A ban on the practice of partial-birth abortion has passed both houses of Congress by large majorities with many Democratic members of both houses voting in favor of the ban on this inhumane practice, which former Democratic Sen. Patrick Moynihan of New York described as something akin to infanticide. Even very liberal Sen. Tom Daschle, the Democratic leader of the Senate from South Dakota, voted in favor of the ban.
Yet we have a judge in California that has struck down this piece of legislation by her decree, going so far as to comment that it didn't make any difference to her even if the unborn baby was able to feel pain during the procedure. That's pretty hard-hearted.
What we now have in this country - instead of rule by our elected representatives - is dictatorship by the judiciary. It is time for Congress to assert itself and take back some of the power granted to it by our U.S. Constitition.
Over the years, the courts manufactured the concept of joint and several liability (better known as the "deep pockets" concept) - never voted upon by the people or their elected representatives.
The courts have consistently ruled to abolish God, or any concept of our dependence on Him. I doubt very much if they would ever allow the Golden Rule to be posted in our schools and other public buildings and places. In California, they have even prohibited the Boy Scouts of America to use some public facilities.
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The courts decreed that individual states could no longer have the power to regulate abortion (which served this country well for nearly 200 years). They decreed the break-up of AT&T and the Bell system - completely ignoring the fact that the most economical way to provide some services is through the use of well-regulated monopolies.
I believe it is well beyond the time to start to take action to rein in the activist and decree-happy courts and figure out how to make them a little more responsive to the vast majority of our citizens.
Bill Mangin
LaMoure, N.D.
