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Yes he is and a convicted pedophile and rapist. I have no place in my heart for this man.

Actually, he isn't a convicted rapist. He pled guilty to sex with a minor not his wife. He is an *accused* rapist. Accusation is not conviction. – Well, except in the US, perhaps, or other politically corrupt nation states. Most places think some sort of trial or other bit of formality is necessary for conviction. Presumably Americans feel no need for such charades to reach 'justice' on the basis of allegation, assertion, or accusation – ask the Duke LaCrosse team or myriad others less fortunate than they not saved by public spotlight. Nor is he a pedophile. – A pedophile, incidentally, is someone sexually drawn to pre-pubescent children. Still, we're talking America. Let's honor the American tradition and simply lynch anyone accused, to hell with these petty distinctions. Let's have teenagers who privately exchange nude photos of one another be sentenced as child pornographers for taking photos of themselves, and be forever after required to register as dangerous sex offenders. Or burning at the stake. Always entertaining. A nice buck to be made, too, I'm sure. Then again, as in this case, we have the Spin the Wheel of Let's Make A Deal and political grandstanding that passes for 'justice' in the US. I don't know what's more disgraceful – the conduct of which Polanski is accused or the 'system' of American Justice. Probably a draw.

Gotta love how, when you only see "Ewan McGregor calls Roman Polanski a 'Complet...", naturally assume that it finished "Complete idiot'"... Got nothing else to comment on this, seems like it's already been brought up. Although I am suprised on McGregor, always deemed him as one of my favorite actors...

not bob are you kidding the legel system might be bad but if you are a grown man and you rape a teenage girl you should feel lucky that someone doesnt cut your balls off and shove them down your throat

rowdy ~ Good to know you're ready to join the lynch mob on the basis of accusation, no need to actually prove facts, right? Enjoy your sense of macho self-righteousness, I know I did. charlie ~ However one feels, it's unlikely Polanski will be able to avoid extradition, since it seems from recent accounts that the Swiss actually alerted the US authorities and urged them to request his arrest and extradition. One suspects this is an attempt on their part to curry favor with the US after the US has pressured them on the 'Swiss Gold' extortion and the recent shakedown of secret accounts.

if he wasnt guilty, he shouldnt have ran away. if he was being set up, framed, whatever, he shouldve had the balls to stay and fight it and clear his name. even if he had no chance. an innocent man fights. all he did was run away. sounds guilty to me. and the justice system is fucked up, yes, but seriously...where the hell in the world are you going to go to get this elusive "fair" trial? i just really have a hard time believing that the american justice system is the only one in the world where corruption or bias or ulterior motives can effect or sway an outcome of a trial. and i also find it hard to believe that the us of a is the only nation where its public often deems a person accused of a crime innocent or guilty based on their personal opinions or bias or on the information/mis-information they have attained from whatever form of media is available to them. sounds more like human nature to me. i wouldnt accuse only one nation of being guilty of it.

Oh, Ewan "can't bear" to see his beloved director in a cell? Can he bear to see a girl being raped by him? That's it, Ewan, just conveniently not acknowledge the events that led up to him being brought to face the music for his actions. Brush that little fact aside so that your kowtowing can be as unobstructed as possible. How about you bend over just a little bit more for Roman, Ewan, I'm sure he'd like that. He certainly seems to think he's entitled to it.

S ~ I am in essential agreement with your points. There are any number of moral atrocities which the law cannot address. People break hearts and shatter lives in any of a number of fashions the law cannot address. I’ve read the transcripts of the victim’s testimony before the grand jury as well as Polanski’s statement before the court in which he pled guilty to the single count. Personally, I find the victim’s testimony on the whole sufficiently convincing as to moral culpability that I have no hesitation in arguing that Polanski acted in an utterly immoral fashion and is rightly condemned for that fact. There are, however, in my mind, other problems. The fact of the matter is that, legally, Polanski pled guilty to a single count, as part of a plea arrangement which it seems he had good reason to fear the judge, with no new facts in consideration, would ignore, in which case it was felt he would likely win on appeal, but only after many months in jail, with the usual accompanying US prison system’s additional punishment of being himself raped, likely brutally, and likely repeatedly – an outcome many of his critics have eagerly and resoundingly indicated they would find desirable – if not, indeed, his castration, mutilation, etc. I think you might agree that while your points as to often having only the victim’s testimony to rely upon are valid, in this case we have only the victim’s statements to a grand jury, not subject to any further review or critical scrutiny by the court. Please don’t misunderstand me, here – I have no tolerance for ‘blame the victim’ tactics on the part of defense. Yet in this case we have only plain assertion, which cannot be taken as synonymous with fact merely on the basis of its having been asserted – otherwise we would adopt the perspective that every accusation of rape or other serious crime must bet taken as fact, prima facie. I would argue that we ought limit particular moral judgements in a particular instance on the basis of the level of confidence we have in the ‘facts’ presented. I would further argue that there is a sound reason why the Western Christian tradition argues we ought leave final moral judgement to the Maker on the Day of Judgement. Few of us know what dwells in our own hearts let alone the hearts of others, and no one but those two people were in that room many years ago. I simply mean to argue, then, that we ought not, as so many have, place upon a particular individual the weight of our own feelings as to the morality of an abstract concept. That is not, however, to argue that judgement as to practical, temporal justice must be left to the Maker. We are morally and practically bound to seek justice as best we can. In this case, it seems to me, we ought hold to the plea arrangement originally made. To revisit the past with present ‘standards’, which are themselves mutable in time’s flow, is to my mind inappropriate. Ought we condemn the Holy Spirit for impregnating the Virgin Mary when she was what we would now legally regard as a ‘child’ of the same age as the victim in this case? Perspectives, even among those who are sincerely and diligently concerned with establishing justice as best they can, do in fact evolve over time. The last time I checked it was no longer a crime in Virginia to have sex with your wife if the two of you were of different races. Forty-two years ago, it was, and one was looking at moral outrage and serious felony jail time. Age of consent laws have varied enormously over time, and culture, of course. Social needs and their accompanying taboos evolve, and are vitally necessary, often with horrific consequences for violation, but are not in my opinion of necessity synonymous with fundamental morality. I would argue that the nearest we can manage with respect to legal ‘justice’ in this case is to require that Polanski spend the ninety days originally intended in custody. If it were my judgement to make, at the point at which his time in Swiss custody plus time previously spent in custody in the US equals ninety days, I would let the matter, legally, rest, and leave people to their often violently differing opinions and final judgement to the Maker. Do I find this a ‘satisfying’ judgement? No. It seems to me, though, the best one can reasonably manage under the circumstances. As to the separation of act and artist this is, of course, also an ancient dilemma, but I’ve rambled enough, let’s leave that, too, for another day, but let’s quote Yeats: ‘Can you tell the dancer from the dance?’ She, too, incidentally, was vastly the younger woman, and her name was Iseult.

