Good afternoon . .
Spammers beware. A Virginia judge sentenced a spammer to nine years in prison in the first felony case for sending unsolicited email. The sentence is on hold, however, to wait for the appeals process to work.
Loudon County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Horne said the law which targets bulk emailers is new and raises constitutional questions.
A jury recommended the sentence after convicting Jeremy Jaynes of sending 10 million e-mails per day using 16 high speed lines.
Yahoo! News - Judge Sentences Spammer to Nine Years
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Sending a first-class letter is going to cost more. The US Postal Service has requested a 2 cent price increase to go into effect in 2006.
While proposing the price increase, the Postal Service invited Congress to remove a provision from current law that would make the increase unnecessary.
Under a 2003 law the Postal Service must place $3.1 billions annually into an escrow account. If Congress eliminates that requirement, they will withdraw the rate increase.
Yahoo! News - Postal Service Seeks 2-Cent Stamp Increase
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Will Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) use the "nuclear option" to eliminate Democrat filibusters on judicial nominees? Speculation is Frist is looking for a compromise to propose to the minority. His hope is that a compromise will eliminate filibusters or a work slow down on other important matters.
One conservative senators says that Frist will "go nuclear." Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) told conservatives to dispel a growing anxiety that Frist is wavering over what Republicans call the "constitutional" or "Byrd" option. A procedural tactic that would disallow a judicial filibuster by a ruling of the Senate chair and a ratifying majority vote.
Democrats have used the filibuster to block Bush judicial nominees who are "too conservative" for Senate Democrats. Under Senate rules a "Super Majority" or 60 votes is required to close a filibuster. There are only 55 Republicans in the Senate. Republicans say Democrats are using the filibuster to block a fair "up or down" vote for judicial nominees. Senate Minority Leader Henry Reid (D-NV) has vowed to use the filibuster for Bush nominees the Senate has previously considered.
Frist is worrying conservative with speculation he is looking to compromise with Reid and Senate Democrats. An aide for Senator Frist said, "Senator Frist has talked about this for two years, consistently and convincingly."
Nominees from the Judiciary Committee are scheduled for floor votes later this month and next.
Santorum: Frist will go nuclear
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More on Monday.
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