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  Judges Want to (Bleep)
In a bit of irony he might find fitting for one of his movies, detained film director Roman Polanski has received a Star on the Warsaw, Poland Walk of Fame.
“(AFP) – Oct 5, 2009, WARSAW — A star dedicated to Oscar-winning film director Roman Polanski has been unveiled on a new 'walk of fame' in Warsaw as he faces three-decade-old child sex charges in the United States. "Nothing is too shocking to me," reads a quote on the star attributed to Polanski, 76.” "But ... judges want to (bleep) young girls. Juries want to (bleep) young girls. Everyone wants to (bleep) young girls!" Roman Polanski “Who wouldn’t think about running when facing a 50-year sentence from a judge who was clearly more interested in his own reputation than a fair judgment or even the well-being of the victim?”
Samantha Gailey Geimer
Many of the important details have not been even mentioned by the right wing pundits and columnists who are out and loud, front and center on this issue condemning Polanski. The continuing campaigns for the “Soul of America” of the Christian Right and the Republicans find an easy target in what Kenneth Anger called “Hollywood Babylon.” They use whatever new sexual scandal and perversion is uncovered in the Hollywood hills to launch their bluenoses into the bedrooms of the stars. They would wish that we saw their attacks on art and freedom of expression not as their own thinly veiled prurience, but as some sort of a holy, righteous crusade. I am not accusing any of Polanski’s critics from the women’s movement of such motives. I am only saying here that a lot of the vehemence in the editorials against clemency or dismissal of the charges against the director smack of a witch-hunt.
I hesitate to even mention as an extenuating circumstance Pulaski’s horrific childhood on the run from the Nazis, his mother executed in a camp, except to say that perhaps we should be thankful he is guilty of only a minor one-time felony and not mass murder. Many of his fellow Jews who survived the camps had a better time of it than poor little Roman. Parenthetically, I shudder to speculate what sort of horribly scarred psychotic young adults Obama’s continuing “wars of choice” that he is waging against the children of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan will have created a decade hence.
Also forwarded by extenuators is the “genius of the man himself.” Would I sacrifice the power and exquisite beauty of the movie, “Tess” (1979) or the profound statement of “The Pianist” (2002) for the sake of justice over a minor felony in the California courts? Even though these are two of my favorite movies of all time, I would have to reluctantly say, “yes” if that were all that was at stake here.
But now we get to the heart of what I believe are the true extenuations that should result not only in Polanski being freed from Swiss custody, but also result in his complete exoneration.
So as not to waste time with summary and possibly inaccurate characterizations of my own, I would simply present for your consideration (as Rod Serling used to say) the following citations:“In California the statute of limitations on misdemeanor statutory rape is one year and is charged when the two people involved are less than three years apart in age at the time of the crime, if the two people are more than three years apart at the time of the crime the charge become(s) a felony and the statute of limitations increases to three years.”
Note: I have heard claims that Polanski was facing a possible sentence of a crushing 50 years for his felony crime at the time he fled jurisdiction. Now he assuredly faces 50 years (the equivalent of a life sentence at his age) for flight from justice. Does anyone think this is justice or that anyone is served by such a draconian sentence? Read on and find out how the whole issue was handled by the California legal system and judge Laurence Rittenband in the case back in the late seventies.
“The expectation was that he would get only probation at the sentencing hearing, with the probation officer, examining psychiatrist and the victim all recommending against jail time. Things changed, however, after an alleged conversation between the judge and the LA Deputy District Attorney, after which the judge "suggested to Polanski's attorneys" that he would imprison and then deport him. Polanski responded by fleeing to France prior to sentencing.”
“Many are asking the obvious question about Polanski’s sudden arrest: why now? The events occurred over three decades ago, Polanski is in his 70s and there is no “victim” to avenge. The woman involved, Samantha Geimer, now in her 40s with three children, has long opposed the continued prosecution of Polanski. And, until recently, the U.S. has not really turned the screws trying to extradite him.But, as noted by author Robert Harris in a 30 September op-ed piece in the New York Times, that changed after the release of the 2008 documentary, “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired”. The documentary includes an interview with David Wells, who brags how he, as a then-deputy district attorney, coached Judge Laurence Rittenband (now deceased) on the case, in particular to ensure prison time for Polanski. Based on the film and other evidence, Polanski’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case, which was denied in February by Los Angeles Superior Court judge Peter Espinoza. With perverse logic, Espinoza acknowledged that there was “substantial misconduct,” but refused to consider dismissal unless Polanski personally showed up in his court to face certain arrest. With the frame-up story out—including in court—the prosecutors had nothing to lose in gunning for Polanski. Wells now ludicrously claims that he lied on camera and assumed the film would not be shown in the U.S. In response, Marina Zenovich, who made the documentary, noted that Wells had in fact “corroborated the account of events that he gave in my film” to the New York Times in an article printed on 17 July 2008.
