Letters to Parade

If there is one thing I admire most about the people who write into Walter Scott's Personality Parade, it is their deep and abiding interest in jurisprudence. And, likewise, it is Walter's in-depth (and objective) responses that give me great hope for American society. For instance, Roger Brown of Dover, Delaware writes in this week to ask:

O.J. Simpson's daughter Sydney was arrested in Miami for assaulting an officer. Is it a case of like father, like daughter?

I remember when this incident occurred, and from the best of my recollection, Sydney did not nearly cut off the head of her ex-wife or murder a guy returning some sunglasses to her, either. In fact, I don't remember seeing Sydney rolling down the 405 (or in Miami, A1A) in a white Bronco with AC Cowlings at the wheel. Why, I don't even recall Sydney rushing for over 2000 yards in one season with the Buffalo Bills, or finishing out her career with the 49ers. No, in fact, I don't even recall Sydney trying to fit a glove over her hand to no avail. So, Mr. Brown, I say if the glove don't fit...well, never mind, let's see what Walter says:

Sounds to us like she's suffering for the sins of her father, rather than repeating them. Simpson family attorney Yale Galanter says Sydney, 19, was charged with "resisting arrest without violence" after slapping a cop's hand during a a "girl's cat fight" at a prep basketball game. "The girls did not press charges," he adds, "but the police when forward after learning of Sydney's identity." The police naturally deny this.

A few points:

1. When describing young women fighting, the proper term these days is not "cat fight" but, actually, "bitch fight," or at least it is when making pejorative statements about women and fighting. Why is it when women fight it has a special name, but when men fight, it's just a fight? Hmm. Maybe I'll ask Walter myself.

2. I'm not totally up on my misdemeanors and felonies, but my understanding is that if you hit a cop, you get arrested, irrespective of who your father is. I suspect the police wouldn't deny that.

3. I have to agree with Walter in one respect. Poor Sydney is suffering for the sins of her father.  I mean, yeah, her dad murdered her mother (or at least so said the civil courts...and everyone aside from the 12 nimrods on the criminal jury) and yet she has to live with him. You gotta think when he tells her to clean her room, she does it.

Finally, I think Roger Brown of Dover, Del does bring up a very valid set of questions as it relates to Sydney's future in the NFL. With the scouting combine going on right now, Mel Kiper of ESPN reports that she has tremendous upside and could be a late pick on day 2 of the draft.