CELEBRITIES BY NATURE FASCINATE the public with their frantic antics for which they are repeatedly forgiven whereas they rarely get a second chance, particularly in the general area of conduct, lawful and unlawful. More benign societies contribute to the revolving door concept of law whereby repeat offenders go in the bin and leave and go back in, repeating the cycle because there is no true retribution involved. Less forgiving communities have evolved the three strike rule by which an offender declining to reconsider his lawless ways and is bagged a third time, is given what can be generally referred to as “the key”. That is, locked up for a very long time at the pleasure of those he has displeased. If the above observations have any validity, then the fate of one Colin Burns Pace falls somewhere between Paris Hilton and Parliamentarian John D’Orazio, both of whom claimed egregious wrongs but were benignly forgiven in terms of actual punishment. Paris the Elegant was released from jail after three days of a 45-day term, only to be sent back again because the media insisted. However, at least Paris had actually done the alleged crime, dangerous driving or something similar. John D’Orazia, however, was convicted of nothing at all, but was demoted from Police Minister after driving without a licence – a dreadful error, he claimed and subsequently proved because the renewal papers had been sent to the wrong address. He was subjected to innuendos about some carpet deals for a shire where he had been Mayor but finally was the victim of an unprecedented campaign over other allegations including secret surveillance by WA’s crime busting commission, all of which found . . . . nothing.