Brenda Martin: I Let Her Off The Hook.
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008Yesterday I had an exclusive interview with Canada’s latest celebrity convict Brenda Martin. After only a week in custody here in Kitchener, she was released on parole last Friday after a two year ordeal in a Mexican jail. For those of you who don’t know, Brenda Martin was sentenced to five years in jail for being an accessory in a fraud case. Ms. Martin maintains that she is innocent of those charges and says she will fight to clear her name.
Many Canadians have been upset by this case for many different reasons. In fact most Canadians have a hard line opinion about her and the case. To some, she’s innocent, and has been screwed over, and to others, she’s a guilty crook who didn’t get what she deserves. There is no middle ground; to most she’s one or the other, simple as that.
After the show yesterday, I received some e-mails and voice mails saying that I was way too lenient with Brenda Martin. One person was very upset that I didn’t go after her with the zeal of a prosecutor bent on getting the death penalty. Another listener wondered about my manhood because he said I acted like a little girl while I interviewed her, and one e-mail plain out called me a wimpy fruit because I didn’t tear a strip off of Brenda Martin. Heck one listener called my name out across the room in Tim Horton’s last night, and when I walked over to his table all he wanted to know was why I was “so easy” on her.
Well everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I respect that. I want to take a moment and explain my position. I am sick of Brenda Martin. I have been for some time now. I’m glad it’s over and I hope we never have to discus her again. Yesterday when I finally got to speak to her in person I realized very quickly that she was already tired and irittable from doing interviews all morning. In other words she wasn’t in the mood; and we all know her “moods”. When I asked her the question about whether she had an addiction problem and was anything being done about that, she told me “that addiction may have been too strong a word”. As soon as she said that I knew that she was in denial and that she was being less than truthful. I mean come on, her lawyers and Brenda herself said she was addicted to drugs many times and many news reports say that she was an alcoholic as well! I decided right then that I would take the high road and “let her off”. Brenda Martin is a broken down human being and I wasn’t going to be some bully that would kick her while she was down on the ground. She has done her time, she’s out on parole and I wish her the best of luck, because she’s going to need it. For those of you who feel that l should have jumped all over her, I’m sorry. Maybe I should have, but on the other hand, I feel pretty good today not stooping to the level of a Mexican prosecutor. I let Brenda Martin “off the hook” plain and simple. I have no regrets.
Jeff Allan