Martha Stewart - down.
With her or on her? That is the question. If you read those opening words and pictured the decorating diva trailing behind the geese on her estate plucking tiny little feathers from, well, their behinds to fashion a fashionable, comfy comforter, then you are probably down WITH Martha. But if you saw the name and immediately had to process which 25 negative thoughts you should engage in your consciousness, while allowing the other million or so to temporarily flee your brain, then you are down ON Martha.

Does this come in Un-black?
America has two very distinct views of Martha, either black or white, and there doesn’t seem to be a pretty, pastel shade of gray area in between.¹

Personification:	In Black	In White
February 2006	Anything But Smart Perfectionist Fighting, Feuding Sassy Liar Scandalous Toddler-like Disrespectful Setback, Failure Poor Leader Lackluster Roadblocked Sprung from Hoosegow	Rebounding Attached Gracious Domestic Expert Leader
March 2006	Blaming Target of Attacks At Odds Perpetrator Sexless Smart Mouth Demanding Impatient Brusque Prodding White Collar Convict Fresh from prison Micromanager Hard-headed Needs Polish Rough Edges	Award Winner Inspired Gracious Guest Everyday Influence Fashionable Seller
April 2006	Criminal Convicted	Thrifty Working Knowledgeable Expert

Wicked ...
A quick trip to Wikipedia, the free, online, self-healing research encyclopedia, provides an interesting example that mirrors what we see in the press coverage about Martha. Enter "Martha Stewart" and you are greeted with the following warning flag.

The neutrality of this article is disputed because:
It is decidedly pro-Martha, with barely a mention of the recent scandal.

True enough, but the research categories at the bottom of the page which include "Sirius Satellite Radio Personalities, Living People, and American Businesspeople" also list her in the groups Perjurers, Incarcerated Celebrities and People from New Jersey. Again we see black and white personification of the "goddess of an industry."²

Size matters? Victory for small guys.
Following her conviction for what appeared to be some very fortunate timing on a stock sale, one juror was quoted as saying, "This is a victory for the little guys. No one is above the law." The quote about the little guys would also seem to support Martha’s contention that she was being charged because she was a rich, powerful woman. Others reported that the D.A. took the easy way out, being inexplicably reluctant to put her in prison for suggesting that it would be a "good thing" to mark every single dish we serve with a hand-carved and dyed toothpick-flag proclaiming the origin and labor-intensive ingredients of the food. Many saw a greater crime being committed when Al Roker assisted her in making coffee ice cream with praline sauce from scratch. But, whether big or small, that is the beauty of a diverse America. Everyone can express their opinion. And she did serve the time.

How Big is Martha?	In Black	In White
February 2006	Outsized Entrepreneur Gigantic Ego Eclipsed Judgment Mud-slinging Diva	Maven Diva Doyenne of Gracious Living
March 2006	Worth More in Jail 1 of 10 Worst Communicators A nothing Losing traction	Author of 51 books Flower Expert Herb Expert Advice Expert Baking Expert Daytime Personality Famous Homemaker Lifestyle Maven How-To Expert Broad Reach Business Expert Kids' Mentor Color Expert Radio Star Domestic Doyenne Community/Home Design Expert Take Over World Amazing Power and Influence
April 2006	Disapproving Authority Thinks She is Better Than Others	Upscaling Rising Goddess of Her Industry Advisor to Home-owning Women Wedding Authority 30-something Women’s Expert Furniture Design Expert Empire Builder

Martha is pretty big in the press and more reporters are down WITH Martha in the last 2 months - at least, until she goes another round with "The Donald."

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¹ Print and online data from Factiva^TM
2 26 April 2006, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, In Rubell's book, the people, not the pomp, liven a party, Julie Young; "But Rubell, author of a new down-to-earth party planner ... acknowledges Martha Stewart as the goddess of her industry."
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