What do you think of Roman Polanski's arrest?

[Shivetya]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8278256.stm

The case against film-director Roman Polanski, which resulted in his recent arrest in Switzerland, has been rumbling on for more than 30 years.

The incident which sparked the long battle took place in 1977, when Polanski had unlawful sex with 13-year-old Samantha Gailey at actor Jack Nicholson's Hollywood home.

The guy was a creep, reading about people who did similar he probably still is a creep. Yet a lot of effort has been made to get the charges dropped or claim prosecution misconduct (the so called documentary on HBO was considered a hit piece versus anyone after him). Reading his Wikipedia entry seems to indicate he still preys on young girls, hopefully legal age now.

[edesignuk]

I was just reading that article.

I don't know much about the man...apparently he had sex with a 13 year old (bad move dude), accepted his guilt, then did a runner to Europe, where he has since resided.

I'm at a loss...why is it so many people seem to be outraged at his arrest? :confused: He's a paedophile, isn't he?

[.Andy]

I'm at a loss...why is it so many people seem to be outraged at his arrest? :confused: He's a paedophile, isn't he?
I don't understand it either. It's like people have a personal attachment to celebrities whom they are entertained by. An attack on said celebrity is therefore perceived as an attack on the fabric of their own being.

A similar effect can be witnessed with computers, mobile phones, and gaming consoles. What people personally chose and gain enjoyment from becomes a part of their identity that requires defending from any slight, no matter how insignificant or indefensible.

edit: I'm not particularly interested in reading these articles but there's a headline on smh.com.au that says the woman in question has repeatedly requested that the charges are dropped. I have no idea of the veracity of the claims though.

[costabunny]

He broke the law. He's finally being brought to account for it. end of.

[Unspoken Demise]

Its cliche, but do the crime...

what do you think of Roman Polanski's arrest?

I think it is something that should happen, although I am not affected by it in the least.

[smwatson]

One of the greatest directors of all time. Surviving the holocaust clearly messed him up, and the Manson murders, but there's still no excuse for what he did.

[tofagerl]

PMITA prison. For like a few months, then he'll be free to travel everywhere he wants.

Seems like he should have just done this 30 years ago, right? It would have been a much smaller deal then anyway. Now it's a 30 year flee from justice in addition to boinking a minor.

[Queso]

It's right he stands trial. There's obviously a case to answer to, however many great films he's made.

Anything further should wait until after a trial verdict is delivered.

[yg17]

Just because he's a celebrity doesn't mean he shouldn't stand trial. Glad they finally caught the creep.

How did he get arrested anyways? For the past 30 years, he's carefully avoided countries that don't have extradition with the US. Surely he must've known that Switzerland would extradite and arrest him the second he set foot on their soil. The guy's been pretty careful for 3 decades.

[Iscariot]

if crime{} = true then
Time{}

[miloblithe]

Oh, the irony:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090928/ap_on_en_mo/eu_switzerland_polanski

ZURICH – The international tug-of-war over Roman Polanski escalated Monday as France and Poland urged Switzerland to free the 76-year-old director on bail and pressed U.S. officials all the way up to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the case....Oscar-winning director Andrzej Wajda and other Polish filmmakers also appealed for the immediate release of Polanski...


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_castration

Poland on Friday approved a law making chemical castration mandatory for pedophiles in some cases, sparking criticism from human rights groups.

Under the law, sponsored by Poland's center-right government, pedophiles convicted of raping children under the age of 15 years or a close relative would have to undergo chemical therapy on their release from prison.

[Pocket lint]

Surely he must've known that Switzerland would extradite and arrest him the second he set foot on their soil.

Apparently not, as according to the article he owns a house there.

[...]Switzerland - which he considered a friendly country with a home there[...]

[yg17]

Apparently not, as according to the article he owns a house there.

Hmm...I wonder what made Switzerland finally decide to arrest the creep.

