Is 15 years really justified?

Three things.

1- I read yesterday that the NY Giants player Plaxico Burress was formally charged in his shooting accident over the weekend. I went on to read that the prison sentence for those crimes ranges from 3.5-15 years. Seriously-- 15 years in jail? For shooting yourself? Maybe some of my more intelligent (or legalistic) friends can tell me why that sentence is justified!

2- The stock market dropped around 10% yesterday and no one seemed to really even notice! A one-day 10% drop is pretty bad. But I guess that now people are growing accustomed to such variability.

3- I noticed something that reminded me of home recently in the park near my apartment, Parque O'Higgins. The grounds-keeping crew has planted new trees on the grassy observation hill, and the other day I noticed that over 20 of these new trees are none other than the southern magnolia! Sweet home, the American south, comes to Santiago. The flowers are just opening, and I look forward to their smells for the next few days.