I'm like Mandela: Martha Stewart

[quaoar]

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1090059374148&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968705899037&tacodalogin=no


BY ERIN MCCLAM
ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — First, Martha Stewart declared she is used to hard work and is not afraid of prison.

Later, in an interview with ABC News, the homemaking expert repeated that she would be able to handle it and compared her plight to that of anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela.

"I could do it," she said, according to excerpts released by ABC late Friday. "I'm a really good camper. I can sleep on the ground. There are many, many good people who have gone to prison. Look at Nelson Mandela."

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

1. Give me a fucking break. Comparing herself with Mandela?

What a demented bitch.

[Cha]

36. She's not comparing herself to Nelson Mandela...

Martha is saying good people have gone to jail...I sure as hell would not like to be going to prison..probably trying to make herself feel better.

ON EDIT~ the title of this thread does not equal what she said...sorry, it's decieving.

[gristy]

66. She sure as hell is comparing herself to Mandela

"I could do it," she said, according to excerpts released by ABC late Friday. "I'm a really good camper. I can sleep on the ground. There are many, many good people who have gone to prison. Look at Nelson Mandela."

She's a good "camper" (i.e. person)
Many good people have gone to Prison
Nelson Mandela (a good person) has gone to prison

ergo, Stewart is like Mandela

What a colossal piece of shit.

[tishaLA]

79. When she said camper...

she meant "one who camps out," not a good person. That's why it says "I can sleep on the ground," as some do when camping, after she declares herself a good camper. It was perfectly clear in the interview last night.

[Seabiscuit]

88. Like Nelson Mandela?

So what happened to Martha's nappy hair?

[quaoar]

78. The title of this thread

Is the title of the news article it links to.

And my understanding of the rules of this forum is that that is a requirement.

[SemperEadem]

44. non sequitur

she's talking about good people who've been wrongly imprisoned. I don't think she was putting it in the same context out of which you want to take it.

[mstrsplinter326]

2. She's really unraveling mentally

I bet she's so anal-retentive, a psychologist would be scared.

[demoman123]

3. St Martha of Housewares

"Choking back tears and pleading for leniency, Martha Stewart was sentenced to five months in prison Friday for lying about a stock sale. But the woman who saw her gracious homemaking empire crippled over a single transaction smiled boldly into the cameras outside to denounce her treatment, pitch her company and vow: 'I'll be back.'"

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040717/ap_on_bi_ge/martha_stewart&cid=509&ncid=716

This is just soooo.....Martha!

[Anwen]

4. In her defense...

I saw the interview. Nowhere did she say "I'm like Mandela" as the article implies. She was talking about good people who have had to spend time in prison, and mentioned his name. She wasn't entertaining delusions that she was somehow just like Nelson Mandela.

[quaoar]

7. Then why

Did she bring him up?
She was suggesting that she is a good person who must go to jail and mentioned other good people who have gone to jail. Such as Mandela.
That sounds like a comparison to me.

[SemperEadem]

46. because he is an example of a good person who was wrongly imprisoned

she has a right to consider herself a good person wrongly imprisoned... Frankly, I don't know of any person who doesn't when in the same position. No one wants to do time in prison.

waiting on her to throw herself at our collective feet and grovel demonstrates where the "dementia" is truly located.

[Tomee450]

50. I see nothing wrong

in her mentioning Mandella. He was treated unfairly but survived. If Martha feels she was persecuted also, I can see why Mandella would come to mind.

[Puglover]

71. She was trying to say that

if Mandela can do 27 YEARS she can do 5 months. I wonder how many of you Martha haters actually watched the fuckin interview.

[KC21304]

9. I agree. We shouldn't repeat made up stuff here.

We see enough of that made up stuff from the Freepers.

I think Martha has gotten a raw deal. Just my .02

[pacalo]

31. So do I. Ken Lay hasn't gotten the same scrutiny by the press;wonder why?

[Tomee450]

52. I agree and

I've noticed that many of the male pundits have been especially hard on Martha.

[Booster]

91. Also, gloating over Martha's jail time and

calling her names just shows that liberals are no better than freepers when it comes to hate. Just say to yourself "she was convicted of lying about a crime that she wasn't charged with".
That sentence should scare the s..t out of all of us cause any one of us could be set up in the exact same way. Give her a break. She's lost more money than you and I will ever see and she's going to jail; isn't that enough for you haters?

[quaoar]

92. But

Don't we get to gloat when Jeff Skilling and Ken Lay go to the slammer?
And Ken Lay is charged with lying to investors -- offenses that are not central to Enron's collapse. And he's lost more money than I'll ever see in my lifetime.

