The above video is harsh, so be forewarned. It allegedly shows a Texas county judge beating the hell out of his disabled teenage daughter for accessing the Internet against his orders. [UPDATE: The judge now admits it was him in the video.] The girl was smart enough to set up a hidden camera to record her father’s alleged abuse. This happened in 2004, but was only posted to YouTube a month ago. It’s now going viral. “I’m going to beat you into submission!” the father yells. The person who posted this to YouTube, believed to be the girl in the video, asks people not to blame the mother for her supporting role in this video, because she was allegedly abused as well, and has since left the marriage.

Texas authorities are now investigating the allegations implicit to this video. The Aransas County courthouse’s lines are swamped with people from all over calling to protest; the county has asked the public to please refrain, because the police are already involved looking into the beating allegations, and the courthouse needs to be able to get county business done. If that judge did what it looks like he did to his daughter, then he deserves the opprobrium that is now coming his way. How many kids endure this sort of thing behind closed doors, and nobody ever knows outside the family?