9th Circuit Rules Life Not Worth Much

The Ninth Circus Court has once again made a crazy ruling that can only be interpreted as them saying human life isn't worth much. A coyote, a human smuggler, while attempting to flee the Border Patrol in an SUV loaded with up to 20 illegals, crashed resulting in the deaths of 10 of the illegals, including a pregnant teenager. The case was tried in Arizona and the man was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Well the 9th Circuit feels that is just too high a price for killing 10 people.

In a decision filed Tuesday, the 9th Circuit affirmed Pineda-Doval's conviction but vacated his life sentence and sent the case back to the Arizona court for re-sentencing.

One has to wonder how much of this decision was based more on the fact that this case originated in Arizona then it did any of the legal mumbo jumbo they use to justify their decision. Note they didn't overturn the conviction just the sentence. I guess maybe we should put the guy up in a condo with all amenities paid for by the taxpayers.

Just once I would like to see one of these rulings, whether it was the decision on Prop 8, the Arizona immigration law or any other high profile case, contain what these esteemed legal geniuses would propose as an alternative. It seems to be awful easy to overturn something without giving any kind of guidance to the parties of what changes need to be made to make the law conform to their view.

Even without the act of malice that they cite, do they think that the killing of 10 people does not deserve a life sentence?

For all you illegal alien sympathizers, this is the cost of your namby-pamby, feel good approach that puts the blood on your hands. The things liberals love the most, drugs and allowing everybody to suck off the teat of the American taxpayer results in nothing but heartache, and often death for those south of the border. I wonder how many Mexicans will die as a result of Obamacare?

Ninth Circuit Wackos Block Shell From Drilling Off Alaska

The left claims to want energy independence, but when a company tries to drill in Alaska, the environmental wackos race to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which predictably blocks it.

Having it both ways, a time-honored tradition of the left.

U.S. appeals court blocks Shell drilling in Arctic

LOS ANGELES, Aug 15 (Reuters) - A U.S. federal appeals court in San Francisco on Wednesday upheld an order blocking Royal Dutch Shell Plc from exploratory drilling in the Beaufort Sea off Alaska's north coast.

"We are disappointed," said Shell in a press statement that added that no drilling will mean the loss of "hundreds of permanent jobs that would be created if Shell is successful in Alaska."

The ruling essentially says that a handful of environmental groups, Alaska Native groups and the North Slope Burough have merit in their arguments that the drilling could harm the environment. This sets up proceedings for the same Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to look into the matter more fully.

With December being the first chance for the three-judge panel to address the issue again, this shuts out Shell from drilling this winter before the Beaufort Sea freezes.

The three-judge panel ruled on Wednesday that the groups challenging Shell "raised serious questions and demonstrated the balance of hardships tips sharply in their favor," according to the ruling.

As usual, hysterical scare tactics abound.

Environmental groups, who say the area is also threatened by global warming, vowed to keep fighting Shell's drilling, which they say harms an area of the Arctic where endangered bowhead whales migrate.

"If polar bears are to survive as the Arctic melts in the state of global warming, we need to protect their critical habitat, not turn it into a polluted, industrial zone," said Brendan Cummings of the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the petitioners.

Of course, the Ninth Circuit is the most frequently overturned of any in the nation, so expect Shell to get the go-ahead, but not without further legal headaches.