Martha Stewart is Doing Fine

[viscousmemories]

Just in case any of you were worried about her, Martha Stewart is doing fine. According to this article the prison guards and her fellow inmates are all very nice, and she really doesn't need anymore gifts of money from her fan base. Besides, she expects to get a minimum of $5 million for her incarceration story.

It's refreshing to be reassured that crime does in fact pay for some people, and that so many others are willing to give a little from their own pocket to help ensure that Martha doesn't have to suffer too much for her crimes. What a country.

[LadyShea]

At least she is in prison, and I am sure her cell is lovely .

What pisses me off even worse is that the Enron and the Worldcom honchos are running free. We throw the whole book at Martha over a couple hundred grand, but the big fuckers got away with 100's of millions.

What is wrong with this country?

[Dingfod]

Maybe because the powers that be choked on a pretzel from one of her recipes?

[viscousmemories]

Originally Posted by LadyShea

At least she is in prison, and I am sure her cell is lovely .

What pisses me off even worse is that the Enron and the Worldcom honchos are running free. We throw the whole book at Martha over a couple hundred grand, but the big fuckers got away with 100's of millions.

What is wrong with this country?

Hehe. Well I don't think 5 months in a minimum security camp she herself describes as "an old-fashioned college campus" is quite the whole book being thrown at her.

Anyway your point about the Enron and Worldcom fucks is well taken, but see it's all about the m-o-n-e-y. If you're poor you do real prison time. If you're rich you do camp time. If you're filthy rich you walk. It's all a perfectly reasonable progression, I think. Poor people are a dime a dozen. We have to look out for our rich people.

[Scotty]

"Good Old Boys" does not include Martha.

-Scott

[LadyShea]

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

Hehe. Well I don't think 5 months in a minimum security camp she herself describes as "an old-fashioned college campus" is quite the whole book being thrown at her.

Well, I sorta meant imprisoning her at all. She is worth millions, I think the State would have been better to fine the bejeezus out of her, and sentence her to some apporpriate community service....like planting co-op gardens in the ghetto or making her plan and write out healthy family meals using foodstamps and WIC product only.

[livius drusus]

Those are great ideas, Shea. Seriously.

[LadyShea]

Originally Posted by livius drusus

Those are great ideas, Shea. Seriously.

Thanks. I just think it's silly to PAY for her to be incarcerated, when she could be paying back society. I think we should look at these kinds of alternatives for all white collar crime, truth be told. You defrauded shareholders with creative accounting? Great, you get to pay it all back in fines AND do bookkeeping for a not for profit for a couple of years.

[livius drusus]

I agree. I think compensatory justice is sorely underutilized, not just in white collar crimes either. Politicians love retributive justice because it makes them look hard (which we all know is directly proportional to penis size), but in terms of social value, there is a great deal to be said for working out punishment based on a stardard of fair compensation for injury.

[LadyShea]

Originally Posted by livius drusus

I agree. I think compensatory justice is sorely underutilized, not just in white collar crimes either. Politicians love retributive justice because it makes them look hard (which we all know is directly proportional to penis size), but in terms of social value, there is a great deal to be said for working out punishment based on a stardard of fair compensation for injury.

I think violent criminals need to be housed AWAY from society...but you're right, even they could be doing something of value. I'll bet we could come up with a bunch of things that would reduce the cost of the corrections system, possibly educate/enrich or at the very least occupy the offender in some way, and benefit the community in some substanttial way (we only need so many people picking up trash....I wish our judges were more creative)

White collar criminals just seem the easiest to start with because they have skills that can be utilized. They used them for evil, now force them to use them for good

[livius drusus]

Originally Posted by LadyShea

I think violent criminals need to be housed AWAY from society...

I think it depends on the circumstances, but generally speaking I agree. Still, prison and compensation are not mutually exclusive nomatter what the crime.