Maybe the poor guy has suffered enough.

[Hoping4Change]

16. Mandala went to prison fighting for a principle, Martha for a crime.

Martha insults all those who have devoted their life to others and have suffered unjustly at the hands of an unjust state.

[Anwen]

24. She wasn't comparing his life accomplishments to hers.

Simply that they were both good people who had to spend time behind bars.

She could have used a better example, perhaps, but I still think people are reading way too much into her statement.

[Hoping4Change]

32. A person who lies is not good. .

The word good becomes meaningless if people who lie can still claim to be good.

[Anwen]

41. That's a really black and white view of people.

Everybody has lied at some point in their lifetime. So that would mean...everybody is bad? I don't believe that.

[Hoping4Change]

54. Martha may well be a good cook, as good a cook as

Julia Child but I am not using good in that sense. I am using good in the sense of moral excellence.

Mandala embodies moral excellence, Martha does not.

[Anwen]

59. Martha never claimed to have the same moral excellence as Mandala.

I'm sure Martha would agree with you that she is not anywhere near Mandala's moral excellence. She was only meaning to say that good people do end up in jail. That is all!

[Tomee450]

53. Oh, so

you have never lied? None of your friends have never lied either? There is no one on the planet who has not lied and especially in moments of panic. Are you saying that anyone who has lied is not a good person?

[Hoping4Change]

55. I am using good in the sense of moral excellence.

Mandala embodies moral excellence, Martha does not.

[Piperay]

61. and Martha

never claimed to have 'moral excellence' she said she was a good person and never claimed it in the 'moral excellence' sense.

[Hoping4Change]

64. Indirectly she did by invoking Mandala's name.

[Piperay]

58. Give me a break...

cause then I guess there is not a single good person in this World, because I would like to know of one person who has not lied at sometime in there life. Whether a person lies to get out of going somewhere or lies to cover your ass, lies are lies.

[SOS]

74. If every American

who has ever lied to cover their ass were imprisoned, the streets would be empty.
We could get half the country in jail just based on tax returns.

[Carolina]

82. there are lies and there are LIES ...

we recognize degrees of MURDER for heaven's sake. You cannot simply say a person who lies is not good. We all tell little lies at some point, yet surely there is some good among us!

I like Martha and think she's gotten a bum deal compared with other corporate criminals. She is after all an uppity Democratic woman. Right now, however, she should SHUT UP. And I'm surprised her attorney hasn't muzzled her. Her sentence is going to be appealed and the less she says the better. She only provides grist for the pundit/24 hour vacuous news mill and perhaps bad feelings among the legal eagles who'll be hearing her appeal.

[Cha]

39. That's exactly what I thought!

[Rose Siding]

5. The Star's headline is a lie.

Her point wasn't to compare herself to him but to use him as an example in saying not everyone in prison is 'bad'.

God, they just chew 'em up like gum.

[Cocoa]

8. but the lie will be repeated

over and over and over and over...

Like Gore saying he invented the Internet. People are STILL uttering that lie.

[Hoping4Change]

17. She committed crime, he didn't.

[Rose Siding]

19. She didn't 'commit' what the headline charges her with

That's the point I made.

[quaoar]

20. She didn't use those words

That's certainly true. But she is drawing a comparison. Otherwise, why mention his name?

[Rose Siding]

22. So a bunch of stangers could

parse her meaning at their leisure?

Seriously, I imagine she's trying to shore herself up for what she's facing. It's what I'd do. Other posts here by those who saw the interview can better explain that she wasn't drawing any kind of direct comparison between herself and Mandela.

She was convicted of a crime. She's going to jail. It's enough.

[scarletwoman]

34. She was NOT "drawing a comparison!

Notice that the article doesn't actually use direct quotes -- the piece and the headline are DISTORTIONS.

I happened to catch exactly that part of the interview and what she was actually saying was something to effect that she knew that going to jail was just something that she had to face and deal with. And that, after all, it was ONLY for 5 months. Then she said "My God, look at Nelson Mandela, HE survived 27 YEARS in prison!" The CLEAR context was that while she was not happy about going to prison, a mere 5 months was certainly survivable.

What initiated this response in the first place was a question by Walters about whether Martha was still "afraid" of being in prison, which is something she had said to Walters in an earlier interview. Martha was explaining how she had essentially "bucked up" over the notion, and now knew she could get through it.

sw

[Puglover]

73. EXACTLY!

Wow...someone else on this thread who actually SAW the goddamn interview! I love it when people on this thread bitch and acream about the lies that the right perpetuates about Kerry etc. and then turn right around and do the same thing based on their biases.

