Roman Polanski Finally Arrested.

[The Yosemite Bear]

also of note while the victim won't go into this, and continues to shield her mother, there's been a strong undercurrent of expliotation of youth by hollywood moms for decades.

[Darth Wong]

Agreed, yet I am not surprised by the lack of Hollywood condemning Polanski. It would be nice if some one like Eastwood, Lucas, Spielberg, or anyone else that is very well known came out and lambasted Polanski publicly with the simple truth of "He drugged and raped a 13 year old girl!" and when any one started to argue in support of Polanski, just kept repeating it.

When you like someone, there's a "halo" effect. It's not just famous people who do this, although they're the most visible examples. Whenever they ask friends or family of a guy who does something bad, they always say the same things:

1) "I can't believe he would do this. They must have the wrong man."
2) "I've known him for <X> years. He contributes to charity, he does <blah blah blah>. He is not a bad person."

If you know someone personally, you tend to make excuses for them. At the very least, you tend to be reluctant to join the crowd condemning him, and you would prefer to say "no comment".

[CaptainChewbacca]

Perhaps another factor of it is that these people, as his friends, believe that anything diminishing Polanski's reputation diminishes their own by association.

[Tolya]

Perhaps another factor of it is that these people, as his friends, believe that anything diminishing Polanski's reputation diminishes their own by association.

I don't think so. What I have noticed is a massive Red Herring about Polanski's arrest somehow being an attack on his accomplishments. At least thats what I get when I read between the lines of his defendants.

[ThomasP]

Perhaps another factor of it is that these people, as his friends, believe that anything diminishing Polanski's reputation diminishes their own by association.

They'd be better off considering what supporting a child rapist would do to their reputation, if that's the worry.

[Azazal]

Agreed, yet I am not surprised by the lack of Hollywood condemning Polanski. It would be nice if some one like Eastwood, Lucas, Spielberg, or anyone else that is very well known came out and lambasted Polanski publicly with the simple truth of "He drugged and raped a 13 year old girl!" and when any one started to argue in support of Polanski, just kept repeating it.

When you like someone, there's a "halo" effect. It's not just famous people who do this, although they're the most visible examples. Whenever they ask friends or family of a guy who does something bad, they always say the same things:

1) "I can't believe he would do this. They must have the wrong man."
2) "I've known him for <X> years. He contributes to charity, he does <blah blah blah>. He is not a bad person."

If you know someone personally, you tend to make excuses for them. At the very least, you tend to be reluctant to join the crowd condemning him, and you would prefer to say "no comment".

It's like clockwork Deb Tate, clueless bitch

NEW YORK (AP) — Debra Tate, the sister of Roman Polanski's second wife, actress Sharon Tate, says Polanski is brilliant and a "good guy" and she doesn't think her former brother-in-law can get a fair trial in the United States.
Tate tells NBC's "Today" show on Wednesday that the U.S. justice system is broken.
Polanski was arrested Saturday in Zurich. The U.S. has been seeking his extradition for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.
Tate says Polanski did not forcibly have sex with the girl, calling it a "consensual matter."
Sharon Tate was murdered in Los Angeles in 1969 by followers of Charles Manson. She was eight months pregnant.
Debra Tate says it's been a devastating few weeks for her, with her sister's killer, Susan Atkins, dying Sept. 24 and now her late sister's husband jailed.

Deb, she was 13 at the time, there is no fucking way it could have been a "consensual matter."

Jesus Fucking Christ

[Azazal]

Ghetto edit:

You have got be fucking kidding me. Did a little more looking in on dear Deb.

From Sharon's Biography

Championing Victims Rights

In the years that followed Sharon's murder, her mother Doris, began to come out of her depression and began to fight for victim's rights. In Sharon's name she attended the paroles of the members of the Manson Family who had murdered her daughter. She was the first member of a victim's family to ever speak out a parole hearing and make a victims impact statement in the state of California. Doris actively campaigned to help see that law get make it on the books. The law was then picked up by the rest of the states in the nation. She spoke to other family members of crime victims.

