OPEN LETTER OF PROTEST TO THE PARENTS OF THE STUDENTS OF DOVER HEIGHTS BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL, JUNE 1975" See Letter of Protest - Dover Heights

Dear Sir,
May I commend you on your letter to all parents. It is time parents and citizens became involved in their schools and I hope your letter will inspire them. I hear about Dover Heights B. H. from the other end, the teachers, and I would agree with everything in your letter. Many teachers realize the situation is bad but since many are going for promotion or teaching certificates they cannot buck the system. I am married to one of these teachers and hence would be pleased if you would accept this letter of encouragement without my signature.

Date lost

From the Houston Area Women's Center

July 17, 1995

Dear Mr. Riak,
I am writing to express my support for your organization, PTAVE, and the excellent work it does in educating the public and professionals on the dangers of hitting as a means "discipline." The Houston Area Women's Center (HAWC) has benefitted from your work in this area. We have received and used over a hundred copies of your booklet. "Plain Talk about Spanking," in educating our clients on the need for non-violent means of discipline.

I am grateful for the materials we have so far received free of charge and hope we can continue to do so. Good luck in your continued efforts to eliminate violence in the lives of children.

Sincerely, Lisa Christensen, Manager,
Children's Services
Family Violence Program

September 28, 1995

To: PTAVE
From: Lisa Montoya
I would like to request one of your booklets on "spanking." My sister called me at work & was amazed at how informing it was - She was really excited & said please read it. Can you call & let me know how I may get one!

November 21, 1991

Dear PTAVE Friends,
I wanted to write and tell you how much I appreciate Plain Talk About Spanking and all the work you are doing. I've been feeling frustrated by the reluctance of mainstream child abuse prevention groups to make an unequivocal statement against spanking. They feel that if this one part of their overall message will alienate people, it isn't worth the risk. I, however, don't see how we can improve the lot of children so long as people are hitting kids and receiving high levels of social approval, especially in Texas. How can we change people's minds without offending anyone? We can't.
Randy Horton

Undated, (1993?).

To Ptave
Amen Amen Amen Amen. I've been waiting my whole life to hear words like these! I'm so happy to finally hear the professional community say what I knew as a child! I went to eek! Catholic School for nine years and was spanked there and at home. I'm ordering 15 copies but am sending more money in the hope that I can help others who need this literature and can't pay.
Thank you PTAVE.
Love, Stella Rose

P.S. I'm proud to say I've never struck a child.

From Culebra, Puerto Rico

July 25, 1993

Yes, Yes, Yes,... This pamphlet is needed on this 2,500 population island where corporal punishment still exists in the public school and very much in most families.

Please send 20 copies in SPANISH. Enclosed is $5 donation.

Thank you,
Diane Simard

Translated from the Spanish Undated, (1994?)

I want to thank you for the booklet I received while taking a course called "Well-Educated Children." The course and your beautiful booklet totally changed my attitude toward my child. You can't imagine how happy I feel as a mother and how much pain can be cured by reading each page of such a small yet immense and profound booklet. It's for this reason that I ask if you can send me 30 or more booklets that I can hand out to my acquaintances and friends. They would be profoundly grateful. I only want this booklet to be a ray of light in this world that every day is more difficult to manage. Thank you for your beautiful and unselfish work.
Cristina

April 28, 1995

To whom It May Concern:
My name is David M. Kawzinski. I am a 5th Grader at Federal Terrace School and the reason I am writing to you is because of the Corporal Punishment.

I know you know this but I have went and asked some adults about this issue and some of them think that this is good because it will make people (kids) control themselves more but other adults and I am sure all the kids don't like Corporal Punishment. For instance:
1. Kids and grown-ups don't like to see other kids get hit.
2. Kids don't like to get hit. I mean, how would you like it if you got hit by things. I know you wouldn't. It would also make some teachers do this against their free will. That isn't right.

If you have information about this issue could you please send it to me. Thank you.

Sincerely,
David Kawzinski

September 8, 1992

Dear People,

I just was given a copy of your pamphlet "Plain Talk about Spanking," and was quite impressed with its scope, clarity and intentions.

Being a child psychologist in private practice for over 20 years, I have often wished such a booklet were available to give clients. Currently, I also am Director of Family Mediation Services, a group of therapist/mediators that offers child custody mediation to all contested cases in Santa Cruz County (which, as you may know, is mandatory in California).

Please send me 200 copies for our group.

I am also on the faculty at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where I teach Childhood Psychopathology and a number of other clinical-child psychology courses. Please inform me as to the cost (if any) of making a hundred or so pamphlets available to me each year for my students. I am sure they would much benefit from this information.

Thank you for your continued work on this matter. I whole-heartedly support you.

Sincerely
Donald T. Saposnek, Ph.D.

October 3, 1994

Dear Mr. Riak,

Thank you very much for the recent delivery of "Plain Talk about Spanking." I sat down and read it cover-to-cover immediately upon its arrival. I'm happy to say your "No Spanking Zone" signs are already prominently displayed in my office waiting rooms and copies of "Plain Talk about Spanking" are offered to all parents at their arrival, while they wait, or upon their departure.

I appreciate the work that you are doing and hope you will accept the enclosed small donation. I look forward to working with you in the coming years to make violence against children a distant memory.

If I may be of any assistance to you, please don't hesitate to contact me. Again, many thanks.

Sincerely
John R. Radford, M.D.
Chairman, Department of Pediatrics

August 1, 1994

Hello!
Thank you from the Heart! It is so refreshing to see caring people as yourselves donating your time and publishing such a worthwhile & needed pamphlet as "Plain Talk about Spanking" from Jordan Riak. We have an infant & children's retail store & would appreciate 200 copies sent to us to set on our counter. Enclosed is $30. Wish we could afford more.
Thank you,
Coleen Cole

March 1, 1994.

Dear Sir or Madam:

I was very touched by your booklet "Plain Talk about Spanking." As a member on the board of the Sonoma Valley Mothers' Club, I feel it important that all 60 of our members read this pamphlet as well. Our club is only 5 months old and have no money to spare for such a publication. But I feel this is vital to mothers of young children and would like to personally give a donation in return for 60 pamphlets. Unfortunately, I'm rather poor right now too. Would you accept $5.00 for 60 pamphlets? I have enclosed it. Thanking you in advance for this and for publishing this wonderful brochure.

Sincerely,
Diane Anderson

November 29, 1994

Dear Staff,

I have been using your wonderful booklet with my clients who are criminal addicts. As the agency I work for is non-profit, I do not make enough money to support myself. Therefore I am unable to make a donation to your very fine organization. I asked my agency if they would make a donation to your organization, however it appears that they cannot.

I am hoping that you will still be able to forward me the 200 copies for me to provide to my clients. Your help is sincerely appreciated and I cannot thank you enough for what you are doing for the children of parents who read these booklets. thank you!

Sincerely,
Linda Peterson, C.D.S.
Counselor