via Anthony Gregory at Lew Rockwell’s Blog:
An Open Letter from Martha Stewart
Dear Friends,
When one is incarcerated with 1,200 other inmates, it is hard to be selfish at Christmas — hard to think of Christmases past and Christmases future — that I know will be as they always were for me — beautiful! So many of the women here in Alderson will never have the joy and wellbeing that you and I experience. Many of them have been here for years — devoid of care, devoid of love, devoid of family.
I beseech you all to think about these women — to encourage the American people to ask for reforms, both in sentencing guidelines, in length of incarceration for nonviolent first-time offenders, and for those involved in drug-taking. They would be much better served in a true rehabilitation center than in prison where there is no real help, no real programs to rehabilitate, no programs to educate, no way to be prepared for life “out there” where each person will ultimately find herself, many with no skills and no preparation for living.
Martha, Martha, Martha!
Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I think, though, that I could have finished her “open letter” better than whoever she had write it for her. Here goes:
(… And I promise, once I get out of this “prison,” after having spent 5 grueling months gardening (Ahem), I will adopt this issue as my pet. So please stay tuned to my brand-new talk show which will air as soon as they remove the bracelet from my ankle (or I gnaw my foot off, whichever comes first)…)
Let’s hear a big cheer from those who think the “open letter” is anything other than an “I’m Oprah Jr., please love me,” moment.
Man, I wish I could insert the sound of crickets chirping. Maybe someday;-)
Martha! Martha! Martha!
That’s my big cheer for her, and her letter, which I never doubted she penned herself.
If she becomes an advocate for this very unpopular topic once she’s freed, and employs her influence towards the cause, that would be wonderfull.
My cynicism is she’ll leave it behind, with the bad memories, or choose silence for the good of her business.
I’m with Diane on this one.
I found Martha’s letter surprising and very positive. Maybe rich people should go to jail more often…