No, it's not the Onion, it's the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune that bring this statement of support and plea for mercy for former Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. Katherine Skiba writes:

Asking for mercy for former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus wrote to a federal judge last month calling Jackson intelligent, charming and entertaining - the "highlight of our karaoke nights."

The correspondence from Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (D-Ohio) was among 14 letters made public Tuesday as Jackson and his wife, former Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson, await sentencing July 1.

Did I miss the reports of a critical shortage of karaoke singers damaging our national security? Or was there some scientific research finding that karaoke singing strengthens the immune system, and should be encouraged as a public health measure? What do we do if it turns out that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev turns out to wield a mean karaoke microphone?

This is perhaps the silliest plea for mercy I have ever encountered.

Hat tip: Peter von Buol

typo corrected in final "plea"