The rich and dishonorable are now people we admire

[YNKYH8R]

The rich and dishonorable are now people we admire

On Sept. 30, Martha Stewart was not only on the front page of the Portland Press Herald but on the first page of the local section as well.

It was announced with great pride that Ms. Stewart agreed to be the honorary starter of the Mount Desert Island Marathon.

Just recently, her talk show aired for the first time. She was greeted with a lengthy standing ovation by the adoring crowd. Can there be a more blatant example of the complete lack of values in this country?

It once was that a public figure who committed a crime was also committing career suicide. Now we admire anyone who is famous and usually rich.

Martha Stewart served time in prison because she broke the law. The then-billionaire allegedly engaged in insider trading to save herself what, to her, was a paltry amount of money. Is there a better example of greed and complete lack of moral values?

And yet, she is now admired. We used to admire great people who did great things, like Eleanor Roosevelt and Jonas Salk. Now rich, dishonorable criminals are held in high esteem.

We live in a dysfunctional, materialistic nation with skewed values and no morals. To our moralistic majority, the only crime seems to be what one does in one's bedroom.

From the Portland Press Herald.

[tngirl]

I couldn't agree with this more.

[YankeeMary]

This is the exact way I think about this country. The author did a fantastic job, telling the truth. Thank for sharing. And if it makes a difference I didn't care much for Marha Stewart before she became a criminal...hehe.

[hblueeyes]

I am sorry but I do not think she should have went to jail because she lied to investigators. Clinton lied to a senate committes and was not jailed or fined. Men lie all the time. As far as the insider trading thing goes she only hurt herself because her own company's stock fell dramaticly. But who here would not have done the same thing. If I owned stock and someone called me and said the stock is going to fall because they did not get FDA approval, I am sure that I too would have sold instead of loosing thousands.

She was convicted because she is a woman pwerhouse on a mens playing field and they dont like it. Well too dam* bad guys.

I believe she should have said something like, "I have no answer" instead of lying. She would have faired better or p'd them off more.

Let us not forget about the farce with MCI, Kmart< Enron etc. It is no wonder the average Joe cannot begin to play this game because we cannot afford to loose the $$$$.

What about colleges like the "Sooners" who is named because of cheating during the US land give aways. How is it OK to have teams called Black Hawks and Indians but no ok to call teams Little Sambos. Our country is skewed and those in power are is self serving.

Me :p

[3lilpigs]

I am sorry but I do not think she should have went to jail because she lied to investigators. Clinton lied to a senate committes and was not jailed or fined. Men lie all the time. As far as the insider trading thing goes she only hurt herself because her own company's stock fell dramaticly. But who here would not have done the same thing. If I owned stock and someone called me and said the stock is going to fall because they did not get FDA approval, I am sure that I too would have sold instead of loosing thousands.

She was convicted because she is a woman pwerhouse on a mens playing field and they dont like it. Well too dam* bad guys.

I believe she should have said something like, "I have no answer" instead of lying. She would have faired better or p'd them off more.

Let us not forget about the farce with MCI, Kmart< Enron etc. It is no wonder the average Joe cannot begin to play this game because we cannot afford to loose the $$$$.

What about colleges like the "Sooners" who is named because of cheating during the US land give aways. How is it OK to have teams called Black Hawks and Indians but no ok to call teams Little Sambos. Our country is skewed and those in power are is self serving.

Me :p

I agree.....i think she got what she did because she is a woman.
There are more important things in this world to worry about, than sending Martha Stewart to jail because she lied about a few thousand dollars. (or hundred thousand..however much). There are murderers and rapists let go all the time because of some stupid 'loophole' but yet they send her to jail?? Makes no sense to me.

OJ goes free......but Martha goes to jail?? :confused:

[YNKYH8R]

White collar crimes are heavily regulated becuase of the nature of the crime. Dealing with money. Insider trading is a huge no no.
She was used as an example. Look at all the other men who get tried and convicted for white collar crimes. They go to jail too. She went o jail for perjury. What are we supposed to do let her get off free becasue she's Martha Stewart?
As in the case with the Clinton scandal and Monica...I'm going to do some research and find out about the details. Only because I've never related Clinton and Stewart in the same sentence.

[YNKYH8R]

I agree.....i think she got what she did because she is a woman.
There are more important things in this world to worry about, than sending Martha Stewart to jail because she lied about a few thousand dollars. (or hundred thousand..however much). There are murderers and rapists let go all the time because of some stupid 'loophole' but yet they send her to jail?? Makes no sense to me.

OJ goes free......but Martha goes to jail?? :confused:
More importnat things to worry about? Apprently you don't consider insider trading and it's ramifications too important.

[Tasha405]

And if it makes a difference I didn't care much for Marha Stewart before she became a criminal...hehe.
Same here! LOL I've never liked her.

[harloo]

Why didn't the author write a piece on Delay, Frist, Rove, and Bush? What about Ken Lay or Cheney's ties to Haliburton? I find that Martha is often used as an example of corruption when her petty crime is not the worst offense compared to others.

