If you're hiding under a rock, you probably haven't heard the latest news on the arrest of the acclaimed film director, Roman Polanski. The arrest stems back to a 1977 conviction of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor who was only 13 at the time. Apparently, after he raped the young girl, she told her mother who went to the authorities. Polanski was convicted and made a deal with the prosecution for a light sentence of 42 days. However, no one bothered to tell the judge, who was not bound to the agreement between Polanski and the prosecutor. Fearing a heavy prison sentence, Roman Polanski fled to France, where he has resided for many years. He was captured while on his way to Poland to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.
First let me say that I think what he did was the most egregious of crimes, because he violated a minor. That said, the woman in question has indicated that she wants the whole thing to be forgotten. Also, it's been several years since the crime, and the U.S. had ample opportunity to capture Polanski, prior to now. I find it ironic that the U.S. decides to capture him at a time when we are on the verge of letting other criminals go for the sake of tipping the budget in the positive direction. Needless to say that prosecuting someone like Polanski will take millions of dollars, because he is a wealthy man. Yes, his crime was horrific, but it should have been dealt with swiftly when it happened, and certainly before now. I think we're once again spreading our mighty muscle, and not using our mighty head.
I am not one of those celeb crazy folks who feel he should be exonerated, because wrong is wrong. However, he shouldn't be prosecuted simply because he is Roman Polanski. We're not even sure if Poland will extradite him, and if they don't, we've already started to waste tax dollars.