...but you're right, even they could be doing something of value. I'll bet we could come up with a bunch of things that would reduce the cost of the corrections system, possibly educate/enrich or at the very least occupy the offender in some way, and benefit the community in some substanttial way (we only need so many people picking up trash....I wish our judges were more creative)

Not only benefit the community, but also directly compensate the victims and their families. Victims are accustomed to thinking of prison and its attendant violence (rape, beatings, "the hole") as their sole avenue for justice. The most say they get is a victim impact statement at sentencing, which is basically a chance to vent.

Meanwhile, think of all the victims even of the most vicious, monstruous crimes, who turn the horror of their experience into something positive: volunteering, fund-raising, founding charity organizations, lobbying congress, America's Most Wanted, etc. Why not make the people who actually committed the crime give something concrete back?

White collar criminals just seem the easiest to start with because they have skills that can be utilized. They used them for evil, now force them to use them for good

He he... Works for me.

[LadyShea]

Originally Posted by livius drusus

I think it depends on the circumstances, but generally speaking I agree. Still, prison and compensation are not mutually exclusive nomatter what the crime.

Not only benefit the community, but also directly compensate the victims and their families. Victims are accustomed to thinking of prison and its attendant violence (rape, beatings, "the hole") as their sole avenue for justice. The most say they get is a victim impact statement at sentencing, which is basically a chance to vent.

Meanwhile, think of all the victims even of the most vicious, monstruous crimes, who turn the horror of their experience into something positive: volunteering, fund-raising, founding charity organizations, lobbying congress, America's Most Wanted, etc. Why not make the people who actually committed the crime give something concrete back?

Excellent ideas, you should go to law school and run for office. Really just imagine what all could be done....kind of mind blowing.

[Godless Dave]

I'm not sure about her situation, but she may well have to finance her own prison stay. Many states charge prisoners for their incarceration, but in most cases can't collect because, as vm pointed out, most people imprisoned for crimes are dirt poor.

[godfry n. glad]

Originally Posted by LadyShea

At least she is in prison, and I am sure her cell is lovely .

What pisses me off even worse is that the Enron and the Worldcom honchos are running free. We throw the whole book at Martha over a couple hundred grand, but the big fuckers got away with 100's of millions.

What is wrong with this country?

Yep... The same thing happened to the scumbuckets who bilked the savings and loans.

As for what's wrong with this country....lawmakers and enforcers getting payola from the lawbreakers. That's my impression.

godfry

godfry

[Socratoad]

Toad hereby proposes that we nominate livius drusus and LadyShea for president and Federal Attorney General. Methinks they should toss a coin as to which position each should hold as intellectually, ethically and above all empathetically these two worthies are eminently qualified for the either position.

The sad truth is at present the least qualified people I can possibly conceive of are holding these positions. Kinda makes me think we have slipped into a Lewis Carroll world

PS: Lest I have slighted some, there are a small handful of other women here that I wish I could nominate for high office. I will mention no more names for fear of missing someone. However you know who you are.

Even a tiny number of my own sex make the grade as well, but looking about at how our sex, or as some would say "gender", have in general fucked up this poor beleaguered and battered old world I truly believe it is well past time that women try to change course.

[LadyXoc]

Originally Posted by godfry n. glad

Yep... The same thing happened to the scumbuckets who bilked the savings and loans.

*cough*Neil Bush*cough*

[livius drusus]

Originally Posted by Socratoad

Toad hereby proposes that we nominate livius drusus and LadyShea for president and Federal Attorney General. Methinks they should toss a coin as to which position each should hold as intellectually, ethically and above all empathetically these two worthies are eminently qualified for the either position.

Isn't it customary for the Attorney General to be, well, an attorney? I think that kinda puts both Shea and me out of the running. Still, we could flip for Pres and Vice. It's become patently obvious over the past 4 years that there are no requirements whatsoever for those jobs.

[Socratoad]

But but but Liv, I am unable to follow your line of reasoning. you seem to associate the office of attorney general as actually having some association and perhaps even justice. Am I tight in assuming that you hold these same misapprehensions regarding the Supreme Court as well?

Toad is here to tell you that both these institutions "should" be about justice, not about the manipulations of legalize. And so in closing dear Liv both you and Shea are suitably qualified.

Judgement rendered by Toad