...And justice for all

This is a busy day (June 7, 2007) in the news. Our president is about to embarrass himself and us with Vlad Putin, the latest dictator to whom Bush, who considers himself the champion of democracy , will join in Iraqing the world. I think I invented a verb: to Iraq - definition, to fix something that didn't need fixing until you broke it.

In New Haven, a march is set through the heavily Hispanic Fair Haven neighborhood in support of the 29 people who were picked up by the feds after New Haven became the first city in the country to offer identification cards to illegal aliens. The feds say there was no causal relationship.

Speaking of illegals, it looks like the Congress may not be able to push through legislation that would make it easier for the aliens to get permission to stay here. The compromise bill failed a key vote in the Senate, but it won't be tossed onto the trash pile yet while leaders try another round of arm-twisting.

The story of the 15-year-old girl who was missing for about a year until she was found yesterday at the home occupied by a 40-something man and two women has grown longer legs. That's newspaper talk for becoming more interesting. It seems the man may have had a relationship with the girl and also may have had similar relationships to other teenage girls. I see at least an episode Law & Order SVU, one on that missing show whatever it's called and a Fox movie of the week.

The Red Sox have lost four straight, a season record, although they still have the best record in major-league baseball. Every team has its nemesis, a team it should be able to crush but against whom the record is horrible. The Yankees have the Devil Rays, the Red Sox have Oakland.

So, which of all these serious, world-shaking events will garner the most public attention? Which will the subject of today's rant? None of the above, of course.

Paris Hilton been sprung from jail. After a couple of days at a special lockup in Los Angeles, the world's most famous convict was let out on a medical excuse. Just like you used to get a medical excuse to get out of gym in junior high, Hilton got a medical excuse to skip jail.

She won't be doing much partying, at least in theory, because she'll be wearing an ankle bracelet (with diamonds, of course) to keep her under house arrest.

The ones for whom I feel sorry are the jail administrators, who will have to put up with requests for medical leave from every child molester and father-stabber in their custody. And why not.

After all, isn't this a nation of laws, not of men or women? Justice is blind to money, rank, power and the rest, right? The law's playing field is even. What's good for an illegal alien picked up in a sweep by La Migra (see yesterday's post for more on this) is certainly good for a spoiled young woman with too much time and money on her hands.

Ah, well. Next time you are picked up for speeding, fail to pay your ticket, lose your license numerous times, drive anyway drunk or sober and are finally tossed into the klink, just tell the judge you want the Paris Hilton treatment.

I'm sure you'll get what she deserved.

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Ralph wrote in to chastise me for being for illegal aliens.

First of all, Ralph, thank you for taking the time to express your opinion. I welcome comments, in fact I wish I got more of them.

The reason I'm not against this type of immigration is that I remember when people who wanted to shut the nation's door ruled the State Department during World War II. Hundreds of thousands of Jews and others who sought safety here were turned away. The Nazis were willing to let them go for a fee, at least early in the war, and there were those who were willing to put up the bribe money, but there was no place for them to go. So, instead of coming here, the went to gas chambers and ovens.

Look, I know that most of today's illegals are here for economic opportunity instead of being hunted by Nazis, but hunger and disease can kill as well.
So, thanks for your note, but on this one, I'll have to plead guilty to a charge of putting humanity over laws that are not applied fairly.

If nothing else, Paris Hilton has taught us about that
.