Paris Hilton: The real crime of lack of punishment

Everywhere I turned today was the "big story" about Paris Hilton being released from jail in Southern California. I don't get the fascination with her. She's not even the pretty one of the Hilton sisters. She's actually a bit freakish looking.

But I guess people like a freak show.

Now the Superior Court judge who tossed Hilton into jail is making noise about contempt of court for the L.A. County Sheriff for letting her out?

People are bitching (and here and here, etc.) thinking Hilton is getting special treatment because she's a celebrity. Maybe people should take a look at jail and prison crowding conditions around the country, not just in L.A. or California, and find out just how hard it is, not just to get thrown in jail, but to be kept their once you are in there in in places like Denver.

Hilton was on probation for reckless driving then later got stopped for driving under the influence. She was tossed in jail then for violating probation. But if people looked, really looked, at their local justice systems they would find that jails are letting people out all the time because they have so many people sentenced or waiting for trial they have to let some people out just in order to keep the really hard core people accused of murders and rapes and the most violent of crimes locked up. And you'd be shocked to learn some of the crimes people have been accused or convicted of that still get let out.

Hilton isn't getting special attention from anyone but the media and the celebrity obsessed public who have turned pop culture icons famous for merely being famous into American royalty and made the pathetic reality of "reality" TV something to not only waste their time watching, but dreaming of being "reality" stars themselves for who they date or marry or share a house with or compete in games on an island with or each eat bugs with.

Paris Hilton needs a life outside the public eye and house arrest would be a fine place to start. But it's all the other idiots under self-imposed house arrest in front of their TVs and computers who make moron's like her popular. We are the ones who are in the biggest need of finding something much more important to care about. Like, maybe, how ineffective it is for society to say "lock criminals up and throw away the key" then turn a blind eye to what's happening in jails and prisons. That is unless a celebrity gets tossed into one.

I was tempted to say that people should get a life, but it's more than that. People need to get involved with their communities and care about more than just frivolous celebrity crap. Oh, but that might cause someone to think a little too much made some tough decisions about things.

Oops, got to go. Reruns of "Frasier" are about to start.