With justice for some

Two evenings ago, M and I ordered The Declaration and Independence and The Constitution of the United States of America from Amazon. They are lovely hard-bound editions, and I can't wait to get them and read them. It's probably something I should have done long ago, but better late than never. Shouldn't we all be familiar with the documents used to found our great country? Isn't it imperative that we, as Americans, know why our country was founded, on on what grounds? Shouldn't we understand what rights and conditions are our just due?

I especially can't wait to read the part of The Constitution that talks about how our laws aren't applicable to you if you're a spoiled privileged little snot who was raised with a silver spoon.

I think I almost blew the windshield out of the car this morning on the way into work when I heard that Paris Hilton (ptooey! I spit on her name!) was released (!!!) from jail and given home confinement. My scream of "You have got to be kidding me!" should have done it, but thankfully the Zoemobile held together.

Home confinement is a joke in and of itself; it should be called "manse confinement." We would all be so lucky to get her version of "home confinement" for our everyday lives.

It was one thing when she was off doing her "celebrity" thing. I didn't quite understand what, exactly, made her a celebrity to begin with, given that she seems quite free of any talent and can't seem to treat others with basic human respect. Okay, whatever. She was out there, doin' her thing, and that was fine by me because I was busy doin' my thing and never the twain shall meet (thankfully).

But now. Now I have lost any shred of respect I had for the American justice system. And that pisses me off. I'm a patriot to the nth degree. I love my country, and think it's the greatest place in the world to live. The national anthem brings me to tears (hell, the Chevy commercial with Mellencamp's "This is Our Country" brings me to tears), and you bet your ass I stand, remove my cap and place my hand over my heart every time I hear it. The anthem, that is, not Mellencamp's song.

I'm a firm believer in respecting tradition and The Office of President of the United States, even if you don't care for the man (or maybe woman, some day) currently in that office. I think George Washington and Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson and the rest of 'em were kick-ass founding fathers, incredibly smart guys with uncanny vision, even if they did have their own peculiarities and quirks including duelling over implied insults of honor.

Today, though, I'm embarrassed. Ms. Hilton has single-handedly made a mockery of our justice and law enforcement system. Wait, I take that back. She's done what she's always done. I can't fault her for this. I lay my blame squarely on the imbeciles who decided to let her out of the pokey having served, what, three whole days?

Medical condition my ass. If the so-called medical condition was that she refused to eat prison fare then I'm even more disappointed with the decision. People starve around the world every day, and as far as I'm concerned it wouldn't be a bad thing if she discovered what hunger feels like. If the medical condition was that they did indeed learn that Ms. Hilton really has the brain power of a field mouse, then okay, that's quite a breakthrough but still no reason to release her.

What does it say when it becomes glaringly obvious that one can circumvent the laws of this country simply if one has enough money to do so? I'm curious how many people have been confined for breaking the same laws as Ms. Hilton, and weren't released even with viable medical conditions.

I'll still read my copy of the Constitution when it comes, but I don't think it'll have the weight it used to carry, at least in my own mind.