Her first attempt to use her celebrity status didn’t sway a judge to go easy on her, but Paris Hilton is not giving up. The socialite is now asking you to sign a petition to help her persuade California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to pardon her from her 45-day jail sentence.
So, should we applaud her efforts to remain a free woman or snort, roll our eyes, and dismiss her pathetic attempts at dodging the consequences of her actions? Perhaps this information will help you decide:
Regarding her grass roots appeal to fans (actually, I don’t think she cares if you are a fan or not, she just wants anyone with a pulse to sign the petition) this is the message posted on her MySpace page yesterday:
“My friend Joshua started this petition, please help and sihn it. i LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!”
(Yes, that’s her exact spelling. Perhaps, she can work on getting some rudimentary spelling lessons when she’s behind bars.)
As of this morning the petition had more than 900 signatures. It urges the California actor-turned-governor to pardon Hilton because she provides “beauty and excitement to (most of) our otherwise mundane lives.”
It goes on to read:
“If the late former President Gerald Ford could find it in his heart to pardon the late former President Richard Nixon after his mistake(s), we undeniably support Paris Hilton being pardoned for her honest mistake as well, and we hope and expect the governor will understand and grant this unusual but important request in good faith to Ms. Paris Whitney Hilton.”
For the record, Hilton’s attorney has filed an appeal to the jail sentence she received last Friday for violating the terms of her probation by driving with a suspended license. It’s a punishment the hotel heiress calls an “outrage” and an “injustice.” She then went on to tell news reporters: “I feel that I was treated unfairly, and that the sentence is both cruel and unwarranted. I don’t deserve this.”
As you may expect Hilton’s parents agree with their daughter. In fact, some media outlets reported that Hilton’s mother Kathy made quite a scene as the family exited the courtroom on Friday. One witness told reporters that Kathy Hilton raised her voice in the halls of the courthouse and declared for all to hear, “[The judge] made up his mind before he even came in today. If it were anyone else, this would’ve never had happened.”
She then exclaimed, “And after all the money we spent!”
(That pretty much says it all–don’t you think?)
If you visit the 26-year-old’s My Space page you’ll see a slew of well wishes from fans that back the party princess’s rants that she was unfairly treated by the judicial system. However, there’s been at least one member of the Hollywood community who publicly agreed with the judge’s sentence—actor Tom Arnold.
“I do think she should go to lockdown rehab – but not a nice one. I think it should be chosen by the judge,” Arnold told news reporters. “I’ve got some ideas – there’s a place in Alabama that worked for Robert Downey Jr.”
As for the chances that Hilton will win an appeal, law experts say it’s a long shot.
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