[ucfgrad93]

I'm glad he has been finally caught. I have avoided seeing films of his on account of this.

[Melrose]

One of the greatest directors of all time. Surviving the holocaust clearly messed him up, and the Manson murders, but there's still no excuse for what he did.

+1. Without excusing his actions in the past, by any means, even the girl - now woman - has said to drop it since every time it's blown open it throws her and her family into the spotlight and brings up the ordeal all over again.

Realistically, I can understand both viewpoints. It's a balance between punishing the perpetrator and giving the victim rest.

[Sun Baked]

I'd like to see how much time and money they have spent on this case over the years.

Then we can whirl through the DA's office and club em like a bunch of baby seals with our whiffle bats.

[obeygiant]

I'm at a loss...why is it so many people seem to be outraged at his arrest?

Who are these "outraged" people again?

[OllyW]

Who are these "outraged" people again?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8277886.stm

[NT1440]

Honestly, its about time, but I was under the impression that these things have a statute of limitations on them right? :confused::confused:

[Wotan31]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26137917-15803,00.html

It's a damn shame to live in a world where the imperialist US government INSISTS on persecuting a brilliant artist for the minor indiscretion of drugging and raping a 13yr old. Oh, and then fleeing justice and living as a fugitive for almost 40 years. :rolleyes:

Not shedding any tears shed for this perv.

[yg17]

Honestly, its about time, but I was under the impression that these things have a statute of limitations on them right? :confused::confused:

The statute of limitations is the time between the crime being commited and the indictment. He was indicted well before the statue of limitations expired. He pled guilty and fled the country while awaiting sentencing, the SOL is no longer in effect.

[Gelfin]

Don't get me wrong, Chinatown's good, but it's not "let a guy get away with raping a thirteen year old girl" good.

I mean, apparently somebody thinks it's "let a guy skate on it for thirty years" good, but that wasn't my call. What the hell took so long?

[barkomatic]

If he is extradited now would he be tried based upon the law and sentencing guidelines from 1978--or those that are in place currently?

[NT1440]

The statute of limitations is the time between the crime being commited and the indictment. He was indicted well before the statue of limitations expired. He pled guilty and fled the country while awaiting sentencing, the SOL is no longer in effect.

Oh alrighty then, that makes sense. Like I said, its about time.

[Tomorrow]

Hmm...I wonder what made Switzerland finally decide to arrest the creep.

As I understand it, authorities in California got word that he would be traveling to Switzerland for a film festival, and issued an extradition arrest warrant.

About time, as far as I'm concerned.

[Eraserhead]

This is a pretty weird case, but its good he finally got caught.

[Rodimus Prime]

Well back when it happen he could of gotten off just fine with the 30 day punishment. Now he has stack on top of that the running from the law. I would not besurpised to see him spend his last few years behind bars.

I think it is about damn time he got caught. If you do the crime you got to do the time.

[yg17]

Well back when it happen he could of gotten off just fine with the 30 day punishment. Now he has stack on top of that the running from the law. I would not besurpised to see him spend his last few years behind bars.

I think it is about damn time he got caught. If you do the crime you got to do the time.

IMO, you should spend one day in jail for each day you're on the run, on top of the sentence for the original crime. That would put him away for life since he's in his 70s. Would be nice to see that.

[Shivetya]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26137917-15803,00.html

It's a damn shame to live in a world where the imperialist US government INSISTS on persecuting a brilliant artist for the minor indiscretion of drugging and raping a 13yr old. Oh, and then fleeing justice and living as a fugitive for almost 40 years. :rolleyes:

Not shedding any tears shed for this perv.

I think the reaction in some areas of the world is just downright appalling. Apparently if your with the "in-crowd" what you did is to be ignored. Money and social status apparently just don't work in America. If the guy was a simple middle or upper class businessman he would warrant page two at that and we would never hear about it again.

