World should unite against Israel violence
ON December 15, 2017, a 29-yearold Palestinian was shot dead by an Israeli sniper. His name was Ibrahim and he had previously lost both legs in an earlier attack when the Israeli military targeted Gaza with bombs and missiles.
He was a regular attendee at protests against the brutal actions of Israel. His presence in a wheelchair spoke volumes about the horrific nature of the Zionists’ presence in Palestine.
A spokesperson for the United Nations has condemned the recent killing of Palestinians by Israel as illegal and immoral and said the Israeli regime is now operating with virtual impunity with respect to international law.
Unless the nations of the world stand together to oppose such actions, the entire planet will pay a heavy price a little further down the line – but none more than the people of Palestine. NOEL HARRINGTON,
Kinsale, Co. Cork.
Save the Eighth
THE recent Supreme Court judgment on the rights of the unborn is flawed and wrong – just because a seven-member panel of judges unanimously passes a judgment does not necessarily mean they are correct.
The judges need to reconsider their judgment – there is nothing wrong in acknowledging that one, however learned, can still err.
The ruling by the High Court in 2016 – where Judge Richard Humphreys ruled that the use of the word ‘unborn’ in Bunreacht na hÉireann meant an ‘unborn child’, with the unborn’s rights extending beyond the right to life – could not be more appropriate, correct and truthful.
It had been argued in the past that the Eighth Amendment was not even needed, as the Constitution already protected the unborn. It is disturbing that the sevenjudge panel did not endorse this.
In the event that the Eighth gets repealed, they will have left the unborn with no rights whatsoever and at the mercy of pro-abortionists.
The referendum is totally uncalled for – an assault on the lives of innocent unborn who some think can be discarded at will under the guise of women’s reproductive health, simply for being inconvenient.
This is a barbarism and cannot be expected from civilised societies.
An abortion can only be justified if the life of the mother is in grave danger – here called a medical termination of pregnancy – for just reasons.
I fear further referendums will soon follow – on putting to death unwanted or sick children, or the elderly.
It should clearly be understood that the unborn has equal rights to the pregnant lady. It is a member of the human race from the time of conception.
Also, it should be clearly understood that one has limited rights over one’s own body and life – no absolute rights – and one has no rights whatsoever over the life and body of another, in this case the unborn, except in very valid and grave exceptional circumstances.
DR NEIL RANGEL, Dubai.
RTÉ cutting corners?
LAST week I attended the Claire Byrne Referendum Special in RTÉ as an audience member. This week I attended the Pat Kenny Referendum Special in TV3.
When we arrived in RTÉ, we were offered a choice of tea or coffee as well as a selection of sandwiches. In TV3 the choice was tea, coffee, wine plus crisps.
I opted for the wine and was then given a choice between Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. While we were supposed to have just one glass, I did manage to sneak a second.
My question is: how can TV3 afford to give its audience members wine, while RTÉ, with much greater resources, can only manage tea or coffee?
Could the bloated salaries it pays its top ‘stars’ have any bearing on this, I wonder? Come on, RTÉ, take a leaf out of poor TV3’s book and look after your audience members a little better.
I might then feel a little better about the €160 licence fee I give you every year,
TOMMY RODDY, Galway.