While I am not a big fan of Martha Stewart she violated the law, did her time and moved on with her life. Although her actions were despicable she has little power over this country. Now what are we are going to do about the criminals who run the government ? ;) :rolleyes:

[Willow]

If OJ didn't get jail time then neither should have Martha.

[YNKYH8R]

Clinton was impeached as President of the United States on December 19, 1998, by the House of Representatives. The charges were perjury and obstruction of justice arising from the Lewinsky scandal. The Senate acquitted Clinton on both counts in a trial concluding on February 12, 1999. The day before leaving office, Clinton agreed to a five year suspension of his Arkansas law license as part of an agreement with the independent counsel to end the investigation. Based on this suspension, Clinton was also automatically suspended from the United States Supreme Court bar, from which he chose to resign. [17][18] Clinton's resignation will have little practical effect. He has never practiced before the Supreme Court and was not expected to in the future. Clinton also was assessed a $90,000 fine by federal judge Susan Webber Wright for contempt of court.

Well here you are. He did get impeached and had a 90,000 fine.

[YNKYH8R]

Why didn't the author write a piece on Delay, Frist, Rove, and Bush? What about Ken Lay or Cheney's ties to Haliburton? I find that Martha is often used as an example of corruption when her petty crime is not the worst offense compared to others.

While I am not a big fan of Martha Stewart she violated the law, did her time and moved on with her life. Although her actions were despicable she has little power over this country. Now what are we are going to do about the criminals who run the government ? ;) :rolleyes:
Well the author (I believe) was trying to state a point of the celebrities that go to jail and when they get out they are bigger than before. The scandal does not hurt them.

[YNKYH8R]

Usually illegal: Trading of a security of a company (e.g., stocks, bonds or stock options) based on material non-public information. The trader may be a corporate "insider" or someone unlawfully obtaining the non-public information (which may constitute a separate offence of spying on trade secrets).

Since insiders are required to report their trades, others often track these traders, and there is a school of investing which follows the lead of insiders. This is of course subject to the risk that an insider is making a buy specifically to increase investor confidence, or making a sell for reasons unrelated to the health of the company (e.g. a desire to diversify or buy a house).

Some companies announce times to their employees when they can safely trade without being accused of trading on inside information.

[YNKYH8R]

If OJ didn't get jail time then neither should have Martha.
I don;t look at it that way at all. Because of the crimes they've been accused of. If convictions were to stand on both parties then it is to the prosocutors (sp) to try the case better.

[Shann]

isn't that sad? every day it seems we as a whole lose more and more morals and values and then ppl wonder why others are so rude and disrespectful :rolleyes:

[3lilpigs]

More importnat things to worry about? Apprently you don't consider insider trading and it's ramifications too important.


i'm more worried about rapists and murderers going free.

[hblueeyes]

I am not saying that Martha is a fine example of what we should aspire to be. I am sayiing that she lied to investigators and was charged,convicted and sentenced much quicker than her MCI and Enron counterparts and KMart got away with quite a bit as well. What those men did, they did knowingly. Martha did not seek out the information she received. It was a message left on her answering machine. I am not making excuses for her but if I were in her shoes I too would have sold. I would not have lied but I would have sold my shares. She got poor legal advice. Her legal counsel should have told her not to answer questions or to say "I have no answer". People lie to authorities all the time and do not go to jail for it.

Me :p

[tngirl]

I am not saying that Martha is a fine example of what we should aspire to be. I am sayiing that she lied to investigators and was charged,convicted and sentenced much quicker than her MCI and Enron counterparts and KMart got away with quite a bit as well. What those men did, they did knowingly. Martha did not seek out the information she received. It was a message left on her answering machine. I am not making excuses for her but if I were in her shoes I too would have sold. I would not have lied but I would have sold my shares. She got poor legal advice. Her legal counsel should have told her not to answer questions or to say "I have no answer". People lie to authorities all the time and do not go to jail for it.

Me :p

The reason Martha was "convicted" so fast was because she did not appeal the case. She requested to go ahead and serve her 5 months.

[YankeeMary]

The way I see it is...Martha was convicted...meaning GUILTY...though I believe OJ was quilty, he wasn't convicted, thats why he is free and Martha served her time.

[Tasha405]

The way I see it is...Martha was convicted...meaning GUILTY...though I believe OJ was quilty, he wasn't convicted, thats why he is free and Martha served her time.
Exactly!

[tarasdream]

i understood that it wasnt really proven that she did anything wrong just that she lied, i know a lot of us would have done the same thing as she did. i think they picked on her because she is a woman whose parents were immigriants who came over here from another country and she made something of herself which a lot of us who were born here dont even do that. i think men especially are jealous because shes a woman worth more then they will ever think of having. i think she was wrong to lie but she served her time so leave her alone. i for one lover her shows and think they should go after the corrupt goverment officals ruining our country and the murders and sexual preadtors running our streets.

