I don’t care who signs a petition, Roman Polanski is a convicted sexual predator who needs to do his time.

I’ve never subscribed to the “Hollywood Elite” theory about radical liberals being in charge of Tinseltown, but I do think more attention is paid to people who lean to the left.  And too much attention is being paid to the people who signed the petition demanding the release of convicted child molester Roman Polanski.  Would they do the same thing if his name was Roman Ray Polan and was a Dade County dish washer?  I don’t think so.

Polanski was arrested by Swiss police when he tried to enter Switzerland because of an outstanding 1978 arrest warrant.  He was to attend the Zurich Film Festival, where he would have been honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his film work.  Representing the Zurich Film Festival, Debra Winger made the following comment:

“We hope today this latest (arrest) order will be dropped. It is based on a three-decades-old case that is dead but for minor technicalities. We stand by him and await his release and his next masterpiece.”

I have no idea what if anything, was going through their minds when they signed the petition.  Roman Polanski plea bargained the charges of having given alcohol and drugs to a 13-year old, and then allegedly sexually assaulted her down to being guilty for having sex with a minor.  He then fled the country to avoid sentencing.  Those are the facts, no one has been unjustly accused here.

I have never heard of sexual assault being described as a minor technicality.  He took a 13 year old child, gave her drugs and alcohol and then sexually assaulted her.  It wasn’t statutory rape, the victim had testified that she pleaded with Polanski just to take her home.

I don’t buy the argument that it’s been 30 years and that it’s time to let it go.  Polanski was a fugitive from justice for the last 3 decades, he actively avoided going to locations where he could be expedited from.  He could have done his time and resumed his career decades ago.  He probably would received a one year sentence, would have been paroled long before the year was up.

That worst part of all of this is that the victim has to relive what happened to her all over again.  While Polanski was living openly in a country that refused to extradite him, she had to rebuild her live, knowing that he had got away without paying consequences.  The only good part for her was that he had already plead guilty, she doesn’t have to testify again.

I hope that the authorities in Switzerland ignore these people and honor the US extradition request.  The Swiss do not need to take a position one way or another about Polanski’s fate.  They just need to honor a legal expedition request.

Personally, I’m sad to see some of those names on that petition.  I don’t want to see their movies anymore.

Here’s the list as of the time of this posting:

Abderrahmane Sissako, Alain Corneau, Alain Jessua, Alain Terzian, Albert Gauvin, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Alexander Astruc, Alexander Payne, Alexandre Arcady, Alexandre Desplat, Alexandre Tylski, Alfonso Cuaron, André Buytaers, André Larquié, Antoine Aronin, Arielle Dombasle, Asia Argento, Barbet Schroeder, Bernard-Henri Lévy, Bertrand Tavernier, Betrand Van Effenterre, Buck Henry, Camille Meyer, Candice Belaisch-Goldchmit, Carine Sarna, Charlotte Silvera, Christian Carion, Christian Gion, Christophe Barratier, Claude Lanzmann, Claude Lelouch, Claude Miller, Corinne Figuet, Costa Gavras, Cécile Telerman, Danis Tanovic, Danièle Thompson, Darren Aronofsky, David Heyman, David Lynch, Davide Homitsu Riboli, Diane Kurys, Diane von Furstenberg, Djamel Bennecib, Dominique Crevecoeur, Elie Chouraqui, Elsa Zylberstein, Emir Kusturica, Etienne Faure, Ettore Scola, Eugenia Varela Navarro, Fanny Ardant, Fatih Akin, François Margolin, Gabriel Auer, Gaelle Lancien, Georges Dybman, Gianluca Farinelli (Cinémathèque de de Bologne), Gilles Behat, Gilles Jacob, Giuseppe Bertolucci , Giuseppe Tornatore, Guillaume Stirn, Gérard Lenne, Harmony Korinne, Henning Carlsen, Isabelle Adjani, Isabelle Huppert, Jacques Bral, Jacques Fansten, Jacques Richard, Jan Kounen, Jean-Charles Tacchella, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Jean-Jacques Beineix, Jean-Loup Hubert, Jean-Marc Ghanassia, Jean-Paul Dayan, Jean-Paul Rappeneau, Jean-Paul Salomé, Jean-PierreMarois, Jean-michel Carre, Jeanne Moreau, Jerry Schatzberg, Jessika Cohen, Johanna Gozlan, John Landis, Jonathan Demme, Joël Farges, Julian Schnabel, Just Jaeckin, Jérôme Cornuau, Katarina De Meulder, Kent Jones (World Cinema Foundation), Ladislas Kijno, Laurence Roulet, Laurent Heynemann, Liria Begeja , Louis Garrel, Luc Barnier , Luc et Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Marc Guidoni, Marc Sandberg, Marco Bellochio, Margaret Walker, Marie Nieves Perez Neël, Mario Martone, Mario Monicelli, Martin Scorsese, Mathieu Celary, Michael Mann, Michel Ferry, Michel Ocelot, Michele Placido, Miguel Courtois, Mike Nichols, Milan Kundera, Monica Bellucci, Morgane Beauverger, Nadine Trintignant, Nathalie Faucheux, Neil Jordan, Nelly Kaplan, Nicolas Mauvernay, Nil Symchowicz, Olivier Assayas, Olivier Soares Barbosa, Paolo Sorrentino, Pascal Bruckner, Pascal Thomas, Patrice Chéreau, Patrice Leconte, Patrick Bouchitey, Patrick Braoudé, Patrick Mimouni, Paul Auster, Paul Boujenah, Pedro Almodovar, Philippe Corbé, Philippe Radault, Pierre Forciniti, Pierre Jolivet, Radovan Tadic, Radu Mihaileanu, Raphael Rebibo, René Gainville, Richard Pena (Directeur Festival de NY), Robert Hossein, Roger Kahane, Rosalinde et Michel Deville, Salman Rushdie, Sam Gabarski, Sam Mendes, Sandra Nicolier, Scott Foundas, Serge Toubiana, Souleymane Cissé, Stephane Allagnon, Stephen Frears, Steven Soderbergh, Taylor Hackford, Terry Gilliam, Thierry Frémaux, Thierry Kamami, Tilda Swinton, Tom Tykwer, Tonie Marshall, Tony Gatlif, Vinciane Lecocq, Walter Salles, Wes Anderson, William Shawcross, Wim Wenders., Wong Kar Waï, Woody Allen, Xavier Beauvois , Yamina Benguigui, Yann Moix, Yasmina Reza, Ysabelle Saura Del Pan