Martha Stewart and the Anti-Free Market Brigade

It's interesting to see the Martha Stewart verdict play out. Watching the TV news today, I saw some of the jurors speaking to the press. Of course, although insider trading or securities fraud were not the crimes brought against her, the background noise from all of that heavily influenced the jury's decision.

The most hideous comment that I saw from one juror was that her conviction"sent a message to the middle investor that these financial scandals were going to have to be stopped." Dangerous comment coming from a juror. Says this juror's mother: Stewart got a fair shake from her son, a churchgoing, married father of two who works for the Social Security Administration."He believes in equality for everybody, rich and poor," Sallie Hartridge said of her Bronx-born son."He's not an investor, but he's very outgoing and fair to all people."

Another rumor is that the jury as a whole may not have even understood the nature of the charges against Martha. The defense is getting all kinds of ammunition post-conviction. Wonder what strategy they'll take.