The Martha Stewart Scandal: A Tempest in a Cuisinart...
Sign the petition to Pardon Martha
 Operation Oprah
One of the many action items from our weekend meetups is to get major media figures involved in our cause. This week you can help Save Martha by contacting Oprah and asking her to join us in the fight to Save Martha.
Call, email and write to tell Oprah about the petition to Pardon Martha, about how much you support Martha, and ask her to help us let the world know what is really happening to Martha Stewart. |
Contact Oprah:
Address:
110 N. Carpenter St.
Chicago, IL 60607
Phone:
312-633-1000
Fax:
312-633-1976
e-mail Oprah |
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Reader Mail
Dear CBS,
I have watched Martha Stewart Living for more many years and I am greatly distressed that KSL dropped her program. I miss her show so much. I had set my schedule in the mornings when I could watch and would be very motivated by her show. This is an atrosity. A big joke to the American viewer who hates reruns and soap operas. I still can't believe that a woman who stands for such greatness in the American home life could be a felon. Only with political clout could we find guilt in such ridiculous charges that Martha Stewart faced. I wish there was something I could say that would encourage those who can to bring Martha Stewart Living back to Salt Lake City. There really is no justice in the world.
Sincerely,
Jeannette Antry
Dear Martha,
I wanted you to know that my sense of outrage over the blatent injustice of this ridiculous prosecution is overwhelming. I feel personally attacked by this travesty, as should all working women striving to be successful. Because that seems to be your real crime. And you did it so well. The backlash that comes from being so successful is so disappointing to accept.
I first heard about you from my daughter and future son-in-law about 15 years ago. They kept making references to you for everything about decorating, homemaking and good taste. As a home economics teacher, I wondered, "Who is this woman dominating our (home ec teacher) realm of expertise?" I soon found out that you took what we have been doing forever (without much recognition, I might add) and did it better. Not only that, but you raised the bar to staggering heights, making it chic and sophisticated.
My belief is you have done nothing wrong and my hope is that you will triumph in court. Please don't give up. You have my admiration and support.
Jacquelyn Caiola
POLISH-AMERICAN NONSOLIDARITY
The Polish-American silence in the Martha Stewart witch hunt is deafening--a state of affairs, alas, all too typical of our passive, 9-million-strong American Polonia.
It brings to mind events I experienced many years ago as a student in the Harvard Graduate School. In 1963 I was delighted to discover a prominent site on campus, near Memorial Hall, was called Kosciuszko Square (the area can be found so designated on older maps). And it was gratifying to find in the Kosciuszko Square, not far from buildings in which revolutionary troops were housed and Christ Church, where George Washington once prayed, a stone monument commemorating the role of Tadeusz Kosciuszko in the founding of the United States of America.
In the early 1970s the roadways comprising Kosciuszko Square were put underground and supplanted by a grassy mall. One imagined the new mall would be named after Kosciuszko. But that was not to be. Poland's contribution to the American Revolution was not deemed of sufficient importance. The mall would no longer honor Kosciuszko.
I wrote Harvard's then President pointing out the inappropriateness of this change and was dutifully notified that the stone monument commemorating Kosciuszko had been moved, "with due ceremony," to the Cambridge Common--then a god-forsaken tract adjacent to the Harvard campus known as a locus for muggings and other anti-social acts.
I daresay if Kosciuszko Square had instead been "Einstein Square," Harvard University's move to banish Einstein to Siberia would quickly have been reversed--and rightly so. The University's vocal Jewish and scientific constituencies would not have tolerated it. There was, I must hasten to add, a palpable Polish presence at Harvard--among faculty, students and staff--during the episode I describe. Yet mine was probably the only Polish-American voice raised in protest.
One wonders whether the government would have pursued Martha Stewart quite so fanatically had she been of some other ethnicity. Can President Bush afford the luxury of ignoring Polish-American opinion on this issue in light of the close election soon to take place? A petition asking the President to pardon Martha Stewart may be found online at www.savemartha.com. Please consider adding your name. Jeszcze Marta nie zginela poki my zyjemy!