[YNKYH8R]

I am not saying that Martha is a fine example of what we should aspire to be. I am sayiing that she lied to investigators and was charged,convicted and sentenced much quicker than her MCI and Enron counterparts and KMart got away with quite a bit as well. What those men did, they did knowingly. Martha did not seek out the information she received. It was a message left on her answering machine. I am not making excuses for her but if I were in her shoes I too would have sold. I would not have lied but I would have sold my shares. She got poor legal advice. Her legal counsel should have told her not to answer questions or to say "I have no answer". People lie to authorities all the time and do not go to jail for it.

Me :p
Lying to the police and lying to federal investigators is a little different. I don't have an opinion of Martha otherwise. I don’t know her I don’t watch her shows or subscribe to her interpretation of the world. There are other people in the media who get jail time and are still the “saviors” of their realm. Look are Ron Artest of the NBA.

[TexasGal]

I never had an opinion of Martha Stewart in the first place and really don't have one now, except for the fact that I personally would not look up to her as a role model.

Arguing the rights and wrongs of her conviction are fine, but in doing so you miss the whole sociological point that the author of the article is trying to impart. The point is that America's views of morality are changing. When we elevate someone like Martha Stewart (who has never helped anyone except herself) to a level at or above someone like Angelina Jolie, who is famous for her humanitarian efforts, we need to take a hard look at what we truly believe is important.

JMHO ;)

[YNKYH8R]

I never had an opinion of Martha Stewart in the first place and really don't have one now, except for the fact that I personally would not look up to her as a role model.

Arguing the rights and wrongs of her conviction are fine, but in doing so you miss the whole sociological point that the author of the article is trying to impart. The point is that America's views of morality are changing. When we elevate someone like Martha Stewart (who has never helped anyone except herself) to a level at or above someone like Angelina Jolie, who is famous for her humanitarian efforts, we need to take a hard look at what we truly believe is important.

JMHO ;)
What she said LOL! :)

[tngirl]

I never had an opinion of Martha Stewart in the first place and really don't have one now, except for the fact that I personally would not look up to her as a role model.

Arguing the rights and wrongs of her conviction are fine, but in doing so you miss the whole sociological point that the author of the article is trying to impart. The point is that America's views of morality are changing. When we elevate someone like Martha Stewart (who has never helped anyone except herself) to a level at or above someone like Angelina Jolie, who is famous for her humanitarian efforts, we need to take a hard look at what we truly believe is important.

JMHO ;)


Thank you, very well put! I don't care who you are, if you commit a crime then you should go to jail. And I am baffled as to how criminals can still be role models.

[Chiizii]

It isn't honorable or admirable to make a mistake, own up to it, learn from it, serve your time, then come back to be a productive citizen?

For people that commit crimes other than murder, rape or other similar crimes, shouldn't we as a society hope and desire that after they serve their time that they can come back among us and live productive and useful lives?

Should we put a scarlet letter on all those who commit the lesser crimes and send them to live in their own separate society away from all of us who haven't been convicted of any crimes?

Maybe with Martha Stewart the only change in society is that finally we are starting to give people who have serve their time for lesser crimes a chance to come back and regain their lives without having to hide and be ridiculed by people.

To become a role model with actual experience is seen all over with people who have kicked drug habits, alcohol addiction, and gang memberships..etc.
Being a role model doesn't mean that you can't have a serious mistake in your past. It means you have learned from your mistakes and help others by living a better life as well as the strict definition that many carry.

[YankeeMary]

whose parents were immigriants who came over here from another country.
I had no idea where her parents came from, I don't think that is why she was prosecuted. I don't think it is because she is a woman, I think it is because she is sooooo well know/famous and she did wrong, so they decided to make an example of her. No matter what the reason, if you do something illegal, regardless of what it is or who you know then you have to face the consequences (sp).

[Willow]

I heard on the news that the sales from her products tripled while she was in jail. I did buy a few of her items during that time. One of them was a cutlery set. I also have a shower curtain and accessory set from the Martha Stewart collection but I had that before she went. My son used to watch her show years ago. He likes to help me bake so he enjoyed watching her make cookies and cakes. lol I don't care much for her new show because it's taped in front of a live audience and she has celebrities on it but I did enjoy watching the one she did years ago.

[3lilpigs]

I heard on the news that the sales from her products tripled while she was in jail. I did buy a few of her items during that time. One of them was a cutlery set. I also have a shower curtain and accessory set from the Martha Stewart collection but I had that before she went. My son used to watch her show years ago. He likes to help me bake so he enjoyed watching her make cookies and cakes. lol I don't care much for her new show because it's taped in front of a live audience and she has celebrities on it but I did enjoy watching the one she did years ago.

i actually like her new show much better. i think she is more enjoyable in front of an audience, and the show isnt as boring. i buy her things too.....not because i 'admire' her or put her on a pedistool, or anything like that, but because i like her products, and they are a reasonable price. And I'll always shop Kmart over Wal Mart. (but that has NOTHING to do with Martha)