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Sep 28, 2009 6:44 AM GMT
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Sep 28, 2009 12:15 PM GMT
I'm kinda torn on this one
He did commit statutory rape
But then again the charge is 30 yrs old and the woman in question says she's over it and wants to forget the whole thing
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Sep 28, 2009 2:12 PM GMT
I'm not the least bit torn.
This story is ancient history and the other party has long since forgiven him. Even the judge in the case admitted that Polanksi's reason for flight merited investigation.
The Swiss papers are lamenting this as a terrible mistake and France isn't about to stand for the extradition of a prominent French citizen. Even Catholic Poland is offering consular assistance. President Sarkozy has said he expects quick resolution of the matter (and I believe he is right).
Sorry, but I have no sympathy for a "justice system" that imprisons willy nilly without regard to logic or sanity. We make the old Soviet Union look liberal and ourselves look ridiculous.
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Sep 28, 2009 2:19 PM GMT
i think its ridiculous he be arrested now...
its history
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Sep 28, 2009 2:42 PM GMT
I have no sympathy for a grown man that has sex with a 13 year old girl, no matter how consensual he says it was.
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Sep 28, 2009 2:48 PM GMT
I don't know. At what point is giving a 13 year old girl champagne and quaaludes then raping her the distant past?
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Sep 28, 2009 2:50 PM GMT
david10010 saidi think its ridiculous he be arrested now...
its history
So how much time has to pass for something to be considered 'history' in your mind? He drugged and raped a 13 y.o. What if that were your sister? How many weeks, months or years does one need to evade prosecution to get a Get Out Of Jail Free pass from your system? |
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Sep 28, 2009 2:52 PM GMT
isn't there a statute of limitations or something?
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Sep 28, 2009 2:52 PM GMT
My understanding is that he left the country because a judge, now deceased, had agreed to let him plead guilty to a charge of unlawful intercourse, but then started backtracking and acting like he might do something else that would lead to a long prison sentence. So, to avoid that Polanski left the country. I certainly don't approve of what Polanski did, but he was trying to take some responsibility for it. He fled when he thought he was going to be screwed over by the legal system. He's 76 years old and not a danger to society. I say let him plead to some minor charge and just get the whole mess over with. No point in spending lots of taxpayer dollars on this, especially in California.
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Sep 28, 2009 3:14 PM GMT
if i recalled - he plead guilty and i seem to recall that he wasn't charged with rape, rape.
wasn't there something about the family of the girl knowing the incident.
put the perv in jail and family should also be held accountable
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Sep 28, 2009 3:16 PM GMT
UrsaMajor saidI'm not the least bit torn.
This story is ancient history and the other party has long since forgiven him. Even the judge in the case admitted that Polanksi's reason for flight merited investigation.
The Swiss papers are lamenting this as a terrible mistake and France isn't about to stand for the extradition of a prominent French citizen. Even Catholic Poland is offering consular assistance. President Sarkozy has said he expects quick resolution of the matter (and I believe he is right).
Sorry, but I have no sympathy for a "justice system" that imprisons willy nilly without regard to logic or sanity. We make the old Soviet Union look liberal and ourselves look ridiculous. I agree completely. Moreover, the reason he fled, apparently, is that his lawyers had brokered a plea bargain and the corrupt judge (now deceased) was planning to renege on the deal. Polanski felt he had little choice but to flee. You can no longer indict the judge, so it's better to drop the whole matter. |
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Sep 28, 2009 3:19 PM GMT
svengali11 saiddavid10010 saidi think its ridiculous he be arrested now...