megan ~ I agree that Polanski's not contesting the case strongly suggests, in moral terms, guilt – though we can't be certain. As I said, from the facts available, I find Polanski's conduct morally reprehensible. I am simply arguing that the system of justice ought to follow it's own (often insane) rules, not take a second bite of the apple propelled by public outrage. Polanski pled guilty to a single count, that of having sex with an underage woman not his wife, and his pleading guilty was part of a plea bargain under which he was to serve ninety days. We have no way of knowing if he would have pled guilty if they had thrown the book at him with all counts, or, if he had offered a defense what the outcome would be. We can only guess. I would argue that the system of justice, if it is to be taken seriously at all, ought not attempt to retry the case, but ought settle for the original deal. Does that stink? Yes, at any of a number of levels, it does. Anything else, though, stinks worse, at least to my nose.

When did praising and supporting a child rapist become acceptable?

*points at xerxex, Jeep-Fu, germs, and their spiritual kindred* QED

Brilliant director he may be, but apparently not when it came to the young girl. Everything has consequences, and he too must suffer them. "Still, we're talking America. Let's honor the American tradition and simply lynch anyone accused, to hell with these petty distinctions." That's not necessarily true. I for one like the facts before I "lynch" anyone. ;P I don't like when people assume things about America, and because of the sensational stuff they see on tv, they lump everyone into this one big pot. The justice system has it's problems, but nothing is perfect. Most of us really do try. Not everyone here instantly jumps and believes what they hear.

not bob He pled guilty to sex with a minor.That alone makes him a rapist. Even if she was willing a minor can not consent to having sex with a adult.

> Actually, he isn't a convicted rapist. He pled guilty to sex with a minor not his wife Which is a statutory rape, so he is a rapist. Maybe not a rapist-rapist, meaning he didn't attack this girl with 2x4 in a dark alley, but then why would he need to he got her drugged up.

Then he said he wanted Roman to fuck his young daughter, since it would be a great honor.

If any of you who claim to have read the Grand Jury transcript of the 'victim' in this case were correct, you would also have read the testimony given by a Dr. Larson who examined the 'victim' at Parkland Hospital who found nothing to show for the 'ravaged' girl's accusations. There was no evidence on her body or her clothes. The MEDICAL AND FORENSIC evidence that came back from the lab found nothing at all in terms of sperm or saliva on her body, clothes, nothing. Which means her 'harrowing' account of trying fend him off and telling him to stop or 'no' are completely false. Her two briefs to the court, one last year and one this, proves she knows her 'game' is up. If Polanski is returned to the States, he can envoke his right to withdraw his plea and force a trial. If that happens, the 'victim' will be forced to testify, or else, she'll have to envoke her right to not self-incriminate at which point Polanski's lawyers can ask for a mistrial with prejudice. The 'victim' can then be charged with making a false claim and or imprisoned for pleading the fifth on the stand, or perjury for the original claims. Either way, Ms. Geimer has to avoid taking the stand or else her story falls through due to no evidence to prove Polanski did this 'vile' thing. Interesting still, is the 'need' to arrest Polanski NOW! As both Ewan McGregor and Johnny Depp have both said, "Why now?" According to Steve Cooley, the DA in this case, he claims they've been after him since the mid 90s even though Judge Rittenband's original bench warrant still stood. Yet, no order for Polanski's arrest came to Switzerland until AFTER the Marina Zenovich documentary "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" aired on HBO. Suddenly then, the DA in the beginning of the case who was taken off and the case reassigend to Roger Gunson, admits his ex parte communication with the judge was all lies. Interesting he signed a legally binding release with HBO and Zenovich which allowed them to use any part of his statement in the film in its whole or in part. He claims now what he said in the documentary was a lie. Nice backtracking on his behalf. And if he were called to the stand in a trial, Chad Hummel and Polanski's other lawyers could ask him why he lied in the documentary. Of course if David Welles wants to save face, he'll say he lied about the lie, which is perjury. He could be charged. Or he could continue with his lie, given the only other person he had the ex parte communication with is now dead, Judge Renegger himself. All in all, there is so much about this case that the press don't want to talk about. They'd rather continue the American Pathology of victimhood in all its shapes and forms. It likes that about itself. In the meantime, a man is being vilified. But don't let all that stuff blind you to your lynch mob mentality. Roman Polanski is not the American Boogeyman. Concentrate on the fact that California will be bankrupt by the end of the year. Rape Kits from REAL cases of rape are sitting on shelves in police storage. Some are rotting or nearing the end of the statute of limitations. REAL vicitms of rape are begging for THEIR cases to be heard. And this is what America is concentrating on? Unbelievable!