[scarletwoman]

81. Thanks!

This thread made me want to pull my hair out! Un-cheneying-believable! :grr:

sw

[Fridays Child]

27. You're right but the headline is still disingenuous.

eom

[Hoping4Change]

30. I don't think the headline is misleading at all.

She says that Mandala is a good person who wound up in prison.

Mandala is indeed good because he told the truth. Martha cannont claim that about herself. Martha is bad because she told a lie.

[SemperEadem]

51. It certainly is misleading

it has taken a comment she made totally out of context to incite people who are already predisposed to hate Martha on cue. The headline lies.

Within the context of what she meant, she was not comparing herself to Mandela in terms of "goodness undeserving of persecution". She said that she steeled herself to do her 5 month sentence and that if someone like Mandela, who was totally persecuted for his beliefs with 27 years of incarceration, can do his time, then she can withstand 5 months of unpleasantness and serve her sentence. Period.

[KC21304]

70. Martha is a bad person because she told a lie ?

Then there are no good people on this earth.

[Puglover]

72. Uh....

I think everyone gets your point.

[dbackjon]

6. Misleading headline

Martha did not compare herself to Nelson Mandela - I saw the interview myself.

The article cuts off her quote, where she noted that Mandela had spent 20+ years in prison - to her 5 months.
Basically, she was saying it is not the end of the world.

[AbbeyRoad]

15. Exactly right

She was basically saying that if Nelson Mandela could survive 27 years in prison, she surely could get through 5 months. She was using him as an example of extreme courage in facing the prospect of being imprisoned.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

21. To Abbey Road: Hi, fellow Beatles fan!

[AbbeyRoad]

23. Hi back at ya, SCRUBDASHRUB

:hi:

[mongo]

10. I'd be pretty resentful if I was her

They convicted her for lying to Federal investigators. Isn't that what Clinton did when he said "I did not have sex with that woman"?

I'm not trying to get myself in trouble here. I just think that they convicted her on a trumped-up bullshit charge when they couldn't prove a better case on her.

[quaoar]

11. That's fairly common

It how they managed to indict Ken Lay, as well -- for lying to investors.

[AP]

12. Martha thinks prison is like camping? Uh oh.

[demoman123]

35. Well, it IS kinda like camping...

Only with bars and body cavity searches and big ugly girls who want to be your husband. :)

[tishaLA]

80. I believe she was trying to downplay its significance

I believe some of her enemies relish any fodder they can imagine about the indignities she will have to suffer, like anyone else in prison. Martha was not going to cooperate with Ms. Walter's desire to make it a funereal event.

[genius]

13. She took the hit because she's a Democrat. Bush and Cheny are still

free though they did what they claimed she did. The prime witness was nailed for perjury. Her only crime was being a Democrat like us. So have a little respect or no one will come to your defense when they get you.

[KittyWampus]

40. NONSENSE<This BS Of Martha Getting Nailed Cause She's A Democrat

really ought to stop.

Her only crime was illegally covering up evidence... and she was convicted for it.

A jury found her guilty.

And since I can give you a great example of a great BIG Democrat who DIDN'T Get nailed (Terry McCauliff/Global Crossing) that handily blows this stupid theory to smitherens.

[fortyfeetunder]

93. Jury, schmury

So a jury found Martha guilty. So what? Many juries have concluded innocent people guilty of a crime, some of those accused ended up being the execution of the day. I believe in the jury system but I do think the whole process is flawed.

But did anyone remember the juror who was interviewed after Martha's trial, and he said, they were looking for a reason to convict her? Yeah, after I heard that, I knew the woman was being nailed to a cross. So I support Martha's right to an appeal.

[AP]

14. "I've tossed a few salads in my day...I hear that's 90% of prison life"

says Martha Stewart.

[stepnw1f]

18. What a Diversion

Must we gossip about Martha when we have Corporate male criminals who have done far worse to America?

[quaoar]

25. Here's the ABC story

as posted on AOL news:

Stewart Compares Herself to Nelson Mandela
‘I Didn’t Cheat Anybody,’ She Says in Interview After Jail Sentence

ABCNews
(July 16) -- In her first interview after a federal judge sentenced her to five months in prison, Martha Stewart told Barbara Walters that she cheated no one and compared her ordeal to that of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela.



