Randy Quaid Squatting in a Home He Used to Own? He's Lucky this Bust is in California and not Texas: or is he?

Randy Quaid and his wife Evi have been arrested again by the California police.   According to news reports, Mr. and Mrs. Quaid not only gained access to this Santa Barbara County home -- apparently up for sale, there's a realtor who is talking to the tabloids (gotta love that, right?) -- Randy and Evi hung their portrait above the fireplace.

When confronted, they claimed to own the property -- but that was soon refuted by the owner and some annoying property records.  Randy and Evi Quaid sit in a Santa Barbara County jail as I type this.

What Is Going On With Randy and Evi Quaid?

I do not understand how these two are roaming around - still - when it seems pretty obvious that there's some serious psychological trouble here (the TMZ commenters are less tactful than I am: they just label Evi a "nutjob").  Randy apparently carved his initials into the mailbox.  The couple had set up house here, too: at the time of arrest, there were dirty dishes in the kitchen sink and clothes were already hung in the closet.  Did they really think they could hang there indefinitely?

Here's my question: didn't they have any other place to go?  Have they already alienated all their friends and family (this happens, you know).  According to IMDB, Randy has been barred from the Actor's Equity Association, but the site also shows some very nice salaries -- including $1,000,000 for Goya's Ghosts (2006).   

Are they broke? Homeless? 

The Santa Barbara cops busted Randy and Evi Quaid on felony burglary charges and each also face a misdemeanor charge of entering a building without consent. Evi has a third charge: resisting arrest (no surprise there). It's a misdemeanor, too.

As you will remember, Randy and Evi have been arrested in the not-too-distant past: just this past April, in fact. They purportedly skipped on paying a hotel bill .... 

Each is being held on a $50,000 bail. That's not much. 

Randy and Evi Quaid are Lucky They Were Busted in California, not Texas -- or are they?

With California's history of treating celebrities differently (think Paris Hilton, think Lindsay Lohan) the Quaids are probably thought by many to be lucky that they're dealing with California authorities. 

Because here in Texas, I'm betting that we'd already be hearing something about psychological evaluations and drug tests and hair follicle analysis.  Adult Protective Services, Guardianships, these things come to mind.  A bigger bail to make sure some kind of investigation could be put in place before they were free on the streets again. 

Cuz Randy Quaid and his wife Evi aren't acting in their own best interests, and maybe they're even getting close to crossing the line of becoming a danger to themselves or others (legal terms italicized). 

Doesn't look like celebrity status is doing much to help them here, and I worry that if someone doesn't step in soon, we're gonna be talking tragedy. 

So, while this story will be the butt of some late night jokes, I'm sitting here thinking Too Bad.  Randy Quaid needs some help - and some respect.  He's been nominated for an Oscar and he's built an impressive body of work. 

Right vs Wrong -1: TMZ Identifying Underage Sex Crime Victim is WRONG

Things are muddy and getting muddier in our society, and there are times when lines should be drawn in the sand and kept there. Here's one of them.

Earlier this week, TMZ not only reported on the alleged sexual relationship between a female adult, age 22, and a 14 year old boy - they posted his name and published his photograph.

What was the big draw for TMZ? The boy's father is a famous Academy-Award winning movie star, with an even-more-famous ex-wife (with her own Oscar, by the way).

What does TMZ's Harvey Levin say about this? According to AP, Levin's response is: "[t]he story speaks for itself."

Well, Mr. Levin - that's not passing muster - in fact, your response seems a tad smug to me. Shame on you.

Minor children need to be protected, and I for one, predict that TMZ (along with its owner, TimeWarner) gets sued by the parents of this boy, on his behalf. In fact, I would applaud the filing of such a lawsuit.

Why? It seems apparent that having to pay big bucks seems extremely appropriate here as a way of communicating that it's just plain wrong to reveal the names of minor children who have been victims of sex crimes. This is the very essence of allowing punitive damages in our judicial system, by the way.

While things are pretty murky in our country these days, there are still some bright lines on what we'll tolerate - and what we won't. Protecting children seems a no-brainer, even if there's a celebrity factor and even if it's a teenage boy - presumably a 9th grader - who may think it's cool to have a 22-year-old girlfriend.

How long will this boy be used before someone stands up for him?