Plus there is the fact that the death penalty, itself, has never been an affective deterrent either.

Dexter, ha.

I can not think of any penalty for committing a crime that has been proven as an effective deterrent, even public flogging didn't work.  The only thing that the penalty for committing a crime does is give some level of satisfaction or closure to the victim or injured party.

By effective deterrent I'm talking about convincing the person who committed the crime to not do it again or stopping someone else from committing the same crime.

EDIT:  I need to correct this, the death penality does take care of one person repeating the crime.

The good old days, when you could get locked up for 6 years and sent to OZ for stealing a loaf of bread. Now, if we can get that Mars colony going ....

Well, they use to hang people instead for stealing bread...... (Maybe they stopped that a little too soon in certain cases.   )

For justice to be right not only does it need mercy, but morality as well otherwise one is no different than the criminal. To punish an immoral act with an immoral act is just as criminal. Or do you want to live under a system like Sharia Law where you can have your hand cut off for stealing food, or be executed for getting pregnant from being raped? Primitive.

Yea Jafo, I like that concept We just send our so called "pirates" to your country and you can deal with them thanks for being the back side of the Empire!

Why can't rational people not have the 'judgement of a god' to set a death penalty when idiots with the judgement of an antisocial shit can use theirs to kill innocent victims in the first place?

Put politely...fuck them.

They kill....they die.

This attitude is completely inhumane.  Condemn/deprive the mother and you condemn/deprive the children... who are INNOCENT.

I thought this kind of attitude died with Hitler and Stalin... obviously not.

It also guarantees that a person who is later found to be innocent cannot be reprieved and live out the rest of their life.

And don't give me that crap about a few sacrifices to ensure a safer/better society.

If someone broke into your home and murdered your wife while you both slept, and the courts found you guilty, you'd be thanking your lucky stars Oz abolished the death penalty more than half a century ago....

I mean, you wouldn't want to be the innocent sacrifice that makes Oz a better place.... would you!

Seems to me, the more civilised we become, the less civilised some of us get.

As for this woman, she is NOT the pirate.  The person who ripped and uploaded the music is the pirate.

Furthermore, the penalty imposed is absurd and completely disproportionate to the crime for which she was convicted.... but that has always been the way since the greed of the powerful and wealthy was allowed to influence lawmakers and judges.

Sadly, the real creative geniuses behind the pirated music wouldn't see a cent, even if this woman could pay the court appointed figure.  It may be a win for the RIAA and the music moguls, but the artists win nothing because the recording industry will continue to screw them.

If anybody is interested in what musicians think of all this (pirating), seek out the thoughts of Mick Jagger, David Bowie and other prominent artists who condemn the greed of all the major record labels.

In my opinion there is no justifying it! All they did was get themselves a (scape) goat to 'skin'. That's what they want, somebody to take the fall. They won't get the money but they'll get something else instead. What can be a better way to stir controversy then at a time when a certain political party is fighting for its life on the hill. Election time is not that far away. Two years. The Democrats already lost their majority and now the left hand is in charge ... again. Better not be like Georgre Jr  If it is, there will be some kinda hell to pay. What party will take  the fall if the court decision is upheld? Not the Republican party. They'll come out as against it and then use that as a club to beat over the heads of Democrats. Guess who gets to pay the bills afterwards? Every Joe or Jane shmoe in the country!The USA, not elsewhere. Elsewhere has got their own problems.

Starkers...

I STILL don't care what happens to her.

I do care about her kids...she obviously did not as she jeopardized their security/existence by engaging in unlawful acts.

Top marks tho for equating me with Hitler and/or Stalin....  I haven't been accused of such in....oh.....hours.

Wow....just wow. That shit makes me even sicker than normal. The unabashed greed of the system here is just too overwhelming. I understand they're trying to set an example, just like Metallica did to that little girl's parents they sued because she downloaded some MP3's a handful of years ago, but there should come a point when even ,make that Especially, a judge.....should say something like...

"Look, she broke the law, she should be punished and made to pay, but let's actually fine her something she'll be able to afford to pay off some time this CENTURY!"

....but of course no, no judge would say that in a court of "law", that might make them look almost human instead of being the corporate ass-hat douchebag lackeys that they really are. Judges and Lawyers all make way more money than they really deserve for what they do, and of course lawyers can be bought by corporations, and if you think a judge can't be "bought" or "swayed" to set a precedent so he can look "tough on crime" then you're more naive than I thought (not you Don, I mean "people" in general). Cases like this one should scream to the public that our so called "legal" system is nothing more than a puppet machine made to make the rich even richer while the common person is labeled as a criminal and slapped with outrageous fines and punishments that don't come anywhere near actually being a fit punishment for the crime that was committed.

Justice, in this country as it is in so many others, can be bought and paid for and is generally only any good for you if you already have loads of money to afford a lawyer. Poor people get shafted by laws they don't fully understand, they can't afford proper defense, they're lives are ruined, and for what?!?! Justice??? HA!!!

People's lives are being ruined for Money, not Justice. Real Justice went out of style when the townsfolk were told they couldn't wear they're six shooters in town anymore.

How anyone could think this is right or not be appalled by this is beyond me.

When you got nothing to lose, you got nothing to lose from doing it again.

Also she can just declare bankruptcy I believe and the fine goes away- though she loses most of her posessions.  If she doesn't have anything she doesn't have much to lose.

We are really heading towards a 2nd Gilded Age in this country.