30 Years For Online Pharmacy Spammer

jotter507 writes "So, you get arrested for running an illegal online pharmacy and the judge orders you to stop selling medication over the Internet. Don't sit around and do nothing before the trial! Run off to the Dominican Republic on a false passport, withdraw money from an account ordered frozen, and start up another online 'pharmacy.' It didn't end well for 27-year old Christopher William Smith, also known as 'Rizler.' The world-reviled spammer and Internet drug dispenser received a 30-year sentence from a federal judge on Wednesday."

Comments

0.o

[ipollo]

0wn3d.

Re:It is an excessive sentence

[burndive]

"The purpose of punishment is not to exact vengeance -- it is to deter crimes and to comfort the victims."

I heartily disagree. Punishment of crimes is for the sake of justice. God's righteousness has been violated, and he can't simply dismiss it: to do so would make righteousness worthless. In stead, for a time, he has delegated justice to mankind:

According to the book of Gensis:

"Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man's brother I will require the life of man.
        Whoever sheds man's blood,
                  By man his blood shall be shed,
                  For in the image of God
                  He made man."

And in the book of Romans:

"Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.

For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil."

So the purpose of government, according to the Bible, is to punish those who do evil (as a delegate of God), and to reward those who do good (also as a delegate of God). What God has delegated to mere mortals will of course be done imperfectly, but He has nonetheless given us this responsibility, and we will answer to Him for how we exercise it.