In my local paper not too long ago, I read an article about someone trying to introduce a bill that would ban spanking for children under 3. Ridiculous, I thought, it’s never going to pass. And that was the end of it.

Then I heard her on a radio talk show, and I started to get cynical. I wondered if she was doing this just to get attention. It reminded me of Mayor Gavin Newsom’s publicity stunt of performing gay marriages (which I view more cynically than heroically, despite being for gay marriage). I’m still undecided because it seems unlikely that she could’ve calculated this media maelstrom, unlike the instant attention Newsom could count on. Here’s an article about her attention-getting: No-spanking bill’s backer – Mtn. View’s Sally Lieber – taking her turn in the spotlight.

Note to future self: If you want some instant national spotlight, do something “controversial.”