Former Critic Says "Three Strikes" Success Difficult to Dispute: Debra Saunders voted "no" on the "Three Strikes" initiative in 1994. But in an article for the San Francisco Chronicle, she says she was wrong for believing that the majority of those charged under the new law would be petty criminals instead of the violent or career offenders that have been charged. What she doesn't understand is why other former critics of the initiative can't admit they were wrong.

La. Considers Involuntary Civil Commitment for Sex Offenders: Shortly after the Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana could not execute child rapists, the state's legislatue has ordered a feasibility study to determine the benefits of involuntarily committing sex offenders at high risk for recidivism to mental health institutions. According to the KATC article, the proposal could risk legitimacy because it would have the effect of an additional prison sentence without an additional trial.

Hostage Rescue May Indirectly Verify NGO Link to Terrorists: In her op-ed for the WSJ, Mary Anastasia O'Grady observes that apparently, the least difficult portion of Colombian hostage rescue was convincing rebels that an NGO provided a helicopter to assist in the hostage transfer. She argues that this fact, perhaps more than any other, provides critical evidence that some NGOs are functioning to aid terrorism.