Ferdinand Gajewski, PhD
Westfield, NJ
Did April Fools day come early this year?
More than a few readers e-mailed us this morning to complain about Fox News Roger Friedman's latest item. He is alleging that Martha Stewart is so organized that she has already hired an inmate at Danbury Correctional to "watch her back." We sympathize that real news about Martha Stewart is very hard to come by since the trial ended, but is this either fair, balanced or necessary? Keep it up Roger, and Martha fans just might have to hire a few inmates to make you a nice little orange jumpsuit...
Martha Stewart: Buying Jail Buddies in Advance? FoxNews
by Roger Friedman
According to my sources, Stewart — who is convinced she will definitely be sent to Danbury Correctional Institution in Danbury, Conn. — is taking no chances on her prison stay. She has apparently sought out and found an inmate who is already incarcerated there and willing to work for her. This woman, who is serving time for embezzlement, is supposed to be Martha's eyes and ears — sort of a glorified assistant — during what could be a 16-month run in the big house, sources said.
 In yet another strange item...
NewYorkish reveals how to write love letters to Sam Waksal in jail, via a link to the online inmate database. In case you didn't know, these days it's really funny when other people go to jail, and it makes you seem really cool to post all kinds of snarky stuff about it on your little website. And it's totally harmless, except for when the Jugde bars the media from your jury selection because some website posts information about the juror questionnaire in spite of a court order that intended to keep it a secret.
Glee for Martha's suffering reflects badly on U.S.
"America seems almost gleeful to see her suffer. This is not just about where Martha went wrong; there is something here about where America has gone wrong. Martha Stewart was indicted and convicted by a court of law, but there is another trial, and another punishment, that America is meting out to her. Psychically, she is being stoned in the town square, and not because of her insider trading. She is being stoned because people don’t like her. Because people cannot resist projecting onto her an ancient suspicion of powerful women. Because she is not the personality they think that she should be."
Diva Down: What the rest of us have to fear from the fall of Martha--Reason
by Elizabeth Koch
If scoring one for the little guy was this jury's priority, the dispensers of justice should have thought a few steps ahead. Or just observed their surroundings. Because from the instant the government made Stewart its corporate fall gal—even without the help of insider trading laws—Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO) shareholders have watched their fortunes evaporate.
 Update: In the wake of Martha's letter being widely published we are getting a high volume of e-mail and phone calls from people who would like to write to Judge Cedarbaum on Martha's behalf. Martha's letter asks her personal friends and business associates to write letters and send them to her attorneys, who will handle forwarding the appropriate letters to Judge Cedarbaum. This is why we have removed the Judge's mailing address from this site so as not to inundate her with excess mail.
Please send your letters to Hon. Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum, c/o Martha's attorney to this address:
Robert G. Morvillo
565 Fifth Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10017
So what else can you do? Lots. Participate in a MeetUp on Saturday, April 3. Sign the petition. Print it out and have others sign it, then mail it in. Shop online at MarthaStewart.com. Send us information about your local TV station and cable operator for our new contact pages. Vote in the Ms. Magazine poll. See our full To Do list to see how you can pitch in. Help us win hearts and minds, and we can Save Martha!
Note: The chatroom and message boards are under renovation until we can install a more user friendly system.ve
Stewart case demonstrates absurdity of sentencing guidelines --PasadenaStarNews
MARTHA STEWART is calling on her friends to write testimonial letters to Judge Miriam Cedarbaum. She asks them to "please include your opinion of my character, my work ethic, my integrity and my probity.' I'm not one of Stewart's friends. We've never met. But I do have an opinion of her character, based on a personal encounter once removed.
