CBC isn’t broadcast where I live so I have to rely on the internet for a lot of my Canadian blog content. That being said, I visited CBC’s website and read the article about Ms. Martin’s interview with CBC News this past Wednesday, and I also took the opportunity to read some of the comments left behind by readers of the article. Trust me when I say people were more focused on the government’s role in all of this, and no attention was given to the possibility that Ms. Martin could actually be guilty of the crime she is accused of. Most people felt sorry for her.
Let me start of by saying that the word “sufficient” in The Oxford Dictionary is defined as sufficing or adequate. Why is that word important for this blog entry you might ask? Because it is a word Martin used to describe the amount of time she has already served in a Mexican jail. She said, “I’m hoping that there will be some compassion somewhere to know that I’ve served this time, sufficient time, and they will let me go.”
Now maybe I might be misinterpreting what she is saying, but it sort of sounds to me like Martin is all but admitting her guilt, otherwise she would have said,” I’m hoping that there will be some compassion somewhere to know that I’ve served this time without being convicted of a crime, and that the Mexican authorities will let me go or get on with my trial.” The way she phrased her statement sounds to me like she is sort of taking responsibility for a criminal act she says she wasn’t a part of, but like I said, I could be misinterpreting her words.
She should choose her words more carefully if she is going to continue to proclaim her innocent.
As for former PM Paul Martin visiting Ms. Martin, all I have to say is that it is about bloody time, especially since it was his government who appointed Canada’s ambassador to Mexico at the time Martin was arrested and accused of laundering money for her former employer.
Like I said before in Crooked in Canada, if anybody is to blame for the lack of effort in ensuring that Ms. Martin’s human rights were protected, or the lack of effort on behalf of the Canadian government in getting Ms. Martin’s case resolved, it is Paul Martin’ Liberals via the ambassador his government appointed. Doesn’t that make more sense then blaming PM Stephen Harper’s government? It does to me.
As far as I’m concerned the former Liberal government created the mess in Mexico when they appointed an obviously inept ambassador. I do however agree that the Conservatives need to do more than they have done since they were elected into power, but I’m not going to fault them for the predicament Ms. Martin now finds herself in. If the Liberals had given the ambassadorship to a more capable individual in the first place, the Conservatives wouldn’t be behind the eight-ball for not doing enough for Ms. Martin now. The Liberals can shoulder a lot of the blame and I suspect that is why Paul Martin paid her a visit in the first place, because he somehow felt guilty for appointing an inept ambassador to Mexico.
Now about the comments I read, and there were fifteen of them, but I’ll only mention and comment about a few them.
Gary Sutherland wrote, “Canadians must speak up.” I counter that with, “Ms. Martin should try telling the whole truth to Mexican authorities instead of half truths. That she should be a little more co-operative with Mexican authorities investigating the case. If anybody should be speaking up, she should.”
I’m of the belief that in an effort to save her own hide she has withheld information regarding her former employer. She was probably more afraid of what he could do to her than she was afraid of what Mexican authorities could do to her. It’s either that, or her former employer told her to keep her mouth shut, and paid her $26k to do just that, and that when she was arrested she was scared to tell the truth for fear her former employer would cause her great grief.
Of course when the plan backfired her former employer fired off an affidavit in an effort to bolster Ms. Martin’s claim that she knew nothing of his scam. An affidavit from a conman convicted of the very crime investigators from Mexico are accusing Ms. Martin of being a part of wouldn’t hold much water. It’s a ridiculous idea to think that an affidavit from a convicted criminal who is serving 10 years for an million dollar internet scam would help a woman who is accused of laundering proceeds from the aforementioned internet scam.
LisaMV wrote, “Her absolute desperation rings of an innocent woman who finds herself in this incredulous situation, made worse by the seemingly indifferent attitude of her government.” My response, “She’s desperate, but it isn’t because she is innocent.”
I’m more inclined to believe that Ms. Martin’s desperation comes from the fact that she did the crime and can’t do the time, and that admitting to her participation in her former employer’s criminal enterprise now, would only make things worse for her. She is desperate because she dug a big hole for herself and now she can’t get out of it.
