On 8 Mar 2004 17:38:28 -0800,
[email protected] (Mike Walton)
arranged random neurons, so they looked like this:
>Let he who would not sell stock on a tip, cast the first
>stone. Did Martha Stewart lie? Of course she did. Did she
>have any choice. Absolutely not.
Are you nuts? She didn't have a choice? Let's just suppose,
for the sake of argument, that, when whatever governmental
entity first inquired, she had slapped her cheeks, looked
chagrined, and said, "Oh, my God! What was I thinking?
You're absolutely right! That was an insider thingy, wasn't
it? Oh, please, please, forgive me!" You think she'd be
facing jail time now? I don't *think* so. A hefty fine, yes,
but nothing worse, IMHO.
>Would anybody who has been caught smoking pot, claim that
>he or she is guilty of trafficking. Of course not. Clearly,
>no self respecting Prosecutor would expect Martha Stewart
>to tell the truth, under the circumstances, and any
>suggestion that Martha Stewart deserves to go to jail for
>lying is absolutely preposterous.
Oh, I see - we have our tongue firmly in our cheek, do we?
At least, I hope so.
>
>Make no mistake about it, Martha Stewart was not
>prosecuted, she was entrapped.
Let me define the legal word, "entrapment": n. in criminal
law, the act of law enforcement officers or government
agents inducing or encouraging a person to commit a crime
when the potential criminal expresses a desire not to go
ahead. The key to entrapment is whether the idea for the
commission or encouragement of the criminal act originated
with the police or government agents instead of with the
"criminal." Entrapment, if proved, is a defense to a
criminal prosecution. The accused often claims entrapment
in so-called "stings" in which undercover agents buy or
sell narcotics, prostitutes' services or arrange to
purchase goods believed to be stolen. The factual question
is: Would Johnny Begood have purchased the drugs if not
pressed by the narc?
Now, IIRC, Martha voluntarily lied. Was not induced to lie.
Was not refusing to recant the lie, no? Thus, no
"entrapment." Puhleeze.
>
>The jury that convicted Martha Stewart harbors the delusion
>that they have sent a message to the little investor, but
>the exact opposite is in fact true. The jury sent the clear
>message that if you have Republican connections and you lie
>to the American people [somebody like John Poindexter] the
>Federal Government will hire you. If you are Democrat like
>Martha Stewart, you will be entrapped.
I am as big a liberal Democrat as the next person, but I
believe you are mixing apples and oranges. I infer that you
are referring to Ken Lay, et al? Charges are still being
teed up, and if nothing happens to these miscreants, maybe
President Kerry can take care of the little beggars.
>
>The business of America is business, and Marthe Stewart is
>the very best. This witchhunt has sent the clear message
>that if you are an intelligent business person, and you do
>the right thing [tell a little white lie to protect your
>stockholders] the Federal Government will destroy you.
"...do the right thing (tell a little white lie to protect
your stockholders)..."?? Are you nuts? You really think
Martha lied to agents of the federal government for her
*stockholders* benefit? And you really think this was a
"little white lie"? A "little white lie" is when I tell my
DH that his gawdawful haircut looks good on him, not that
I didn't get insider information to sell a stock that's
going to tank.
>I think the idiots who targeted Martha Stewart and turned
>the world of the little investors who relied on the value
>of her company stock, upside down, are as guilty as
>Enron's, Ken Lay is. If Martha Stewart spends a single day
>in jail, the do-nothing regime of an idiotic administration
>that is screwing the small investor, should collapse even
>faster than Howard Dean did.
So, just how much Martha stock do you own? You cannot
*begin* to compare Ken Lay with Martha Stewart. Lay's
actions destroyed people's lives and, I daresay, a LOT of
Enron's investors were "little investors." I have a feeling
that we're on the same approximate political page, but
Martha lied and lies have consequences. Ken Lay will have
his own particular level of hell with which to deal, I do so
dearly hope.
Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA
"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret
had been as old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had
been as full as the waitress', it would have been a very
good dinner." Anonymous.
To reply, remove replace "shcox" with "cox"