The fact that most of the "arts community" over there is up in arms is pretty much disgusting. Up in arms, they knew the tricks he did to not get sent back to face punishment. The question, how many others did he do the same too?

[barkomatic]

It's a nice place to visit but honestly, France is such a mess. Shielding a rapist is disgusting.

[yg17]

It's a nice place to visit but honestly, France is such a mess. Shielding a rapist is disgusting.

France has very limited extradition treaties with the US. They weren't shielding him on purpose, that's just how it is. I wouldn't expect France or any other country to completely rewrite their extradition laws for one person unless that person happened to be Bin Laden or someone like that.

[barkomatic]

France has very limited extradition treaties with the US. They weren't shielding him on purpose, that's just how it is. I wouldn't expect France or any other country to completely rewrite their extradition laws for one person unless that person happened to be Bin Laden or someone like that.

They indeed have the option to refuse to extradite one of their own citizens. I can see this provision having a legitimate purpose in some cases--but not in this one. They could have chosen to extradite him without violating the treaty. They could also have chosen to keep him in France, but prosecute him for his crimes outside their country. They did neither.

[NT1440]

They indeed have the option to refuse to extradite one of their own citizens. I can see this provision having a legitimate purpose in some cases--but not in this one. They could have chosen to extradite him without violating the treaty. They could also have chosen to keep him in France, but prosecute him for his crimes outside their country. They did neither.

I take it you have a great understanding of the French legal system right?

[Zombie Acorn]

The prison system doesn't treat child molesters very nicely. :D I don't think his celebrity status is going to help him out much either.

[barkomatic]

I take it you have a great understanding of the French legal system right?

Just what I read in the paper. I'm not an expert, but is this a forum or a courtroom?

[Peace]

He broke the law. He's finally being brought to account for it. end of.


Not to defend the guy but the girl he had sex with does not want this..She says she's over it and wants to get on with life..

I can guarantee you there are a lot of 13 year old girls in hollywood that jump into bed with pervs like Polanski all the time.

[skunk]

Not to defend the guy but the girl he had sex with does not want this..She says she's over it and wants to get on with life..

I can guarantee you there are a lot of 13 year old girls in hollywood that jump into bed with pervs like Polanski all the time.This girl did not jump into bed, she said No at each stage of his assault. He admitted his guilt. This was aggravated rape of a child, assisted by drugs and alcohol. If he had not been on the run for 30 years she would not have had to suffer such a drawn-out ordeal.

[Sun Baked]

Ouch, you know it is sticky when the DA cites you own lawyers as the cause of this current mess...

Roman Polanski’s Lawyers Reportedly Provoked His Arrest (http://www.abajournal.com/news/roman_polanskis_lawyers_reportedly_provoked_his_arrest/)

[leekohler]

I guess we'll see what happens.

[irishgrizzly]

The victim says she's gotten over it and wants it behind her. But I think he should be pursued for the sake of other children in potently dangerous situations.

The fact that he had hard life experiences and won an Oscar is beside the point.

The kid was drugged and raped. I'd whip him with a hose.

[Rodimus Prime]

The victim says she's gotten over it and wants it behind her. But I think he should be pursued for the sake of other children in potently dangerous situations.

The fact that he had hard life experiences and won an Oscar is beside the point.

The kid was drugged and raped. I'd whip him with a hose.

I agree. From some of the articles a undisclosed settlement was paid to the girl regarding this.
To me letting the guy off means if you have enough money you can just pay anyone off no matter what you do.

[leekohler]

I agree. From some of the articles a undisclosed settlement was paid to the girl regarding this.
To me letting the guy off means if you have enough money you can just pay anyone off no matter what you do.

Just like OJ.

[Rodimus Prime]

Just like OJ.

In OJ case the DA screwed up that case big time. From what I read while OJ defense team was good the DA screwed up big time with a lot of mistakes. It is pretty clear that OJ is guilty but when you DA screws up what can you do.

