Spammer Duly Convicted

...but the judge has reservations.

In sentencing Jaynes, Circuit Judge Thomas D. Horne said he would not begin serving his term because there are "substantial legal issues" related to the anti-spam law, enacted in 2003, that need to be explored. Horne also said he believes Jaynes does not pose a danger to society.

I thought the purpose of punishment was...punishment, and not keeping someone from endangering society. Serving time in jail has the nice added benefit of keeping someone from being a menace to the law-abiding, but punishment's primary purpose is to inflict pain in response to a crime.

So, what happened here was the following: a. a duly-elected legislature passed a law; b. a person violated this law; c. a jury found the person guilty and recommended a certain sentence for violation of this duly-passed law; d. the judge is worried about this criminal's right to get off easy while ignoring the will of the people as stated on two distinct occasions.

Maybe I just hate spam that much.