Martha Stewart?

[Chicago Democrat]

Poll question: Martha Stewart?

[CindyDale]

1. Victim of misogyny

[wildeyed]

4. She beat the big boys at their own game one too many times.

Now the pushy broad is getting her comeuppance. (/sarcasm)

[bryant69]

5. I don't know If I buy that one

I think it is a class issue as much as anything--I mean she had a set of very upper middle class values that very few people can live up to but everybody was supposed to want to. So there was naturally some resentment.

I'm not saying misogyny didn't play some role in it, I just don't think it was the dominent reason she had her fall from grace.

Well she also might have broken the law--that probably played some role.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[CindyDale]

11. If you suck up to men you're OK

like Katherine Harris, Condolezza Rice, etc. If you make it on your own, they're out to get you.

Plus she's a Democrat, which means she supports other women and children making it, too.

[RNCPsychiatry]

2. Love her!!

[izzybeans]

3. picked other because

I can wait on the TV show. otherwise the section option is correct.

[tishaLA]

6. I'm an unapologetic fan

dammit.

But I know AP will be here soon to disparage her and I'm not going to take the bait! :P

[One_Life_To_Give]

7. Sorry the Licenced Securities Trader

knew what she was doing.

[CindyDale]

9. What she did wasn't even illegal

from what I understand. All they convicted her of was stating that she was innocent. It's unprecedented, from what I heard.

[One_Life_To_Give]

10. Lying to Federal Officer

is what she was convicted of. But that was in association with Obstructing a Federal Investigation into insider trading and her complicity in insider trading. As a licenced broker, she knew the regulations about trading stocks based on information which has not been made public.

[tishaLA]

12. Her mistake was talking to a federal officer

instead of allowing her lawyer to do it for her. They were investigating insider trading, but it has not been alleged in a criminal court that Ms. Stewart was complicit in it or that she had information that had not been made public.

[CindyDale]

13. What she did wasn't illegal

She wasn't convicted of insider trading. I'm not an attorney, but here is another take on it:

http://www.mises.org/fullstory.aspx?control=1470

Lying to a federal officer is what they trap you into doing if they can't get you on anything else, I guess. They accused Tom Butler of that after they practically tortured him into saying things he later retracted.

[One_Life_To_Give]

15. And Capone was Tax Evasion

Yes and Capone wasn't taken down for racketeering either.

[amazona]

14. only Democrats and leftists are convicted of lying to feds

This is political any way you look at it. Classic technique of the McCarthy era and also the Cointelpro era -- if the person was innocent of any wrongdoing you could still get them on "lying to the feds" because any statement -- even saying you are innocent of wrong-doing -- can be construed as a "lie" if they're out to get you.

I think it's unprecedented to see this kind of action taken against a CEO, rather than, say, Howard Fast, but it wouldn't have happened if she were a GOP contributor instead of Democrat. And I doubt it would have happened if she'd been male.

The laws against lying to federal agents should be enforced against ALL, or they should be struck down. As it is, we have a situation where innocent people are jailed for saying they are not communists, for saying they are not criminals, for saying they are not whatever the hysteria of the day says they are.

Every day the DEA interviews drug distributors and not a one of them is jailed for "lying" to federal agents when they claim to be innocent.

Martha was railroaded to provide a Soviet style show trial.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[One_Life_To_Give]

16. Maybe

But I think all white collar criminals should be taken down. Regardless of who they contribute to.

[CindyDale]

17. So you think we should just decide who looks like a criminal

and then prosecute them on whatever charge we can trump up?

I don't see it that way.

[One_Life_To_Give]

22. No, Just those that commit criminal acts.

Like Martha, Lay, Worldcom and Enron execs, to name just a few.

[CindyDale]

24. You can't just decide someone you don't like is guilty

You have to have evidence, not just trumped up stuff.

Otherwise, it's not justice.

[One_Life_To_Give]

27. Did she trade her shares of IMClone

the afternoon before the announcement or not?

[CindyDale]

28. That was legal

They didn't convict her of that and you know it.

[One_Life_To_Give]

29. Maybe Legal, sort of

If Waksal didn't tell her why to sell it. Or give indication that "Any reasonable Securities Trader" would suspect was based on inside information.
Yes technically she was not convicted for that. But for lying during the investigation of Insider Trading at IMClone. Which if she is not guilty then it follows that is only because Waksal didn't tell her the whole story. And Waksal is guilty of insider trading. Which he happens to be serving seven years for.

edit sp

[codswallop]

20. She had a seat on the NYSE, for cryin' out loud.

The corruption stinks to high heaven. And still she whines.

Sam Waksal isn't doing hard time for nothing.

[Stinky The Clown]

8. I voted the second option, but I do not "like" her.

I very much admire her. I respect her. She made it on her terms in a man's world. She took on the big boys and kicked their asses. Go Martha Go!

But she's not my favorite person in the world. I find I just don't like her when I watch her teevee show. But that's personal. On a broader level, she's quite a woman. One to be admired and emulated.

She was victimized. The sacrificial lamb to Ken Lay's fucking of America.

[codswallop]

18. I used to like her a lot.

Don't no more.

[CindyDale]

19. Freeper alert

[realFedUp]

21. Her new "Apprentice" show sounds like a winner

Perfect packaging...will certainly get
people who now watch Apprentice and
additionally those who will want to see
more "domestic" creative business challenges
assigned by a proven popular figure like
Trump is.

I think it'll be a real winner.

[stlchic]

23. Yeah, she was a scapegoat...

But I really don't care one way or the other. She obviously hasn't been suffering, and is now going to be better off because of it.

Her towels and sheets are okay, but I really don't have an interest in watching an elitist show me how to make a candy holiday wreath.

I remember the day she was sentenced, I saw a reporter doing a "on the steet interview" asking people what they would do if they knew they were going to prison in two weeks. My favorite answer:

"Well, I'm not rich and famous, so I don't think I would have been given two weeks to prepare for prison..."

[CindyDale]

26. Right, a woman succeeding despite persecution. What a nerve!

Kick her down fast.

[Stop_the_War]

25. Free Martha!!! n/t

[MsAnthropy]

30. Her mac and cheese recipe has 22 ingredients! She's a public menace

and a danger to society.

[CindyDale]

31. Still that's not illegal

LOL

[n2mark]

32. If I am not mistaken

wasn't shrub involved in inside trading several years ago? Nothing happened to him and he now has the title US President?