Is It a Crime to Keep Quiet? Cato Institute
Martha Stewart's conviction has drawn attention to the obscure federal law that makes it a crime to lie to investigators. Until Stewart's high-profile prosecution, most people were under the mistaken impression that it is only a crime to lie under oath. Legal experts are now saying it is too risky for citizens to speak with investigators. The New York Times quotes white-collar defense lawyer Seth Taube: "You have an absolute right in this republic not to talk to the government." Only one problem: That may no longer be the case.
Appeal Watch: Attorney Robert Morvillo said he will take Martha's case to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, which just happens to be headed by Chief Judge John Walker. In an odd coincidence, Judge Walker was appointed to the 2nd Circuit by President George H.W. Bush, who is also his cousin. Like both of the Bush presidents, he also attended Yale, and the Bush family resemblance is uncanny. So between our petition to President Bush and Martha's appeal to his cousin's court, it appears that two Bush family Yale alums now hold the key to Martha Stewart's future...
endorsement, legal experts say. |
|
Why I Save Martha
by Andrew Ritchie
 I offer this glimpse into my personal past (and it is only just a glimpse at a magnitude of emotion and trauma he and I experienced in that time) because I want to convey to you the reason I help John Small with this site every day.
I help him because I have been in the shoes of Alexis Stewart. I have been in the shoes of a person who feels helpless as they watch someone they love endure month after month of finger-pointing, villification, humiliation and embarrassment - a person you love, accused of criminal activity when the facts in the case are either so murky or so trivial that you wonder why the world allows this to happen. You watch them, helpless, as they lose money, respect, friends and colleagues. And it breaks your heart. (Read More)
|
SaveMarthaTV
Find out why Martha has Envy LaBouche and her $50,000 worth of psychotherapy dialing 911...
Envy LaBouche, Helpless Homemaker...
Deconstructing Byron Vol. 22
From Wall Street to Main Street
By Andrew Ritchie
 1999 was a big year for Martha Stewart. It was the year she took her company public, signaling one of the most successful and promising initial public offerings (IPO) Wall Street had ever seen.
It was also the year she became wealthier than anyone had ever imagined, becoming America’s first self-made, female billionaire. It was an achievement that will forever place her in the history books as one of the most notable contributors to entrepreneurial business in America.
How Martha achieved that is the subject of this chapter, with Byron demonstrating relatively good behavior throughout. Byron makes a good attempt to bring things full circle in the chapter, noting how it had been 30 years between Martha’s career as a Wall Street stockbroker and her mind-blowing success as a media tycoon, driving her down the proverbial Main Street of success. (Read more)
Strange but true...
Are you a diva in waiting? Now's your chance
NBC's Today show is holding a search for "Today's Domestic Diva." To enter, you need to make a one-minute VHS videotape of yourself showing why you should be America's next domestic diva, demonstrating your range of domestic and home arts skills (cooking, decorating, gardening, arranging, etc.). Send it along with a 500-word essay about yourself, that tells the NBC judges why you think you are a domestic diva. Men can enter also. NBC will choose three finalists, who will face off on the Today show. All entries must be received by 5 p.
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Chris Byron, our Scrooge
by Andrew Ritchie
|
 Chris Byron, business columnist and author of the flaccid bio "Martha Inc.", has emerged as a kindof year-round Scrooge on the Martha Stewart scene, Bah-humbugging every aspect of her life from his little podium at the NY Post.
Byron's career, over the last few years at least, can be reduced to the title of "Martha head-hunter extraordinaire" - a pathetic, malicious job that involves digging up long-buried skeletons in Martha's past, spray-painting them fluorescent pink for shock value and putting them on display so slack-jawed onlookers can marvel in awe.
(Read More) |
|
How you can help Save Martha!
Dear Friends,
 If you are serious about saving Martha from the very real possibility of going to prison, please read this, because now is the time to take action. I was reading Newsweek recently and came across an article called "Prison Life: Advice for Martha." An aerial photo of the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut shows the place where Martha will likely be sent if she does not prevail in her appeal
The article tells of what prison life is like there, with 80 people in a room, no privacy, a facility that looks like a military barracks, where prisoners only get to make 15 minute phone calls which are recorded. Long days are filled with boring physical labor. It is not very pleasant. After all, it is a prison.
