Today, my colleagues and I are writing the United States Supreme Court to express our extreme disappointment over their recent decision in Kennedy v. Louisiana that prevents convicted child rapists from receiving the death penalty for their heinous crimes.

The Court's decision is based on seriously flawed logic and certain absolute facts disprove the basis for their ruling.  The case should be reconsidered in the interests of justice.

What the Court failed to consider is that in 2005, Congress enacted the death penalty for child rapists under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and, in 2007, President Bush issued an executive order codifying this provision into the 2008 Manual for Courts-Martial.

Furthermore, the passing of this provision of the Code by a wide majority in Congress demonstrates a national consensus for the death penalty for child rapists of which the Justices were apparently previously unaware.  
 
Despite the Court's reasoning, the federal government does indeed have the death penalty for the rape of a child already on the books.

Our letter respectfully asks the Court to reconsider its decision by taking into account the complete set of facts.

A rule is making its way through Congress that will have a huge impact on our freedom of speech. This rule would prohibit Americans from getting information from their Members of Congress – about what they are doing in Washington, what they are saying, and what they are proposing – on websites that are not “approved” by the Committee on House Administration, the panel that creates rules governing the internal operations of the U.S. House.

This rule affects all of us regardless of political affiliation.

What this essentially means is that sites like YouTube that Members use to communicate with constituents would have to make their way through a complicated, arcane, and restrictive set of House regulations before Members could post videos on them. Under the proposal, the House Administration Committee would develop a list of “approved” websites, and Members of Congress could post content to only those websites.

This proposed rule could mean the end of blogs like this one that have become a real forum for conversation.

The rule has been proposed by the Democrat Chairman of the Commission on Mailing Standards, Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA), and is being considered for adoption by the Committee on House Administration, chaired by Rep. Robert Brady (D-PA).

Read Rep. Capuano's letter to Chairman Brady.

If this rule is adopted, the free flow of information from Members to constituents and vice versa would be significantly stunted. Essentially, a panel of federal employees that are not neutral or independent would say what messages and formats are fit and unfit for circulation.

This rule accomplishes nothing except increased censorship of free speech.

Here's one for those folks who think we're making too big a deal out of the outrageous price of gas. The MACCRAY School District that makes up the towns of Maynard, Clara City, and Raymond in western Minnesota is switching to a four day school week.

Why the switch?

Like everyone else these days, the price of fuel is blowing their budget. The district says it will save $65,000 out of a $7 million budget with the shortened week.

I imagine other districts around the country won't be far behind.

Another fine example of the everyday impact of the Democrat Congress' failure to address the issue of energy with any substantial piece of legislation. Sadly, our school districts are putting into practice the close relative of the gas plan of Barack Obama and other Democrats -- "get off the road and drive less." What's next, staying home from school all together? This is no solution.

Nineteen months in and the Democrat Congress still has no energy plan. We need to explore here, explore now, so we can pay less.

I wish I saw this before the 4th of July recess, but Investors Business Daily had a great editorial entitled, Energy Myths.

They take 4 popular talking points that the Democrat Congressional leadership have been using against domestic drilling and exploration and give you the truth about America's energy reserves and their impact on prices and supply.  It's a must read.

Here are the myths they dispel:

As we near the 4th of July, I've been busy back in the district with parades and a variety of other meetings and events. As I'm sure you can imagine, the three biggest issues everyone is talking to me about are gas prices, gas prices, and gas prices.

I think Newt Gingrich is an innovator and is among the best in breaking down and conveying sometimes boring and complex topics in a way that millions can understand. His latest video  is "3 Ways to Lower Gas Prices."



Also, be sure to sign the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" petition. I signed on to it this morning.

Have a great Independence Day!