AOL even has a poll asking people what they think about Martha comparing herself to Mandela

[scarletwoman]

37. God, what BULLSHIT!

Of course, no one bothers to post an actual TRANSCRIPT of her exact words, which were NOT about "comaparing" herself to Mandela.

FUCK all the idiots that take this distortion at face value instead of looking for the truth!

sw

[quaoar]

38. Speaking of which

ABC News has Martha as their quote of the day:

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/FrontPage/popoff/DailyNews/QuoteOfTheDay/index.html

[glitch]

77. Agreed!

Much as I hate to bump this thread, I had to agree with you Scarletwoman.

[Walt Starr]

26. She IS like Mandela

This is a purely political prosecution and she is a political prisoner of George w. Bush!

I supprt her 100%. She deserves a new trial. The fucked up judge would not allow the fact that she's never been charged with the crime she's accused of lying about, which is totally fucked up!

How can somebody lie about a crime that didn't happen?M This scapegoating political trial only happened because Martha is a strong Democratic woman, and for NO OTHER REASON!

[quaoar]

28. If she had refused to talk

to investigators, she would have been better off.

Lying to investigators, just like obstruction of justice, is a crime whether the thing being investigated is a crime or not.

Sometimes prosecutors file that sort of charge because it is easier to prove to a jury than a charge involving complicated financial transactions.

[Walt Starr]

29. She said she was not guilty

she was never charged with the crime she said she was not guilty of. The fucked up reichwing judge in the case woudl not let the jury HEAR that she was never charged with the crime she said she was not guilty of.

The trial was a setup. The prosecutions's star witness LIED and was CHARGED AND CONVICTED OF PERJURY.

She is a POLITICAL PRISONER!

[quaoar]

33. As I recall

The government witness who lied was testifying about something involving a charge that the jury did not convict her on.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong on that.

[AP]

42. He perjured himself about when he first saw the evidence, or something

inconsequential like that. And you're right, IIRC: this was a piece of evidence that related to a charge against the M-L broker, and he wasn't convicted of it.

[Kipepeo]

95. She is not a Political Prisoner

in my opinion. I'm sorry, but calling her a political prisoner I think belittles the struggles of the very real political prisoners who have been and are being held across the world for merely expressing an idea that their government does not agree with.

That's what a political prisoner is: someone imprisoned or held under house arrest, etc, for expressing an idea that is at odds with the government....or bringing to light abuses by the government that they would rather keep hidden.

I cringe when I read Martha Stewart and Political Prisoner in the same sentence because I think it makes a mockery of the term and of the hard work that organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch do to highlight theses cases.

I don't have an opinion one way or the other on Martha Stewart's guilt or innocence of this crime, but I do acknowledge that the media has been eager to jump all over her and I think that has to do with the fact that she's a powerful woman and a democrat to boot, yes. I can hear the sexism in a lot of their voices, practically dripping with glee that she was convicted. I *do* think it's a sham that Dubya and others can get away with much larger crimes (and it's taken them forever to even indict Ken Lay, for example) but I don't think that is some kind of argument for overlooking whether or not she is guilty or innocent.

I just can't get too worked up about her situation, when I know there are thousands upon thousands of people who are in much more dire circumstances for the crime of simple free speech, or for advancing the cause of human rights. They are far more deserving of my attention and letter-writing, etc, and they don't get the kind of mainstream attention a rich American celebrity gets.

[Bluebear]

43. AP shame on you. This headline is totally misleading.

[Cha]

47. Can we expect any better of AP?

Aren't they continuously tearing down the Dems and building up the repigs? And what's their agenda?

We should let them know what we think of their yellow journalistic headlines!!

[quaoar]

49. The headline

is from The Toronto Star (on an AP story)

Of course, ABC News and AOL have similar headlines.

[Cha]

67. This what democrats.com has to say about AP..

"AP Distorts Kerry Statements, Claims Senator Backs Bush's Preemptive Strike Policy
We have spotted a new attack plan being tried by the BushMedia stategists: Push liberals toward Nader (to whose campaign the GOP has donated thousands) by making it appear that Kerry is as hawkish as Bush & Co. and thus that there is "very little difference" between Kerry and Bush. This AP (A.merican P.ropaganda) headline reads: Kerry backs much of preemptive doctrine" is completely distorted. Here is the statement it is based on: "Am I prepared as president to go get them before they get us if we locate them and have the sufficient intelligence? You bet I am." 'Go get them' as in send special forces in, no doubt. Not as in bombing the hell out an entire country. Last time we looked, there was a HUGE difference. In coming days, expect to see this distortion played up, followed by renewed calls of "there's no difference between the Dems and GOP."

http://www.democrats.com

[LizW]

86. Yes! You have to ask yourself - what's the agenda?

And I bet some of the same people who fall for the distortion of Martha Stewart's words and bash her without watching the entire interview will whine and cry when AP does the same to Kerry and Edwards.