[leekohler]

In OJ case the DA screwed up that case big time. From what I read while OJ defense team was good the DA screwed up big time with a lot of mistakes. It is pretty clear that OJ is guilty but when you DA screws up what can you do.

Call our legal system severely flawed.

[lionheartednyhc]

he freaking drugged and raped a 13 year old.

/thread.

[Zombie Acorn]

If anything I think there should be harsher penalty for evading. Are people really arguing to let someone go on drugging a 13 yo girl and raping her? Even if she wants it behind her that sets a very ****ed precedence.

"Hey just run off to france or some other country that doesn't extradite and you are fine to rape all the kids you want."

[VenusianSky]

Those arrogant SOB Hollywood celebs that think they are above the law :rolleyes:

[Rodimus Prime]

Call our legal system severely flawed.
it has it faults. The US system is set up on the belief that it would rather have a 100 guilty people go free than 1 innocent person get punished.

Mind you it does have flaws and does not aways worked. Personally the system it to complicated.

[electroshock]

If he is extradited now would he be tried based upon the law and sentencing guidelines from 1978--or those that are in place currently?

Laws that existed at time of conviction in 1978, IIRC. There's been various other, unrelated cases over the years with a large gap between conviction and sentencing where the law changed -- but my recollection is the judge had to dig up the old books for sentencing purposes.

[thegoldenmackid]

Just watched the documentary, I am utterly shocked at the entirety of the matter.

[Desertrat]

And now he faces both state and federal charges as a convicted felon who flew the coop. Two trials, possibly. Lotsa lawyer fees. It could well be that he might have to do all the sentences consecutively (I hope).

May he enjoy the relationship with Ugly Studly. Call it a learning experience, discovering how his own victim felt. True justice.

'Rat

[Evangelion]

Speaking as an European, I'm frigging disgusted to see so many Europeans support Polanski. He's a frigging rapist.

But I should point out that there are LOTS of people in Europe who are NOT supporting Polanski. So when you see news-articles about "European" supporting Polanski, remember that not everyone does. Hell, I bet that most people here are perfectly OK with him being extradited to USA. It's just that the people who support Polanski are the loudest.

It's like when GWB won elections, and people started thinking that "USA supports GWB", when in fact sizable portion of the country was against him.

[Pocket lint]

Speaking as an European, I'm frigging disgusted to see so many Europeans support Polanski. He's a frigging rapist.

But I should point out that there are LOTS of people in Europe who are NOT supporting Polanski. So when you see news-articles about "European" supporting Polanski, remember that not everyone does. Hell, I bet that most people here are perfectly OK with him being extradited to USA. It's just that the people who support Polanski are the loudest.

It's like when GWB won elections, and people started thinking that "USA supports GWB", when in fact sizable portion of the country was against him.

Exactly.
I'm a European as well, and of course he should be extradited. I don't always think that people should be extradited, but the case is clear with Polanski.

On the other hand, I find this case to be rather insignificant over all. It's just a question of serving his time. I can't be outraged one way or another. It's not news that he raped a young girl back then. The outrage has sort of simmered down, frankly.

What I really don't like is american media going "Europeans", while padding themselves on the back. The thing is, the US may be diverse, but Europe aren't a single country. Hell, Denmark is one of the few countries in Europe where we still support the Afghanistan "effort". We (Europe) don't even have a single official language.

I haven't met anyone who thinks Polanski shouldn't be extradited. I haven't met one who cares much about Polanski at all. He's way low on the list of criminals to care about.

[Eraserhead]

What I really don't like is american media going "Europeans", while padding themselves on the back.

They have to pretend they are better than us ;).

[Pocket lint]

They have to pretend they are better than us ;).

