Roman Polanski not to be extradited

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12 Jul 2010 08:33 AM
CatInASuit

Roman Polanski not to be extradited

It looks as though having rich, powerful and influential friends is always a bonus.

The Swiss have decided against extraditing Roman Polanski to the US and turned down their request on technical grounds, so he is now free to do what ever he likes.

More on it here.

I still don't understand how people can support him given his actions.
12 Jul 2010 10:30 AM
Exy

Quote:

Originally posted by CatInASuit

I still don't understand how people can support him given his actions.

Agreed.

I heard about this and I was pretty pissed off. I don't know what their rationale is but I had thought it was pretty much a done deal.
12 Jul 2010 10:40 AM
Sarahfeena

The whole thing is just gross...I have lost respect for so many people over their defense of this guy.
12 Jul 2010 10:56 AM
Rube E. Tewesday

Quote:

Originally posted by Sarahfeena

The whole thing is just gross...I have lost respect for so many people over their defense of this guy.

I wonder how many of those people would be prepared to leave their teenage daughter or granddaughter in a room with Polanski and a bottle of 'ludes
12 Jul 2010 11:10 AM
OtakuLoki

Quote:

Originally posted by Rube E. Tewesday

I wonder how many of those people would be prepared to leave their teenage daughter or granddaughter in a room with Polanski and a bottle of 'ludes

The scary thing? I'm convinced the number is not zero.

And that's dialing in the assumption that they know that their daughter/grand-daughter will be molested. If they've any doubt about that, the number goes up.

(Goes off to hate at the world some more.)
12 Jul 2010 11:15 AM
Orual

The Swiss don't have time to extradite pedophilic ass-rapers - they're so busy making sure nobody builds minarets. I mean, they do have priorities.
12 Jul 2010 11:20 AM
Exy

The thing that kills me is I keep hearing references to him having pled guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old. And maybe that's what he the charge was, and if that had been all it was, there'd be some rationale for letting it go. From a public policy standpoint, we don't want to go around encouraging adult men to have sex with young teenagers, of course, because it's easy to talk kids that age into doing things and so any "consent" they render is problematic. But it's not hard to imagine that in an individual case, a kid that age could really be consenting, and wouldn't be harmed by it. Not something you'd want to encourage men to take chances on, but something you could reasonably say isn't worth pursuing 30-odd years later.

But in this case, he drugged her and then anally raped her while she protested. There's no grey area here -- this was not an old guy who managed to talk a kid into sex, it's out-and-out rape. The idea that somehow a few years pass by and it's all okay again is just ludicrous.

ETA: Nice av/post combo, Orual.
12 Jul 2010 11:38 AM
Zuul

Quote:

Originally posted by Exy

But in this case, he drugged her and then anally raped her while she protested. There's no grey area here -- this was not an old guy who managed to talk a kid into sex, it's out-and-out rape. The idea that somehow a few years pass by and it's all okay again is just ludicrous.

This. Over and over again, this.
12 Jul 2010 11:46 AM
OtakuLoki

Quote:

Originally posted by Exy

But in this case, he drugged her and then anally raped her while she protested. There's no grey area here -- this was not an old guy who managed to talk a kid into sex, it's out-and-out rape. The idea that somehow a few years pass by and it's all okay again is just ludicrous.

This is a valid point, and sufficient, in its own right, to justify following up on this case.

However, it's not the only point that makes me stabby about this case. It would also be worth going after this asshole even if it had been that quasi-consensual scenario you'd outlined in the first paragraph of your post - because he ran from sentencing. I don't give a damn what your original conviction might have been, that's a crime in its own right, and justly prosecuted as such. The idea that someone should be considered to be allowed to go free because they've been successful for three decades for evading their sentence is mind-boggling to me.
12 Jul 2010 12:06 PM
What Exit?

Quote:

Originally posted by OtakuLoki

This is a valid point, and sufficient, in its own right, to justify following up on this case.

However, it's not the only point that makes me stabby about this case. It would also be worth going after this asshole even if it had been that quasi-consensual scenario you'd outlined in the first paragraph of your post - because he ran from sentencing. I don't give a damn what your original conviction might have been, that's a crime in its own right, and justly prosecuted as such. The idea that someone should be considered to be allowed to go free because they've been successful for three decades for evading their sentence is mind-boggling to me.

I would like to echo this. Completely and the Swiss and French should be ashamed of themselves.
12 Jul 2010 12:30 PM
Exy

Quote:

Originally posted by OtakuLoki

I don't give a damn what your original conviction might have been, that's a crime in its own right, and justly prosecuted as such. The idea that someone should be considered to be allowed to go free because they've been successful for three decades for evading their sentence is mind-boggling to me.

Oh, well, personally, if someone is wrongly convicted, or convicted for something that shouldn't be a crime (say, pot, or a 17-year-old boy convicted for "statutory rape" of his consenting 15-year-old girlfriend), and they evade punishment, that wouldn't bother me at all. I have no problem with people escaping from prison or fleeing the country to avoid what I would consider unjust punishment.
12 Jul 2010 01:06 PM
Sarahfeena

Quote:

Originally posted by Rube E. Tewesday

I wonder how many of those people would be prepared to leave their teenage daughter or granddaughter in a room with Polanski and a bottle of 'ludes

I think Loki's right that there's a strong possibility some of them would, if they believed there was some justification for it (like, getting work in Hollywood). People who think that being a great artist is justification for committing crimes are probably capable of worse than that.
12 Jul 2010 03:23 PM
Zuul

Quote:

Originally posted by Sarahfeena

I think Loki's right that there's a strong possibility some of them would, if they believed there was some justification for it (like, getting work in Hollywood). People who think that being a great artist is justification for committing crimes are probably capable of worse than that.

Considering some of the fucked up things stage parents will do, I'm sure some would offer to drug the girl themselves. :roll:
12 Jul 2010 05:19 PM
OtakuLoki

Quote:

Originally posted by Exy

Oh, well, personally, if someone is wrongly convicted, or convicted for something that shouldn't be a crime (say, pot, or a 17-year-old boy convicted for "statutory rape" of his consenting 15-year-old girlfriend), and they evade punishment, that wouldn't bother me at all. I have no problem with people escaping from prison or fleeing the country to avoid what I would consider unjust punishment.

A fair sheet anchor. And one I'd support as well.