Some people just have no sense of humor.

Seriously, life sounds a bit harsh.

You've ain't seen noth'un yet.

Mary JO ????

Why hasn't Bush flushed her by now ??

As Ross Perot would say, "Something smells bad down in the cellar and it ain't that crazy cousin."

" Harsh punishment " ? Not at all. How would YOU feel, if someone pulled this on you, or powder spilled out of someone else's bag, envelope, whatever, where you work or live ? T'ain't funny McGee; as the old saying goes. This is akin to , or worse than screaming " FIRE " in a crowded theatre .

U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White said in a statement.

Slaps her ass. Your supposed to be sifting pardons sweetheart!

Life... that does sound harsh... and EXPENSIVE.

Let's just take an extra 25% of his take-home pay for the rest of his life hehe

That'll teach 'em...

You don't do life in prison for screaming fire in a theatre.
At least I've never heard of it. I'm not saying he
shouldn't be punished but really, it seems a
lifetime of being 'rear- ended' in a maximum security ape
cage is a tad excessive.

Practical jokers beware!

Some people just have no sense of humor.

Seriously, life sounds a bit harsh.

Darwin award winner number one!

F-ing idiot. I hope he rots in prison. I have no tolerence for IDIOTS, and this guy qualifies.

If I could say one thing to him it would be, "Your an idiot." (I know it's wrong), it takes one to know one.

Pro~Libertate!

I think that it's a great sentence, which unfortunately won't be given. It should be , though. This is NOT some hamless , little prank. We are at war ( just in case you have forgotten ) and being beset by all sorts of things. Punishments needs must be more severe, in severe times. Anyone who thinks that this sort of hoax is funny / not serious, when there are actual cases of anthrax being sent in envelopes, should be punished to the maxium, thus deterring other morons from creating more hysteria.

That's some charge, eh? Threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction, and the "weapon" is baby powder? With logic like that, Tom Ridge will soon declare household dust to be plutonium.

This is about the stupidest charge I've seen in my life.

The severity of the punishment depends upon one's view of the purpose of our criminal justice system. Is it rehabilation? Is it retribution? Is it to protect society from this criminal? Is it deterrence? It should be noted that these concepts are not mutually exclusive, except when the sentence is death which excludes rehabilation. Too often we personalize penalties to the criminal or to the victim and ignore the rights and interests of society as a whole. In anthrax hoax cases where the result could be panic and, perhaps, even death of innocent people caused by the diversion of medical resources I conclude that emphasis of the judicial system should be deterrence and what better deterrence is there than a long period of incarceration?

BTW These cases should be placed on a fast track basis with the goal being to dispose of them in no more than a month.

I'm sorry, but zero-tolerance here is the same as expelling a third-grader for pointing a finger at another kid and going "bang". Or suspending a second-grader because they have aspirin in their backpack.

The bank-worker is a jerk, but a life sentence for being a jerk is severe. Maybe he needs to work on his issues with Oprah for a month.

I think that a better punishment would be to have the perps accompany emergency services on other anthrax-suspected calls and to collect the powder for them.

With a whisk broom and a dustpan. And no protective gear.

If this is " the stupidest charge you have seen in our life ". then I assume that you haven't seen very much and are exceedingly young and sheltered. Are people getting envelopes with anthrax in them ? Has anyone died from anthrax ? How many people have contracted anthrax lately ? What is the " normal " insidence of anthrax cases developing ( in the last 200 years, PRIOR to 9 / 11 / 01 ) from contact with a letter and / or envelope ? Hint, hint, the answer to the last query is ZERO, NADA, BUPKISS, NONE, ZILCH . How many cases AFTER 9 / 11 / 01 ?

This is NOT on par with shortsheeting someone's bed, putting plastic vomit or dog excrimen on the floor, or putting a " whoopy " cushion on someone's chair. This is DEADLY serious .

What would YOU think, if someone coughed on you and then told you that they had smallpox ? How about if you had unprotected sexual congress with someone, and the next day they called you and said that ooooopppppppsssss , sorry, they'd forgotten to tell you that they had AIDS, the clap, and genital warts ? What if , in both scenarios, it was all a lie, and the other person did it as a prank , but you were unaware if that fact ?

Now, do try to see the seriousness of, and the stupidness of the mindset, of the person who put baby powder in that envelope. Got it yet ? I hope so.

was charged in federal court yesterday with threatening the use of a weapon of mass destruction.

This has got to be one of the most inane and ludicrous things I have ever read.

Oh brother ! Are you a " touchy- feely " liberal ? Go on Oprah? Work his " problems " out ?

How on earth is this the same as the absurdities you have equated it with ? Can a child KILL someone by pointing a finger at them and saying " BANG " ? The media , and some in Congress , have overhyped the anthrax threat ; however , there IS an actual anthrax threat. You are the one being absurd ; not the ones who have decided to get serious about stupid people who would do such things as a hoax.

Maybe you don't care . Maybe you would laugh your head off , if YOU were ever to get an envelope containing some foreign matter. But many people would much rather be safe than sorry now. Do let me tell you a true story, dear. Last weekenn some idiot, in my town, went walking about, spreading a white powder in the the street . She spread it in front of a school ( which was having a fund raiser and a special outing for some young children , at the time ), in front of several houses , and on down the road. The police were alerted, and the fund raiser / trip was stopped ( so the kids were disappointed, and far less money than was needeed for whatever they were raising it for , was raised) and the people, who lived in those houses, were NOT allowed to go back home for 24 hours. Add to this, that some of those very people had lost family members and / or friends in the 9 / 11 /01 attacks. Thankfully it was a hoax, but the fear and discomforture was needless, unwarrented, and stupid ! That kind of disruption , by a cretin , who does this sort of thing, when REAL anthrax threats HAVE been sent to some, is unconctionable.

Last weekenn some idiot, in my town, went walking about, spreading a white powder in the the street . She spread it in front of a school ( which was having a fund raiser and a special outing for some young children , at the time ), in front of several houses , and on down the road. -the fund raiser / trip was stopped ( so the kids were disappointed, and far less money than was needeed for whatever they were raising it for , was raised) -people, who lived in those houses, were NOT allowed to go back home for 24 hours.

Well I say we hang that bitch. ......gettin a rope

expelling a third-grader for pointing a finger at another kid and going "bang".

I agree. That seems like an appropriate analogy to me.