The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 today that it is unconstitutional to sentence someone to death for raping a child if the victim was not killed. The majority said that imposing the death penalty violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment, because the death penalty is disproportional punishment for the crime, as heinous as child rape is. The majority also cited “the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society,†which drives constitutional originalists nuts. In 2002, the court blocked the execution of mentally retarded defendants, and in 2005 it banned the execution of people for crimes they committed before they were 18.
Give John McCain credit for not speaking only to friendly audiences. On Tuesday, he touted his energy plan, which includes offshore drilling, to an audience in Santa Barbara, site in 1969 of a major oil spill.
“When people are hurting, and struggling to afford gasoline, food, and other necessities, common sense requires that we draw upon America’s own vast reserves of oil and natural gas,†McCain said. Despite a few protesters, he received a polite reception in Santa Barbara, and in fact, polls show that Americans have shifted on offshore drilling; a majority now support it. (McCain is still against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.)
McCain has also recently advocated building 45 new nuclear power plants by 2030 and awarding $300 million to the inventor of a next-generation car battery.
Obama says all of these policies are ineffective or gimmicks, but McCain is driving the energy debate with bold-sounding ideas.
Four years later, the battle over the specious Swift-boat campaign ads rages on. Last week, a group of veterans who served with Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., sent a 12-page letter with a 42-page attachment of military records to T. Boone Pickens, the Texas oilman who helped finance the 2004 ads attacking Kerry’s Vietnam War record. Pickens pledged last November that he would give $1 million to anyone who could disprove a single charge the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth made against Kerry. The Kerry group rebuts several of the accusations and demands apologies.
“If we want to honor Hillary Clinton’s candidacy, the best possible way to do that is to support Barack Obama,†Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said in an interview in conjunction with Saturday’s keynote address to the Ohio Democratic Party’s annual dinner.
She added: “It strikes me as ludicrous that the way to honor her candidacy is to support John McCain.â€
With the Intrust Bank Arena taking dramatic shape in Old Town, it was time for the arena’s management to do likewise. And it’s encouraging that rather than bring in an outsider, Philadelphia-based management company SMG tapped Chris Presson, formerly president of the Wichita Thunder and Wichita Wingnuts and a two-time Central Hockey League executive of the year. Known for being organized and hardworking, Presson started his job Monday at the Kansas Coliseum, which he also will manage. The expectations for general manager Presson and his staff will be as great as the Intrust Bank Arena’s potential to enliven downtown.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 today that it is unconstitutional to sentence someone to death for raping a child if the victim was not killed. The majority said that imposing the death penalty violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment, because the death penalty is disproportional punishment for the crime, as heinous as child rape is. The majority also cited “the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society,†which drives constitutional originalists nuts. In 2002, the court blocked the execution of mentally retarded defendants, and in 2005 it banned the execution of people for crimes they committed before they were 18.
