House Asks Supreme Court to Reconsider Kennedy Decision: According to the David Stout's NY Times article, 85 Republican members of the House of Representatives have requested that the Supreme Court reconsider its controversial 5-4 decision to ban the death penalty for child rape. The unusual request was prompted by the revelation that the military permits the death penalty for child rape, contrary to the majority decision's statement that no federal jurisdiction permits it.

Gangster Paradise at Catalina Island?: Police fear the Mexican gang, the Brown Pride Locos, has infiltrated the small community of Catalina Island, 22 miles off the coast of Los Angeles. But according to Gillian Flaccus of the AP, residents are largely reluctant to believe that. Perhaps disbelief and complacency facilitate gangs' becoming entrenched in communities.

Rehabilitation for Sex Offenders Not Likely: In 1992, Michael Jaques kidnapped and sexually assaulted an 18-year-old girl. In 2000, he completed a sex offender rehabilitation program. Last week, Jaques was charged with orchestrating the abduction of his 12-year-old niece, just days after being charged for sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl over a five year period. This story certainly raises doubts as to the efficacy of sex offender rehabilitation.