The Sandspur

Issue date: 10/22/04 Section: Opinions

Media Credit: NANDOTIMES.COM OFF TO COURT: Martha is led out of her private car.

Media Credit: MSNBC.COM SHE´S STILL SMILING: Martha tries to keep faith and a good heart despite the traumatic events she is enduring.

Media Credit: THEAGE.COM OUT BY SPRING: Martha just hopes to be out of jail in spring with plenty of time to plant her garden.

On Friday, October 8, at approximately 6:15 a.m., most of us students were sound asleep in our twin size beds here on campus. However, on Friday, October 8, at approximately 6:15 a.m., about 741 miles north of us, Martha Stewart was arriving at the Federal Prison Camp in Alderson, West Virginia to serve her sentence.

In March, Martha was found guilty of conspiracy, making false statements and obstruction of agency proceedings-all beginning with her sale of stock in biotech firm ImClone Systems Inc. on Dec. 27, 2001. Many, who are disgusted with her actions, are upset that she was not found guilty of insider trading.

Martha, whom I will refer to on a first name basis since I feel like I know her, is now referred to as federal inmate No. 55170-054. At a news conference at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's Manhattan office, Martha said, "the best word to use for this very hard and difficult decision is 'finality,' and my intense desire to put this nightmare behind me, both personally and professionally."

When asking around campus about what the students here really think about Martha in prison, I found that many think that she does, in fact, belong there. One student, who prefers to remain anonymous, told me this: "I think that corporate crime should be taken more seriously, more often. I'll admit it's hard to think of Martha Stewart as a criminal, probably because when we think of crime we're usually thinking of the kinds of things we see on television, like shootings and robberies. But insider trading can be very damaging to a lot of people, and if we as Americans believe that people should be punished when they knowingly act in a manner that they understand is likely to harm people, then we ought to support the imprisonment of Martha Stewart. She should not receive special consideration because she is a well-liked celebrity."

Another girl told me this: "I for one am happy she is heading to jail. It is so rarely that the public sees a celebrity facing the same judicial system that we do. Some say that she is just being used as an example, but I disagree; she was the head of a major corporation and made illegal actions that would benefit her and she was caught. It seems pretty cut and dry to me."

Some people are appalled that there are actually humans who do not think Martha doesn't belong in jail. When asking for responses through my away message about the whole ordeal, a friend left me these thoughts:

ScreennameX: damn happy that b*tch is in jail.

ScreennameX: deserves it.

ScreennameX: thinks she's above the law.

ScreennameX: please. go make flower arrangements for the warden...B*TCH!

On the opposite side of the table, there are many students who believe that because Martha is a well-liked and well-known celebrity, the whole thing was blown out of proportion. There are many websites dedicated to "freeing Martha." These include freemartha.org and savemartha.com, which are two of my favorites. Politicalshop.com is selling buttons with sayings such as "I still love Martha," and "MARTHA. She's a good thing." My favorite quote I found when researching on line was found at savemartha.com. Ken Ashe from Austin, TX writes, "O.J. is playing golf and Martha is going to jail????  And they say our system works???" This is the sentiment of many Martha lovers around the country and the world. I agree. Our judicial system has spent so much time on this so-called "awful, terrible crime," meanwhile allowing murderers and rapists off on technicalities.

For the past several years, news reports have been filled with talk of the corruption in America. Complaints are heard worldwide by the public that something needs to be done...and NOW. So that's what has been done. They have presented us Martha Stewart, friend of the public, to prove to us that corruption is being taken care of. This proves nothing to me! There are many who are guilty of worse crimes who are sitting at stoplights next to us in the car, passing by us on our walk down the street, even selling us food at Taco Bell. Martha has not hurt our society; she has only helped it grow. She has provided jobs for thousands of people and fostered a community. The punishment should be appropriate to the crime. Martha is obviously not a danger to society and locking her away doesn't seem like a fitting punishment. If you see someone around campus wearing a "Free Martha" shirt, it's probably me. Martha in jail - not a good thing. Martha out of jail - "IT'S A GOOD THING!"

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