The motives of the lying and vindictive American prosecutors and judges are clear enough, but the Swiss government’s sudden willingness to kowtow to U.S. authorities has raised some eyebrows. Polanski, after all, has for many years owned a home in Switzerland that he frequently visited. Rumors abound that throwing Polanski to the wolves is a bid for leniency in the IRS investigation of the Swiss banking giant UBS on charges of assisting American citizens in tax evasion. “The government is so traumatized by the IRS and whole UBS scandal,” commented former Swiss Socialist parliamentarian Jean Ziegler. “If any American authority asks for anything in Switzerland, they get it in 24 hours” (AP, 29 September).”
This from the Workers Vanguard of the International Communist League
(4th Internationalist)
Lest I hear the cry of “Commie propaganda!” for my citing the International Communist League, please know that I found all their citations and conclusions credible and their links bearing out their statements. I only include such a disputable source because it expressed in as concise a manner as possible the real crime perpetrated against Polanski, Geimer and the people of the State of California.
It might even be said that the renewed interest in prosecuting Polanski might stem from the increased exposure the case is receiving with the American public provided by this documentary: ““Wanted and Desired” answers Ms. Geimer’s bombshell question (about the judge’s lack of interest in justice, cited above) with shocks of its own, notably corroborating interviews from Douglas Dalton, Mr. Polanski’s lawyer, and Roger Gunson, the assistant district attorney who led the prosecution. Together these two former opponents pin the blame for Polanski’s flight directly on the presiding judge, Laurence J. Rittenband (who stepped down in 1989 and died in 1994). Aided and abetted by an avalanche of fluidly organized visual material, the lawyers fill in the appalling details of what was effectively a second crime, one largely perpetrated by a celebrity-dazzled judge and the equally gaga news media he courted. This crime left two victims, Mr. Polanski, who was denied a fair trial, and Ms. Geimer, who was denied justice. As she wrote, “Sometimes I feel like we both got a life sentence.”” And now (as if you haven’t read enough) I would like to touch on two items that, while they might seem irrelevant to the case, do have a bearing. "But ... judges want to (bleep) young girls. Juries want to (bleep) young girls. Everyone wants to (bleep) young girls!"
Roman Polanski
Now I don’t suppose that qualifies as the “everyone” Mr. Polanski says who wants to “(bleep) young girls.” Presumably another large segment of the American population likes “bleeping” little boys as well. I am assuming Polanski is not single handedly responsible for the size of this epidemic. If someone wishes to attribute this statement partially to arrogance on Polanski’s part I might agree. But I would also have to agree with the statement’s accuracy. Of course 60 million wrongs don’t make a right—or an excuse. And of course I was not there when Polanski made the statement, so I am in no position to gage his intent or inflection. Could it just possibly be that he was referring to America’s notorious sexual hypocrisy?
I don’t have the statistics on how many judges are pedophiles. What I do have are some disturbing reports on other high political places where pedophilia and other bizarre sexual practices are a way of life involving State and US Senators and even Presidents. These allegations have been detailed in a book, “The Franklin Cover-up: Child Abuse, Satanism, and Murder in Nebraska” by John W. DeCamp, a Republican and former member of the Nebraska legislature. The allegations are extremely controversial and have a large number of eqally credible supporters and detractors. I will not go into another 2,000 words detailing how these allegations go all the way up to the White House. Further information on the Nebraska sex scandal can be found at
I only cite this because I believe that our country has a long and dirty tradition of treating our children in their innocence and helplessness as mere objects of our own egomaniacal and sexual drives for satisfaction. The higher up you go in politics and on the social ladder, the more liscence there is and the more excuses are found for this kind of beahvior. Whether, as Polanski contends, “bleeping” your children is (or is not) somehow an inthernt behavior for primate Homo Sapiens, I leave to the anthropologists and the neuro scientists.
Finally, I must admit that the first emotion I had when I heard of Polanski’s arrest on an international warrant was, “How dare they!” After all, there is little evidence anymore to dispute the fact that the United States remains a rogue state (Obama’s Presidency notwithstanding) that thumbs its nose at all international laws and contracts it finds uncomfortable or embarassing. Its support for Israel alone should be enough to ban our laws, treaties and writs from any serious consideration as a civilized country. Let’s not even speak of our two illegal, immoral wars, our incursions into Pakastan as well as torture, domestic wiretapping, and our continued illegal rendition policies. (I promised Michael Moore I would not attack Obama so I will not give our wimpy new president his share of the old “what for” in these affairs.) We have permanently sacrificed our respected voice as an international influence for law in the world and substituted force. This would perhaps explain why the Swiss are so eager to relinquish their former neutrality on the matter of their respected resident Polanski in favor of our looking the other way on the UBS matter.
As long as real criminals like Bush Jr, Powell, Rice, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, etc, etc are allowed to pollute the air of this land with their fetid breath, rake in huge speaking fees, travel with impunity and suffer not in the least for their henious crimes, then Roman Polanski’s persicution by our Justice Department remains a joke by any interpretation of law. Lets “bleep” Bush&Co first and then we can get around to finding the justice Polanski deserves.
Peace,
 Robert Boldt an editor of MWC News, is a freelance film/video producer living in Jefferson City, Missouri. He is active in local politics, worked on the Howard Dean and John Kerry campaigns and is a cofounder of The White Rose Collective. Articles by Bob Boldt at MWC News http://mwcnews.net/bob-boldt |
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