LOL, yeah :p

[fivepoint]

Hollywood liberals under fire: The Polanski debate gets political
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2009/09/hollywood-liberals-under-fire-the-polanski-debate-gets-political.html

It was surely only a matter of time. The noisy partisan divide that seems to infect everything in America today -- from what health care plan you want to what car you drive -- has surfaced again. As soon as commentators started weighing in on Roman Polanski's arrest over the weekend in Switzerland, the debate over whether the filmmaker should be made to stand trial in Los Angeles for his 1977 rape of a 13-year-old girl quickly turned into a series of shouting-match-style denunciations, with conservatives casting Polanski defenders as despicable, soft-headed liberals.

I know because I've been reading my mail, which has been running about 100-to-1 against Polanski. And since I wrote a column that most people interpreted as a defense of Polanski, the mail was also running 100-to-1 against me. I took the position that if California is so broke that it can't properly fund its public schools, assist the elderly and infirm, or even keep criminals off the streets, then when it came to priorities, I was a lot more worried about my kids' and my parents' health and welfare than having the district attorney's office launch a costly legal battle against a 76-year-old man living in Paris.

I didn't say Polanski should be pardoned or let off the hook, since what he did was reprehensible. He is guilty as charged. I did say that we should concentrate on doing a better job of tracking down the bad guys who are breaking the law right now in our own backyard. The response to my argument was divided, to say the least. People inside Hollywood nodded their heads in agreement. People outside of showbiz were outraged.

"I guess 'art' is more important to you than justice!" wrote Dezi Cardenas. "You are a predictable left-wing moral relativist and idiot," said Lou Bricano. "I know society allows excess for artists, musicians and other talented people, but there was a little girl involved," wrote Lionel Baker. "If this was a 76-year-old truck driver who was arrested for the same crime, would you feel the same way?" "Remember," said Richard Morris, "when the scum of the earth wins an Academy Award, it's still the scum of the earth."

I knew I'd hit a new low when James Gragg said he was so upset that he was writing a letter to the editor for the first time, "and I read all of T.J. Simers' articles." He added, "If there was one thing I thought was completely impossible it would be that no journalist in the world would defend a pedophile. I was sadly mistaken."

I wasn't surprised that people were incensed -- I get mail from people frothing at the mouth about the size of IMAX theaters and crazed with disgust that PG-13 comedies have curse words in them. We live in an age where everyone is angry about everything. But I was taken aback by how many letters viewed the Polanski issue through a political prism -- if you weren't full of outrage over his crime and subsequent flight from prosecution, then you were a yellow-bellied lefty, always willing to come up with some new excuse for the loathsome behavior of the chic Hollywood elite.

So once again, we have a right-versus-left divide, with Hollywood, teeming as it is with Prius-driving liberals, being easily tossed into the lefty camp. To hear conservatives tell it, Polanski represents the classic example of the decadent artist who gets a free pass from liberals, the same liberals who'd be the first to express outrage against greedy Wall Street predators or Catholic priests accused of pedophilia.

Is it possible they have a good case? Keep reading:

If you make a sweep of the conservative blogs, starting with Andrew Breibart's Big Hollywood site, you'll find lots of scathing and sarcastic denunciations of liberal moral relativism, with most of the ammo directed at the pro-Polanski screeds at the reliably liberal Huffington Post. Also not to be missed is Deceiver's take down of Whoopi Goldberg's hapless "the difference between rape and rape/rape" Polanski defense.

As it turns out, the Huffington Post isn't firmly in the Polanski camp at all. The website does offer some all-too-predictable hair-splitting, notably by the famous Parisian egghead Bernard Henri Levy, who managed to cook up a pro-Polanski petition, signed by everyone from Milan Kundera and Salman Rushdie to Mike Nichols and Diane von Furstenberg. But it didn't take me long to find all sorts of posts decrying Polanski's actions. Screenwriter Michael Seitzman was full of contempt for Polanski defenders, saying "if we're going to let rapists off the hook because of their tragic histories, we should open the prison doors right now." And C. Nicole Mason, an assistant professor at NYU, also weighed in against Polanski, saying "I'm shocked by the outpouring of support from celebrities and others."

