No spanking allowed

There has been much debate on the use of corporal (bodily) punishment when disciplining children. In Pender County, NC a father was convicted of abusing his son when a social worker said his 13 year old son was hit with a belt and bruised on his buttocks. The father appealed stating that corporal punishment did not constitute abuse and the court agreed.

•Has the whole debate about corporal punishment of children gone too far?
•Why do you think that shows like Supernanny and Nanny 911 do not advocate spanking children as a form of discipline?
•Do alternative forms of discipline work?
•Is spanking an archaic form of punishment that needs to be done away with?