Had enough of the Joseph Duncan sentencing trial? Me, too. It’s not the quality of the reporting, which has been excellent. It’s the quantity. Be nice to fast-forward to the verdict.

The details about how he planned and executed the crimes are chilling. Are you scared yet?

Well, keep in mind that Duncan’s crimes are big news precisely because they are rare. Out of the more than 70 million children in this country, 115 of them were kidnapped by strangers in 1999 (the latest year that figures are available), according to the U.S. Justice Department.

There are far greater threats lurking, such as friends and family. About 58,000 kids were snatched by non-family friends or acquaintances. Most of them were teenage girls. More than 200,000 children were kidnapped by relatives.

So as you head out to buy that deadbolt, burglar alarm or gun, you might want to take the kids with you. Then again, traffic accidents pose a bigger danger than abductions … and having a gun in the house.

A deadly conundrum. I wonder if the prospect of media coverage weighs on prosecutors as they decide whether to seek the death penalty. They know executions are popular. They know death-penalty cases garner a lot of attention. Conversely, if the media downplayed them, would there be fewer capital punishment cases? Would the enormous toll in time and money suddenly become the primary consideration?

You know the drill. Or do you? Three months ago neither John McCain nor Barack Obama wanted to lift the ban on offshore oil drilling. Now McCain is gung ho, and Obama might support a congressional compromise that would include some increased offshore drilling. So what changed their minds?

You.

Opinion polls show that lifting the ban is quite popular if it is tied to the possibility of lowering prices. But a U.S. Energy Department analysis shows that offshore supply would barely nudge gas prices, if at all, and we might have to wait until 2030 to see that minimal impact. The American Petroleum Institute doesn’t like that study and says the supply could be as much as five times higher. Even then, the oil industry analysis foresees a mere 1 percent increase in worldwide supply, which translates to a roughly 3 percent drop in price. That means a $4 gallon of gas would drop to $3.88. The various conservation measures being pursued and proposed would have a much greater effect with only positive environmental consequences.

I doubt all of that is clear to people who respond to such polls. It is clear to presidential candidates, but they fear they’ll be punished if they lead rather than follow.