By now, everyone will have read about the court case involving Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin. In the worst case scenario that he committed a crime under US Law, there is no moral or ethical justification for the extreme punishment that is being exacted on him. I am not here to comment or decide on what he is alleged to have done; that topic has been done to death by others. Be that as it may, it is simply not acceptable for any legal system to mete out a judgement (27 years) which is more than harsh; it is downright cruel in its exorbitant length.
You may wish to download or watch a video tracing the history of this case. An alternative site for the video is here.