Other crazy sentences for minor crimes includes:
Jerry Dewayne Williams - 25 to life for the crime of stealing a slice of pizza from some kids.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Dewayne_WilliamsLeandro Andrade - 50 years to life for the crime of stealing 9 videotapes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leandro_AndradeKevin Webber - 26 years to life for the crime of stealing 4 chocolate chip cookies
Gary Ewing - 25 to life for the crime of shoplifting some golf clubs.
Gregory Taylor, for instance, was a homeless man who used to hang around outside St Joseph's church in Los Angeles and would often ask the priest for food. The priest was usually able to find him something over the nine or so years he knew him. Shortly after 4am one morning in 1997, Taylor decided he could not wait for the friendly priest and pried open the church's kitchen door. A security guard spotted him and the police were called. He is now serving 25 years to life because the break-in was his third felony. When he appealed unsuccessfully against his sentence last year, one of the dissenting judges said the case was "like something from Les Misérables".
Joey Buckhalter, was jailed for 75 years to life for stealing a wallet with $24 in it
Philip Zullo, now facing 75 years to life for making threatening phone calls.
Ricky Fontenot is serving 27 years to life for being in a car with a friend in which a gun was found. His last previous serious felony was in 1979 when he was 18. He had since become involved in community action, had a full-time job and was married with three children. The prosecution offered him a deal whereby he would serve only four years but he insisted he was innocent and was thus hit with the maximum.
Duane Silva, a 23-year-old with manic depression and an IQ of 70, received 30 years to life sentence for stealing a video recorder and a coin collection from his neighbors. His previous convictions were for setting fire to rubbish bins and to the glove compartment of a car. Then there is Doug Rosh, doing 25 years for possession of $10 worth of cocaine. Mary Thompson, doing 25 years for petty theft. Joyce Demeyers, doing 25 years for $20 worth of cocaine. Constantine Aguilar, doing 25 years for receiving stolen property. Chano Orozco, doing 25 years to life for possession of about $10 worth of heroin. Frederick Morgan, doing 25 years to life for simple possession of drugs and petty theft.
A total of 6,700 people are now serving 25 years to life under the law and Facts says more than 3,350 of them are nonviolent offenders, with 350 serving 25 years for petty theft. Of those serving third strike sentences, 44% are black and 26% Latino.
No death sentences, but having found plenty of examples of obviously unbelievably harsh punishments handed out for petty crimes I'll follow your example of deciding that this is perfectly representative of all Americans and Christians and decree that they are all evil horrible nutters etc.
Or not.