Swiss Reject U.S. Request to Extradite Polanski

I don’t know a whole lot about Roman Polanski. He made some critically acclaimed films, he suffered some tragedy (eg, his wife Sharon Tate was part of the grisly Charles Manson murders aka Helter Skelter), and he drugged and rapped a 13-year-old girl, for which he never stood trial. Right now, he is under house arrest in what looks like an amazing Swiss chateau mansion (see pic). That about sums what I know.

Just to state the obvious, I don’t approve of rape, and I don’t care if some people interpret a precocious 13-year-old as “asking for it.” That’s BS. Despite this, for some reason, when I heard Polanski is not going to get extradited, I felt relief. Is that not bizarre? The crime really does sicken me, and yet, I’m so ticked off at Polanski. Is it because I believe in a statute of limitations? Not really, I mean, I’m down with bringing in Nazis, even if they’re 90-year-old grandpas now, but for some reason, in this story, curiously, he is the character I identify with. I have no idea why. There’s something about the notion of a crime being committed an eon ago that comes back to haunt you that I relate to.

4 Replies to “Swiss Reject U.S. Request to Extradite Polanski”

  1. But does statute of limitations really apply here? Because he already pled guilty to the offense (and I’m too lazy to wikipedia this, but he didn’t even plead guilty to rape.. it’s some bs-let’s tiptoe around what he really did by calling it something like assault–not the rape and sodomy of a minor) and rather than hear out his sentence, he fled. I know there is much tragedy in his life (murder of his pregnant wife; family killed in Holocaust) but he is still rich and powerful, and that has protected him all these years. Because had he been poor, person of color, etc., he would be sitting in jail today.

    But also, how do you feel about crimes committed by priests from years past? Do you think they should answer to their crimes?

  2. now, i’m not a lawyer and i think if i were creating the law, i’d have to ignore these feelings i have. roman polanski enjoys a highly successful, rarefied life, respect for loads of people — i guess the part i sympathize with is that he ran. part of me would do the same, and then i imagine that feeling haunting him while he enjoys his caviar. to run seems almost making a pact with the devil, where you can’t quite enjoy the gifts from the devil b/c you’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop. now if i ever met him, and he was an arrogant dude, who thinks he shouldn’t pay for the crime, i’d probably 180 and tell him to skip trial and go directly to jail. while he’s generic, i can project my own random feelings to him. i know he’s not rich and white — which is why it flips me out extra that i identify with him.

    yeah, i do feel like priests and nazis should get punished. i think it really helps the victims heal. oh dear, then if THAT were my guiding principle, then polanski should get off b/c the girl has formally requested charges to be dropped. what do you think?

  3. I feel like, if the girl has requested that the charges be dropped, then he should get off. Is that wrong? Also, he hasn’t been able to set foot in the States in more than 30 years, but I’m not sure if that’s a punishment or a reward.

  4. yeah, mc abe, i hear ya. i agree with you, but if i were a lawmaker or something, would i be able to make that choice? i dunno. don’t you have to worry about other people using that decisions to justify getting away with it in the future?

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