Paris Disturbia! updated
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Paris ordered back to jail! |
Paris Hilton has been freed. She’s on house arrest. Cue the sequel to the movie “Disturbia,”
the Paris Hilton edition. Don’t laugh. This is the stuff that Barack Obama is
addressing in speeches, while the AP and others like Sean Hannity choose to
quote him using hyperbole. It’s one of the reasons Obama continues to surge. Equal
justice is not some quaint notion. And not everyone is as lucky
as Scooter Libby, having a presidential candidate pimp their case.
“Though I have nothing but empathy for Ms. Hilton whom I have met and
appeared with on Saturday Night Live the night I hosted in 2003, this early
release gives all of the appearances of economic and racial favoritism that
is constantly cited by poor people and people of color. There are any number
of cases of people who handle being incarcerated badly and even have health
conditions that are not released.I have served several sentences for civil rights and civil disobedience actions
and I even fasted which caused health concerns to prison authorities who paid
for a doctor to come see me daily rather than release me. This act smacks
of the double standards that many of us raise.”
Fred Thompson is likely running for president as the conservative’s white night.
His latest claim to fame, other than being a lobbyist, is helping
Scooter Libby escape justice. Pardon the liar, says Thompson and his ilk,
there was no crime. Funny how they wanted to string up Bill Clinton for lying
about a personal consensual affair. Interesting how the right parses rhetoric
on justice.
But power or celebrity justice, whether Hillton or Libby, is nothing new. I
lived through the trial of O.J. Simpson, as did many of you, so I know how it
works. It’s the establishment v. the outsider.
It’s playing out for 2008.
Whether it’s John Edwards or Barack Obama, both of these men have a message
that is reaching a whole different group and class of people: the poor, people
in poverty, the struggling millions of the middle class, blacks, minorities
and people who simply cannot relate to the realities of the Paris Hiltons and
Scooter Libbys of the world. Clinton offering an amendment to the immigration
bill to help unite families. It was defeated, but she fought. A woman daring to say she can be commander in chief, even as the ultimate insider, Clinton challenges everything the Republicans represent: a woman in charge of the military.
Paris Hilton and Scooter Libby are the symbols, but the symptoms of the inequality
in America has been growing throughout the Bush presidency. As the Republicans
think of turning to Fred Thompson, what they’re saying is more of the same,
please. It’s good to be king. Does anyone think it a mistake that not a
single minority or woman is running while Republican?
It’s about taking on daddy and not being afraid of the consequences. From Iraq to Katrina to everything in between, Americans are sick of the Bushies getting away with it all. It’s the Paris syndrome, seen through Libby and everything else the Bushies have done and for which they’ve not paid the full price.
But talk about “two Americas.” (Link added as update.) There is something disturbing about
Paris Hilton claiming a “nervous breakdown,” and getting special treatment. Is she the first inmate to suffer from incarceration? It’s Libby, the celebrity version. Meanwhile, Republicans
say aspire to be Libby, because rich is good. I’ll say, especially when you’re convicted of a crime. Democrats say make the system fair for all. But for today, reality plays out in favor of the favored. Can Scooter’s mental breakdown be far behind?
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