Much Ado About Martha

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Much Ado About Martha
by Dave Gibson, Columnist

March 18, 2004

Dave Gibson Convicted felon Martha Stewart (AP) The recent felony conviction of do-it-yourself guru Martha Stewart (right) is a blatant miscarriage of justice, as well as a shining example of a run-away federal government. However, the so-called "little people" are as much to blame as the bloated behemoth, otherwise known as the U.S. Government. Martha case was prosecuted by the feds, but they needed 12 angry men to finish her off!

The fact that someone can be saddled with four felony convictions and have their life ruined over taking a phone call from their broker, should scare the hell out of everyone. What was she supposed to do?...Scream at her broker, hang up, then wait for the stock to plummet? What would you do?

What good is a broker if he cannot give you tips as to when a stock will rise and fall? This entire episode is just as Martha described it at the outset : "ridiculousness." The idea that this 62 year old, self-made woman is facing prison is disgusting!

I will try to steer away from the specifics of the case, in part because I am sure that you know are now well familiar with them and because they are barely worth mention. We all know that the government has performed a Pearl Harbor job on Martha, led by the ravenous Injustice Department lawyers! Everyone who can see that Martha was railroaded seems to be focusing their attention towards the feds. However, they could not have nailed her without the right jury!

I watched with great disgust as juror Stewart Chappell Hartridge busted out of the courthouse doors, to give his own press conference and claimed the verdict to be "a victory for the little guy." Hartridge also went on to say that according to the testimony in regard to how she ran her business, he believed that she thought herself "above everyone." Does this sound as if revenge may have been on this juror's mind? Revenge, perhaps because Martha is rich beyond almost anyone's wildest dreams...and he is not? I believe this juror's motivation was made perfectly clear by his "little guy" speech.

According to information gained from court transcripts (which was just released), the jury included among others: a man who admitted to losing money due to the collapse of Enron, and a woman who "wishes the government's prosecution of corporate scandals was moving along a little faster." That is only what they admitted to in court. Think it may be possible that this jury may knew their verdict, before they heard the evidence (or the lack thereof)?

Martha has now stepped down from her position as a board member of the Revlon Corporation , she will also exit from the board of directors of her own company. Predictably, CBS and UPN have shown themselves to be cowards and dropped her show Martha Stewart Living from their airwaves. In short she is watching her world, a world which she built from nothing...be demolished. As if that was not enough, she is also facing a federal prison sentence. Consider what she has done...Now ask yourself--Is her fate just?

As I said earlier, the government could not crush Martha without the right jury. I believe at least most of those 12 jurors went into this case with a chip on their shoulder. Perhaps, they were angry because they hate their low-paying jobs. Perhaps, they just dislike Martha because she represents everything which they will never have. This case or at least this verdict was as much about the age-old war between the have's and the have-nots, as it was about anything else.

By all accounts, Martha is a demanding perfectionist who will accept nothing less than the absolute best from herself as well as her employees. She would have to be in order to build the empire, over which she has reigned for the last several years. She is filthy rich. However, she made it all on her own, no one gave it to her. Martha is not a "trust fund-baby" nor has she come by her astonishing wealth by illegal or immoral means.

This is a nation in which any man can become a king. However, it is also a nation in which that man can be de-throned on a whim. Americans love success. Unfortunately, we also seem to relish in the fact that we can help end that success rather quickly. What is more fun...Watching a "nobody" become rich and famous or watching that same person's painful fall?

The reason behind Martha's demise is as old as time itself...Jealousy! ***

Photo of Dave Gibson courtesy of staff files