And last but certainly not least, NarkPetro had this to say, “A Canadian citizen is NOT convicted but has spent 2 years in jail. What the hell is wrong with this…?”
I absolutely agree, but then he went on to say this, “Become accountable Mr. Prime Minister,…she needs our help!”
I agree that she needs our help, but asking the Prime Minister to become accountable in this matter when Martin has done little in becoming accountable for her actions herself in this saga, is a little rich.
It is quite obvious that I don’t feel sorry for Brenda Martin as I feel she is the maker of her own fate. Perhaps if she had considered the consequences of her actions before she attempted to cover her tracks when it comes to her role, and what she knew about Alyn Waage’s criminal enterprise, she wouldn’t be in the situation she is in today.
At the end of the day it’s a tough call for people to decide whether they believe that Ms. Martin played a role in her former employer’s criminal enterprise, or not, but you have to admit that a $26k severance package for 10 months work is more than a little suspicous.
As for Harper’s government not doing enough, maybe they know something we don’t, after all isn’t Harper who implied that his government was going to keep the media on a short leash, that the media couldn’t be trusted? I’m sure he did. If he meant what he implied, then the media doesn’t have much to go on other than the word of Ms. Martin, her lawyer and her supporters.
I’m sure the government officials who are involved in this case haven’t released all the information they have on the allegations Ms. Martin is facing, and the information they are withholding might be the reason why they have had little success in gaining Ms. Martin’s freedom.
What I’ve written here is just my opinion of course, but I wouldn’t be too quick to discount what I have to say, especially since we don’t know all the facts regarding Ms. Martin’s circumstances. There’s more to this story than what the media, Ms. Martin, her lawyer, her supporters and the Canadian government is telling Canadians. That’s one thing we can all be sure of.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Ted // Apr 8, 2008 at 9:35 AM
Yup, She panicked at the prospect of a trial, and her last hope was to try and get our government to bully Mexico in releasing her to Canada (but of course, she doesnt want to spend any jail time in Canada) .
anyway, the MP from Trenton saw the evidence against Brenda Martin, and came out and said. ” she belongs in jail”
This is one person I would not like back in Canada. let the Mexicans have her.
2 Canadian Gypsy // Apr 8, 2008 at 11:43 AM
I find it curious that since there was a support rally in Ottawa for Martin about a week ago, her story has fallen off the radar. Not much being said about her plight now, and I suspect the media has come to the realization that they might have “been had” by her “woe is me” story.
Her key supporter Debra Tieleman hasn’t said anything lately either. I wonder why that is. It might have something to do with the fact that prior to Martin’s arrest and incarceration in Mexico, there was no contact between the two for something like 32 years.
If I were to hazard a guess I would say that Tieleman has come to the realization that she was taken for a ride too, and that she may have been backing the wrong horse.
It will be interesting to see what card Martin plays next in her bid for freedom.
As conmen/women and grifters do, she conned a lot of people into believing her story.
Sucks to be a money mule and launderer in Mexico.
3 j // Apr 17, 2008 at 12:56 AM
I can’t believe what the Mexican goverment is doing to people like Brenda Martin. In Mexico its common for parents on vacation to be murdered in there hotel room, having your wife raped, being murdered for a few dollars. What happens when you go to the authorities and find that they are just as corrupt as the criminals. I for one am boycotting Mexico until the goverment trys to resolve their internal corruption. I found a petition that may help put pressure on the Mexican goverment to change.
http://www.dontvisitmexico.com
4 Canadian Gypsy // Apr 17, 2008 at 1:54 PM
Brenda Martin did it to herself, she is where she is because she committed a crime. The Mexican government on the other hand should have been a little more expeditious in the handling of Martin’s case, I’ll give her that, bit that’s it. We’ll find out in a couple of days if she is going to remain in jail, or if she is going to be set free.
As for the murders of the two parents attending their daughter’s wedding; totally different situation and the Mexican investigation was flawed, but even in Canada investigations are sometimes flawed.
