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Dui In California 

Drunkeness is definitely not something we take seriously at all in the US. How many times do we excuse poor behavior that doesn't hurt anyone, but is still not acceptable, by saying, "Oh he's just drink?" Far too often. And that whole attitude of not holding people responsible for their behavior when they are inebriated is what leads to this problem.

I'm not saying that people should never get drunk. However, merely being drunk does not let anyone off the hook. When my mom was a kid, a close family friend was killed by a drunk driver. That was over 50 years ago, and the murderer was never held responsible for his actions. Whenever my mom talks about her friend, she cries. Time has not eased her pain, and our attitudes about drunk driving have only gotten minimally more enlightened.

Suzanne, BlogHer Contributing Editor - Feminism & Gender
Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS)& Other Rants

We posted on this May 7th:

A judge sentenced a shocked and tearful Paris Hilton to 45 days in jail on Friday, ruling that the hotel heiress violated her probation for a previous traffic offense by knowingly driving without a valid license. Her license was suspended for driving under the influence.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Sauer rejected Hilton's defense that she didn't realize her license was suspended.

He ordered the 26-year-old socialite to report to a county detention facility on June 5. She will not be allowed any work release, no furloughs, no use of an alternative jail and no electronic monitoring in lieu of jail.

Hilton wept and her mother, Kathy, yelled at the prosecutor, "You're pathetic," as the packedcourtroom cleared.

Really? Well, I am a different kind of Mother altogether.....

Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 31 minutes and non-fatally injure someone every two minutes (NHTSA 2006).

Give me a break !! I personally feel safer with Paris Hilton off the streets for awhile! Her jail sentence may save a few lives and I hope her friends pay attention and stop drinking and driving!

Driving Under the Influence Occurrence and Consequences

* During 2005, 16,885 people in the U.S. died in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes, representing 39% of all traffic-related deaths (NHTSA 2006).
* In 2005, nearly 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics (Department of Justice 2005). That’s less than one percent of the 159 million self-reported episodes of alcohol–impaired driving among U.S. adults each year (Quinlan et al. 2005).
* Drugs other than alcohol (e.g., marijuana and cocaine) are involved in about 18% of motor vehicle driver deaths. These other drugs are generally used in combination with alcohol (Jones et al. 2003).

* More than half of the 414 child passengers ages 14 and younger who died in alcohol-related crashes during 2005 were riding with the drinking driver (NHTSA 2006).

* In 2005, 48 children age 14 years and younger who were killed as pedestrians or pedalcyclists were struck by impaired drivers (NHTSA 2006).

With these facts in mind...how can I shed a tear for poor little Paris Hilton?

http://askpatty.typepad.com/ask_patty_/2007/05/paris_hilton_go.html

Jody DeVere
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So we're at the beach yesterday evening because yes, we live really close to the beach now, that's how lucky we are. And we're walking the promenade and enjoying the incredible scene and we get behind three girls who are VERY Paris Hilton with the little dog and the pricey handbags and the look, you know the one. And the boys who are cruising are oggling the girls who are ignoring/enjoying the eyeballing and I'm thinking, "HEY WAIT A MINUTE! THESE GIRLS THINK THAT BEING LIKE PARIS HILTON IS A GOOD THING!"

That's a big problem. So yeah, I'm hacked off that the coverage is about Paris' jumpsuit, but I'm hacked off further up the tree than than. That the "media" thinks that Paris Hilton is worthy of coverage at ALL is pretty bad, doncha think, even prior to swapping her red carpet strapless for orange coveralls.

And today, over coffee, we tried to decide who was in the media that would be a BETTER role model. We couldn't come up with anyone. Maybe I don't watch enough TV and I'm missing something obvious, but in pop culture, they all look pretty bad.

There's no intent here to trivialize the DUI story, please don't mistake me. I just think it's actually BIGGER than that.

Nerd's Eye View

It is no joke with me. I don't care who you are or how much money you think you have. If you drink and drive and the worst thing that happens to you is to spend a few days as a guest of the county, oh well.