Doris spoke to prisoners who she felt could be rehabilitated, telling them of her loss and the years of depression that followed in the hopes that they would not, upon release, go on to commit more, and increasingly violent crimes. When Doris Tate died on July 10th, 1992, Sharon's youngest sister Patti took up the fight that Doris began. In Doris' name a foundation was started, The Doris Tate Crime Victim's Bureau.

It serves to help victims of crime and their families. Sadly, on June 3rd, 2000, Patti Tate passed away at the age of 42, from breast cancer. Sharon's last remaining sister, Debra, is continuing that fight in Sharon's name for all victims, this is Sharon and the rest of the Tates legacy.

Doris Tate Crime Victim's Bureau. now renamed iCAN. Read the home page, and try and figure out how the fuck Deb can say

a "consensual matter."

I can only conclude that drugging and raping a 13 year old is not a violent crime


God how I humanity at times

[Vympel]

quaaludes

Does anyone else think this sounds like something from Star Trek?

[Broomstick]

It's heyday was in the late 1960's-1970's... the same era as Star Trek: TOS.

Apparently one of the side effects was increased sexual arousal... no wonder it was a date rape drug.

[Akkleptos]

It's heyday was in the late 1960's-1970's... the same era as Star Trek: TOS.

Hey! I remember those being mentioned in E.T.'s novelisation (yes, I read it when it was out, back when I was 10)... and they mentioned them as having been confiscated to HS students... and the principal would reach for the drawer were they were stashed, and ingest a handful of them, when circumstances seemed pressing.

Apparently, the name's origin is this, according to answers.com:

WORD HISTORY
The trademark Quaalude for the sedative and hypnotic agent methaqualone is an example of how a product name is carefully chosen for a positive public response. Methaqualone was developed in the 1960s by William H. Rorer, Inc. At that time, the company's best-known product was Maalox, a digestive aid that derived its name from its ingredients, magnesium and aluminum hydroxides. To enhance the product recognition of their new sedative drug, the company incorporated the aa of Maalox into the name Quaalude. The other elements of the name are presumed to be a contraction of the phrase quiet interlude, a soothing, even poetic description of the drug's effect.

[weemadando]

From today's Age.

[Akkleptos]

From today's Age.

THAT'S IT!

In any case, he's a rapist. Apply local laws and circumstances (badly devalued to the public due to the excessive use of the term "circumstantial evidence" in legal fiction, but nonetheless aplicable) and you've also have a child rapist in your hands.

Regardless of how talented and how much respect his works may be due, he is still a rapist.

In psychology we learn something: separate the person form the actions. Usually, this means "I don't like this specific thing you do, but that doesn't mean I don't like you as a person"... In this case it would be more like "I respect and admire your work as an artist, but you commited a crime and should be punished for that".

[Zadius]

In psychology we learn something: separate the person form the actions. Usually, this means "I don't like this specific thing you do, but that doesn't mean I don't like you as a person"... In this case it would be more like "I respect and admire your work as an artist, but you commited a crime and should be punished for that".

Yeah, people tend to have black/white thinking when it comes to morality. They think child molestation is an evil act, therefore the person who commits it is evil. They also think donating to charity (for example) is a good act, therefore someone who does it is a good person. But, human beings are complicated. It is totally possible for someone to be a child molester and a generous person who gives lots of money to charity. Well, actually it's not that complicated: such a person might truly care about the sick and poor, but just can't control their sexual urges.

