Opinion on Mackey's Alter Ego

"The federal government is busy investigating potential steroid use by professional baseball players, allegations of gambling by a basketball referee and an alleged dog-fighting ring tied to a star football quarterback.

So perhaps its investigation into Internet messages by the co-founder of an organic and natural foods chain seems tame.

Over eight years, Whole Foods Market Inc. CEO John Mackey made postings on Yahoo stock forums under a pseudonym in which he lambasted the competition while cheering his firm's accomplishments.

It's not like we believe everything posted on the Internet.

We wonder, for example, whether gushy postings about restaurants actually were posted by their owners hoping to drum up business."

Read the article