Sentencing Commission Considers Prison Alternatives "As the nation’s inmate population climbs toward 2.5 million, the U.S. Sentencing Commission is considering alternatives to prison for some offenders, including treatment programs for nonviolent drug users and employment training for minor parole violators. " Washington Post. Chicago Pastor Rails Against Pols for Gun Deaths At the funeral of an innocent teenage Black girl killed during a gunfight, Rev. Michael Pfleger said politicians were complacent in not pushing for tougher gun laws. Pfleger also argued that if as many white children were dying as black children, the country would be more concerned. Chicago Tribune. Aborigines say Australia intervention racist Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has made indigenous affairs a priority of his government and even apologized for past wrongs, however he promised to continue a controversial program that sent sent police and soldiers into Aborigine outback towns and settlements. Aborigines say the imposition is based on race. Reuters. Supreme Court to Hear Voting Rights Case "North Carolina officials, acknowledging their state’s history of racial discrimination, are asking the Supreme Court to overturn the rulings, a decision that would allow lawsuits challenging "dilution" of minority voting strength in coalition areas. " Washington Post. SF Judge Rules in Favor of ID Cards A victory for immigrant rights groups, a San Francisco Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday that the city’s plan to issue municipal identification cards to residents regardless of immigration status does not violate state and federal law. San Francisco Chronicle.