I imagine this is really high on the President's list. *snicker* If he did intervene I could see Republicans trying to make hay out of this in 2012 with a Willie Horton style attack ads. Sorry Roman, have a nice time in Switzerland.
--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Omari Confer <clockwork...@...> wrote: > > > > Sent on the go from my Peek > ------------------------------------- > Mr. Worf<hellomahog...@...> wrote: > > Polanski's affair with the 13 yr old was turned into a huge media circus in > California after a particular DA got hold to it. Frankly I think he got a > free pass after what happened to his wife. (His wife was Sharon Tate who was > killed by the Manson family. She was pregnant at the time.) > > On Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 12:14 PM, Keith Johnson > <keithbjohn...@...>wrote: > > > > > > > Lessee...two whole months in a Swiss prison? Well, hell, that's enough: > > everyone knows the reputation of the fierce Swiss prison system. Almost as > > bad as Russia, South Africa, or America! Besides, dude spent over a month in > > detention here in the States. Talk about cruel and unusual punishment! I > > can't imagine why everyone doesn't just let him go about his business... > > > > > > > > And to think, Michael Vick has served more time--and apparently endured > > more scorn and moral outrage--for dogfighting... > > > > > > > > *************************************************** > > > > http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-04-19/polanski-begs-obama-for-mercy/?cmpid=p_yahoo > > > > > > > > In an astonishing act of backroom international diplomacy, French President > > Nicolas Sarkozy hand-delivered a letter from fugitive Oscar-winning > > filmmaker Roman Polanski to President Barack Obama last week on the > > sidelines of the international anti-nuke proliferation summit in Washington, > > according to a small and little-noticed > > article<http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/indiscrets/la-lettre-de-polanski-a-obama_884410.html>embedded > > in the prestigious French political magazine, LâExpress. > > > > It is unclear what Polanski or President Sarkozy, for that matter, think > > that Obama might be able or willing to do for a man who has acknowledged > > giving a Quaalude and champagne to a 13-year-old girl he then sodomized. > > > > Talk about dropping a stink bomb. The Polanski letter, which is not > > directly quoted in LâExpressâ article, is said to suggest that the two > > months the aging director spent in a Swiss prisonâ"in addition to the 47 > > days > > that he spent in detention in California in 1977â"should suffice for the > > crime of unlawful sexual intercourse he pled guilty to. (Polanski is now > > under house arrest at his chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland while authorities > > seek his extradition to the United States.) > > > > * * > > > > Polanskiâs letter also suggests that extraditing the Polish-born filmmaker > > (who became a French citizen in the 1970s) would do little more than feed > > the appetite of the American media that he believes just wants to humiliate > > him. > > > > It is unclear what Polanski or President Sarkozy, for that matter, think > > Obama might be able or willing to do for a man who has acknowledged giving a > > Quaalude and champagne to a 13-year-old girl who he then sodomized. > > > > Politically, pre-conviction clemency for Polanski might spark outrage along > > the lines of the infamous Marc Rich pardon (and it could only be ordered by > > Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger), and personally it is difficult to imagine > > the American president helping a man who used drugs and alcohol to > > manipulate a girl who was only a few years older than the Obamas' eldest > > daughter into sex. > > > > LâExpressâ article, by Renaud Revel, is barely more than 100 words in > > length and it has garnered almost no attention in the French press, where > > Sarkozy has little desire to be seen as a diplomatic mailman for an aging > > pedophile, especially to his core conservative supporters who are > > increasingly unsatisfied with his presidency, both in substance and in > > style. The French mediaâs caution is understandable given Sarkozyâs > > influence over much of France's traditional media; he plays a dominant role > > in choosing the heads of state-run media, while privately held publications > > tend to be owned by his friends and supporters. > > > > It is unclear how Polanski's letter actually reached President Sarkozy's > > hands, but a number of possibilities stand out: Polanskiâs wife, the femme > > fatale actress-turned-pop singer Emmanuelle Seigner, who is a generation > > younger than he, is a contemporary of supermodel-turned-pop > > singer-turned-first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. > > > > The Polanski-Sarkozy connection may also have been made by Minister of > > Culture Frédéric Mitterrand, who was initially an extremely vocal Polanski > > defender. Mitterrand argued that he should be immediately set free after > > Swiss police grabbed him on his way to receive a lifetime achievement award. > > Mitterrand largely went silent on the issue after elements from his own past > > came back to haunt him. (In 2005, he authored a book, *The Bad Life*, that > > details, among other things, the narratorâs louche quest for sexual > > gratification with paid âboysâ in Thailand. Scenes from the > > bookâ"which is > > slated for release in English this weekâ"were read out of context as part > > of > > accusations that Mitterrand was an apologist for pedophilia, or worse. He > > insisted that âboysâ referred to young adults, and he suggested that > > portions of the book were fictionalized.) > > > > It is also worth noting that President Sarkozy has worked hard on behalf of > > a wide array of French hostages, convicts and prisoners around the world, > > and that many French people question the logic of sending a 76-year-old man > > to prison for a crime dating back more than three decades when the now-adult > > victim has repeatedly said that everyone, including the prosecutors, needs > > to move on. Sarkozy himself told the right-wing Le Figaro newspaper late > > last year, "I understand that people are shocked by the gravity of the > > accusations against Roman Polanski. Butâ¦it is not a good administration of > > justice to do this 32 years after the facts, when the person concerned is 76 > > years old." > > > > The frantic Sarkozy, who often conjures up creative solutions when it comes > > to negotiations, has previously earned the thanks of Polanskiâs family for > > his efforts, particularly after Polanskiâs release from prison into > > chalet-arrest on $4.5 million bail. Soon after, Polanskiâs sister-in-law, > > the actress Mathilde Seigner told Le Parisien newspaper, "The president has > > been very effective." > > > > This time, however, perhaps not so much. > > > > *Eric Pape has reported on Europe and the Mediterranean region for > > Newsweek since 2003. He is co-author of the graphic novel Shake > > Girl<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001KU9Q6I/thedaibea-20/>, > > which was inspired by one of his articles. He is based in Paris. Follow him > > at twitter.com/ericpape* > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! > Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ >
