Paris Hilton...A tipping point for the rich?

[Joanne98]

Ah. It's finally here. After almost three decades of suffering under the Raygunomics scheme called "trickle-down, we have finally reached a tipping point. Americans HATE the rich and they don't care you knows it anymore.

The cat is out of the bag. The toothpaste is out of the tube and you can't put it back in. Normally mild manner people are seething with anger. Paris the Heiress got out of jail!

Do you have any idea how many phone calls the DA must have got to make him drag her back to court. It's unheard of.

In defense of Paris, I have to say that doing 5 days for what she is charged with is pretty standard but the public doesn't seem to care. They want her back in jail to suffer as much as possible. It seems the public is being irrational but not if you've been watching the silent rage building to-wards the rich and their spoiled brat children for the last five years. It's been coming.

George W Bush should take note. He's suffering from the same syndrome. A SPOILED BRAT WHO INHERITED THE WHITEHOUSE! Bush hatred and Paris hatred have a lot in common. The Republicans should take note. Another tax cut for the rich just may get you lynched. The Democrats should take note. If this immigration bill passes you may need Dragonskin body armor! Pass another trade deal at your own risk! There is a sea change going on. America is fast sinking into an all out class war. A gigantic tidal wave of hatred. French revolution anyone?

You see Americans are in a REALLY BAD MOOD! Especially the middle class. Lou Dobbs has been doing this as a theme on his show for years. He was ahead of the media pack in seeing this trend. The American middle class is getting whipped like a dog. They're mad as Hell. Out-sourcing, in-sourcing, health-care, interest rates rising, wages going down, college tuition going up, terra, Iraq, open borders, globalization, CEO thieves, poisoned pet food from China and now they are losing money in the only secure investment they ever had. Their house. ACK!!

Mark this day on the calendar because it will go down in history as the day a little shallow rich girl started the tidal wave of anger that will change the way we do business for a long time. Americans are openly hating the rich today and it FEELS SO GOOD!

Thank you Paris!

[treestar]

1. Good point! Hopefully we will not be falling for the RW accusation of

"jealousy." It adds to the effect that Paris is the heiress and not the one who made the fortune.

[WiseButAngrySara]

111. Actually the fortune maker left all money to the Roman Catholic

Church and charity, but the will was contested by his son...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_Hilton

Conrad Hilton died on January 3, 1979, in Santa Monica, California at age 91 from natural causes. He is interred at Calvary Hills Cemetery, in Dallas, Texas.
His estate founded the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize. He left US$250,000 to each of his surviving siblings and US$10,000 to each of his nieces and nephews. Most of his assets were willed to the Roman Catholic Church and charities. However, Conrad's son Barron contested the will and won in 1988. The net worth of Barron and his descendants then jumped to over US$335 millio

[ThomWV]

2. Equality before the law .... my ass

And that is what it comes down to. You get locked up, I get locked up, we stay in jail until the day, hour, and minute we are scheduled for release and we can howl till hell calms but it won't get us out a minute early.

[Gman]

3. This could also be a tipping point for Libby's pardon

This couldn't come at a worse time for Libby's prison prospects. The PR backlash from Libby pardon will be pretty bad.

[Joanne98]

4. Ooh! I haven't thought of that. I bet you're right!

[malaise]

37. Ding ding!!

Correct.

[Marr]

38. It may keep Bush from pardoning Libby now,

which would've been a boneheaded move in any case. But Bush is known for making precisely the most boneheaded moves possible, so even that wouldn't surprise me. But if Bush waits to pardon Libby on his way out of office, as most suspect, I doubt many people will even remember Paris Hilton's avoidance of her jail time, much less be angered by it.

Just my opinion. People seem to have an incredibly short memory.

[BushOut06]

5. I'm sorry, but her treatment was far from typical

Maybe if you can afford a decent attorney, but what about the millions of people who can't?

[ShaneGR]

7. That's the thing, she got a harsher sentence....

Far harsher for the exact same offense than 99.9% of people who go through the LA COunty system. And it's STANDARD practice to release non-violent offenders from LA County Jail after serving less than 10% of sentence because of overcrowding. She got a HARSHER sentence because she's a celebrity and then the Sherriff's Dept (Who complained about her sentence) treated her EXACTLY like they do other inmates. Lot of misinformation flying around on this one.

[mrcheerful]

8. No your wrong about that in the fact that she was picked up 2 or 3 times after her license was

suspended before she got any jail time, that was the reason she got a harsh sentence. I personally know of such a person that did the same thing and not only did he do 90 days, paid a $2,500 fine his license was also revoked for life. Also she was not treated as the rest of the inmates, she was treated as a high profile inmate and wasn't serving her time with drug dealers, gang bangers or hookers in a 10 person cell that had 20 inmates in it. She was given a single inmate cell and was kept out of general populace. Yes there is a lot of misinformation flying around on it as most believe the rich are treated just like any other criminal which is a lie, the rich and famous never get put into the jails or prisons that the rest of america would be put into. Nor are they treated the same as the rest of america by guards or jail/prison staff.

[Zodiak]

16. lets not forget her failure to show up in court

Because showing up in your own criminal proceeding is what poor people do. She paid her lawyer to enter her plea, and the judge should be lenient because she Paris. Right?

Her contempt for the law is what got her the harsher punishment. And I feel it is justified.

[coco77]

23. You beat me to it and...

these lawyers (mainly men) are defending her and are ignoring the times she was on probation. If anyone else would have violated their probation the first time they would have been put in jail and it wouldn't be for 2or3 days they seem to make sure to leave out that point. One of these lawyers is Jeffrey Fieger and others whose names I can't remember...

[depakid]

87. Driving while suspended for a wet reckless involves mandatory jail time

That, plus the disrespecting the judge and violating probation easily warrants 45 days.

I expected her to serve a couple of weeks and be released- but the way this went down was unusual and bound to cause an outcry. WTF were they thinking?

On edit- here's the relevant Vehicle Code Provision:

14601. (a) No person shall drive a motor vehicle at any time when that person's driving privilege is suspended or revoked for reckless driving in violation of Section 23103 or 23104, any reason listed in subdivision (a) or (c) of Section 12806 authorizing the department to refuse to issue a license, negligent or incompetent operation of a motor vehicle as prescribed in subdivision (e) of Section 12809, or negligent operation as prescribed in Section 12810.5 , if the person so driving has knowledge of the suspension or revocation. Knowledge shall be conclusively presumed if mailed notice has been given by the department to the person pursuant to Section 13106. The presumption established by this subdivision is a presumption affecting the burden of proof.

(b) Any person convicted under this section shall be punished as follows:

(b) Any person convicted under this section shall be punished as follows:

(1) Upon a first conviction, by imprisonment in a county jail for not less than five days or more than six months and by a fine of not less than three hundred dollars ($300) or more than one thousand dollars ($1,000).

(2) If the offense occurred within five years of a prior offense which resulted in a conviction of a violation of this section or Section 14601.1, 14601.2, or 14601.5, by imprisonment in a county jail for not less than 10 days or more than one year and by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) or more than two thousand dollars ($2,000).

(c) If the offense occurred within five years of a prior offense which resulted in a conviction of a violation of this section or Section 14601.1, 14601.2, or 14601.5, and is granted probation, the court shall impose as a condition of probation that the person be confined in a county jail for at least 10 days.

[noamnety]

10. Is it a harsher sentence?

This assumes we all enter the court system with equivalent circumstances and histories. We don't.

For some of us, 5 days in jail would mean shared cells with no privacy, a lost job, unemployment, worries about paying bills, worries that if our license is revoked we can't get to work if we still have a job, etc.

For some of us, 5 days in jail means embarassment in the media, and the punishment is nothing more than 5 days of living without the assumed privileges that a person of their status is entitled to.

For some of us, an electronic tether does not mean partying in a mansion for a month with no financial worries.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=962543#963084

[Mend]

32. you should see what I have seen in the jails....I used to do psych evals on

prisoners who had been there a year or more. They were most often non-English speaking, poor, and homeless. They would be asleep on the sidewalk, possibly drunk, when the cops would come and kick them. They flew up and "resisted arrest" and viola, that's how you get to sit in jail for many months waiting for someone to do something.

[Joanne98]

49. I know it's so sad. So many people in jail deserve sympathy.

And they go and give it to Paris Hilton. Outrageous!

[Mend]

59. many of them are mentally ill and have substance abuse problems...

they don't get to go to the fancy rehabs, they do long hard time.

[ShaneGR]

81. Your argument gets to the root of the problem...

Do wealthy celebrities deserve to spend more time in jail than an average person? Should the judge take into account a persons wealth or status in sentencing? In my opinion he should not, you do the crime you do the time. You can't have the same cases with same previous history (in Hilton's case first offense misdemeanor violation) and sentence her to 45 days and another person to 10. Then you stick her in an overcrowded jail that's hard to control even without a big name celebrity and you're SHOCKED the sherriff's department wants her out. As for remorse, what do you want? A televised tearful apology for driving without her license?

Hopefully she just gets a limo driver for now on, sick of hearing about it.

[noamnety]

106. That's the root of it, yes.

Should the judge take into account a persons wealth or status in sentencing?

I'd rephrase that as should the legal system take into account a person's personal history and circumstances in sentencing?

Liberalism says no, all people are equal, therefore equal sentences are equal. Reality doesn't match our constitution, reality is, people AREN'T all equal. So a $5000 fine for one person is not the same as a $5000 fine for another person. For one, it has no impact, for the other, it means years of debt. For one person, time in jail carries no real penalty, other than inconvenience and personal shame and mental anguish. For others, a single parent, for example, time in jail jeopardizes their entire family.

The judicial system we have now is inherently biased toward the wealthy and powerful. That's what happens when those in power get to make the laws - they write them in a way, and present them in a way, that it seems "natural" that those with power retain their power.

There are some notable examples of systems that are based on ability to pay, rather than assuming everyone is equal. Child support is one example, where ability to pay is part of the equation. Some may argue whether that is figured fairly, but my point is that it's possible to have a system where ability to pay and sliding scales is considered a "natural" thing.

[ljm2002]

28. Got stats?

Seriously. You are making assertions about typical sentences for her offense. This was not her first DUI, and she did it while her license was suspended, and to top it off, she was on probation when she did it (violating its terms, obviously). Not to mention, DUIs endanger people other than just the offender, so she and others are lucky that no one was hurt or worse in one of her little incidents. So please, do find the stats for typical sentences, find a link and get back to us. Until then I will take your assertions with a grain of salt...

[ShaneGR]

6. It's stupid, why does she deserve worse punishment than average Americans?

Seriously, I don't understand the lynch mob mentality. She's a first offense probation violator... suspended licence! Guess what, YOU CANT FIND ANYONE BUT PARIS HILTON IN ALL OF LA COUNTY GETTING THAT HARSH OF A SENTENCE FOR THAT CRIME. Not one. Why do you think the Sherriff's department is complaining about it? The Jails are already overcrowded (it's standard to release non violent offenders after serving less than 10% of sentence).

So lets go over what she did. She was convicted of DUI. While a serious Misdemeanor, it was her first offense. She's then caught twice driving suspended but not intoxicated. Cooperates both times, immediate pullover. And sentenced to 45 days. 45 days? WTF? I don't personally like Paris Hilton myself but twisting the justice system to parade around a celebrity conviction on your resume pisses me off.

[Joanne98]

14. I agree. You're absolutely right. But it's not about her, it's about THEM. The rich!

She's a catalyst. The public is really sending the wealthy a message! WE HATE YOU!

[coco77]

24. Bull!

she violated her probation 2 times and then had the nerve to come into court late and then her family disrespected the judge. Send her ass back to jail and give back the 45 days. You are pissing me off trying to make excuses for her...She is not getting worse treatment than the average american anybody elses ass would have been thrown in jail after the first violation.

[ShaneGR]

31. You're just not correct....

Whatever your personal feelings are, you can search court documents and see for yourself. The average probation violater for driving infractions in LA county gets approximately 10-14 days and spends no more than a day or two in LA County Jail. That's first offense probation violation x 2. Typically, on a DUI, the defendent will receive a suspended sentence. If caught driving (not intoxicated) first offense they typically do not receive jail time. A second violation usually brings on the sentence mentioned above. So, her sentence was appoximately 3.5 times as great as an average violater.

So she showed up late? Fair enough. She got her sentence. The LASD released her to home confinement JUST like they do every other non violent inmate. The jail is so overcrowded it's standard practice. So there is no special treatment there. But the judge still wants to haul her back into court. For what? It's not like she released herself. Why doesn't the judge call the SHerriff's department in if he's got a problem with what they did?

[truedelphi]

70. The judge had made it clear that he was considering the matter

The Sheriff's Dept went ahead and without waiting for the judge
to rule, gave her her walking papers.

Then the judge had one of the lawyers on staff hold a press conference to say how angry the court was that this happened.

Paris has shown no remorse, has not had to consider one actual consequence of her behavior, and if she should get back in a car and drive around drunk till she kills someone, because of the above, it would be that the city of LA would be liable.

[ShaneGR]

79. Believe it or not, she has faced consequences....

She already spent a little over three days in a jail cell. For celebritites, its like solitary confinement because they cant be put in general population. Now she'll sit at home on house arrest. She's probably spent tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees. Her face is plastered all over the news as the lynch mob circles screaming about rich bitch, slut, etc etc. Just read this board.

[Madspirit]

53. Are we supposed to care if we piss you off?

**coco the Rageaholic...."You are pissing me off trying to make excuses for her..."**


What? Are we supposed to care if we piss you off? You beat people or something if they don't agree with you? Your bullying won't get you far on this site. We can defend her if we want. I know if given a choice of hanging with HER or YOU, I'd be hangin' with the Hilton. I've never heard her say vicious things about YOU.
Lee

[coco77]

57. WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT...

the only apologist I hear is you, chasing me around on the board because you think that Paris should get special treatment. My piss off response was to the poster who told me they were pissed off. Frankly,I don't give a damn what you think either. Everyone has an opinion. Are you as angry at the the other posters who are saying things about Paris that you don't agree with?

[Madspirit]

60. No

Most of them are my friends and they allow others to have opinions without getting in people's faces. They also don't come onto a board as a new person and go on a one-person crusade of rage. ...but go for it. Maybe you can pray hard enough and you will be allowed to stone Paris to death. What an upper for you. Maybe the blood will run down her rich face and clot in her fake blonde hair and you can feel the stone hit her skull...oooh...happy days are here again.
Lee

[coco77]

95. Didn't I tell you, in a previous post...

I am not new here. I have been posting here for years until I lost my password and decided to change the name because it was causing me so much trouble to post.. Even if I were new here I think that I have the right to speak my opinion just as you do, everyone will not agree on everything here. We are not like the repubs. Are you a relative of paris? Because my post sure have been getting you really upset. I get in people faces when they get in mine. Do you really think that I will let you insult me and whoever your friends are, without a response. Sorry can't do that. Should I be banned because don't agree with me on certain subjects?

[leftynyc]

63. OOOOOH - wouldn't want to piss you off!!!

I'm getting the feeling you want to throw the book at her merely because she's rich. That's your problem, not hers.

[Madspirit]

64. Thank-you leftynyc...n/t

[leftynyc]

113. You're welcome madspirit

The bloodlust on this issue is very disturbing.

[Madspirit]

51. I agree Shane

This lynch mob mentality is sick. I hate it.
Lee

[Strelnikov_]

62. "the Sherriff's department is complaining about it"

That has been what I have been wondering about.

My impression of most prisons and lockups in urban areas are they operate in a state of loosely controlled chaos. How many guards/deputies/prisoners are being put into danger just to prove a point.

Let her go to one of those designer lockups, or make a deal with some relatively peaceful County lockup in a wealthy suburban or rural area that could use the publicity.

[gemlake]

97. Why? Because she's a rich "slut"

Do you honestly think there would be the same amount of glee if the celebrity in question was male? Look at all the posts referring to her as a slut, bimbo, whore, joking about her "body cavity searches," and talking about sending her to Iraq to "service" the troops. It's sick.

This isn't about the rich. This is about the public's blood lust to put a certain woman in her place.

If only Paris was a sweet little virgin, I doubt she would have gone to jail in the first place.

[girl gone mad]

110. False.

One of my best friends served 25 days for driving on a suspended license. Her license had been revoked for not being insured at the time she was pulled over (she had inadvertently let it lapse) which I would argue is a less severe infraction than DUI.

[Shakespeare]

117. You're mistaken. The sheriff's department is complaining that Baca let her out early.

THAT is what they're complaining about, not her sentence. Baca is all alone on this one.

[leftofthedial]

9. poor Paris Hilton is a casualty in the class warfare being waged against

the wealthy, who are better people than the rest of us

how dare we presume to send one of our betters to jail?

[The Backlash Cometh]

35. Maybe the day she decided to go out without her panties on, she was

really just trying to walk a mile in the poor's shoes? You know, see how the other 90% lives.

[leftynyc]

114. It's way more than that

very few are saying she doesn't deserve to serve her time - I think the issue is the glee and bloodlust being thrown at her problems......because she's rich. Reverse class warfare is also ugly.

[shain from kane]

11. Marie Antoinette.

[Joanne98]

12. Sort of. Paris Hilton is more corporate royalty.

[Bright Eyes]

13. Let Them Eat Cake

Famous last words, eh?

[dogday]

15. She only was in for 3 days, the other two were padded

she checked into jail right before midnight, that counted as a day, if you can believe that, and she checked out after midnight, that counted as another day.. She was actually in Jail 3 days with two padded days....

I have worked at the HCJ here in town and I will tell you she got off so light it is not even funny...

[Me.]

20. Right

Totally annoyed by the 5 day BS. It's so * admin where 3=5.

[Joanne98]

17. Breaking: Dig hole deeper. Paris will not be in court. She'll get 5 yrs now!

[raccoon]

18. Is "Paris" short for "Parasite"? nt

[Iris]

19. But many of these angry people will still vote for whomever promises to remove the inheritance tax.

or death tax or whatever name the Republicans decide to call it in the next election.

[frazzled]

21. Paris is not necessarily representative of the "rich"

any more than the right-wing parody of the welfare queen was (or is) representative of the "poor." So it's really bad, I think, to try to paint all rich people as being Paris Hilton clones. Think of say, the Pritzkers (owners of the Hyatt hotel chain, for some parallelism) or George Soros, who do good work and are responsible citizens. If one of their children were sent to jail, however, I'd expect them to stay there for the prescribed term.

This is about a miscarriage of justice with respect to a celebrity/rich person. But it doesn't make me hate the rich, as you suggest. It only makes me hate Paris Hilton.

[kysrsoze]

22. Yeah, I agree. Paris is an example of sleaziness, greed and stupidity all wrapped up in thrown

in front of a camera for the enjoyment of stupid people. She thought her level of celebrity privelege could get her out of jail for repeatedly breaking the law. That's why I hate her and I hope she goes back to jail to serve out the rest of her term.

[aikoaiko]

25. Wishful thinking ---we're far from a tipping point regarding the rich and celebrities.

Its just fun to love and/or hate Paris.

[Joanne98]

34. The stars are perfectly alligned. We have arrived!

You can feel it in the air. It's electric. It's just like Katrina. Catalysts are strange things.

[Warren DeMontague]

100. Uh Huh. Maybe you forget that a lot of "rich celebrities" are progressive movers and shakers.

And powerful, driving forces in the Democratic Party.

Guess they're headed for the guillotine, too, eh?

[Swede]

26. Let them eat cake?

There really is a backlash against Paris.

[Joanne98]

27. Breaking. Judge to Princess! Get your gold plated ass over here NOW!

[Freddie Stubbs]

29. There was no major backlash when OJ Simpson got away with murder

[Joanne98]

33. That was before 6 years of Whitehouse heir George W Bush!

[Midlodemocrat]

80. There was no DU, either.

Or any other major message boards at that time. If there had been, I think there would have been tremendous backlash about OJ.

FWIW. My white, Catholic, middle class extremely left wing dad went to his grave believing OJ was innocent.

[Freddie Stubbs]

85. There certainly were message boards

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet

I don't know how many hours a week I spent on that in college.

[Midlodemocrat]

86. But not to the extent that there are today.

People talked about the OJ thing rather than blog about it.

[goclark]

101. IMO the backlash from OJ is still being felt

in the Prison system.

Black men are being put in prisons left and right and have long sentences.

Backlash OJ

Juries,"balanced" with a "cross section of Americans" are not truly balanced.

Whites are asked: Can you be fair in this trial
Answer--- 98% of the time" YES
Result: 80% of the time they don't even bother to question anything, just give a verdict of Guilty.

Ask African American potential jurors the same question and they may say, " It would be hard for me because sometimes I don't trust the police."

Result: OFF the jury!!

Most juries are more than willing to send Minorities to jail and keep them there.

The juries that I have observed, in urban areas of Los Angeles, may have minorities on the jury but the Whites "control" the jury.

Huge percentage of the juries are not too willing to make sure that justice is done for African Americans and Latinos in America.


Bachlash from OJ that deeply affects the ability of African American men to get a fair trial.

My best friend is a Criminal Attorney and I see what is happening first hand.

[Johonny]

30. I got to agree

There is a real anger here that is due to Paris wealth. It's odd that someone that "seems" so popular is actually extremely hated.

[Joanne98]

36. She's just a symbol. The rich and powerful are now officially shit!

[Az_lefty]

39. Judge orders her back to court, Sheriff's at the house gate to pick her up

this is starting to look like the OJ bullshit... :puke:

[notadmblnd]

40. I wouldn't say it's hate or anger...

I see it as is reaffirmation of what we've known all along; that you get the justice you can pay for. I'd sure like to know what favor the sheriff received in return for her release.

[barb162]

52. Yep and why wasn't the sheriff worried about all the other prisoners

who were "mentally" distressed. I hope that sheriff has a good explanation for why she got to do time at home and the others don't.

[Warren DeMontague]

41. She should serve the appropriate punishment for what she did. No more, no less.

She shouldn't get any breaks, but frankly I think the clamoring to burn-her-at-the-stake!!! is likewise more than a little unseemly.

It's not a crime to be born rich, shallow, or even stupid. Sorry.

[Dorian Gray]

68. You said:

"It's not a crime to be born rich, shallow, or even stupid. Sorry."

It is a crime to drive drunk, then to drive on a suspended license.

[Warren DeMontague]

98. Did you miss the rest of my post?

You know, the part where I said, and I quote: "She should serve the appropriate punishment for what she did. No more, no less."

[Corgigal]

42. Not the rich

This would happen to any person who thumbs her nose as societies rules. If one of my kids did what this twit did they would be in jail for days now. This girl might kill someone one day. She has proven that she believes laws are for little people. My stepson was struck by a DUI driver, missed a year of school, months in the hospital. Finally 6 years later he's back on track.

DUI is serious. I tell my kids if you want to go out and party and need me to pick you up, please call. This rich idiot could easily afford a driver, she doesn't have to call family to pick her up.
Her parents should be so damn embarassed, I know I would be.

This judge might be saving someone's life.

[Warren DeMontague]

43. I agree. I had a friend who was killed by a drunk driver. It's serious business.

But I don't think the "anger" in this thread has all that much to do with anything she actually did.

[Dorian Gray]

69. I agree with that...

all this: "Burn the rich" is annoying me. There are plenty of rich people in this world who are beneficial to society. There is loads of backlash against Paris because she is symbolic of the MTV generational superficiality that permeates our society.

[truedelphi]

74. Are you equally angry that the rich sneer at the poor? That

the expectations of this society just to get a job in some industries is that you are young, beautiful, have a gorgeous wardrobe to boot etc.

And the job market is set up so that many people will never make a living wage due to not having the requisite number of degrees on their resume (In San Francisco Bay Area, even twenty years ago, just to be a secretary at a larger firm required a master's degree.) Meanwhile the cost of higher education shoots forever higher.

[Warren DeMontague]

104. That has precisely ---what--- to do with Paris Hilton's DUI?

I don't know Paris Hilton, so she's never "sneered" at ME.

[shimmergal]

56. According to numerous "sightings" here in LV,

her mother lives just the same sort of lifestyle as her daughter: falling-down-drunk in casinos every night etc., and of course they continue to serve her because of her wealth. No embarrassment there for Paris's exploits!

[AZBlue]

44. I see this more as an issue about the young, spoiled, obnoxious and irresponsible.

And that has nothing to do with income. I'm hoping this is a bit of a wake-up call for that generation and their parents - because they are out of control.

[Joanne98]

45. Breaking: Sick Paris was going to have a party tonight...

Complete with space heaters for the patio. Wouldn't want to get cold now.

[WCGreen]

46. See that's how they should attack the Estate Tax....

A picture of Hilton with the Caption....

I'm voting republican 'cause they are gonna let me keep all my stuff when daddy dies...

[Joanne98]

48. Exactly!

[Joanne98]

47. SHE'S ON HER WAY!!!!!!!!

[Initech]

50. Damn I never thought of it that way!

I guess that if we would compare this class war to the French Revolution, Paris Hilton is our Marie Antoinette!

I'm waiting for one of them, just one, to say "Let them eat cake" (or something similar).

:popcorn:

[monobrau]

54. You're leaving something out

The bitch was driving the wrong way down the freeway in the wee hours of the morning, fer chrissake.
She is a danger to others and should be treated as such.

[Joanne98]

58. Even more unforgivable when we know she could have had a slave drive her.

[Madspirit]

55. Lynch Mob Mentality...so appealing in leftists...NOT...n/t

[LBJDemocrat]

65. Right

She's representative of the decadence of the elites. Making porn videos, having casual sex, driving while intoxicated, disrespecting a judge. To hell with her.

She can't handle a couple weeks in prison with her own cell and no contact with other inmates? She wouldn't have to worry about what other inmates have to worry about, stuff like avoiding getting raped or beaten up and how to get a job once you're out.

And I think the mob mentality is perfectly appropriate when we're talking about some spoiled brat who rose to fame by a supposedly unintentional release of a pornographic video.

[Madspirit]

67. Blood Lust...oooh

Gee...I've had tons of casual sex. In what bizarro world is that any of YOUR business or something to toss someone in jail for? Her mother disrespected the judge. This wasn't for DUI. This was for breaking the terms of her probation for a DUI.

I've been in jail and locked up, more than once. Have you?

Maybe you can join coco and if you pray really hard they will let you two take turns stoning Paris to death...seeing the blood run down her face and clot in her hair. Maybe you can shave her head and kick her.....oooh lusty blood goodness.

Sick sick sick sick.
Lee

[Warren DeMontague]

99. So you think the punishment should be precisely WHAT for "having casual sex"

or "making porn videos"?

Hmmmm?

[Joanne98]

102. Actually, she be better off if she talked to the other inmates....

If she could just get over herself long enough to stop being afraid. I'm sure they'd be very nice to her. Woman in jail are very sad. They mostly worry about their children.

[Midlodemocrat]

82. I don't think that is what people are saying, Madspirit.

At least for me, I really don't care one way or the other about Paris Hilton, but one of my very best friends lost her husband to a drunk driver and when I see how cavalierly Paris behaved about her DUI, it really makes me think that she doesn't believe what she did was a very big deal at all. That her wealth and privilege make her above us. Remember that realty show "Who wants to be a Hilton?" :puke: As. If.

To those of us who have witnessed the drunk driver walking away unscathed while the jaws of life pull a beloved friend out of the wreckage in several pieces, a DUI is not something to be taken lightly.

My mom had a friend who was a terrible, terrible, drunk. Vodka bottles literally rolled around in her car. She was sentenced in the late 70's to jail at the Women's Prison in Niantic for 9 months on her third DUI.

We all breathed a sigh of relief that she had gotten there prior to killing anyone.

[Madspirit]

84. Hi Midlo!

I was almost killed by a drunk driver Midlo. ...a seventy-five mile an hour head on collision. I was unconscious for over over 12 hours and my face was swollen even with my nose. I could barely move for weeks I was so battered and bruised and torn all to hell. I was almost killed. I was sober. The drunk who hit me walked away with barely a scratch. Still, I am an alcoholic, 15 years sober, so I understand the pull of that addiction.

If I had my way no non-violent offender would go to jail. Not the poor, not the rich. No non-violent offender would go to jail.

If I was the judge I would sentence her to something more meaningful and something that might actually sink in. I am BIG on community service. I would have her work on a soup line feeding the homeless, EVERY day. ...and she couldn't make her maids do it for her. I would make her visit the morgue several times and drive around with EMT folks, seeing just what can really happen when you drive drunk...some therapy...some drying out...getting off the alcohol and drugs...take her license, etc. There are much better ways to make an impression that REALLY lasts, on a person, than locking them up. ...and isn't, ultimately, the purpose to make sure they never do it again. If she wouldn't comply I would commit her to rehab. Alcohoism is even a disease when it hits the rich.

I have also been locked up. I can't express to folks here, the horror of it. I would rather go through the wreck again than spend another night in jail. The life I've led, nuthouses, abusive parents, leaving home at 15, two years in a state nuthouse in Texas, 35 years ago with stories that would make your hair stand on end and jail time, etc...and nothing in all of that, stands out like the jail time and it was never for more than a couple of days at a time. I just cannot express sufficiently, evidently, the horror of jail.

Lee

[Warren DeMontague]

103. She should absolutely serve the same sentence as anyone else for what is a very

serious crime. I should know- a good friend of mine was killed by a drunk driver.

But you don't have to be "a Hilton" to be someone who blows off the seriousness of a DUI. There is a real schizophrenia in our society around it; it's better than it used to be, thanks to MADD and the rest, but you still have plenty of people who don't consider themselves "criminals" getting behind the wheel after "one or two". Not all of them are drinking champagne and driving Porsches- many of them are drinking Old Style and driving rusty pickup trucks.

What gets me isn't the idea that Paris Hilton should serve her time like everyone else- absolutely, she should. What bothers me is the weird, "off with her head, burn her at the stake" vibe that this thread has brought out in some people. In this thread you've got people grousing about the "cultural elite", frustratedly axe-grinding about her "casual sex" and "porn videos"... like they just walked out of a James Dobson rally. :crazy:

Now if someone wants to suggest that ALL DUIs be sentenced more strongly, that's one thing- like I said, a good friend of mine died at the hands of a drunk driver. But the weird, all-consuming rage I see in this thread seems to have very little to do with Drunk Driving, and everything to do with what seems to be some sad envy/hatred of Paris Hilton for being rich, and attractive, and a celebrity for doing pretty much nothing. Personally, I think she was also born with no talent and not a ton of brains, so I sure as shit wouldn't trade places with her. The level of self-righteous indignation and anger here, given what she's actually done strikes me as... well, a little disturbing.

[gemlake]

108. I find it disturbing, too

I think the juvenile mob mentally here has as much to do with her being female as being rich. Or rather, a female who is attractive and sexually active, with an "attitude." It's almost like the name callers are threatened by her, and want her "punished" for her "slutty" ways. It's very weird and puritanish.

[Warren DeMontague]

112. Yep. I agree.

She's rich and young and sexy, and that pisses some folks off.

[ComerPerro]

61. you know what I find hilarious about this whole thing? Fox News and conservatives

can't stop talking about her, and they are the ones who claim that the stories about celebs are nonsense and unimportant. My RW uncle bitches about it all the time. But Fox News knows that Paris anything is good ratings, becasue conservative housewifes hate her and are probably envious of her at the same time, and conservative men despise her yet are completely aroused by her. So they gotta watch, they can't help themselves.

But every RW email I read about the liberal media always has shit in it like, "But the media isn't reporting this good news in Iraq, it is too busy talking about Paris Hilton"

[gemlake]

109. "conservative men despise her yet are completely aroused by her"

Have you read the posts here? It's not just the conservatives . . .

[truedelphi]

66. 5 days is standard in California - she was after all, DUI

Then went and drove with a suspended license. Also she is not yet 21 -so the club that sold her, gave her, the booze, should have had its license seized and business disrupted as well. (Had it been a mom and pop bar in a small town, rather than a glam bar in Hollywood, that is what would have happened)

There have been calls into radio talk shows - it depends on what state you live in.

Also they never mention that the fees taht Hilton would have had to pay (usually 3K to 5K) would seriously impair any middle class or working class person, but don't affect a Hilton at all.

[Warren DeMontague]

105. So you think the fines for a DUI should be lower, then? nt

[nolabels]

71. Much of the oligarch is still hazy, i just hope they continue with their irrational ignorance

The bucket needs to be totally emptied so all that crusty stuff can be cleaned out also :shrug:

[Madspirit]

72. My Principles are Across the Board

If I had my way no non-violent offender would go to jail. Not the poor, not the rich. No non-violent offender would go to jail.

If I was the judge I would sentence her to something more meaningful and something that might actually sink in. I am BIG on community service. I would have her work on a soup line feeding the homeless, EVERY day. ...and she couldn't make her maids do it for her. I would make her visit the morgue several times and drive around with EMT folks, seeing just what can really happen when you drive drunk...some therapy...some drying out...getting off the alcohol and drugs...take her license, etc. There are much better ways to make an impression that REALLY lasts, on a person, than locking them up. ...and isn't, ultimately, the purpose to make sure they never do it again.