But that is not where Martha Stewart belongs. And that's where prosecutors want to send her. Why? In a true democracy, justice must be even-handed. We should not prosecute people just because they are rich, famous, or because we happen to not like them. That is exactly what is happening to Martha Stewart.
In spite of the fact that many similar cases have been settled civilly, with fines and sanctions, this case is being handled as a criminal matter. Martha was been tried and convicted in the court of public opinion even before the verdict was read. We have all seen the cruel Martha parodies of decorated jail cells , and even the depiction of Martha dreaming she was behind bars in the NBC TV movie. But the picture and description of the prison in Danbury really hit me. If prosecutors get their way, Martha Stewart could be living there for 10 to 2.0 months
Your help can make a difference
 With your help, we have been fighting to Save Martha for the past two years. Since Martha was indicted in early June, we have received millions of hits. Many of your e-mails to us have been published and quoted in media from Reuters to the AP, from the Washington Post to the NY Post.
Most of us believed this matter would have been settled in Martha's favor by now. But it has not.
It is quite obvious that prosecutors are serious about combating corporate crime; we applaud that effort. But we believe this is not the case that will restore our confidence in the system; in fact many of you have written in that it will do just the opposite. A backlash against the extreme measures being used to "Get Martha" is growing. Without a public demonstration of this feeling, that may not be enough. Now a sentencing date has been set for June 17th, 2004. If Martha does not prevail through her appeal or our petition for a pardon, she faces serious jail time.
You can support our ongoing campaign, either through a purchase or a donation. The save Martha campaign is entering it's third year, and we need your help to continue.
|
|
Forbes: Martha And Dennis: The Jurors We Deserve
Sign up | Sign Petition | Store Locator | Save Martha Radio | Mail | Free Stickers & Posters | CBS | WCBS NY | Viacom Local Networks | MarthaTalks.com | Martha Stewart Photos | To Do list | Chat
Make Saturday your Save Martha Day....
 Hi John.
My partner and I did our duty last Saturday and boughta basketful of Martha Stewart Living items from our local Kmart in Matamoras, PA. We live in NYC but have a weekend country house in Pennsylvania where every decoration idea that took place last year was preceded by the words.....
HOW WOULD MARTHA DO THIS?
Besides showing our support at Kmart I just renewed my Martha Stewart Living Magazine AND Everyday Food for another 2 years.
Thanks for all your hard work and keep it up!
Sincerely,
Buck Dietz
Thanks Buck, between your shopping and Linda Smith's hard work we will definitely win the battle to Save Martha!
John
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| The Latest News etc. |
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Reader Mail
Dear CBS,
I have watched Martha Stewart Living for more many years and I am greatly distressed that KSL dropped her program. I miss her show so much. I had set my schedule in the mornings when I could watch and would be very motivated by her show. This is an atrosity. A big joke to the American viewer who hates reruns and soap operas. I still can't believe that a woman who stands for such greatness in the American home life could be a felon. Only with political clout could we find guilt in such ridiculous charges that Martha Stewart faced. I wish there was something I could say that would encourage those who can to bring Martha Stewart Living back to Salt Lake City. There really is no justice in the world.
Sincerely,
Jeannette Antry
Dear Martha,
I wanted you to know that my sense of outrage over the blatent injustice of this ridiculous prosecution is overwhelming. I feel personally attacked by this travesty, as should all working women striving to be successful. Because that seems to be your real crime. And you did it so well. The backlash that comes from being so successful is so disappointing to accept.
I first heard about you from my daughter and future son-in-law about 15 years ago. They kept making references to you for everything about decorating, homemaking and good taste. As a home economics teacher, I wondered, "Who is this woman dominating our (home ec teacher) realm of expertise?" I soon found out that you took what we have been doing forever (without much recognition, I might add) and did it better. Not only that, but you raised the bar to staggering heights, making it chic and sophisticated.