[The Yosemite Bear]

As one can point out Gacy did a lot of charity work, though his recreational habits put him in the inhuman monster catagory. Polanski has a reputation for dating much younger women. even before the charges in the US he was known for having a relationship with Klaus Kinski's daughter when she was only a couple of years older then that (which was legal at the time in German/France), his current wife was all of 16-17 when they got married, and calls him affectionatly a dirty old man, and a pedophile/pervert

[Elfdart]

Chris Rock made the same point I made a few days ago: If Polanski's movies from the early 70s are worth a get out of jail free card, why aren't O.J. Simpson's football stats from the early 70s?

"People are defending Roman Polanski because he made good movies 30 years ago?" he said. "Are you kidding me? Even Johnny Cochran didn't have the nerve to go, 'Well did you see OJ play against New England?'"

Besides, O.J. was better at playing football than Polanski was at making movies.

[Zwinmar]

I'm just wondering something: what kind of nut job supports a rapist. They are either criminally insane, or worse.

Not sure on accuracy but some additional names

[The Romulan Republic]

As one can point out Gacy did a lot of charity work, though his recreational habits put him in the inhuman monster catagory. Polanski has a reputation for dating much younger women. even before the charges in the US he was known for having a relationship with Klaus Kinski's daughter when she was only a couple of years older then that (which was legal at the time in German/France), his current wife was all of 16-17 when they got married, and calls him affectionatly a dirty old man, and a pedophile/pervert

Yes, the "repeat offender" issue rather shoots a hole in the "it happened thirty years ago" line of thinking some people seem to be following. As far as I'm concerned, as long as Polanski is physically capable of molesting someone, he's a threat.

[[R_H]]

Here's a fun fact: Polanski has the dubious honour of being the oldest inmate in the Swiss penal system (average inmate age being 34 years).

[Akkleptos]

Chris Rock made the same point I made a few days ago: If Polanski's movies from the early 70s are worth a get out of jail free card, why aren't O.J. Simpson's football stats from the early 70s?

"People are defending Roman Polanski because he made good movies 30 years ago?" he said. "Are you kidding me? Even Johnny Cochran didn't have the nerve to go, 'Well did you see OJ play against New England?'"

Besides, O.J. was better at playing football than Polanski was at making movies.

Fuck OJ... The whole civilised world knows of Polanski's work...
whereas OJ is just a sidenote anywhere that's not the US, unless you talk about his murder trial. Most people around the world couldn't care less what he did or didn't do for American Football.

[eyl]

BTW, does anyone know why the terms of Polanski's original plea deal were so lenient?

[Broomstick]

1) In exchange for a certain guilty plea California is spared the cost of a trial
2) Sex crimes against women weren't taken as seriously back in the 1970's

[The Yosemite Bear]

Also there was the fact that the victim just wanted the German press to stop hounding her at school.....

yes, tabloid journelism is tabloid journelism. Guess what a few countries didn't have rape shield laws, and hounded the victim, when they published something, other tabloids copy/pasted it.

[Big Orange]

The apologism displayed by many celebrities is rather disgusting and hypocritical. Polanski had no right to drug and abuse a young girl, not even his rather tragic life (ruined by Hitler and Manson) fully absolves him of his blame and sexual hang-ups, let alone his successful Hollywoood career.

A teacher having a consensual affair with a student not much younger than her is grounds for criminal charges, while Roman had a "fling" with a moderately underaged girl who was over three decades his junior and with the help of drugs.

[Thanas]

Also there was the fact that the victim just wanted the German press to stop hounding her at school.....

Eh...Bear? Care to explain?

yes, tabloid journelism is tabloid journelism. Guess what a few countries didn't have rape shield laws, and hounded the victim, when they published something, other tabloids copy/pasted it.

And would you care to explain that either? Germany definitely has rape shield laws.

[Broomstick]

Also there was the fact that the victim just wanted the German press to stop hounding her at school.....

Eh...Bear? Care to explain?

At the time, papparazzi where, in fact, pursuing the girl, including where she went to school, taking pictures of her, and publishing those picture in European tabloids under headlines calling her a "Lolita", with articles very much implying that she somehow seduced or entrapped Polanski.