Paris Hilton, who is being positively persecuted just because she’s a celebrity, and who couldn’t possibly be sent off to nasty gaol with the polloiest of hoi polloi, just for a teeny-weeny little thing like driving drunk without a license (repeatedly).
Hilton’s mother, Kathy, is appalled:
“This is pathetic and disgusting, a waste of taxpayer money with this nonsense. It’s a joke.”
Hilton’s lawyer, Howard Weitzman, is appalled:
“uncalled for, inappropriate and bordered on the ludicrous”.
“I’m shocked, I’m surprised and disheartened in the system that I’ve worked in for close to 40 years.”
“I think she’s singled out because of who she is.”
Utterly appalled.
Categories: culture wars, ethics & philosophy, Sociology
Are cultural politics worse than no politics at all? 
Quick Hit – Gender Free Preschool 
Hoyden About Town 
I found the mother’s reaction very enlightening. We now have a much better idea how the phenomenon of Paris came into being.
Well, setting aside the argument about whether she deserves the sentence,* it is a waste of taxpayers’ money to keep her in clink. Keep most current classes of prisoner in clink, really.
The State governments in the US spend vast amounts of money keeping drug and drug-related criminals incarcerated, for the marginal effect of seriously brutalising the vulnerable ones and educating the smarter, organised ones in efficient criminality. Who knows, maybe Paris’ll learn how to do the screwdriver-ignition trick the next time she needs a ride.
Heh.
*My own view is that DUI shows a total lack of respect for booze. If you think you can still operate a car after you’ve been on the turps, you’re just not drinking right.
No argument about the excessive incarceration rate in the US, DD. They’re still asking for a double standard for Hilton because of her wealth, though.
If her situation provokes some genuine reexamination of the incarceration of non-violent moving-violations offenders, to apply across the board, then she might actually achieve something worthwhile at last.
Well yeah. If vast wealth can’t buy double standards, what’s it for?
“Non-violent moving-violations”: I don’t see that there is such a category—DUI is only non-violent until the point of impact. If there’s any class of drug use that deserves criminal sanctions, it’s drug use that puts other people’s lives at risk.
Mind you, I reckon the same should apply to sober people who try to drive and talk on their fucking phones: bring back the public stockade. Jail’s too good for ‘em.
Not much to disagree with there, DD. I was young and stupid enough to DUI a coupla times, but I grew past it long before I was 26 years old, FFS. And I always pull over to talk on the mobile.
Just got my first Par1s H1lton s3x-tape spam on this post. Should have expected it.
My uber nerd tragic moment came when reading that story on the weekend — I recognised the name of her publicist Elliot Mintz because he is also Bob Dylan publicist. Eat your heart out Nelson Aspen. The article said he “fell on his sword” in court for Paris which I read as meaning he committed perjury for her.
If you now get Bob Dylan s3x tape spam, you know my email address. 😉
Could be worse, y’know. Could be someone trying to post hairy goat cock.
DD,, given the traditional imagery of horns and cloven hooves I would have thought you above all would celebrate rather than denigrate the occasional flash of hairy goat cock.
Amanda, I wish (for your sake) that I could say that the image of Bob Dylan s3x tapes was weirdly compelling in the same way as the Rocky Horror/Beyond Thunderdome/Braveheart crossover, but NO. In fact DD, I need a brandy – do the honours?
Can I give the obvious line on Dylanpr0n?
And I’ve done up my image since the hippies got into bacchanalia, it’s just not cool anymore to wander about in the old Humphrey Bear suit, shirt-tails flapping above uncovered nuts. I mean, I’d barely be allowed into Star City in that getup.
How about a Calvados, or even better, armagnac warm from a hot working kitchen?