European Court Imposes Abortion on Catholic Ireland

Whatever your position is on abortion, take heed. This is something for Ireland to settle for itself. Once the European Court steps in, the precedent has been set. We have been warned of the “International law” that several of our Supreme Court Justices think might be something to consider when deciding a case. The European Union. Not in our backyard.

European Court of Human Rights judgments are legally binding but difficult to enforce. Council of Europe nations often take years to enact the legal reforms ordered. An offending nation that refuses to observe a court order could be expelled from the Council of Europe, this has never happened, however Ireland may want to think twice about taking any bailouts from the EU in light of the European Court’s eagerness to meddle in its domestic affairs:

Ireland’s constitutional ban on abortion violates pregnant women’s right to receive proper medical care in life-threatening cases, the European Court of Human Rights ruled Thursday, harshly criticizing Ireland’s long inaction on the issue.

The Strasbourg, France-based court ruled that a pregnant woman fighting cancer should have been allowed to get an abortion in Ireland in 2005 rather than being forced to go to England for the procedure. The judgment put Ireland under pressure to draft a law extending abortion rights to women whose pregnancies represent a potentially fatal threat to their own health.

Ireland has resisted doing that despite a 1992 judgment from the Irish Supreme Court that said Ireland should provide abortions in cases where a woman’s life is endangered — including, controversially, by her own threats to commit suicide. More at Right Wing News

Supreme Court Justices think International Law might be something to consider

Kennedy’s statement:

”But “‘[t]he climate of international opinion concerning the acceptability of a particular punishment’” is also “‘not irrelevant.’”

So holds the Court, by a 6–3 vote, in Graham v. Florida. Hope to have more later today, when I’ve read the opinions, but here’s one item that’s likely to be quite controversial: The majority opinion (Justice Kennedy writing for the four liberals and himself) has a subsection near the end that begins,

There is support for our conclusion in the fact that, in continuing to impose life without parole sentences on juveniles who did not commit homicide, the United States adheres to a sentencing practice rejected the world over.This observation does not control our decision. The judgments of other nations and the international community are not dispositive as to the meaning of the Eighth Amendment. But “‘[t]he climate of international opinion concerning the acceptability of a particular punishment’” is also “‘not irrelevant.’”

Volokh

House approves bill to make hybrids louder Vote Tally Count

Award for the idiot vote of the day! Helping the blind not to get run over. Meanwhile….. How about the deaf? We will be flashing lights on our car next. Give me a break!

Political Realities comments:

Well, let’s see now. We can’t have too much noise because that would be harmful. So we’ve got to have a regulation for that. We need to have electric cars so we can save the environment, so we have regulations to help/force the development of the electric car. Now that we have them, they are dangerous to blind pedestrians because of their lack of noise. Yeah, you guessed it. Another regulation in the making.

You couldn’t make this stuff up, could you?

With everything that we need to deal with, Pelosi springs this gem? They really are off the rails. I have been trying to keep up with the vote tallys, but this is really getting too much. Go home Congress, go home. Hurray for the 30 brave souls who choose not to be politically correct.

WASHINGTON – Silent hybrid vehicles may soon be a thing of the past.

Auto safety regulators would have to set minimum sound levels for hybrid and electric vehicles under a bill approved Thursday by the House. Blind pedestrians say the quietness of hybrids can pose risks for them because they use sound cues to travel safely.

The House passed the bill 379-30. The Senate approved its version last week, and the measure now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature.

Rep. Cliff Stearns, a Florida Republican, says it will protect blind pedestrians.

The bill was supported by automakers and the National Federation for the Blind.Yahoo News

Here you go for the Vote Tally:

House Vote On Passage: S. 841: Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2010-640

Five Best Youth Guns For Christmas

Guns and Patriots over at Human Events has a good article for gift giving this Christmas for your child. For those of us who grew up between the coasts, where hunting and fishing were a part of everyday life, guns were an integral part of life. The High Schools had their boys and girls rifle ranges in the basement. We made State champs a number of times. That was then and even now  calling 911  that would help you out in a pinch,  took about 30-to 45 minutes for the “Staties” to get to you. So self-reliance which was at the core of our development, made us feel secure. I know it is hard for city folks to understand this concept. That same feeling of self-determination which our forefathers had in building our great nation. But I digress… Human Events shot me this article. The link is at the bottom for the full article and descriptions.

Skip Coryell has his top five guns to give a youth for Christmas.

Have fun and always remember to properly supervise and teach (spelled “hands-on) your children how to be safe and accurate. Give the gift of firearms to your kids and when the power goes out they’ll be well-prepared to survive as the other children sit helplessly on the couch, crying, desperately clutching their non-functioning game controllers. Merry Christmas!

5 Best Youth Guns for Christmas

It’s Christmas time, and no doubt many people are out there shopping with a vengeance, desperately trying to find that “perfect” gift for your kids. What better gift says “I love you” than a good, old-fashioned, tried-and-true FIREARM! Forget the video games this year. Just read this article and you’ll have the basic starting point for your children’s firearm shopping quest.

I’ve taken several factors into account, most notably:  safety, ease of use, and affordability. I’ve also taken the road less traveled by listing a few guns that normally wouldn’t be recommended. Hopefully, my list will have something for all kids and take them from young novice to seasoned champion!

Daisy Model 10 BB Gun

This is an excellent rifle to teach your kids the basics of sight alignment, sight picture, trigger pull, breath control and follow through. (I think we all started out with one of these boys).

Marlin Model 915Y

This .22 LR is a nice first rifle for a kid. It’s a bolt action, single-shot firearm that’s easy to load and shoot.

H&R Pardner Compact

Now here’s a gun that’s been tested in field conditions for a long, long time. This is a very simple gun, easy to shoot, quick pointing, and available in .410, 20, and 28 gauge models. This is a very simple gun, easy to shoot, quick pointing, and available in .410, 20, and 28 gauge models. The Pardner Compact is nothing more than a scaled-down version of the full-size Pardner to accommodate the smaller-statured youth of America.

Weatherby Vanguard Compact

This is one case where I went up in price, primarily because this is a rifle that will “grow” with your child on into adulthood. This is due to a free full-size injection-molded synthetic stock that comes with the standard compact stock for younger shooters. (He mentions the 243, which was my first deer rifle at age 12, and worked fine my very first day out)!

Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm

Okay, I hear what you’re saying. “Hey! That’s not a kid’s gun!” Well, not specifically a kid’s gun, but it certainly can be. My 14-year-old son shoots one all the time and maintains a 2-inch group at 20 feet. His hands are smaller than mine, but the M&P features 3 three replaceable grips in small, medium and large.

More at Human Events