I can't get any more disappointed with the so called news media than I am. Which is the more important story - the poisons found in certain brands of Chinese produced tooth paste (can anybody name the brands?) or what Paris wore to court today.

Put her in solitary confinement and let her sober up at her own pace. For cell decoration I suggest 15 of the most recent alcohol related accidents photos in full color.

She was lucky. This time.
Gena - Out On The Stoop

Give me a break !! I personally feel safer with Paris Hilton off the streets for awhile! Her jail sentence may save a few lives and I hope her friends pay attention and stop drinking and driving!

Unfortunately, I think one of these party girls is going to die in an drunk-driving accident, or kill someome else before the media, hollywood, society, etc. starts taking it seriously.

If she had instead shown some humility...apologized for her terrible mistake and held her head up high to face her punishment..then at least you could say oh...there is a good lesson there....but no...deny it all and pout about how mean everyone is...she is a total symbol of our selfish self centered world.

Look for me at http://crunchycarpets.com or check out the ladies at www.wetcoastwomen.com

By ROBERT JABLON, Associated Press Writer

Paris Hilton was released from a Los Angeles County jail early Thursday because of an unspecified medical problem and will fulfill the remainder of her sentence for probation violation in home confinement, a sheriff's spokesman said.
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The 26-year-old hotel heiress was sent home shortly after 2 a.m. wearing an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet, sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

Hilton was sentenced to 45 days for violating her probation in a reckless driving case, but had been expected to serve 23 days in jail because of state rules allowing shorter sentences for good behavior.

She ended up spending three full days at the all-women's facility in Lynwood, but because she checked in late Sunday and left early Thursday, authorities credited her with five days of time served. She'll be confined to her Hollywood Hills home for 40 days.

"I can't specifically talk about the medical situation other than to say that yes, it played a part in this," Whitmore said.

Hutton didn't immediately return calls seeking comment Thursday. Nor did her publicist, Elliot Mintz.

Whitmore refused to answer questions from reporters when asked if the medical condition was physical or psychological. He said it was not a staph infection. The jail provided Hilton with a pamphlet on the skin infection when she checked in.

The conditions of Hilton's home confinement were not immediately disclosed. Whitmore referred all questions to the L.A. County Probation Department. Messages left for the person handling media calls weren't immediately returned.

Hilton had surrendered to authorities with little fanfare late Sunday after a surprise appearance at the MTV Movie Awards, where she worked the red carpet in a strapless designer gown.

"I am trying to be strong right now," she told reporters at the time. "I'm ready to face my sentence. Even though this is a really hard time, I have my family, my friends and my fans to support me, and that's really helpful."

Hilton was housed in the "special needs" unit of the 13-year-old jail, separate from most of its 2,200 inmates. The unit contains 12 two-person cells reserved for police officers, public officials, celebrities and other high-profile inmates. She didn't have a cellmate.

Hilton's lawyer, Richard A. Hutton, said Monday after his client's first night in jail that she was doing well under the circumstances.

"She's using this time to reflect on her life, to see what she can do to make the world better and hopefully, in my opinion, to change the attitudes that exist about her among many people," Hutton said after visiting Hilton.

When Hilton was sentenced May 4, Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer ruled she would not be allowed any work release, furloughs or use of an alternative jail or electronic monitoring in lieu of jail.

Whitmore said Thursday that Sauer "was consulted and he was advised."

Officers arrested Hilton in Hollywood on Sept. 7. In January, she pleaded no contest to the reckless-driving charge and was sentenced to 36 months' probation, alcohol education and $1,500 in fines.

She was pulled over by California Highway Patrol on Jan. 15. Officers informed Hilton she was driving on a suspended license and she signed a document acknowledging she was not to drive. She then was pulled over by sheriff's deputies on Feb. 27, at which time she was charged with violating probation.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at Women 4 Hope and CatherineBlogs.com