Roman Polanski — Page 2

I'm more concerned with the Gary McKinnon and the Brian and Kerry Howes extradition cases myself.

Gary McKinnon may have hacked into NASA and US military computers but by highlighting the fact that they were running over-the-counter MS Windows with the passwords set to 'default' could have saved thousands of lives, if not millions. I also doubt he could have caused $700,000 of damage (unless it was damage to military pride and the cost of updating to appropriately secure systems).

The UFO spotting Asperger syndrome sufferer should be given a medal not a 60 year jail term.

The Howes family running a legal internet chemical retail site being shipped off because 2 of the many chemicals they sold 'could' be used to make Crystal Meth (when they were more likely to be used to make fireworks) is uttely insane too.

But the nature of Polanski's capture (the how and why now? Not the general why which is obvious) does seem to be part of a trend.

It also seems odd that the American government is holding political prisoners for the Chinese without charge.

Everybody is scummy to some degree, maybe it was a period of his life where he was more prone to act his scummiest, that doesn't let him off what he did but it doesn't let off all the other people being scummy and facilitating his scummieness.

If you meet a guy who his showing suicidal tendancies you could make some money selling him the drugs for an overdose or you could direct him to a good shrink (even if it's via the police).

If you meet a guy who wants to watch the second and youngest of your offered choice of daughters take her knickers off you don't send her back for more (on her own), no matter how much money he offers you.

If you are a judge and have an emotionally fracked up rich guy with access to cars and planes you don't screw around with plea bargaining just to make a name for yourself by turning the case into a media circus.

If you are country which gives a damn about the case you don't welcoming the guy, let him have a home there and then suddenly jump on him when your economy is on the slide and there is a new president is in the White House.

and if you are a 44 year old man, you do not rape a 13 year old.  none of the above stuff excuses what Polanski did.   Did other people in this case do bad things?  Yes  the Judge may have made an unwise decision.  Yes the parents were stupid.   But they did not force Polanski to rape the girl and certainly the girl herself can not be blamed.   Yeah we all my mistakes,  we all may be scummy some of the time, but most of us do not rape 13 year old girls.   

Not at all I'm of the opinion that governments around the world seem to be bending over backwards to hand people over to the American Government all of a sudden.

It made sense to hand Polanski over to the US decades ago, the other two cases I mentioned make no sense at all.

The only major changes I can see that explains this is the economic and political situation in the world.

American law hasn't changed that much nor the desire to extradite people that the US wants to prosecute.

What has changed is the desire of various bodies and governments around the world to hand people (and awards) over.

Justice doesn't seem to be a major feature in any of this as always it seems to be the movement of small green pieces of paper.

If you read my post I wasn't defending Polanski more throwing everyone surronding the case into the same pile.

The victim is now in her forties but at the time she was a child and her parents sent her and her sister to a rich man's house and when she complained about him wanting to watch her undress they sent her back and were paid a lot of money.

Hopefully this will be pulled out in the trial because anyone rightfully condemning what happened here should direct it at the culture of greed that turns anything into a sellable commodity.

I don't Bingowings was talking about someone was terminally ill.  

Then, yeah, perhaps another thread would be good idea.   I really think you don't let someone kill themselves unless they are terminally ill and are capable of making their own decisions.  

I was really making a point about being in a position where you can choose to help someone who is going off the rails, turn your back on the situation or make some cash out of the derailment.

There have been many cases where someone with a bit of money in the bank is clearly a danger to his or herself and others but people in their orbit have thought more about lining their pockets than doing the right thing.

Sometimes doing the right thing means making a call to the police.

I'll agree with that.  

that is the way it has to be in a civilized country ruled by law.   A person is treated innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, no matter how red handed they were caught.   As for protecting the killers and what not more then the victims, you have to remember the it is the accused that we are talking about doing something to.  Be it jail time, a fine, execute,  it is the accused that might get punished not the victim.   Whatever way the case ends, the victim walks out of court free.   Therefore it is logical that we are more careful to protect the rights of the accused as opposed to the victim.   If you are ever accused and arrested of a crime you did not commit, you will thank God for those protections.  

I think its possible that Nicholson didn't know(its also possible that he did know).    Do we have any idea where he was at the time this was going on?  As for Angelica Houston,  I find it difficult to believe that you could be in the same house where a man is raping a 13 year old girl and not know anything was going on.   

man, I just read that testimony.  If it is accurate and true, Polanski really is a sicko.  

http://www.comcast.net/articles/entertainment/20100122/EU.France.Polanski_s.Wife/

I know this is a dead topic, but I had to comment on Mrs. Polanski's comments.  Now, I was only a very young child in the 70's(born in 1974), so I so really have no idea how people felt about sexual issues,  but I have extremely difficult time believing that people in the 70's felt is was socially acceptable for a  grown man to have sex with an unwilling 13 year old girl.   If if that were true,  isn't that akin to someone defending the actions of the slave masters?   Couldn't someone argue that it was socially acceptable to treat black people like animals?   Yet, that doesn't really justify slavery, does it? 

I also take issue with her statement that him pleading guilty means he didn't feel like he was above the law.   If he didn't feel he was above the law, how come he left he country?  That is not the act of someone who doesn't feel he is above the law. 

vote_for_palpatine said:

Meanwhile Pete Rose whose only crime was gambling, can't get into the hall of fame.

Warbler, do you want to talk about this in the baseball thread? Because I believe Rose should be kept out - he committed the Cardinal Sin in baseball. Gambling turns whatever sport it infects into professional wrestling without all the entertaining sideshows.

Technically he committed the Red Sin or Phillie Sin, but whatevas.