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Non-Tech : Martha Stewart -- Scourge or Scapegoat -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: EL KABONG!!! who wrote (120)	3/9/2004 10:29:57 AM
From: yard_man	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 165

>>Actually, whether or not she knew exactly why the Waksal's were selling their shares is a moot point.<< I couldn't disagree more ... if she is a crook for that -- then so are folks who noticed way above average volume in the stock and sold, guessing that Erbitux had been denied. But where are the other folks who received a tip that day -- do you really believe, if she recieved the tip -- no one else was called. She's a notch on someone's gun ...no one above the law?? spare me. If you have not lied in your adult life -- you are a RARE individual, Kerry.

To: EL KABONG!!! who wrote (120)	3/9/2004 12:19:08 PM
From: Jeffrey S. Mitchell	Respond to of 165

My favorite Martha story is when Martha found herself denying a story in the NY Times that stated she had planned to move out of Westport because it had changed for the worst since she had moved here many years ago. The example given was that no one calls to invite her over for dinner anymore. What made it so humorous is that the story was written by Martha herself. She blamed the "misunderstanding" on her editor. As much as I hate to admit it, business is based around lies, half-truths, and obfuscations. Do you tell a car salesman you are just dying to buy one particular car in his lot? Do you tell all your internet friends how much you love a thinly traded stock before you establish a position? Do you tell a baseball player what you truly think he's worth before you sign him? If you have a glaring bug in your software, do you put it on your homepage or do you quietly fix it in the next version? I could go on and on but you get the picture. Martha isn't reputed to be well liked by her neighbors. She's undoubtedly taken credit for all sorts of ideas that didn't originate with her. But so does Microsoft. In business where image is everything, you do what it takes to keep your "brand" on top. One could make a convincing argument that Martha has played the game as well as any man has. Jason Blair lied. He destroyed the careers of his editors at the NY Times, caused an uproar among his colleagues, and then promptly got a book deal out of it. Closer to home, what about all those penny stock con artists that have lied to the SEC. How many of them got off with merely a promise never to do it again? Yes we have laws and consequences for people that break the laws. But we are also a society that is based on equal protection under the laws. Although we don't always succeed, we at least strive to make sure one race, religion, or creed isn't more harshly penalized for doing the same thing as another. One glaring difference is how we treat celebrities, especially when they are picked up on drug charges. The public perceives, and rightly so, that celebrities can afford high-priced lawyers who can get them off by creating a cloud of reasonable doubt. The Martha Stewart jury seemed to pride itself on pushing back hard in the opposite direction. While that might send a message, it doesn't mean it's fair. - Jeff