Apparently SOMEBODY must look at this crap and say, "Boy, I really need a bigger johnson. I'll click on this!" If they didn't make money, why do it? Unfortunately, back when a spammer had to print brochures, seal envelopes, and buy stamps, the profit margin was a bit thinner. Now, it doesn't cost any more to send a thousand e-mails than it does to send one.

Why isn't it a crime? Not sure. The criminal aspect has always been fuzzy to me. Personally, I think a good starting point would be to require a "take me off your list" click on each ad that actually works (I don't trust them at all right now. Some of them are simply "somebody read your e-mail on this end" indicators.) And if they don't take you off the list, then they get the book thrown at them.

Operating a computer nowadays without a firewall, virus protection, and adware eliminators is like swimming around the Farallon Islands with a raw beef roast tied around your neck. Fortunately, software versions of firewalls and adware eliminators that are sufficient to do the job can be found for free (ZoneAlarm, AdAware, etc.). You still have to cough up for a good virus program. I still like Norton's. People who know more about computers than I do say that nothing beats a hardware firewall built into your router. Most routers have such now.

BTW, any Apple experts out there: the new Airport Extreme base station has a hardware firewall in it. Did the old Airport have one?