Martha Stewart's conviction reaffirms the old adage that the cover up is frequently worse than the crime, but the penalties Stewart faces are out of proportion to the crimes she committed.

If fairness means that two people who commit the same crime should expect the same penalty, the current system is not merely unfair, it is unconscionable.

Inside trading should be a crime if the misappropriation is committed by a top manager or a trusted fiduciary, but leave investors alone.

Canada's most famous lawbreaker, Svend Robinson, escaped punishment because he was famous, unlike Martha Stewart, who was punished severely forher notoriety.

It would be a major setback if thetrend in broadcasting toward softer news coveragedecreases interest in what we still regard as conventional broadcast news coverage.

The U.S. Sentencing Commission Guidelines were originally set up in 1987 to ensure fairness and rational organization in criminal sentencing, but they have increased sentencing disparities.

The New York Times rattled energy markets this week with a Sunday front page story asserting that many "insiders" in the natural gas industry harbor serious doubts about the long-term viability of the natural gas market.

It's clear that most Americans think the war in Iraq was justified even if weapons of mass destruction are never found.