Thursday, November 20, 2008

Prisoner People

Britney Spears, whose father Jamie Spears is still the conservator of her finances and affairs, now says her tightly controlled existence feels "like Groundhog Day" and she feels "Like a Prisoner."

In the new 90 minute documentary “Britney: For The Record", airing on Nov 30 on MTV, executive-produced by Spears' manager Larry Rudolph, the Pop Princess admits:

"There’s no excitement, there’s no passion.I have really good days, and then I have bad days."

"Even when you go to jail, y'know, there’s the time when you’re gonna get out. But in this situation, it’s never ending. It’s just like Groundhog Day every day."

"If you do something wrong in your work, you can move on, but I’m having to pay for a long time."

"I think it's too in control, If I wasn't under the restraints I'm under, I'd feel so liberated. When I tell them the way I feel, it's like they hear but they're really not listening."

"I never wanted to become one of those prisoner people. I always wanted to feel free."

"I think I've learnt my lesson now and enough is enough."

Source:
Britney Spears says she feels like a prisoner

Britney Spears: Life Is "Like Groundhog Day"

Britney: Life is worse than jail


See also:
Permanent Conservatorship

Big Money Conservatorship

No Right To Counsel

Bad News For Britney

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Britney Spears is experiencing a small fraction of what life is like as a ward of the state.

Britney is not forced to sell her home, all of her possessions; she is not forced to live in poverty in a nursing facility; she is not being forced to take dangerous, life threatening drugs; she can see who she wants to see.

And, Britney doesn't have to wonder if psychotropic drugs are in her food rendering confused, depressed and "incompetent" - does she?

Anonymous said...

Britney is a victim of her whole family not just the State. They aren't keeping her in a nursing facility becase their aim is different. She is definitely capable of making her music and performing and they can make a lot of money off her - and that's what they are actually doing. If they put dangerous drugs in her food to surpress her will she won't be able to serve as a cash cow for her parents and lawyers any more.

I personally believe that the conservatorship was carefully planned last Fall whan she was taken away her kids that led to her mental breakdown and two forced hospitalisations this January and February. If you remember the case her manager Sam Lutfi was accused by her mother of giving her illegal drugs that was supposed to lead to her meltdown.
Lutfi then got a restraining order. However there was never a criminal action instituted against him. Furthermore, in some months the restraining order was lifted and Lutfi disappeared - with NO attempt to purge himself. Later her mother acknowledged it was Lutfi who committed Britney in January and this commitement served as a basic argument in favour of the conservatorship. Oh!! Mere coincidence, isn't it?

As for the conservatorship itself. Initially it was instated on Britney for 4 days only. Then it was extended for 3 weeks then for 4 months, till July. In July it was extended for 5 months. The judge however said it could be terminated earlier, in October . But instead of lifting it earlier she made it PERMANENT on 28.10.
What was the reason to make it permanent? There was not any discussion of her mental state on 28.10, no medical evidence was considered. Britney wasn't in court. The only thing her father had to do is to file for the order. And that was enough.

The main problem is that Britney can't even contest the conservatorship. She tried to do so twice in the beginning but the appeal was founds illegitimate because under a conservatorship a person CAN NOT hire a laywer.

Though the court paired her with an attorney he has never made any attempt to free her. And the reason is obvious: he is being paid 10 K per week in this case.

The last thing I would like to mention is a strange and painful reaction of her fans and people in general. They consider her father a superhero having saved his daughter's life. People really believe that depriving a person of all basic rights can be for his own good! And in this case it's even more striking because Britney is obviously not disabled to the extent of needing a permanent conservator.

It was a long post. Thanks to everyone who read. Sorry for my English - it's not my native language.

If anybody has any ideas of how to help Britney I would b happy to read

Anonymous said...

Polina,

I believe the conservatorship was planned as well. Here's the problem: in order to help Brittney, one would have to have more money than she because the conservator's fees (to defend the conservatorship - not Brittney) will be paid by Brittney whether she approves or not.

That's the quandry and why conservatorship is almost impossible to get out of. And that's why NASGA exists -- to turn the tide on the profiteering from the elderly and vulnerable!

Anonymous said...

Dear Anonymous!

The whole thing is very very sad. I've been monitoring Britney's situation since the very beginning though I'm not one of her devoted fans. It's a dramatic example of how easily rich young and healthy people can be legally trapped and legally deprived of all civil rights they have.

No one is safe - that's the reality and that's the world in which we have to live.

In the beginning it was hard to believe it was happening in the US. I've always strongly believed in the power of LAW in the US partly due to the fact that in my country (I'm from Russia) corrupted judges and lawyers are most common thing. It may sound strange but here in Russia most of us really believe that in the US the situation is different.

I think that money is not the only issue here. The issue is first and foremost that the conservators are the only people that can represent Britney in court and hire an attorney for her. It means she can't defend herself in court, she is helpless. Even if (just use your imagination :) her fans or supporters could find money enough to hire a lawyer for her no one consider him or her competent to act on Britney's behalf in court!


That's really awful. I still hope she has a chance. I still hope her father could (just maybe) remember that she is his own daughter and not a toy or a cash cow.

Or maybe she could try to appeal it by herself in a year or two. Or maybe the law or the current practice can be changed...


I really don't want to lose hope