My belief is you have done nothing wrong and my hope is that you will triumph in court. Please don't give up. You have my admiration and support.
Jacquelyn Caiola
POLISH-AMERICAN NONSOLIDARITY
The Polish-American silence in the Martha Stewart witch hunt is deafening--a state of affairs, alas, all too typical of our passive, 9-million-strong American Polonia.
It brings to mind events I experienced many years ago as a student in the Harvard Graduate School. In 1963 I was delighted to discover a prominent site on campus, near Memorial Hall, was called Kosciuszko Square (the area can be found so designated on older maps). And it was gratifying to find in the Kosciuszko Square, not far from buildings in which revolutionary troops were housed and Christ Church, where George Washington once prayed, a stone monument commemorating the role of Tadeusz Kosciuszko in the founding of the United States of America.
In the early 1970s the roadways comprising Kosciuszko Square were put underground and supplanted by a grassy mall. One imagined the new mall would be named after Kosciuszko. But that was not to be. Poland's contribution to the American Revolution was not deemed of sufficient importance. The mall would no longer honor Kosciuszko.
I wrote Harvard's then President pointing out the inappropriateness of this change and was dutifully notified that the stone monument commemorating Kosciuszko had been moved, "with due ceremony," to the Cambridge Common--then a god-forsaken tract adjacent to the Harvard campus known as a locus for muggings and other anti-social acts.
I daresay if Kosciuszko Square had instead been "Einstein Square," Harvard University's move to banish Einstein to Siberia would quickly have been reversed--and rightly so. The University's vocal Jewish and scientific constituencies would not have tolerated it. There was, I must hasten to add, a palpable Polish presence at Harvard--among faculty, students and staff--during the episode I describe. Yet mine was probably the only Polish-American voice raised in protest.
One wonders whether the government would have pursued Martha Stewart quite so fanatically had she been of some other ethnicity. Can President Bush afford the luxury of ignoring Polish-American opinion on this issue in light of the close election soon to take place? A petition asking the President to pardon Martha Stewart may be found online at www.savemartha.com. Please consider adding your name. Jeszcze Marta nie zginela poki my zyjemy!
Ferdinand Gajewski, PhD
Westfield, NJ
Did April Fools day come early this year?
More than a few readers e-mailed us this morning to complain about Fox News Roger Friedman's latest item. He is alleging that Martha Stewart is so organized that she has already hired an inmate at Danbury Correctional to "watch her back." We sympathize that real news about Martha Stewart is very hard to come by since the trial ended, but is this either fair, balanced or necessary? Keep it up Roger, and Martha fans just might have to hire a few inmates to make you a nice little orange jumpsuit...
Martha Stewart: Buying Jail Buddies in Advance? FoxNews
by Roger Friedman
According to my sources, Stewart — who is convinced she will definitely be sent to Danbury Correctional Institution in Danbury, Conn. — is taking no chances on her prison stay. She has apparently sought out and found an inmate who is already incarcerated there and willing to work for her. This woman, who is serving time for embezzlement, is supposed to be Martha's eyes and ears — sort of a glorified assistant — during what could be a 16-month run in the big house, sources said.
In yet another strange item...
NewYorkish reveals how to write love letters to Sam Waksal in jail, via a link to the online inmate database. In case you didn't know, these days it's really funny when other people go to jail, and it makes you seem really cool to post all kinds of snarky stuff about it on your little website. And it's totally harmless, except for when the Jugde bars the media from your jury selection because some website posts information about the juror questionnaire in spite of a court order that intended to keep it a secret.
Glee for Martha's suffering reflects badly on U.S.
