Justice delayed is justice denied...

As I'm sure you all know, Roman Polanski, confessed and convicted child sex offender, has finally been detained after 32 years on the run.  Why did he flee?  Because he was going to have to serve up to 48 DAYS in prison for drugging and raping a 13 year old girl.  You see, he thought, by his plea agreement, that he would only "suffer" the 42 DAYS that he'd already served, rather than have any additional punishment. How horrendous!  What a terrible castigation for the defilement and abuse of a child!  So unfair!  He was famous!  He was respected!  He was... a rapist.

Angelica Huston, present at the party where the rape took place, concurred that the victim looked older.  Therefore... um... what?  She must have asked for it?  So if she'd been older, it would have been okay to drug her with quaaludes, ply her with alcohol, and have sex with her when she was unable to give consent?  Oh yeah, that makes sense!  Good 'ole Angelica!  She sure knows right from wrong!

Instead of being horrified by this man's actions, instead of reviling him, he's been admired by his peers.  He's won an Oscar and was only arrested because he was going to Switzerland to be honored at the Zurich Film Festival.  If this were any other person, any other man who was a convicted sex offender, he would be ostracized.  But because he has talent, he is allowed to live his life as if he'd never traumatized a young girl?

At what point do we become ashamed of ourselves?  At what point does our own tolerance of abhorrent behavior overtake our desire for justice?  30 years ago this man was offered what amounted to a stern dressing down, but couldn't even accept that.  Now he's spent 30 years in exile (in luxurious exile).  Oh yes, THAT was better than 90 days in jail.  In the meantime his victim has had to come to accept that she will never receive justice.

Even if his victim has come to terms with this and is willing to put it behind her, *I* am not willing to accept this.  I'm not willing to feel comfortable with this.  I can't think of an excuse that makes his behavior, before or after, acceptable.  So I won't.  I hope, when he comes to the United States, that Roman Polanski is sentenced to jail time.  I hope he is punished, if not for the rape of a child, then at the least for fleeing the country rather than serve his time.  I don't care that he felt as if he was misled about the plea bargain.  A child rapist deserves more than this man was ever going to get.

Unfortunately, the world doesn't work that way.  He's rich and famous and the best case scenario is that he gets to plea to time served and has the conviction on his record  Anything more and they risk interfering with his career.  The horrors! Sometimes things really are black and white, not shades of gray, and a 40 something year old man drugging and raping a 13 year old girl is one of those times.

I'm sorry that his wife, Sharon Tate, and unborn child were murdered.  No one deserves that.  I'm sure that he was going through a hard time.  It had only been a few years, after all, and drug use is a common way to mask pain.  But that doesn't excuse the rape of a child.  Nothing does.  And until we realize that, rapists will continue to receive inappropriate punishments -- and children will continue to suffer.

Comments

[Olivia]

I cant believe this shit! Whats wrong with Hollywood?? This man should be shot or put in jail and the guards told to look the other way while he is raped repeatedly. Lets see how he likes it!

[The Queen of the Blog]

I wouldn't say it's just hollywood -- it's the "justice" system in general. The guy was offered a hell of a lot less than even a slap on the wrist.

[Matt]

A disgusting injustice that will never be amended.
Not until he is very dead.

[Gissel]

I'm puzzled that so many people is defending him, just because "he's an artist". Hey, I am an artist too. Can I kill someone and get away with it, then, so the world won't be deprived of my wonderful art? Pffff!

[The Queen of the Blog]

That's even assuming that someone LIKES his "art". I don't. And Woody Allen? I've not seen any of his crap since Purple Rose of Cairo, which I found boring and overrated. I'm not missing anything by boycotting evil people.

For what it's worth, I'd miss you, even if you killed someone. :-P

[Gissel]

Ha, ha! Thanks! I'm not planning to kill anyone so far, though :-)