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Tuesday, September 29. 2009

Shortest Hollywood Film Ever?

Just listening to the radio on the way home I heard Hugh Hewitt suggest what he called the "game-set-match" question to Hollywoodites supporting Roman Polanski not being tried: "Should someone drugging and raping your 13-year old daughter be prosecuted?" (I'd add sister or mother, as all in Hollywood must have at least one of the above.)


The shortest Hollywood film ever would be a unanimous "yes" from all.  However, it may be too much to assume that none would answer "no."  It is Hollyweird, after all.


No surprise, it may not be the shortest Hollywood movie ever.  Look at some of the prominent Hollywood names signing the petition for Polanski's immediate release.  Here's a more complete list.

Posted by Bruce Kesler at 19:06 | Comments (11) | Trackback (1)

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A list of actors to avoid
There is a petition circulating that asks that convicted child rapist Roman Polanski be set free. Polanski invited a 13 year old girl to Jack Nicholson's home for a “photo shoot”. He proceeded to give her Quaaludes and Champaign and...
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Tracked: Sep 30, 00:54

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Woody Allen would answer "no", but his wife/daughter is kicking him beneath the table.
#1 joated (Link) on 2009-09-29 21:07 (Reply)
better phrasing of the question: What should be done with a judge who sentences a man to 42 days in a psychiatric facility for drugging and raping a 13 year old girl?

That's the plea deal the judge is said to have reneged on, causing Polanski to flee.
#2 dan on 2009-09-29 21:50 (Reply)
Talk about living in an alternate universe ... These idiots not only don't know how to act [most of them] they have no moral standards at all. I suppose that, if you live in a city where rape is a parlor game, drugs are a necessity, and stupidity is a basic qualification for stardom, this makes a crazy kind of sense.

Marianne
#3 Marianne Matthews on 2009-09-29 23:06 (Reply)
Marianne has it right again. Polanski advocates simply want to practice their aberrant behaviors with impunity.

Having sex with a thirteen year old girl, by definition, is illegal and is rape.
#3.1 Thalpy on 2009-09-30 12:48 (Reply)
Well, it depends on whether you think the purpose of criminal is retribution or something else (like deterrence, rehabilitation, etc.).

Lots of non-crazy people do not think the main purpose of criminal law should be retribution.
#4 GU on 2009-09-30 01:56 (Reply)
Sorry, should read "criminal law" in the first sentence.
#4.1 GU on 2009-09-30 02:33 (Reply)
Wow, that petition is insane: "International cultural events" should be exempt from all law.

The next war will be fought to destroy Europe.
#5 tehag on 2009-09-30 08:37 (Reply)
GU,
Don't know what the word "crazy" means anymore, but where does this logic fall?

1) Child abuse is a horrible crime that should without a doubt be punished.
2) The victim of this crime, 30+ years later (and possibly all along) is on the side of her attacker.
3) The worthless pos has escaped to France for the last 30+ years.

Why the hell do we want him back here? As long as he's in Europe, he's their problem. Why put him in our prisons to be paid for by our tax payers? I could see if the victim seeks justice OR if he was a threat to our society. Realistically, neither apply. To my mind we should be publicizing the fact that Europe/France is OK with pedophilia and encouraging our problems to move over there. That way, either Europe/France get a clue and do something about the pos (thus denying him refuge and we get what we want either way) or our some of pedophiles become theirs. With that "strategy" either way we win. But then again, maybe I'm the crazy one...but given the state of the world today, I'm ok with that.
#6 KRW on 2009-09-30 12:53 (Reply)
GU ... It sounds to me as if you are trapped by the toils of political correctitude here. I suggest that you get your priorities straight. The purpose of criminal law is to protect society from evil people who kill, rape, steal and assault law-abiding citizens, and to keep such evil people from doing it again to some other innocent citizens. That's why we have prisons.

This man, Polanski, sexually and brutally assaulted a child. I don't care what the crazy Hollywood weirdos say, along the lines of "he's so talented, so we should give him a free pass on rape. Everybody does it, after all" and other stupid statements. That's pure rubbish. If Hollywood adults enjoy strange sexual practices [and they seem to, constantly] that's regrettable, but none of my business. As long as I don't have to watch it, it's their problem and their sin. We each of us as adults go to hell in our own way. Or not.

But brutally assaulting children is something different. If society tolerates this kind of brutality for some damfool reason like "Oh, he's so talented, he should be given a pass on being disgusting" then we are as guilty as he is for destroying that innocence.

So ... if Mr. Polanski can't keep it zipped around children, I hope he goes to the slammer, and has a seven foot tall roommate who's been 'oh so lonely.'

That would be poetic justice.

Marianne
#7 Marianne Matthews on 2009-09-30 13:02 (Reply)
O.k., so criminal law is about "protect[ing] society from evil people who kill, rape, steal and assault law-abiding citizens, and [] keep[ing] such evil people from doing it again to some other innocent citizens." This is basically a deterrence rationale.

Polanski already committed the crime; the victim in this case cannot be retroactively protected. So, the question we should ask is whether arresting and jailing Polanski will prevent future rapes. Maybe it would. If so, there would be a deterrence rationale for arresting him and vice versa.

Notice the deterrence rationale is different from the retribution rationale (e.g. if you do x, you should be punished regardless of other considerations).
#7.1 GU on 2009-09-30 14:13 (Reply)
"At least one jury member, producer Henning Molfenter, has now boycotted the festival, with others expected to follow suit. 'There is no way I'd go to Switzerland now. You can't watch films knowing Roman Polanski is sitting in a cell 5km away...'"

I can - I'd be happy to watch films in Switzerland anytime at all.

Henning, pass me those first-class tickets to Zurich!
#8 JJM on 2009-09-30 15:29 (Reply)

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