POLANSKI'S BIG FAT OSCAR NIGHT

Roman Polanski - accused of rape
OJ Simpson - accused of double murder
Pete Townsend - accused of possession of child porn

Their criminal behavior does not take away from their talents, but should we just say that's okay, never mind, I know you didn't mean it/got a raw deal? What these celebrities get involved in will color the public opinion of them. One of the above got off with his crime, one will probably not be convicted, and one left the country to avoid punishment. How I personally feel about these individuals is not shared by all and that is fine with me. I can understand forgiveness (by victims and anyone else) but it doesn't wipe the memory away. Guaranteed if I were a celebrity and was in jeopardy of being jailed, I too would probably run away (with my money) and stay free. The price for that is not to be able to set foot in America again? Okay, I'll take it. Us non-celebrities with no money in the bank would be rotting in jail as we speak with no-one caring about the raw deal we got.

D'Artagnan blunders in yet again.

I wasn't comparing Polanski's actions with Clinton's actions, I was comparing the self-righteousness of the people here attacking P with that of the Republicans who hounded Clinton.

larry: Face it, you are just digging yourself a deeper hole.

Try it a third time, Larry. The first two drafts were good, but you can do better...

That's typical, D'Artagnan. You can't deal with the substance of what I am saying, so you sneer at the fact that I accidentally posted twice.

Heeven: are you familiar with the facts in the Pete Townsend case? Or the fact that he has not been charged, arraigned, or indicted for ANYTHING in Britain? Why are you in such a rush to judgement when it comes to these celebrities? Can it be that you like seeing them torn down from their pedestals and dragged through the mud?

Maxsdadeo: I am not digging a hole for myself. I believe in fair play and due process. If you don't, too bad. And why do you have a picture of Redford where there should be one of you? A trifle insecure, are we, Max?

It's not that you posted twice, but that the posts are slightly different. You can delete a post in cases like that--that's a free tip from me to you, Lar.

And speaking of max's photo--where's your avatar

I have spoken frequently about the avatar, here is one more time just for you larry.

Max insists that this is a picture of me, his father.
My wife has insisted that this is a picture of me, her husband.
It appears that there is an uncanny resemblence between me and the sundance kid.

NOW, who is the one who is insecure?

I am all about fair play and due process.

I also can recognize the difference between that and blatant apologistic statements regarding an accused pedophile.

Apparently, you are not similarly afflicted.

The victim of Polanski's crime went on national TV several weeks ago and said the following:
1) Polanski has been punished enough
2) she would support dropping all charges and prosecutions against him, and
3) she wishes that he would be allowed to rerturn to America and work here again

Now if the VICTIM no longer seeks vengeance or prosecution, who are you, Max, or you, Heeven, to demand it? That is what I mean by fair play. You don't know what fair play is if you are more bloodthirsty than Polanski's own victim now is. Give it up--you're wrong on the facts, wrong on the law, and wrong by the victim's own sentiments.

As a matter of fact I don't think Pete Townsend did anything wrong. I don't believe that looking at pictures (regardless of their content) is a crime. I think this has been made into a big deal about nothing. He has not encouraged pornography of children by buying products or getting involved with it. I put these names up there not because I agree/disagree with the allegation but to show that a big deal is made of their criminal activities.

And I don't put celebrities on pedestals so I am not interested in dragging them down. These are people who are famous for a talent that makes the public aware of them, that's all. I can admire and be entertained by what they give us. However by them being in the industries they chose and being in the public eye, they are well aware that privacy and public opinion weighs heavily on them. It is not strange therefore that they must put up with what people think, say and act towards them - be it right, wrong, fair or unfair. I am sure none of us would shine that bright when the spotlight is put on us but you and I are not standing willingly in that spotlight, they are.

Heeven--I've read that Townshend allegedly used his credit card to access those images. So, if true, he did in fact buy product.

I was a big fan of the Who many years ago and always respected him, but this charge is tough to swallow. Again, innocent until proven guilty, of course...

If it were only up to the victim I am sure he would be welcomed back poste haste. Unfortunately she cannot go back and erase what she said in a court of law. Me? I could care less if he returns / is arrested / is let off / whatever. It would however, piss me off, if he was given special treatment just because he is a celebrity, and I can have my own opinion of what I think of the man.

Ya know larry, I don't think anyone is asking for Polanski to be re-tried for his crime, just to stay where he is. He is welcome to continue making great movies, and we all must accept that he beat the law. Our moral disgust at what happened between him and a 13 yr. old girl (13, dude, what are you, supporting the NAMBLA theory that it is the child who is in control?), does not make us fanatics, just a bunch of people miffed at the situation, and at you.

Heeven also makes a good point...say it was a janitor or a garbageman that committed this act 26 years ago? I doubt they would be happily married in France right now, having Jack Nicholson over for visits.

Regarding Clinton, I think he was unfairly prosecuted. They were both consenting adults, persecuted by what I see as over-zealous politicians. Polanski however, is a pedophile, and that to me, and from what I hear, also most violent inmates, is unforgiveable. Hoorah, he beat the system, he had better just stay in France.

Incidentally, did you ever stop to think that the victim's public comments may just reflect the fact that she wants to get on with her life, and may have nothing to do with her feelings for Polanski whatsoever?

Incidentally, I heard Townshend was acquitted, and that the theory that he was indeed doing 'research' was accepted. He had been in contact with the police during this period, and apparently got caught up in a sting by accident. I reserve opinion for now on that. However, he never raped a minor.

Larry: I suggest you go ask your mom, the criminal court judge, if it matters in the least to the prosecutor if a victim requests leniency for the attacker.

Now who is wrong on the facts and the law?

Maxsdadeo: I did ask my Mom if a victim's wishes are relevant to the outcome of a prosecution. She said they are ALWAYS considered in something called the Victim Impact Statement which is part of the sentencing process. She added that it sometimes happens that the victim requests leniency for the defendant and that the trial judge then takes this into consideration in handing down a sentence.

So you see, YOU are still wrong on the facts and the law.

Cavfancier--I don't think Polanski beat the law. The fact that he is in this predicament after all these years shows that he is still suffering the consequences. And I am sorry that you find pedophilia "unforgivable." I take a different view and follow the example of Jesus Christ, who taught us to forgive ALL sinners. What Polanski did was scummy. What Hitler and Stalin did was unforgivable. Your sense of moral proportion, as well as your capacity for forgiveness, seems out of whack to me.

Relative to the sentencing? Perhaps.
Relevant towards whether the prosecution will drop the case? No.

At least I got you to call your mother, so I got that going for me.

Maxsdadeo: The whole issue in Polanski's case was that the trial judge announced publicly that he was planning to give Roman the maximum sentence to "make an example of him" as a celebrity defendant. THAT is why he fled the country. Nobody has ever claimed Polanski should not be prosecuted, only that the trial judge was a reactionary bastard who was going to make his life a living hell. I personally think that in a perfect world Polanski would have been tried, convicted of statutory rape, and put on probation--after all he was a first offender convicted of a nonviolent crime. But the trial judge screwed him, and he fled. By now he's entitled to some justice, since he didn't get it the first time around.