So I think the Huff-Po bashing is way off base. But for the sake of argument, let's accept the basic precept of the conservative argument, which admittedly has some firm ground to stand on. Liberals do have a soft spot for bad-boy artists, from the days of Charlie Chaplin and Chuck Berry to Robert Downey Jr. and Oliver Stone. Let's face it, when rap musicians start shooting each other or beat up their girlfriends, it's always Bill O'Reilly, not Keith Olbermann, who's red-in-the-face ticked off about it. And yes, its true -- Teddy Kennedy barely got a slap on the wrist for his inexcusable behavior at Chappaquiddick.

Conservatives believe in crime and punishment. Law and order. So they're the ones who are especially outraged that Polanski not only did the dirty deed but fled the country and avoided prosecution. If you commit the crime, do the time. Liberals, as a rule, lean more toward "if the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit." They simply don't have the same primal urge for vengeance, although I guess that means I have some conservative DNA running through my veins, since I'm certainly overjoyed to finally see O.J. in the slammer.

Liberals tend to forgive more easily than conservatives. For years, one of the great villains to the left was G. Gordon Liddy, a conservative wingnut who freely acknowledged (in his autobiography) making plans to kill journalist Jack Anderson, based on a somewhat literal interpretation of a statement by his onetime boss, Richard Nixon, who said, "we need to get rid of this Anderson guy." It was Liddy who helped engineer the fabled break-in of Democratic National Committee headquarters that led to the Watergate scandal and the Nixon resignation. Liddy was convicted of conspiracy, burglary and illegal wiretapping and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

And what was the heated liberal reaction to Liddy's evil deeds? President Jimmy Carter, the ultimate squishy moral relativist in the eyes of the right, commuted Liddy's sentence to eight years ("out of the interest of equity and fairness") while LSD guru Timothy Leary, who'd once been arrested and prosecuted by Liddy, cheerfully went out on the lecture circuit with his former adversary to make some quick dough. Liddy now makes his living as a radio talk show host, where he periodically advises good honest citizens -- as he did several times in 1994 -- how to fend off agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, saying that if the agents come armed, people should "go for a head shot; they're going to be wearing bulletproof vests."

We don't need to worry about Liddy anymore -- he's obviously been rehabilitated. But not Polanski. He hasn't served his time. He skipped town, sensing, as most people involved with the case have since concluded, that the judge had his own agenda and was going to bring the hammer down on him. But worrying about judicial fairness when it comes to a sexual predator would inject a layer of complexity into this affair that most people don't want to hear. Call it justice or call it vengeance, but people are town-hall-style angry that Polanski got off scott free, just as they are mad at the bankers on Wall Street who got bailed out -- after socking away millions in profit -- while regular folks got the shaft.

It's liberals who are always accused of being too worried about fairness, but when it comes to Roman Polanski, it's conservatives who are playing the fairness card. If you're guilty of raping a 13-year-old girl, it's never too late to pay the price.

[edesignuk]

Arnie wades into Polanski debate (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8286601.stm).

[fivepoint]

Arnie wades into Polanski debate (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8286601.stm).

Good to see him stand up to the liberal elite douchebags from Hollywood who've been defending this egregious act. [note to those who'd get upset, I'm not mad at all liberals, or all liberal elitists, on this issue... just those liberal elites "who've been defending this egregious act." Thought it might be good to clarify sentence structure before it was attacked needlessly. :)]

[yg17]

Good to see him stand up to the liberal elite douchebags from Hollywood who've been defending this egregious act. [note to those who'd get upset, I'm not mad at all liberals, or all liberal elitists, on this issue... just those liberal elites "who've been defending this egregious act." Thought it might be good to clarify sentence structure before it was attacked needlessly. :)]

If you didn't clarify, it would be attacked, but it most certainly wouldn't be needlessly, because it would be another one of your broad generalizations with no basis whatsoever.