"America seems almost gleeful to see her suffer. This is not just about where Martha went wrong; there is something here about where America has gone wrong. Martha Stewart was indicted and convicted by a court of law, but there is another trial, and another punishment, that America is meting out to her. Psychically, she is being stoned in the town square, and not because of her insider trading. She is being stoned because people don’t like her. Because people cannot resist projecting onto her an ancient suspicion of powerful women. Because she is not the personality they think that she should be."
Diva Down: What the rest of us have to fear from the fall of Martha--Reason
by Elizabeth Koch
If scoring one for the little guy was this jury's priority, the dispensers of justice should have thought a few steps ahead. Or just observed their surroundings. Because from the instant the government made Stewart its corporate fall gal—even without the help of insider trading laws—Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO) shareholders have watched their fortunes evaporate.
Update: In the wake of Martha's letter being widely published we are getting a high volume of e-mail and phone calls from people who would like to write to Judge Cedarbaum on Martha's behalf. Martha's letter asks her personal friends and business associates to write letters and send them to her attorneys, who will handle forwarding the appropriate letters to Judge Cedarbaum. This is why we have removed the Judge's mailing address from this site so as not to inundate her with excess mail.
Please send your letters to Hon. Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum, c/o Martha's attorney to this address:
Robert G. Morvillo
565 Fifth Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10017
So what else can you do? Lots. Participate in a MeetUp on Saturday, April 3. Sign the petition. Print it out and have others sign it, then mail it in. Shop online at MarthaStewart.com. Send us information about your local TV station and cable operator for our new contact pages. Vote in the Ms. Magazine poll. See our full To Do list to see how you can pitch in. Help us win hearts and minds, and we can Save Martha!
Note: The chatroom and message boards are under renovation until we can install a more user friendly system.ve
Stewart case demonstrates absurdity of sentencing guidelines --PasadenaStarNews
MARTHA STEWART is calling on her friends to write testimonial letters to Judge Miriam Cedarbaum. She asks them to "please include your opinion of my character, my work ethic, my integrity and my probity.' I'm not one of Stewart's friends. We've never met. But I do have an opinion of her character, based on a personal encounter once removed.
Is It a Crime to Keep Quiet? Cato Institute
Martha Stewart's conviction has drawn attention to the obscure federal law that makes it a crime to lie to investigators. Until Stewart's high-profile prosecution, most people were under the mistaken impression that it is only a crime to lie under oath. Legal experts are now saying it is too risky for citizens to speak with investigators. The New York Times quotes white-collar defense lawyer Seth Taube: "You have an absolute right in this republic not to talk to the government." Only one problem: That may no longer be the case.
Appeal Watch: Attorney Robert Morvillo said he will take Martha's case to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, which just happens to be headed by Chief Judge John Walker. In an odd coincidence, Judge Walker was appointed to the 2nd Circuit by President George H.W. Bush, who is also his cousin. Like both of the Bush presidents, he also attended Yale, and the Bush family resemblance is uncanny. So between our petition to President Bush and Martha's appeal to his cousin's court, it appears that two Bush family Yale alums now hold the key to Martha Stewart's future...
endorsement, legal experts say. |
|
Why I Save Martha
by Andrew Ritchie
I offer this glimpse into my personal past (and it is only just a glimpse at a magnitude of emotion and trauma he and I experienced in that time) because I want to convey to you the reason I help John Small with this site every day.
I help him because I have been in the shoes of Alexis Stewart. I have been in the shoes of a person who feels helpless as they watch someone they love endure month after month of finger-pointing, villification, humiliation and embarrassment - a person you love, accused of criminal activity when the facts in the case are either so murky or so trivial that you wonder why the world allows this to happen. You watch them, helpless, as they lose money, respect, friends and colleagues. And it breaks your heart. (Read More)
|
SaveMarthaTV
Find out why Martha has Envy LaBouche and her $50,000 worth of psychotherapy dialing 911...
Envy LaBouche, Helpless Homemaker...
