WELL, THEY TOLD US THIS WAS COMING IN 2008: Three Coal Plants Closing In West Virginia.

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT OF CHILDREN: A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT.

So held the Hawaii Supreme Court, in Hamilton ex rel. Lethem v. Lethem (Haw. Feb. 7, 2012), interpreting the Hawaii Constitution, though in reasoning that could be seen as applicable to the federal Constitution and to other state constitutions. And the court concluded that even a noncustodial parent retains this right “with respect to that child’s conduct during the visitation period.”

Based on this constitutional right, the court concluded that, to warrant the issuance of a domestic restraining order based on alleged child abuse, there must be (1) a finding that “the parent’s discipline is [not] reasonably related to the purpose of safeguarding or promoting the welfare of the minor,” (2) taking into account “factors such as [a] the nature of the misbehavior, [b] the child’s age and size, and [c] the nature and propriety of the force used.”

The court left it for a lower court to apply this standard to the facts of the case. Here, though, are the facts as alleged by the child (a 15-year-old girl), which led to the issuance of a restraining order against the father.

Read the whole thing.

GUN REVIEW: Beretta Px4 Storm Subcompact.

A VICTORY FOR CITIZENS IN THE WAR AGAINST PHOTOGRAPHY: Public can record Baltimore police officers on duty, new rules say. “Baltimore police have issued new rules governing how officers deal with a public increasingly armed with cameras and video records, saying that in most instances, cops cannot stop people from filming crime scenes. The general orders, issued in November and made public Friday, come days ahead of a federal court hearing in a civil suit brought by a man who says an officer confiscated his cell phone camera and deleted images of an arrest at the Preakness Stakes in 2010.”

Somebody must have read Morgan Manning’s article on photographers’ rights.

BYRON YORK: Did Romney quell conservative doubts?

IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, shut up.

YES, OF COURSE. NEXT QUESTION? Should A Christian Have Used Violence To Stop The Beating of Brandon White Because He Is Gay?

YESTERDAY’S MENTION OF LASER SIGHTS produced this email from reader Scot Echols: “I used to work a couple of blocks from Crimson Trace. A coworker and I walked down one day to play with their laser grips, and one of the designers told us that they were learning from law enforcement agencies that they were shooting fewer people since switching to laser grips. It seems that being able to see the red dot on your chest causes criminals to make better choices in their own best interest. Fascinating concept.” That would make sense.

UPDATE: Reader Matt Murphy writes:

Hi Glenn. I’m a former infantry Marine who spent several years as a security contractor in Iraq after getting out. I’m currently an executive protection specialist and new competitive shooter. I’ve spent a lot of time around firearms. I think of this every time you mention Crimson Trace, but few if any experienced shooters use them. What I’ve witnessed on the rare occasions I’ve seen them in “the wild” is poor shooters using them as a crutch rather than applying the fundamentals of marksmanship. Specifically, they will watch the “dot” on the target instead of using the sights with proper grip, stance, sight alignment etc. This makes it very difficult to stay on target, and you will see people “chasing the dot” around and jerking the trigger when the dot is where they want it to be. While Crimson Trace may have a place somewhere, there are no shortcuts to competence with firearms and gadgets are no substitute for training and proper technique.

That’s certainly true. As a late adopter, I have many years of establishing habits about sight pictures, etc. I certainly think that people should acquire their skills first. On the other hand, in a home-defense situation, I think the laser sight is likely to be quite helpful, in addition to its intimidation benefits.

ANOTHER UPDATE: A female reader emails:

I wanted to comment on the discussion regarding marksmanship and laser sights. I am a middle aged female that has been carrying concealed in Washington state for over 20 years. My first gun was a Taurus .38 revolver purchased 20 years ago. Last year, my partner gave me a Ruger LCR .38 revolver with Crimson Trace laser (what a guy!). I have to say that is has not changed my shooting style, however, getting that red dot in the right place in relation to the sights for an accurate shot is so much easier on the eyes – especially if you are at the range shooting for any length of time. I don’t know whether its aging eyes, the low light of most shooting ranges, or the shortcomings of progressive lenses or contacts…but I always found myself squinting and peering at the sights on my Taurus – not so with the Ruger. While the Ruger is a more comfortable gun all around, my accuracy, at least at the range, is much improved with the laser.

Good point.

WELL, I DIDN’T GO TO CPAC, but I won two blog awards. Thanks — it’s nice to be remembered!

CLIVE CROOK: US Taxes Really Are Unusually Progressive.

If you ask me, Jonathan Chait, a writer I respect, has made an ass of himself in a fight he picked with Veronique de Rugy over taxes and progressivity. She offended him by saying that America’s income taxes are more progressive than those of other rich countries. Chait assailed her “completely idiotic” reasoning, called her an “inequality denier”, “a ubiquitous right-wing misinformation recirculator” and asked if it was really any wonder he cast insults now and then at such “lesser lights of the intellectual world”. (Paul Krugman said he sympathises. With Chait, obviously. The only danger here is in being too forgiving, Krugman advises. Chait may think the de Rugys of this world are only lazy and incompetent, but we know them to be liars as well.)

Just one problem. On the topic in question, De Rugy is right and Chait is wrong. . . . Why, according to the OECD, is the US system so progressive? Not because the rich face unusually high average tax rates, but because middle-income US households face unusually low tax rates–an important point which de Rugy mentions and Chait ignores.

Not surprising. Next we’ll learn that income inequality is actually down, not up! Oh, wait. . . .

HEH: “Instapundit is basically my newspaper.”

As I’ve said before, InstaPundit isn’t a news service, and makes no effort to be balanced. Then again, after following news services closely for over a decade of blogging, I’m no longer sure that is such a difference.

OCCUPIERS BEING PAID to protest CPAC. “I thought these people were against the influence of money in politics?”

THE FINAL VERSION OF MY Southern California Law Review piece on Second Amendment Penumbras is now online. It’s short and to the point. Download early and often (just click the one-click-download button at the top center)! (Bumped).

REASON TV: Inside and Outside CPAC.

EUROPE: Anger in Greece as parliament to vote on bailout.

MIA LOVE IS A BLACK REPUBLICAN RUNNING FOR CONGRESS IN UTAH. Here’s her website, with an interview video. I see she’s accepting online donations, too. David Kirkham likes her.

SCARED: Iran government cuts off internet access as hardline regime makes a stand.

ANDREW BREITBART: “I Got Video From Obama From College.”

STEPHEN GREEN IS LIVING PROOF: Why Being Sleepy and Drunk Is Great for Creativity.