Martha, Martha, Martha....

[shereads]

I don't like Matha Stewart. She deals in lifestyle pornography as far as I'm concerned, and worse than that, she has no sense of humor, which is a bigger crime in my book. But I hate prosecuters who try to make their names by screwing famous people even more. She really doesn't deserve this.

What they got her on was not stock manipluation or insider trading, but on initially lying to the government about what she'd done. Lying to the government! Like she's the only one who's ever done that.

Meanwhile I see that Ken Lay of Enron has only recently been indicted, and as far as I know Jeffrey Skilling, the former CEO, is still in the clear. It'll be interesting to see how much time they spend breaking rocks.

---dr.M.

And the Tyco CEO got a mistrial.

I haven't understood the Martha charges from the beginning. Yes, it was illegal to use insider information but if she didn't solicit the information or plot to manipulate other stockholders like the Enron and Tyco boys, what was she supposed to do in this situation?

Suppose your broker calls while you're stenciling a Celtic decorative pattern on the freeway overpass near your home. He says, "Zoot, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but everybody who's anybody on the board of Company X is dumping their stock and I suspect it will soon be worthless. Would you like to sell?"

How long are you supposed to hang onto the stock now, in order to assure that when you do sell, it will be legal?

What if you were planning to dump Stock X anyway, on a whim or the advice of your astrologer? Now that your broker has offered you this information, do you have to hang onto the stock?

 

[Colleen Thomas]

And the Tyco CEO got a mistrial.

I haven't understood the Martha charges from the beginning. Yes, it was illegal to use insider information but if she didn't solicit the information or plot to manipulate other stockholders like the Enron and Tyco boys, what was she supposed to do in this situation?

Suppose your broker calls while you're stenciling a Celtic decorative pattern on the freeway overpass near your home. He says, "Zoot, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but everybody who's anybody on the board of Company X is dumping their stock and I suspect it will soon be worthless. Would you like to sell?"

How long are you supposed to hang onto the stock now, in order to assure that when you do sell, it will be legal?

What if you were planning to dump Stock X anyway, on a whim or the advice of your astrologer? Now that your broker has offered you this information, do you have to hang onto the stock?

They didn't get her for insider tradeing, nor for stock manipulation, they got her for lying. At first I thought it preposterous, as I don't think you are under any obligation to tell federal regulators the truth, but in this case MS signed an affidavit.

That's the only charge I know of they were able to make stick.

It sure increases my faith that the SEC boys are on the ball when they get such a dnagerous desperado off the streets. Yesiresssbob.

-Colly

 

[cantdog]

They stopped beating on Bill Gates once he began to kick soft money at the politicos. He figured out his mistake, and they left him alone after that. White collar crime is all about who's one of the Big Dogs, and who's just trying to run with them. If there's money involved, at any level, don't look for justice. Martha was exposed to harm because of her celebrity, and spared serious inconvenience in the sentence because of the nature of her transgression, such as it was.

Thieves of millions, on the other hand, as Dylan remarked, are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise.

 

[shereads]

They stopped beating on Bill Gates once he began to kick soft money at the politicos. He figured out his mistake, and they left him alone after that. White collar crime is all about who's one of the Big Dogs, and who's just trying to run with them.

I hadn't thought of that. She extended her aloofness into the rhealm of the campaign contribution. A fatal error for anyone who's famously successful.

For some reason, her crime was worth the time and expense of a trial, even when the original charge of insider trading was dropped and they had to come up with a new charge (lying!)

I have my own theory, but yours has a ring of truth as well.

Mine: Nothing inspires hatred and resentment like a strong, successful, independent woman who has the poor manners to behave like an equally successful man. Honestly, I've enjoyed jokes at her expense for years. Who wouldn't? But would we find her ego or her attitude remarkable if she were male?

On NPR's "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" this morning, the intro to the inevitable Martha Stewart post-sentencing skewering began with this line:

"An icon of good taste finally gets her comeuppance."



Yep. That's what I disliked about her. Until Martha, I thought I had a good sense for color and design. She demonstrated that style without subtlety is crap, and that most of us don't get subtlety right, either.

No, it was more than that. It's that she built an incredibly successful business through nothing but hudspah and creativity and hard work. She made me feel inadequate, dammit, and now she's doing it again by facing prison with more dignity than I think I could muster.

I think everyone would like her better if she'd go into hysterics for us on the Nightly News.

The bitch.

 

[Alacrity Fitzhugh]

I didn't follow it all too close and may be wrong. I mean I have never watched her shows or anything. Before the trial I just thought she did a cooking show, with stuff I couldn't pronounce or afford. I got the impression that they forgot everything else as they were hot on her trail, for anything. I mean didn't the guy who made THE CALL break the law while she did the right thing, sell stock that was about to lose value, she would have been stupid to hang onto it. So convict her for lying? I dunno, I'm one of the little people that she supposedly hurt, but while I may have cursed her damn cookin show for being on instead of a good re-run. I never felt like she was one of the big screweverybodywhileimakemillions types.