How about you just say "The people who've been defending this egregious act." There's no need to bring politics into something that isn't political. God forbid you pass up a chance to slam liberals :rolleyes:

[fivepoint]

If you didn't clarify, it would be attacked, but it most certainly wouldn't be needlessly, because it would be another one of your broad generalizations with no basis whatsoever.

How about you just say "The people who've been defending this egregious act." There's no need to bring politics into something that isn't political. God forbid you pass up a chance to slam liberals :rolleyes:

I might disagree with you that there's no need to bring politics into the issue. A higher percentage of liberals are defending him than conservatives (are there any?). Liberals are historically more likely to stand for less stringent laws on these types of things. Conservatives are generally considered to be more hardened on issues of law and punishment.

While being a liberal or being a conservative falls WAY short of defining your position on this issue (THANK GOD) I think the discrepancy might certainly be noteworthy. Similar to the fact that conservatives were more likely to stand for the war with Iraq while liberals were more likely to stand against it. It doesn't mean all liberals are against, or all conservatives were for it (I for one, wasn't) but it's certainly noteworthy to point out the discrepancy in viewpoints contrasted with political affiliation or worldview, don't you think?

On a side note I think the liberals on this board to my knowledge have been universally damning of Polanski... which is great!

[yg17]

I might disagree with you that there's no need to bring politics into the issue. A higher percentage of liberals are defending him than conservatives (are there any?). Liberals are historically more likely to stand for less stringent laws on these types of things. Conservatives are generally considered to be more hardened on issues of law and punishment.


Oh please, it's a few of his Hollywood friends who are defending him. On Daily Kos (one of those liberal hangouts on the interwebs) everybody was universal in condemning him and calling for him to be brought back to the US and thrown in jail for a long time.

And liberals are for less stringent laws on child rape? Oh please, give me a break. That is complete bullcrap and you know it. I think the only people for less laws on child rape are the rapists themselves. Like I said, you won't pass up a chance to slam liberals no matter how baseless and unfounded it is.

[Tomorrow]

A higher percentage of liberals are defending him than conservatives (are there any?).

I think it's a higher percentage of Hollywood-types that are defending him - that group happens to be more liberal than conservative. I'm not sure it's their politics that's acting as the basis of their support; I think it's that he's "one of them" in the industry, someone whose work they look up to. He's a colleague.

Yes, many in Hollywood are liberal, but I don't think that's why so many are coming out in support of him.

Check this thread - there are plenty of folks here who can be categorized as "liberal" to one extent or another who would like to see him brought to justice.

[yg17]

I think it's a higher percentage of Hollywood-types that are defending him - that group happens to be more liberal than conservative. I'm not sure it's their politics that's acting as the basis of their support; I think it's that he's "one of them" in the industry, someone whose work they look up to. He's a colleague.

Right, it's not politics, it's friendship. I haven't heard any liberal outside of Hollywood defend him, every liberal I've talked to thinks he should spend the rest of his life in a federal PMITA prison.

[Dagless]

He should most certainly be tried. I still haven't seen his films, nothing to do with his behaviour I just haven't found the time. But did he rape this girl (at the time) or was it consenting?

My apologies. I only caught bits of this story on BBC News.

[yg17]

He should most certainly be tried. I still haven't seen his films, nothing to do with his behaviour I just haven't found the time. But did he rape this girl (at the time) or was it consenting?

My apologies. I only caught bits of this story on BBC News.

There's no trial. He pled guilty then fled. He doesn't get a trial.

[shivermetimbers]

What comes around goes around.....

[Desertrat]

I recently read that he's also a cheapskate slimebag, as well: He agreed after a civil trial that he'd pay $500,000 to his victim.

Nope, didn't do that, either.

[mkrishnan]

So, it looks like he's not getting tried (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/07/roman-polanski-arrest-meets-with-outrage-from-prosecutors-us-state-department.html) anytime soon...