I wonder how many tourists to Canada who have been the victim of a criminal offense in Canada, have negative things to say about the handling of their cases by the government, and police authority.
The corruption angle, yea that’s true too, but why paint the entire government and all of it’s officials with the same brush? Women get raped all over the world and that has been a tragic fact since the day I was born. Boycotting a country because a Canadian woman was raped there and because the police failed to do a good investigation, isn’t going to change anything.
Being murdered for a few dollars happens all over the world too. Again, a boycott will do nothing to change that or the way in which authorities of the perspective countries handle their investigations.
Boycotting Mexico?
Nope, I doubt Canadians will stop travelling to Mexico, and I highly doubt a petition will put pressure on the Mexican government to change either, but there is no harm in trying. I doubt Mexico cares about about petitions, why would they, it’s only signatures on a piece of paper. The only signatures they care about are the one’s on paper money.
A tourism boycott or anything like that from the private sector isn’t going to change a thing, but on the other hand pressuring our government to put pressure on the Mexican government would be more effective, though again I doubt it would change a thing.
Canada doesn’t like it when other countries interfere in it’s affairs, and it’s a mutual feeling around the world for any other country, Mexico included. I doubt interfering in another countries affairs will resolve anything. The US war in Iraq is all but proof of that.
It’s a tough situation and depends on what side of the fence you’re on, but at the end of the day there really isn’t much you or I can do about it, except maybe voice our opinions, or launch a military action to force change as the US did in Iraq.
5 dave // May 10, 2008 at 11:08 AM
Brenda Martin is a scammer, con-artist and a manipulator…plain and simple. I know her type…sure she didn’t know nothing about a multi-million scheme her boss was involved in….
If it were a couple hundred people operation, i would say maybe, but there were only few and i’m assuming, they all knew what they are doing…she belongs in jail.
As far as the Italian couple murdered in mexico…that one is a no brainer…it was obviously a hit and it was ordered by someone related to them.
They had lots of time to plot it, since they were going on a wedding and these things get booked long time in advance….one little detail, that the media dosen’t like to bring-up is, that the mexican security guard, who started his job at the resort only a week before they have been murdered…. and then dissapeared after the crime has been commited….(by the way they still haven’t found him)…. as he is obviously the hired killer.
Anybody who thinks the Ianero murder was a random act, probably still leaves cookies out for the Santa-claus…anyways…. as far as Martin goes, i was very dissappointed the lying, conniving predator got relased from the Grand valley jail moments ago….
6 Canadian Gypsy // May 10, 2008 at 11:29 AM
I like your way of thinking Dave.
I think there’s an Ianero family member who thinks he got away with murder.
As for Brenda Martin, how does it feel being one of the millions of Canadian taxpayers who footed the bill for the conwoman’s flight to freedom?
Brenda Martin was a money mule. She helped a man she was liking spreading her legs for, in his Internet scam ,and she likely salted quite a bit of money away in Canada via various transactions she did for him.
I suspect that Martin will all of sudden come into some money, and that money will be explained away as money she received for her story, or from a fund her supporters set up for her here in Canada to help her get on with her “new life.’
I think CRA should pay very close attention to Martin’s financial endeavours, and that they might want to review past and future tax records they may or may not have on file.
This woman threatened to kill herself if she didn’t get her way, but she didn’t, and now she is grinning from ear-to-ear expecting to cash in on her story, or because she is about to retreive a large sum of undeclared cash she sent into Canada while she was hooked up with a man I consider to be more than just her employer.
Best Regards mate.
7 dave // May 10, 2008 at 11:48 AM
I agree with you Canadian Gypsy…one (or more) of Ianero family members DID get away with murder and Martin will tap into her stash of money she helped to steal very soon and call it “unexpected windfall” of some sort….i’m just very angry, that there are lots of legitimate people out there, who have been wronged and are in desperate need of media attention and this shameless, pathetic scam-artist sucks it all away from them, by acting like a spoiled brat and praying on good people’s emotions, just like she did when she helped to run the internet scam…..i think she is very skilled at the con-game…
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