So, unless you've been off visiting another planet, you probably have heard of Martha Stewart's legal battle and her subsequent prison term. There was actually a "Save Martha" website, Martha Stewart tee shirts...
and even a book or two like, Let's Get Martha! : How the Feds Went Crime Shopping, by Alexandra Mark Ph.D.
Here's a quote from the book
"Not since the French Revolution has there been such a delight in seeing corporate heads fall. But unlike other CEO’s who had bilked their companies out of millions of dollars, Martha Stewart was targeted, prosecuted and imprisoned solely because of who she is and not for what she had done. Shares in her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia dropped precipitously only when the Justice Department indicted her.
But the prosecution admitted unabashedly that they intended to make an example of her as a deterrent to white collar crime. Love her or hate her, Martha’s case was all about her celebrity.The story of how the feds first attacked her reputation, and then brought her down for nothing more than retuning a phone call to her broker, is a chilling reminder that out-of-control prosecutors and courts are something we all need to be concerned with.
"According to news stories the homemaking diva was sentenced to five months in prison and two years probation in July of 2004 for lying to investigators about her sale of ImClone Systems stock in late 2001.
Can you remember anything you did or said specifically from 2001? I know I can't. I have a hard enough time remembering where I put my car keys.
Federal Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum ordered Stewart to serve five months of home confinement after release from prison and slapped a $30,000 fine on top of that. Well, Martha served her time under the watchful eye of the media. She's had her share of jokes from Letterman and Leno and the minor league talk show hosts.
But guess what? Martha is doing just fine. She's still a savvy business woman and came out positive and ready to take on the next challenge.
"I had hoped for, at the most, some confinement, community service," Stewart told Barbara Walters in an interview. "And instead I have five months of incarceration, and five months of house arrest that's monitored. ... But it could have been worse...
Five months versus 10 months or 16 months ... That's a good thing."
When all is said and done, ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING.
I heard this week a great quote from Jim Rohn. He originally heard it from his mentor I think maybe 45 years ago. Well, it's still true today.
Here it is:"Your income is determined by your PHILOSOPHY, not by the economy."
Think about it.
Martha Stewart isn't the only celeb to be jerked around and tarred and feathered in public in an attempt to disgrace her reputation and credibility, and "put her in her place."
The Federal government "players," I like to call them to keep it clean, always claim to be watching out for the "little guy," the "common folks." Trying to position themselves as our guardian angels.
But if they put the big guy out of business, the "little guy" doesn't have a job, health insurance, a pension or any other benefits and will be out selling apples on a street corner like they did in 1929.
So, and this is a pet peeve of mine, here comes another Congressional hearing. It's broadcast on television, sound bitten on the national news and waved around as if it were the crucial stop-gap measure to prevent the end of the world as we know it.
The Senators drag someone into their kangaroo court and use it as a bully pulpit to rant and rave in the name of social justice or to grandstand with some mini-political speech.
If you didn't already know, here's what a kangaroo court is defined as:"an unofficial or mock court set up spontaneously for the purpose of delivering a judgment arrived at in advance, usually one in which a disloyal cohort’s fate is decided"
The Washington Post reports "Finger-pointing," like "partisanship" or "influence-peddling," is one of those ubiquitous Washington pastimes that is done only by other people. They play "the blame game" in order to "score political points…"
Here's a few names you'll recognize for falling victim to this perfectly legal national crime.
Bill Gates, Henry Ford, Howard Hughes, baseball's Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, Rafael Palmero.
For example, Howard Hughes is busy supplying vital equipment to the U.S. military after a terrorist attack on Pearl Harbor plunged America into World War II.
He is accused of corruption and called on the carpet by a federal investigating committee. Hughes leaks information to the press that Senator Owen Brewster, chairman of the Senate War Investigating Committee was being paid by none other than Pan American Airways to cause trouble.
According to Hughes, Pan Am was trying to persuade the United States government to set up an "official" worldwide monopoly under its control. Part of this plan was to force all existing American carriers with overseas operations to close down or merge with Pan Am.
Hughes, as the owner of TWA, wasn't going for it. Hughes claimed that Senator Brewster had approached him and suggested he merge TWA with Pan Am. When Hughes refused, Senator Brewster began a smear campaign against him.
Check out this 1974 headline. "Ford and GM Scrutinized for Alleged Nazi Collaboration.
The Ford Motor Co. has mobilized dozens of historians, lawyers and researchers to fight a civil case brought by lawyers in Washington and New York who specialize in extracting large cash settlements from banks and insurance companies accused of defrauding Holocaust victims"
Bottom line? As the Proverbs say, there is nothing new under the sun. Power, greed and publicity do strange things to a man (or woman).
However, you have a choice. Integrity, fair dealings and honesty in an unfair world are still your best option. Be a positive force in your world of influence.
As Mark Twain said, "Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest." So here's to you Martha. Keep fighting the good fight.
Disclaimer: I confess that some congressional hearings may actually benefit the American public, although I can't prove it.
No comments:
Post a Comment