Why Paris Hilton Matters

Paris Hilton draws petitions for, against jail Wed May 9, 2007 8:17am ET146 By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Internet was abuzz with rival petitions on Tuesday from fans and foes of jail-bound heiress Paris Hilton alternately asking California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to pardon her or make sure she serves her time.

"We think 45 days in jail is a cruel punishment for the caliber of what she did," said Kyle Vincent, an artist who launched the FreeParis.org Web site and is trying to collect one million signatures on a petition seeking clemency by June 5, the date the hotel heiress was ordered to report to jail. Vincent, 27, described himself as a longtime Hilton fan who believes her story that she was unaware her license had been suspended when she was caught driving 70 mph, or 45 mph over the speed limit after dark without headlights in February. (Reuters)

This caught my eye, more because of the bizarre nature of it than its newsworthiness. I am a big believer in the law should apply and be applied equally to everyone. I am also old enough to know that this is never, nor will it ever be, the case.

So, what to do with poor Paris. Frankly, 45 days in jail would probably do her some good, but so would 45 days of real community service. I am not condoning her actions. She was speeding, she was on a suspended licenses (and I suspect one of her handlers not only knew but forgot to tell her this) and she deserves to be punished. But how do you punish the famous. Unless the punishment enacts some sort of real change in behavior, there is more overhead involved than with a non-famous criminal. And the more famous, the higher the overhead. I do not believe she should be pardoned. But I am not quite sure how to punish her either.