Taoiseach Enda Kenny has stated clearly that he does not intend to have a referendum on abortion in Ireland.  RTE reports (emphasis mine) "Speaking in Dundalk this afternoon, Mr Kenny said the Government set out its formal decision on the issue in December, and its intention to deal with the ABC case by way of legislation and regulations...  He said the law on abortion is not being changed, but is being codified." Kenny made a pro-life promise and the Fine Gael party has been presented as the pro-life party.  But Kenny is the same man that used polemics against the Vatican during the height of the sex abuse scandal and cut off diplomatic ties to the Vatican.  That move helped to further alienate the public against the Catholic Church, as did the storyline generated by Savita's husband's comments, and was the perfect setup for an abortion legislation push.  After all, one thing that is heard repeatedly in the RTE report was the reference abortion rights when speaking of the rights of both mother and child.  Placed in the context of the ABC European Court decision, one thing is not made clear, and that's the source of the rights they are talking about.  Is this about dealing with the European Court's ABC case or the constitutional rights set by Ireland's constitution?  I sense that a modification of the rights of mother an child is in play.

Was Obama being Presidential when he called the gun lobby willful liars?  Does being Presidential carry any significance any more?  After the defeat of the bi-partisan gun control bill this past week President Obama made some angry statements claiming that the gun control lobby and Senate Republicans "willfully lied on this bill." Watch Obama make the comments for yourself in the video below.

First, let's consider the claim that they willfully lied.  Disagreements among parties as to the long term impact of legislation is common based upon interpretation of the bill and the potential for the judiciary to expand the legislation or a federal agency to issue rules that expand the impact of the legislation.  The NRA claimed that the legislation will lead to the creation of a national gun registry.  The supporters of the Obama administration claim that the bill actually bans a federal gun register which is justification for Obama's strong statement.  However, as one would expect, gun rights conservatives have shot back claiming that the bill only bars the Justice department not other federal agencies from creating the registry.  We have learned to be suspicious of guarantees coming political figures.  This week we learn that the State of Missouri shared confidential information with the feds in contradiction to state law and with the HHS mandate the intrusion of Obama Care into the religious Liberty of Catholics was accomplished with the stroke of a pen from a government agency, a threat which would have been dismissed as fear mongering during the health care debate.  A more reasoned debate over this issue is at hand.  Which leads us to the bigger issue here - the unpresidential behavior of Barrack Obama.  From Salon:

Ed Henry, the White House Correspondent for Fox News asked Jay Carney some direct questions on the Gosnell case.  To avoid the duck and dodge game that the Administration has been playing on this case, Henry asked about possible leglislation to protect and save life that could be considered.  After all, the administration is quick to act on public outcry to push legislation on issues like gun control.  Why not protect newly born babies from being killed?  Carney's answer was very telling of the consistent position of Obama and his administration on anything related to abortion.

"I would simply say that the president’s position on choice is very clear,” the spokesman responded. “His position on the basic principle that, as President Clinton said, abortions ought to be safe, legal and rare is very clear. I just don’t have comment that could shed light on this specific case.”

Get that?  Asked about protecting newly born children, that have survived an abortion, and he says 'choice that's what we believe in.'  Where is their capacity to show compassion for defenseless little children?  This is is an outrage, but its also just downright pathetic.  Faced with the brutal murder of children born alive after an abortion and the administration can't find one compassionate word for these poor unborn children.  Not the slightest bit of nuance in their pro-choice argument to allow for compassion and a simple acknowledgement that the actions of doctors like Gosnell are unacceptable.  The ideological blinders of pro-choice folks like Obama are like none other in American politics.

The one thing many in the public don't know about the dunce cap is its origins in anti-Catholic rhetoric.  You can search google and find information talking about the term being used for followers of the Catholic philosopher Duns Scotus but most will miss the story of enlightenment thinkers and reformation Protestants in England using it to mock Catholics.  Its much easier to mock with derisive name calling and other such rhetorical claims than to hold a reasoned and fair debate of ideas.  Little has changed over the centuries, the "enlightened" use derisive terms to mock reasonable folk who support marriage and oppose gay marriage.  The method has worked before and is fairly successful now, bully people with peer pressure, name calling and create the fear in people of being seen as mean spirited and ignorant.  Nothing exemplifies this more than Ryan Anderson's appearance on the Piers Morgan show where he is sat among the audience, in a lower position than the host and gay marriage supporter guest.  But before I go any further, view the video and judge for your self.