[fujiyama]

87. I agree with this

assertion. AP has either bashed Kerry almost outright in editotials masquerading as ordinary articles or they have tried to diminish differences between him and Bush to push liberals over to Nader and third parties.

The AP is subtle in their ways, but there is a definite bias. Notice, their poll was the only one to not show a post Edwards bounce. Now, the bounce may not have been huge, but it made little sense to show Kerry losing to Bush after the pick.

The NYTimes feeds are also similar. The agenda is clear -- Bush must be reelected. Whatever liberal media that existed is dead. It's all the same corporate controlled propaganda.

[OKNancy]

48. plastic

just remember that it is the AP's fault and not the poster of the article.

[Bluebear]

69. Yes I saw that

That's why I said AP. One would expect more from the media...oops maybe not =)

[Jack Rabbit]

45. With all due respect ot Ms. Stewart . . .

Horsepucky!!

[Piperay]

56. Oh come on

It was obvious that she meant that if someone like Mandela could spend over 20 years in prison that it would be nothing for her to spend 5 lousy months there! Martha was not comparing herself to Mandela, only using the inspiration of him in handling what for her was a difficult situation. I can't believe how people would take a statement like that and make it something it is not. :argh:

[WillyT]

57. Except For The Fact That She's White, Female, And Hasn't...

spent a day in jail...

Nah... she's nowhere near the same galaxy as Mandela.

:wtf:

[Toot]

60. This article is a load of CRAP.

I saw the interview and Martha said that Nelson Mandela spent about 28 years in prison, how can she complain about 5 months.

I really hate the media. This distortion of what Martha said reminds me of what Howard Dean went through, and shows that the "news" media is worthless.

[quaoar]

62. Isn't Martha supposed to be

on Larry King's show this week?
Perhaps he will ask her about it and let her "clarify."

[wolfgirl]

63. Ya know

I really don't dislike her. She's never done anything to me or anyone I personally know. From what I do know, she is a tough cookie. but she had to be, her husband left her and she was building a business in a man's world. I would suspect most of the beginnings of her being classified as a B**** started with some guy somewhere that she challenged.

No offense to any of you male DUers. I luv ya...but until I see/hear it with my own eyes, she is no worse than the next guy/gal. And she is certainly way better than the jerks that appear to be getting away with destroying the lives of so many (Lay, Bush, etc., etc.)


Just my 2 cents....

[rpannier]

65. If She's Like Mandela

Then I'm like Dr. Livingston. I've lived overseas for six years

[0007]

68. Nelson Mandela fights for the little people

Martha steals from little people, this bag lady is no better than Leona Helmsley.

She got off way to easy.

[Puglover]

75. So be specific

hows does she steal from the little people?

[0007]

76. She ain't gonna to the joint for a little white lie and cuz the folks

don't like the bitch. Go figure!.

[Puglover]

84. LOL

have another cocktail.

[0007]

85. "Tis all over now baby blue"

[Swamp Rat]

83. This article is CRAP! I saw and HEARD what she said.

Stewart and Mandela are different people with unique circumstances, but they are/were BOTH political prisoners in some form. Here we have a classic example of a "rogue judge" following a political agenda. Radicals in our judicial system are operating out in the open with no fear of repercussions.

[yelladawg]

89. That's pushing it a bit

Stewart is like Mandela...not hardly. Let tewart figh the repug machine for 30 years, night and day risking your life...

Stewart is like Mandela...not hardly...not even close

[Snellius]

90. Martha Stewart is a political scapegoat

Republicans are using Martha Stewart as a diversion to deflect blame from the real culprits, their friends, Republican corporate CEOs, and point the finger at their favorite devil de jour, the Hamptons liberal, Brie-eating elite. And she's a woman, an independent, powerful woman, at that. Watch FOX News for five minutes and it's obvious how the Repubs are using this non-scandal.

[demoman123]

94. Martha & Nelson Poster

[OnionPatch]

96. Unfair accusation

Just because she says she can sleep on a floor if Mandela could, doesn't mean she's comparing herself and situation to him!

Martha got a raw deal because she is a powerful WOMAN and a Democrat at that! I want to see Ken Lay rot in jail. I hope she gets through this and gets back to giving us tips for cookie making pronto.