I know that Alec Baldwin is an avowed leftist and for that reason when he hits the skids conservatives love to go crazy on him. He also is someone with an apparent hair trigger temper, and someone who calls, or did call his daughter "pig."

By now everyone has heard the audio of his flare up at his 12 year old daughter Ireland that surfaced on a gossip web-site this week.

Alec's brother Stephen has become a good friend in recent weeks and months. I spoke with Stephen twice on Friday (when the story hit) and again over the weekend (he called me.)

Stephen was quick to alert me to a few things...
1. No one, not even ALEC approves of the way Alec spoke to Ireland. Alec has since apologized to his daughter (actually he had before the story even came out.)
2. The bitter custody dispute is the driving frustration here. Alec wants to see his daughter, a judge has said twice a week he can call her for only 30 minutes. The judge has ordered Basinger to make the daughter available and yet mysteriously enough - she just happens to be out shopping with mom when it comes time for the phone call.
3. Alec is learning first hand how the system is rigged to always lean in favor of the mom. Basinger has recently asked for charges against her to be dropped. The charges are for already violating the present custody agreement multiple times. It should also be noted - that the judge did NOT drop the charges.

All of this to say... what Alec said to his girl was terrible, horrible, rotten, very bad - no good. And on Friday's show I had parents (particularly women) who were calling in one after the other saying how thankful they were that they were never taped when they had dealt with their kids in inappropriate ways. We should all be so thankful.

And honestly - what truly loving mom would leak that tape to a gossip rag? ESPECIALLY if what he said to her on it was so bad that it might damage her for life? Now instead of being in her lawyer's vault - it has been replicated in dozens of YouTube mirrors for her to find for the rest of her life... this is the action of a mother who loves her daughter?