its history
So how much time has to pass for something to be considered 'history' in your mind? He drugged and raped a 13 y.o. What if that were your sister? How many weeks, months or years does one need to evade prosecution to get a Get Out Of Jail Free pass from your system? the victims mother , knowing very well of Romans 'womanizing' ways, let her 13 year old daughter socialize with him alone… she was a bad mother and this was totally out of order. the daughter as since forgiven him (after a hefty payout) and has wanted to drop the case. he did wrong, but this was resolved a longtime ago |
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Sep 28, 2009 3:30 PM GMT
Sparkycat saidMy understanding is that he left the country because a judge, now deceased, had agreed to let him plead guilty to a charge of unlawful intercourse, but then started backtracking and acting like he might do something else that would lead to a long prison sentence. So, to avoid that Polanski left the country. I certainly don't approve of what Polanski did, but he was trying to take some responsibility for it. He fled when he thought he was going to be screwed over by the legal system. He's 76 years old and not a danger to society. I say let him plead to some minor charge and just get the whole mess over with. No point in spending lots of taxpayer dollars on this, especially in California. Guys, he admitted to the crime. The fact that his plea deal went south does not change his admission of guilt. No one's suggesting that evidence was manufactured. If he had been innocent, he should not have admitted guilt. No one's suggested he was tortured into a false admission. Certainly the statements of the victim verify the crime. And being wealthy and well connected, a class of people to whom justice is usually better given in the US, it's not like he was some poor schmuck who had only an overworked public defender. And there are statutes of limitations to bringing charges but certainly not for serving your sentence. Once convicted, you don't get a walk just because you evaded justice for many years. In fact, you usually serve extra time. As for being 76 and no danger to society, last I read our local newspapers, there were pedophiles in their 70's. Bernie Madoff's in his 70's and in jail (different crime obviously). Not that the rape of a 13 y. old is precisely comparable to war crimes, but society across the world continues to pursue Nazi criminals, most of whom have lived quiet lives since then. His treatment should be no more but no less than any other person, regardless of wealth or fame or personal tragedy. |
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Sep 28, 2009 3:40 PM GMT
theantijock saidUrsaMajor saidthe other party has long since forgiven him. ...Sorry, but I have no sympathy for a "justice system" that imprisons willy nilly without regard to logic or sanity
Thowing away the baby with the bath water?
There was never just one other party to forgive him. There was the girl who was raped and also her family & friends who his action harmed. Plus, once he fled, he did further harm to more parties. Regardless, even if the direct victim's forgiveness might carry weight in sentencing, it does not in the finding.
Blind justice does not imply disregarding actions.
Blackguy4you saidisn't there a statute of limitations or something?
...while running away from an active prosecution, um, probably not.
(hmmm, if I run far enough and fast enough maybe all my problems will disappear) don't be facetious. i'm not a lawyer. i could have googled it but decided to ask those with legal training here. in my line of business there are legal statute of limitations |
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Sep 28, 2009 3:44 PM GMT
Forty years in exile.
By this rate, I expect Bin Laden will be captured somewhere around April, 2048.
Possibly March, though--with possible advances in forensics.
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Sep 28, 2009 3:47 PM GMT
cdncuteboy saidForty years in exile.
By this rate, I expect Bin Laden will be captured somewhere around April, 2048.
Possibly March, though--with possible advances in forensics. well given that the world is going to end in 2012 after the olympics - this is all moot |
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Sep 28, 2009 4:26 PM GMT
Blackguy4you saidisn't there a statute of limitations or something? he was convicted and evaded scentencing. once guilty always guilty, unless you win an appeal |
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Sep 28, 2009 4:34 PM GMT
He has had 30 years to iron this out, yet did nothing and continued to evade authorities. I have little sympathy for him.
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Sep 28, 2009 7:16 PM GMT
He's a brilliant director - (look at the Pianist) / he's very successful in exile.
It doesn't change the fact that he slept/raped a 13 yrs old girl. He fled because of the judge/stupid deal gone wrong, she since forgave him and was paid already. Look at his life tragedy, Holocaust survivor to the Sharon Tate murder.
- What I don't get is - he's living in Paris/France all this time, Did the French government not let us to come in and arrest him or something? Would that action violate international Law? Why staging an elaborate Coup at the Zurich Film Festival last weekend to arrest him? The article mentions that the LA county district attorney office prepared a provisional warrant and sent it to U.S. Justice Department officials, who presented it to Swiss authorities. They arrested Polanski on site at the airport.
* This is just another example to show no matter how successful or great you are, 1 tiny mistake like sleeping with a minor can haunt/follow you for a long time or even ruin you.
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Sep 28, 2009 7:19 PM GMT
theantijock saidBlackguy4you said
don't be facetious. i'm not a lawyer. i could have googled it but decided to ask those with legal training here. in my line of business there are legal statute of limitations
Nor am I schooled in law. I do however expect of myself and others a modicum of common sense which would have revealed that we can't just run away from our problems, not even in real life.
