Violating Apple's terms of use to legally download TV shows

I bought two iTunes Gift Cards on on eBay yesterday. My purpose? To pay for and legally download episodes of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

But why purchase gift cards through a potentially-risky auction when one can use a credit card in iTunes? Because Apple doesn't want my business, or any business from non-US citizens. Even sitting right next door in Canada, one is offered a smaller music store than the US version and practically no video content.

There used to be a service at Capsule Productions that would allow customers from any country to buy iTunes gift cards (US, Japan, and UK versions) and receive the codes via email. Apple sent a cease & desist to get the site shut down, forcing users to turn to eBay for their fix.

The bottom line is that I like to watch television on-demand, without commercials. Until recently, there haven't been any legal options for doing so outside of waiting for DVD box sets. So it is especially frustrating to sit, wallet in hand, begging Apple for the privilege of paying for the content I want to see... Content offered at lower quality than pirate releases and crippled with DRM.

Links
Purchase Japanese iTunes Gift Cards from JBox
eBay auctions for American iTunes Gift Cards with email delivery