She Lied Her Way To Top - And Back Down Again [Martha Stewart]

New York Post ^ | March 7, 2004 | CHRISTOPHER BYRON

[John Jorsett]

SHE lied to her family, and she lied to her friends and business partners. She lied to the FBI and to the SEC. She lied to Congress, to the prosecutors, to the judge, and even to her own lawyers. In time, she wound up lying to the whole of America and ultimately to the entire world.

[mewzilla]

Stewart must've thought to herself: Hey, it worked for Hillary...

[onyx]

Here Warren, an opposing view. Martha lied. To everyone.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

After all the impressionistic comments about Stewart, it's good to get some hard facts. I saw Byron on TV this weekend. As many might know (but I didn't) he's the author of an unflattering biography of her entitled "Martha, Inc."

[Bluntpoint]

Lies, served on a platter with truffles and roses, are still lies.

[palmer]

Martha Stewart, the perfect woman

Chris Byron, the perfect columnist

[alloysteel]

".... lying had been a way of life for Martha Stewart."

The author almost seems to be trying to make this sound like a bad thing. Hey, a girl's gotta get on the only way she knows how in this world. All the best people she knew were doing it.

[onyx]

LOL. Exactly. Let her decorate her prison cell.

[Tijeras_Slim]

All the best people she knew were doing it.

Sigh... if only she were a Kennedy, everything would have been alright...

[Montfort]

Exactly. I think the nation's treatment of Bill and Hillary misled Martha into believing that lying was now perfectly acceptable, even in legal investigations and proceedings.

The same story can be told of Hillary, and she has been elected Senator after no experience at all in elected office.

Also, Martha had rich celebrity Democrats who supported her, so she must have thought the jury would be swayed.

[jigsaw]

Thanks for the interesting post.

Martha and Hillary are two pees in a pod.   ;-)

[mewzilla]

Martha should've tried a pink pantsuit.

And where was good buddy, Hilliary, by the way? So much for friendship, eh Martha?

[Vesuvian]

Sort of- hellary knew when to play the poor fool act, which was usually when called to testify- "I don't recall, I don't remember" ad nauseum.

Martha, it seems, couldn't stand to look non-brilliant for even a little while and hence lied to not only get out of trouble, but to make herself look prescient at the same time

[dennisw]

Post business columnist Christopher Byron is the author of "Martha Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia."

Talk about sticking the shiv in and twisting

[mewzilla]

Well, by her lawyer's own words, Martha must really be a stupe. Because, according to Morvillo, only an idiot would've done what she was just convicted of doing.

[DoctorMichael]

Methinks the Truth is somewhere in between this 'Hitpiece' and the glowing reviews she used to get.

[Vesuvian]

Well, pride goeth before a fall.

I still can't understand it- she could have used just about any excuse and avoided this mess she's in now...

"Martha, why did you sell?"

"Men from Mars told me to"
"Imclone is a stupid name"
"Rael told me to"
"A little pink birdie told me to"

[Jeff Gordon]

Martha's best friend's testimony really hurt Martha. It seems to me that her friend must have been holding a lot of hidden hostility to testify as she did. This tells me a lot about Martha.

[Lion in Winter]

My late wife used to say that if Martha is so perfect with that party planning, gorgeous food and beautiful, organized house... HOW IS THAT HER HUSBAND DIVORCED HER??? NOT PERFECT WHERE IT REALLY COUNTED?

; ^ ) LOL!!

[Guillermo]

12 jurors convicted her, and she's going to prison.

Those are the facts.

[B4Ranch]

"Then when the market crashed at the start of the '70s, she reassured her clients that everything would work out fine and to stay fully invested. Meanwhile, she herself secretly bailed out and quit the firm"

Never, ever use just your brokers opinion on how to handle your investments!

[B4Ranch]

"The same story can be told of Hillary, and she has been elected Senator after no experience at all in elected office."

Martha's husband wasn't the President.......big difference!

[SamAdams76]

I never understood all the fuss over "super-housewife" Martha Stewart. What is it that women find so compelling about how table napkins are folded and things like that? I thought most women wanted to get away from that sort of life.

[billorites]

"Sigh... if only she were a Kennedy, everything would have been alright..."

She may yet get busted for urinating in public.

[Baynative]

"Martha's father, Eddie Kostyra, was a nasty-tempered and narcissistic boozer who couldn't hold a job, and who blamed the world for his own shortcomings. Martha's mother, also named Martha, went through her days in a cloud of sullen resentment over what her husband had turned out to be, and spent a lot of her time in a house dress and curlers at the kitchen table, smoking, drinking beer and playing cards with her girlfriends. "

Well, I can see how she was indoctrinated in democrat values early on; dad..."blamed the world for his shortcomings", mom..."sullen resentment over what her husband turned out to be..."