However, I considered that in your thinking you might have somehow missed--even if for a moment--that he wasn't just hiding from being charged, but running from an active charge, and so I gave part of my reply in jest. I meant not to insult, but to make light of how funny the mind can be. he was charged! he plead guilty! he was already incarcerated for a bit if memory serves correctly! he fled as some posters have indicated when the judge decided to renege on the agreement. and it's funny that you talk about not running away from problems, when that is something endemic to our culture. don't we, by and large live in a culture of blame everyone else for our crap instead of taking responsibility for our actions? |
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Sep 28, 2009 7:22 PM GMT
SexySwimmer saidHe's a brilliant director - (look at the Pianist) / he's very successful in exile.
It doesn't change the fact that he slept/raped a 13 yrs old girl. He fled because of the judge/stupid deal gone wrong, she since forgave him and was paid already. Look at his life tragedy, Holocaust survivor to the Sharon Tate murder.
- What I don't get is - he's living in Paris/France all this time, Did the French government not let us to come in and arrest him or something? Would that action violate international Law? Why staging an elaborate Coup at the Zurich Film Festival last weekend to arrest him? The article mentions that the LA county district attorney office prepared a provisional warrant and sent it to U.S. Justice Department officials, who presented it to Swiss authorities. They arrested Polanski on site at the airport.
* This is just another example to show no matter how successful or great you are, 1 tiny mistake like sleeping with a minor can haunt/follow you for a long time or even ruin you.
well he did get her drugged and drunk, so he was a freaking louse. but this is more an example of how if you are successful and wealthy how you can often escape the hand of justice |
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Sep 28, 2009 7:29 PM GMT
Blackguy4you said
don't we, by and large live in a culture of blame everyone else for our crap instead of taking responsibility for our actions?
Yep, especially if you are the CEO of a corporation or a politician! |
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Sep 28, 2009 7:35 PM GMT
The guy committed a crime, then fled the country after admitting it. So there is more to this than just the rape. If he would have stayed and accepted his punishment, he would most likely still be in jail so what he has done since that point is irrelevant. I often speak of actions vs consequences to people. This man did something illegal, that he chose to do as a grown man. Then when the consequences were about to be put forth, he ran. He should be put away for life. Do any of you have family that is this age? Let me tell you that if this was my neice i would want the fucker fried. Taking advantage of a young girl like that is deplorable.  |
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Sep 28, 2009 7:40 PM GMT
Timberoo saidI have no sympathy for a grown man that has sex with a 13 year old girl, no matter how consensual he says it was. ^ What he said. The guy raped a 13-year-old girl, then escaped from the country. If that's not admitting guilt, I don't know what is. He was a loser then, and he's a loser now. |
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Sep 28, 2009 7:52 PM GMT
theantijock saidBlackguy4you saidhe was charged! he plead guilty! he was already incarcerated for a bit if memory serves correctly! he fled as some posters have indicated when the judge decided to renege on the agreement.
and it's funny that you talk about not running away from problems, when that is something endemic to our culture. don't we, by and large live in a culture of blame everyone else for our crap instead of taking responsibility for our actions?
Right, only he pleaded guilty to a charge lesser than the deed he committed, not quite a magnanamous gesture of part of the good director. Whether the judge or the plea bargain itself was corrupt depends on point of view. I suppose having accepted payoff, a now grown victim might call the judge corrupt. But I would imagine that a 13-year-old who had just been raped probably thought the plea bargain corrupt.
As to shrugging off responsibility, it goes so far that there is no meaning when someone says "the buck stops here". If he buck stopped there then how about paying back that buck instead of pocketing it. They just offer mouth service--"I hold myself fully accountable"--yet when they screw us (often on purpose) they get to keep their damned jobs. It is outrageous and should be unacceptable. Without ramifications there is no reason for accountability. No matter how much they offer apologies. Not even when the buck stops there. but is he to be blamed for pleading to a lesser charge or was it the responsibility of the prosecution? aren't plea bargains done constantly? i hope you don't think i'm defending him. far from it - i'm just pointing out that several people have responsibility in this whole mess. some guys here keep saying age is nothing more than a number. perhaps at 13 she was just as mature as a 30 year old.... |