 

[shereads]

I didn't follow it all too close and may be wrong. I mean I have never watched her shows or anything. Before the trial I just thought she did a cooking show, with stuff I couldn't pronounce or afford. I got the impression that they forgot everything else as they were hot on her trail, for anything. I mean didn't the guy who made THE CALL break the law while she did the right thing, sell stock that was about to lose value, she would have been stupid to hang onto it. So convict her for lying? I dunno, I'm one of the little people that she supposedly hurt, but while I may have cursed her damn cookin show for being on instead of a good re-run. I never felt like she was one of the big screweverybodywhileimakemillions types.

No, but she made good press for the SEC. The Enron and Tyco scandals have been embarrassing. Bringing down the haughty and dangerous crime boss Martha Stewart made somebody feel manly, you can bet.

 

[Guest]

i just cant take it seriously any more.. her stocks are up.. whatever.

she will probably never set foot in jail after the appeals and what not are all done.. she gets a slap on the wrist and poof.. its all done and over with. the fact that shes chosen danbury prison.. oh god.. too funny that she gets to chose! is this common to be able to chose what jail you go to?

if she werent so nasty to the people around her.. she wouldnt be so much fun to crack on. i dont bemoan the fact that shes made her way or that she had a hard time getting there... but once you make it to the big league you have to expect that people will have fun at your expense...


so.. because i have a little mind and the small things in life thrill the shit out of me.. i give you:... marthas cell.

 

[Lisa Denton]

i just cant take it seriously any more.. her stocks are up.. whatever.

she will probably never set foot in jail after the appeals and what not are all done.. she gets a slap on the wrist and poof.. its all done and over with. the fact that shes chosen danbury prison.. oh god.. too funny that she gets to chose! is this common to be able to chose what jail you go to?

if she werent so nasty to the people around her.. she wouldnt be so much fun to crack on. i dont bemoan the fact that shes made her way or that she had a hard time getting there... but once you make it to the big league you have to expect that people will have fun at your expense...


so.. because i have a little mind and the small things in life thrill the shit out of me.. i give you:... marthas cell.

Gee vella, that AV? That insensitive joke? Don't you understand the poor woman could have cell-mates like these?

 

[shereads]

If Martha's cellmates have tatoos, I hope they're discreet.

Yes, it's nice that the rich get to choose better prisons. But I'd still be scared to death, and the body cavity searches would still be humiliating, and I'd still be wondering what the hell I was doing in jail when the man who dumped his Harken Oil stock three weeks before the first Gulf war made its Bahrain drilling contracts worthless, is living in the White House.

It's funny, but it's not.

 

[Lisa Denton]

If Martha's cellmates have tatoos, I hope they're discreet.

Yes, it's nice that the rich get to choose better prisons. But I'd still be scared to death, and the body cavity searches would still be humiliating, and I'd still be wondering what the hell I was doing in jail when the man who dumped his Harken Oil stock three weeks before the first Gulf war made its Bahrain drilling contracts worthless, is living in the White House.

It's funny, but it's not.

Yes, I joke too much and shouldn't and agree with you. But the searches will be done with least amount of humiliation. Her lawyer will submit death threats from other inmates, real or contrived, to keep her in solitary. A few guards will treat her kindly and instead of drugs and alcohol, smuggle her in some fine foods and good books, as those guards try to decide on the color of thier new car. It will be hell for her at her age, but prisons only punish the poor the most.
I didn't mean to joke but was caught up in the moment, the loss of freedom, dignity, and rights in jail or prison is, I agree, not funny. My apologies shereads.

 

[vargas111]

Maybe she'll get to have sex with several hunky parole officers and request additional time under "subervision."

 

[shereads]

Yes, I joke too much and shouldn't and agree with you. But the searches will be done with least amount of humiliation. Her lawyer will submit death threats from other inmates, real or contrived, to keep her in solitary. A few guards will treat her kindly and instead of drugs and alcohol, smuggle her in some fine foods and good books, as those guards try to decide on the color of thier new car. It will be hell for her at her age, but prisons only punish the poor the most.
I didn't mean to joke but was caught up in the moment, the loss of freedom, dignity, and rights in jail or prison is, I agree, not funny. My apologies shereads.

Lisa, you don't need to apologize for joking about Martha or anything else. Just because I'm not laughing at her doesn't mean you can't. I don't know you very well, but I think you're a compassionate person, and if you can't laugh at Martha Stewart in an orange polyester jumpsuit, what CAN you laugh at?

 

[shereads]

Maybe she'll get to have sex with several hunky parole officers and request additional time under "subervision."

Conjugal visits. Sex with a built-in kink! See, there is an upside.

 

[Couture]

Does anyone else get the feeling that there are two sets of laws?

One for democrats and one for republicans?

Martha, an outspoken democrat is procecuted for lying. LYING...What the fuck? Now, if she is guilty of some shit, fucking procecute her and be done with it. But, this lying stuff...that is pretty fucked up.

Then there is Ken Lay. This guy's company buys government influence and has energy deregulated. Then they systematically fraud millions and millions of people, causing blackouts, and electric bills to skyrocket. I wonder how many people died due to heat exhaustion during this time? I wonder how many grandma Millie's couldn't afford their medication because the money was spent on their electric bills? How many employees and stockholders lost their life's savings?

Clinton lies about getting a little strange and they want him impeached.

Bush lies about Iraq and tens of thousands have died. No calls for impeachment.

Kind of funny, no?

These people talk about God and morals, but they are without a doubt the dirtiest bunch of facist bastards we've had in a long time.