I was responding to the letter of what you wrote "they're criminals" and the spirit of what you wrote "they're boobs", and I don't think I misconstrued either.
I'd further add that it's the "people who get it" vs the "people who don't" attitude of the OP that spurned my response, not the defense of accidental spammers.
In the very next paragraph, I say:
"What of the accidental spammer, though? How do we break them of their regrettable bad habits? Can they be shown a better way?"
I specifically stop to differentiate between the two very different personalities I'm discussing.
If you are offended by my assertion that there are people who don't know that they are spamming, then yes — we disagree... and you haven't worked with the people in question.
In Canada, spammers are criminals. Elsewhere, they're just selfish assholes. Some people mean well but don't know they are being assholes. I'm sorry if that bothers you, but chances are this article wasn't written for you.
Better be careful who you paint with that wide brush. I know marketers with legitimate opt-in lists of 250,000+ people. It's not how many emails you send -- it's about making sure that you're sending those emails to people who want to receive your emails, and who have opted in to do so.
If you read what I actually wrote, I did not suggest that accidental spammers (ie. your clients and mine) are bad people. Please understand that you are misquoting me.
I further believe that it's up to folks like you and me to be patient and help people do the right thing when possible.