Martha Stewart had this to say recently.
?I could do it. I'm a really good camper. I can sleep on the ground. There are many, many good people who have gone to prison. Look at Nelson Mandela."
Is she comparing herself to Nelson Mandela? No!?! No she didn?t. He was imprisoned for 27 years because of his fight against oppression. You are going away for 5 months because you tried to get away with insider trading.
During one of Mandela?s many trials, he had this to say
?I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."
Mandela spent most of his time on the Robben Island Prison run by brutal guards and encased in barbwire. From an article detailing the history of the island:
?Sixty prisoners were crammed into a cell made to house twenty men. They were woken up at 5:30 every morning and forced to leap across the compound naked. There was a strip full cavity search every morning. Breakfast consisted of a cold cup of coffee and porridge. Men were forced to eat on their haunches. Guards were instructed to beat anyone whose butt touched the ground. During the day the prisoners were forced to do hard labor on the mainland. Jobs consisted of moving a mountain of dirt from one location to another and then back again. Deaths from starvation and disease were common, and deaths from beatings were even higher.
Robben Island was said to be Hell, a place of desolate banishment from which few returned. The prison was an institution that perpetuated segregation and racism. Hundreds of thousands died for the color of their skin and the tenor of their ideas.?
Stewart has asked to serve her prison time at her 153-acre estate in the exclusive and very rich town of Bedford, N.Y., a property that features five houses. FIVE.
Martha, if you can read this, please never compare yourself to Nelson Mandela. He fought to free humans. You got caught lying about insider trading. He spent the better part of his life in jail, running from the government or on trial because of his beliefs. You have to pay a fine that is less than your monthly masseuse bill.
While I feel bad that you will not be able to helicopter to your place in the Hamptons while on house arrest, torture, I know, you could be much worse off. Never compare yourself to Nelson Mandela.
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