Deconstructing Byron Vol. 22
From Wall Street to Main Street
By Andrew Ritchie
1999 was a big year for Martha Stewart. It was the year she took her company public, signaling one of the most successful and promising initial public offerings (IPO) Wall Street had ever seen.
It was also the year she became wealthier than anyone had ever imagined, becoming America’s first self-made, female billionaire. It was an achievement that will forever place her in the history books as one of the most notable contributors to entrepreneurial business in America.
How Martha achieved that is the subject of this chapter, with Byron demonstrating relatively good behavior throughout. Byron makes a good attempt to bring things full circle in the chapter, noting how it had been 30 years between Martha’s career as a Wall Street stockbroker and her mind-blowing success as a media tycoon, driving her down the proverbial Main Street of success. (Read more)
Strange but true...
Are you a diva in waiting? Now's your chance
NBC's Today show is holding a search for "Today's Domestic Diva." To enter, you need to make a one-minute VHS videotape of yourself showing why you should be America's next domestic diva, demonstrating your range of domestic and home arts skills (cooking, decorating, gardening, arranging, etc.). Send it along with a 500-word essay about yourself, that tells the NBC judges why you think you are a domestic diva. Men can enter also. NBC will choose three finalists, who will face off on the Today show. All entries must be received by 5 p.
|
Chris Byron, our Scrooge
by Andrew Ritchie
|
Chris Byron, business columnist and author of the flaccid bio "Martha Inc.", has emerged as a kindof year-round Scrooge on the Martha Stewart scene, Bah-humbugging every aspect of her life from his little podium at the NY Post.
Byron's career, over the last few years at least, can be reduced to the title of "Martha head-hunter extraordinaire" - a pathetic, malicious job that involves digging up long-buried skeletons in Martha's past, spray-painting them fluorescent pink for shock value and putting them on display so slack-jawed onlookers can marvel in awe.
(Read More) |
|
How you can help Save Martha!
Dear Friends,
If you are serious about saving Martha from the very real possibility of going to prison, please read this, because now is the time to take action. I was reading Newsweek recently and came across an article called "Prison Life: Advice for Martha." An aerial photo of the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut shows the place where Martha will likely be sent if she does not prevail in her appeal
The article tells of what prison life is like there, with 80 people in a room, no privacy, a facility that looks like a military barracks, where prisoners only get to make 15 minute phone calls which are recorded. Long days are filled with boring physical labor. It is not very pleasant. After all, it is a prison.
But that is not where Martha Stewart belongs. And that's where prosecutors want to send her. Why? In a true democracy, justice must be even-handed. We should not prosecute people just because they are rich, famous, or because we happen to not like them. That is exactly what is happening to Martha Stewart.
In spite of the fact that many similar cases have been settled civilly, with fines and sanctions, this case is being handled as a criminal matter. Martha was been tried and convicted in the court of public opinion even before the verdict was read. We have all seen the cruel Martha parodies of decorated jail cells , and even the depiction of Martha dreaming she was behind bars in the NBC TV movie. But the picture and description of the prison in Danbury really hit me. If prosecutors get their way, Martha Stewart could be living there for 10 to 2.0 months
Your help can make a difference
With your help, we have been fighting to Save Martha for the past two years. Since Martha was indicted in early June, we have received millions of hits. Many of your e-mails to us have been published and quoted in media from Reuters to the AP, from the Washington Post to the NY Post.
Most of us believed this matter would have been settled in Martha's favor by now. But it has not.
It is quite obvious that prosecutors are serious about combating corporate crime; we applaud that effort. But we believe this is not the case that will restore our confidence in the system; in fact many of you have written in that it will do just the opposite. A backlash against the extreme measures being used to "Get Martha" is growing. Without a public demonstration of this feeling, that may not be enough. Now a sentencing date has been set for June 17th, 2004. If Martha does not prevail through her appeal or our petition for a pardon, she faces serious jail time.
You can support our ongoing campaign, either through a purchase or a donation. The save Martha campaign is entering it's third year, and we need your help to continue.
|
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