What happens when you call out your wife, Maria Shriver.
By Tom Miller — Written on Oct 20, 2009
Before we get too deep into the Schwarzenegger story, a joke:
A man and a woman are being pulled over by a policeman.
Policeman: License and reg, please
Man: Officer, can you tell me how fast I was going, I never speed.
Woman: Oh, honey, you always speed. (To officer:) We had to get home so he could watch TV.
Man: Honey, please let me talk to the officer.
Policeman: I noticed you're not wearing a seatbelt, you know that's a ticket too?
Man: I just took it off as you were walking up to get my wallet out.
Woman: That's not true, you never wear your seatbelt.
Man: Bitch, be quiet.
Policeman: Ma'am, does he always talk to you this way?
Woman: No, only when he's been drinking.
Thank you, I'll be here all the week. That being said, the Governator recently publicly called out his wife for doing something not quite as dangerous as drunk driving but less safe than having your eyes on the prize, mind on the road and hands at ten and two. Per Yahoo! News, Maria Shriver was caught talking on her mobile phone while driving, and Arnold Schwarzenegger was not pleased. He Twittered (because that's how legal and gubernatorial dictates are passed down in California) "there's going to be swift action."
The "swift action" ended up being some voluntary donation on Shriver's part. Per the state of California's DMV site, the first-time offense is generally met with a fine of $20 - $50.
Conan the Republican later joked that he was in big trouble, but had the problem been something far less banal, what would have happened then? Sure we have that thing in the constitution that makes it so you don't have to testify against a spouse, but had Shriver been photographed getting out of her car falling down drunk what would happen then? Are we more obligated to society as a whole or to our family? Does it change when you're in a position of power? Read: Can a Democrat Love A Republican?
There was a sort of funny/sort of sad story a while back about a man who didn't take his policewoman spouse very seriously. He, while on beer, took her hat, and she had to arrest him. I wouldn't be surprised if she, to show that the law is the law, gave him a little stick time or a taste of the taser. Oops. That was from The Simpsons. Read: Deputy Charged With DUI After Husband Pulls Her Over Twice
Any thoughts on balancing duty to those we love and society as a whole?
Photos via Bauer-Griffin