The Washington Post ran a fairly invective-filled denunciation of the Swiss decision, but assuming that there's a credible reason to assume that the documents the Swiss authorities wanted to review existed, the fault for the decision to not extradite him appears to lie mostly with the prosecutors here, under the "if you wants to play you gots to pay" rubric. Or, perhaps, the Swiss are trying to make an example about how the US wants banking information from them but won't provide information based on their own legitimate requests... who knows. Looks like the business is now dead in the water again.

[ucfgrad93]

It is disappointing that the Swiss won't extradite him.:(

That is it. I'm not going to buy any of their cheese and close my bank accounts there in protest!:p

[kavika411]

He must be innocent.

[Macky-Mac]

he probably spent more time under arrest in switzerland than he would have served in los angeles under the plea bargain that he skipped out on :p

[yg17]

he probably spent more time under arrest in switzerland than he would have served in los angeles if an LA jury had to decide a celebrity's sentence

Fixed it for you :p

[JediZenMaster]

What i don't understand is that there are more people angrier about this than the victim is. Samantha Geimer said that she wanted all charges against him dropped.

I Don't codone what the man did and it's actually digusting. But he's a great director and the victim of the crime has said she harbors no anger towards him so why are we all acting like it hurts us more than the actual victim?

[AP_piano295]

What i don't understand is that there are more people angrier about this than the victim is. Samantha Geimer said that she wanted all charges against him dropped.

I Don't codone what the man did and it's actually digusting. But he's a great director and the victim of the crime has said she harbors no anger towards him so why are we all acting like it hurts us more than the actual victim?
aw
Forgiving people for crimes committed against you is a good way to face up to the pain of a situation and move on.

Just because your victim forgives you doesn't mean that you get to escape the crime you've committed.

[MattSepeta]

If forgiveness from the victim held any sway over legal proceedings, could you imagine the "witness intimidation" and whatnot that would no doubt occur?

This guy has got to do his time. You cant just drug a 13 y/o girl and have your way with her. Absolutely ridiculous.

[mkrishnan]

This guy has got to do his time. You cant just drug a 13 y/o girl and have your way with her. Absolutely ridiculous.

Then are not the authorities in LA directly responsible for this miscarriage of justice, for multiple reasons, not the least of which is their failure to provide the Swiss with the requested document?

[ucfgrad93]

Then are not the authorities in LA directly responsible for this miscarriage of justice, for multiple reasons, not the least of which is their failure to provide the Swiss with the requested document?


In this instance, yes it would appear the LA authorities are at fault. However, Polanski is the one that did the crime, plead guilty to it, and fled. He is the one that is ultimately responsible for this whole fiasco.

[mkrishnan]

In this instance, yes it would appear the LA authorities are at fault. However, Polanski is the one that did the crime, plead guilty to it, and fled. He is the one that is ultimately responsible for this whole fiasco.

Those particulars go to the heart of the Swiss refusal to extradite him. Central to the claim is Polanski's claim that he was promised not to receive additional punishment beyond the time he had already spent in psychiatric hospitalization, etc. I (and the Swiss) don't know if that's true, because of the decision not to provide them the information. If a judge made that deal with him, then the actions of the court are disingenuous, and the Swiss should not extradite him based on that evidence, which raises serious doubts as to the behavior of the state of California in the matter. If the claim is not legitimate, then why has the government refused to turn the requested information over to the Swiss?

Now I'm not saying that Polanski hasn't gotten a lot of unfair benefits from his fame. He has. But this goes to a basic issue of due process of the law as it applies to anyone subject to American laws, including you and me. If the government misbehaved in this matter, then they -- we -- have to live with the consequences to honor our own rule of law. That's far more important than whether Polanski serves time or not.

The government has continually evaded this issue, and they need to be held accountable. Either they have to provide the information to the Swiss, or this whole mess is squarely their fault, and they deserve the blame for deciding that covering their own mistakes up is worth more than taking a tough stance on sex crimes.