I just read this article about Paris Hilton's grandfather donating to the re-election campaign of Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca. To be honest, I don't care about that.

I also read about how Paris is terrified of being photographed in jail. Oddly, I do care about that.

I have mixed feelings about Paris Hilton right now.

I find it very difficult to muster sympathy for her, because she has spent the last several years feeling as though she is immune to the rules that govern behavior for the rest of us. It’s not a matter of one of her assistants forgetting to inform her that DUI is illegal. Nor is it a matter of her publicist failing to explain that when she signs a piece of paper acknowledging that it’s unlawful for her to drive, it really means that she’s not allowed to drive. The fact that she is surrounded by people that function in a service capacity for her, is not a shield that protects her from the responsibility with which we all are charged.

That being said, the fact that she felt she could keep driving after losing her driving privileges makes me feel that she needs to be in jail right now. Hell, the fact that she so frequently (judging by the several times it has been caught on video) drives drunk, makes me think she deserved time when she was first charged with it.

However…

I believe the toilets in the inmate areas are in open view of the guards. That being said, I can certainly understand how Paris would be worried about a picture of her crapping in jail would impact her reputation.

Does this mean she is different than anyone else who is incarcerated and needs to poop?

I haven’t really answered that question for myself yet. I tend to lean toward ‘no’.

The Sheriff is basing much of his decision (or so he says to the media) on the premise that the criminal justice system should not seek to make an example of a celebrity, and that Paris deserves to be treated just like anyone else. In this respect, she should be allowed to go home and serve out her time on house arrest.

Except for the fact that the judge prohibited that option.

Which begs the next question: Shouldn’t Paris have to poop in the same place as everyone else?

The fact that a jail employee might take a picture of Paris in jail is a discipline problem that Sheriff Baca needs to deal with, and is independent of the fact that Paris is serving time.

But maybe this adds to the incentive for celebrities to avoid breaking the law?