[trek]

• William Jefferson Clinton - impeached, disgraced.
• Martha Stewart - convicted, prison

Thou shalt not bear false witness - God.

DOH!

[BobS]

One less democRAT!

[Samizdat]

You know, maybe Martha deserves what she got but I can't help contrasting lying your way to the top with murdering your way to the top ( a la the clintons) and I must marvel and how they still run loose (unpunished and even celebrated!)yet today.

[DoctorMichael]

I'll do you one better:

One less democRAT contributor!

[Vaduz]

And she didn't have 1000 F.B.I. files around the house for a year.

[motzman]

16:26: For what is a (wo)man profited, if (s)he shall gain the whole world, and lose (her) own soul? or what shall a (wo)man give in exchange for (her) soul?

As I sit here with practically nothing of material value to my name, no influence to peddle whatsoever, and no ability to apply pressure to others to gain financially, I feel a great amount of sorrow for Martha as she does not have the greatest possession that most of us normal people who struggle through the events life bring us have....

A clear conscience cannot be purchased.

[hershey]

I saw Byron on TV. He was fair, despite penning that unflattering biography.

[hershey]

Yup!

[Fun Bob]

I have little sympathy for Martha. She was a trader. She knew the law as well as anyone. She broke it for a pittance compared to her fortune.

miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure war criminal

[Bluntpoint]

Her portfolio, even after all the hits, will still be able to rent a clear conscience and she will be welcomed with open arms by her "like" friends.

[Hildy]

Just keep kicking this woman while she's down...that's the American way, isn't it? Gee, I wish I was as unorganized as Martha. You don't build multi-billion dollar organizations by being disorganized. I have never seen such hate as I've seen spewed at this woman. Not even child molesters and murderers get this kind of treatment. They won't be happy until she's dead.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

My late wife used to say that if Martha is so perfect with that party planning, gorgeous food and beautiful, organized house... HOW IS THAT HER HUSBAND DIVORCED HER??? NOT PERFECT WHERE IT REALLY COUNTED?

Would you want to live like that? I mean forget about putting your feet up and kicking back, potato chips and pizza would be forbidden and just how many "cute little dinner parties" could you stand?

I would go nuts inside a month.

[Rider on the Rain]

Methinks the Truth is somewhere in between this 'Hitpiece' and the glowing reviews she used to get.

I suspect the actual truth is worse than the hitpiece.

[motzman]

Her portfolio, even after all the hits, will still be able to rent a clear conscience and she will be welcomed with open arms by her "like" friends.

Perhaps on the surface, that may appear to be true. But its' been my experience that people who live this kind of life, although gilded in the finest luxuries, and lauded by those who really don't know them, are truly miserable.

[motzman]

I suspect the actual truth is worse than the hitpiece.

I'm no gambler, but I'd bet a dollar on the "actual truth" being FAR worse than the hitpiece.

[independentmind]

Martha is smart enough to know that a pink pantsuit would make her look like a whale.

[BigBobber]

Funny how the limosine libs always tell us we're greedy if we don't pay more taxes, yet they're always the biggest tax cheats.

[independentmind]

Whatever one's opinion is about Martha's personality, a long prison sentence hardly seems fair for a transaction that netted her about $40 grand. Compare her crime to that of Andrew Fastow, former CFO of Enron. He was sentenced for ten years. Six months to a year for Martha sounds about right to me.

[RedWhiteBlue]

You don't build multi-billion dollar organizations by being disorganized.

Oh yes you can. I know many successful people that are disorganized. They flit around from project to project and never complete anything. But they have great people that work for them and those are the people that really get the job done.

[RedWhiteBlue]

Martha's best friend's testimony really hurt Martha. It seems to me that her friend must have been holding a lot of hidden hostility to testify as she did. This tells me a lot about Martha.

Most of us go through life meeting people and making friends. Some of these friends fall by the wayside, not because of a falling out, but because our lives change and our circles change. But the more I hear about Martha, the more it seems that she didn't collect friends, she collected enemies. What a sad life.

[Hildy]

Why do people hate her so much? This reminds me of the Leona Helmsly prosecution/persecution many years ago. They NEVER go after men in the hateful way they go after women. You think we've come a long way, but in many ways, we haven't.

[Nick Danger]

Let her decorate her prison cell.

On-line contest: "Decorate Martha's cell"...27 entries so far... Click

[mewzilla]

Martha is smart enough to know that a pink pantsuit would make her look like a whale.

Didn't stop Hilliary, though :)

[7.62 x 51mm]

To quote scripture as you do, you surely have more riches in heaven than on earth. You are truly blessed.

[onyx]

I "clicked" --- LOL --- Decorate Martha's Cell --- that's funny.