Smacking a two-year old girl in the face is not that grievous an offense?
I would infer from this statement that you are a strict disciplinarian who believes children should be kept in their place. But I doubt you would slap your young children on the face, let alone someone else's. That is... Totally psycho. I am trying to imagine myself casually strolling across a Wal-Mart in order to wallop a toddler and somehow it's not registering. She is TWO years old.
I'm not saying I would ever be inclined to do such a thing -- I'm just saying that the man didn't rob a bank or commit a rape. I think "felony" should be reserved for serious crimes, which hurt other human beings/society in a serious way.
A spanking that leaves no marks should not be considered a "felony", especially since it's humanly understandable for a bachelor to get upset at the sound of incessant crying. It's not the kind of thing you rot away in prison for years over.
If two adults get into a fist-fight is that a felony as well? If so, we have a messed up justice system.
He "only" slapped her, he didn't throw her on the ground, cause permanent injuries, or shoot her. I'm trying to be objective here, however horrible the incident must have been for the mother and child.
Is everything that causes one to gasp to be considered a felony? Why not call anyone who's ever lost their temper (or committed a mortal sin) a felon? I guess most of us are felons, now.
To me, calling this action a felony dilutes the meaning of "felony", and is an insult to all the victims of real felons (rape, kidnapping, battery victims, etc.)
I just think there's a bit of a mismatch here, justice-wise.
Matthew