strange bedfellows...

[Jim Devine <jdevine03@xxxxxxxxx>]

FOX News: Al Sharpton Is Right About Paris Hilton

Thursday, June 07, 2007

By John Gibson

Al Sharpton is right.

Today when Paris Hilton got sprung from jail 20 days early — from a
sentence that was just half of what was originally imposed — the story
turned out to be that Paris' shrink went to the jailers and said she
was about to have a nervous breakdown. So they let her go home early
with an ankle bracelet. Sharpton immediately said there may have been
racism involved here.

Look, when he's right he's right. No matter what you think of Rev. Al,
it is hard to imagine that anywhere in America a black woman is
getting out of jail today because her shrink says she's about to have
a nervous breakdown. He says it wouldn't happen, and I agree.

It shouldn't happen either. It shouldn't happen with "little miss just
anybody," whether she's African-American or white or Asian or Hispanic
or anything. And it shouldn't have happened with Paris Hilton.

Was it because she's white? Maybe just a bit, but more likely it
happened because she's rich and her parents can make lawyers and
shrinks work round the clock to move mountains. In fact, when this
little rich white girl gets her way by throwing a hissy fit it
illustrates that celebrities and rich people can make things happen
that others cannot.

During the O.J. trail we used to say it wasn't so much black and white
in play but green. O.J. had money, so he could hire the best and fight
back. Many white people have that advantage, while with
African-Americans, not so much.

Somewhere in America there must be a young African-American girl in
jail who should get what Paris Hilton got today: a pass. Is it going
to happen? Unless she's got a rich daddy and a high-priced shrink and
a slick lawyer, probably not.

I don't know if I'd call that situation racism per se, but it is rich
white privilege in action, that is for sure. So give Rev. Al one. He's
right about this.

That's My Word.

[This must be where Stephen Colbert got his idea of "The Word."]
--
Jim Devine /  "if there's an original thought out there, I could use
it right now." -- Bob Dylan & Sam Shepherd.