Dispatches from Friday’s opinion page:

Rosa Brooks:No Escaping Sexualization of Young Girls
With JonBenet back in the headlines, it's hard for a parent to avoid paranoia.

William Ratliff: Chavez Does China
Venezuela's loudmouth whispers to Beijing, but it's not likely Mao's heirs will go for his anti-American policies.

Hart Seely: Whatever Happened to Rumsfeld the Poet?
Defense secretary has gone from folksy press-conference hero to J.D. Salinger figure.

Shakeel Syed: The Governor's Cold Shoulder to Muslims
Rebuffing California's Islamic leaders sends a message of intolerance.

Editorials

Let Companies Buy and Sell News
The FCC should relax unreasonable ownership restrictions on the media.

Release the Prop. 63 Funds
State should disburse to counties the $1-billion surplus for mental health services.

France Finally Steps Up
Chirac now backs Gallic words with 2,000 soldiers. But that still lags Italy and misses a historic opportunity.