My principles are not just applied to people I care about.
Lee

[truedelphi]

75. But you need to consider

that Paris had already thumbed her nose at the idea of showing up to court

SHe drove around ona DUI.

Do you really think this woman is gonna show for community service??

Everything you wrote is wonderful in its wisdom, but the people in this world
who somehow think that their status should prevent them from being conscious
of their respnsibilities, are not gonna do 150 hours of diapering babies at
a poor people's clinic.

[Madspirit]

77. If

If I couldn't get her to comply I would sentence her to lock-up, inpatient rehab. Like the poster below me, I think she has serious alcohol/drug abuse issues. ...and alcoholism is a disease, even when it hits the rich.

Oddly, though I am extremely poor and have even been homeless and I come from poverty, there is evidently one equalizer in the world. My aunt Elsie is a Life Master in bridge. That is the highest rank you can get to in the game. She has played bridge, many times, with Nicky, (Conrad), Hilton the Older Man, not the younger woman named after him, before he died, years ago. My aunt said the Hiltons start drinking at breakfast and don't stop until they pass out at bedtime. The disease ravages that family. Her own mother heckled the judge in court. How much of a sense of reality does that show? <g> They grasp nothing.

I have been in jail more than once and I have been locked up in a nuthouse, for two years. There is no good there. There are no lessons to learn. There is nothing except bad. It's horrible. That is why so many firt-timers commit suicide. If the girl won't comply I would have them pick her up and lock her in rahab. I would do almost anything to keep non-violent offenders out of jail, with it's violence...beatings, rapes, etc. There really are no lessons to learn in jail. Just ways to figure out how to get around the law even better. I HATE jail. It's the closest I've ever come to suicide.
Lee

[truedelphi]

83. You are a stronger person than I am

I think that jail would do it for me, despite other obstacles I have
dealt with.

The problem is that Paris is not facing too many people with the combination of wisdom/reality that you demonstrate.

A lot of our court system is modelled by its behavior and not the legalities, in a set-in-stone philosophy that the rich get one type of justice, and the poor another. (The criminal class gets yet another.)

So the person inside that system who is needed to say that Hilton should have to comply with an actual sanity-based program would be rare. However it should be something that we work for.

[arikara]

96. Holy moly but

you've had some path to walk. I surely do hope things have gotten easier for you.

LOVE and PEACE to you. :hug:

[Az_lefty]

73. This gal's problems are not just having an elitist attitude...

I think she has some serious drug/alcohol dependency. The judge would be better to sentence her to a long run in rehab, something that may ultimately save her life.

[Jack Rabbit]

76. Well, you know how the French handled the idle rich in the 1790s.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

78. I think they want you to feel angry (just to take your mind off the economy and Iraq)

[Xenotime]

88. If Americans hate the rich...then tax them!

[burythehatchet]

89. There must be death in order for there to be rebirth

this culture is currently on life support. It needs to die. If it takes some bloodshed, that would be understandable.

[Marie26]

90. Oh yeah

Here comes the revolution. :snort: People are just ignorant & angry and will turn that anger on a convenient scapegoat rather than try to understand what's actually happening to this country. Today, that scapegoat is Paris Hilton. The people watch to get a thrill out of seeing a rich young woman finally "brought down a peg," and the MSM & corporate advertisers make money from all the ratings. It's a pretty sickening display, really.

[johnnyrocket]

91. Right on! We absolutely need a 'French Revolution'...

the rich are getting away with murder. It is SO tilted, it's a joke. The system literally works for the rich, because the lower classes carry the burden.

And the powers that be do everything in their power to keep the status quo, keep the masses stupid and distracted.

Viva la Revolucion!

[Marie26]

92. Irony

"And the powers that be do everything in their power to keep the status quo, keep the masses stupid and distracted."

Like 24/7 coverage of a minor celebrity?

[conscious evolution]

93. "LET THEM EAT CAKE!!!!!!!!

Oh Sorry
Wrong revolution.

Or is it?

[ecstatic]

94. great parallel & points! nt

[StudentsMustUniteNow]

107. Incorrect. She is viewed as a "Liberal Elite"

Not as rich. There's a difference.

Most likely, all that will happen is a few angry freepers throwing their beer at the TV set then vote to cut her taxes on election day.

[eridani]

115. Not really. We've been through this before with Leona Helmsley

Outrage of the day, and then forget about it.

[farmboxer]

116. America is like France before ther revolution

The rich are royalty, legends in their own minds! I am sick of this crap! Billionaires want even more money while the poor/middleclass can barely make it, and some don't, but the rich get richer! President Gore predicted it, the upper one percent needs "all" the money, to hell with the poor/middleclass! Yep, Bush, the rich kid, never had to work a day in his life!