Johnny Simmons

I don’t like writing about things non entertainment wise, unless it’s about my life…but I decided I’d finally address the issue with Roman Polanski. You’ve probably heard snippets about the issues. Essentially, it goes like this

                

Everyone is going to have their opinion on this…and that’s normal. Polanski was charged with rape by use of drugs, perversion, sodomy, lewd and lascivious act upon a child under 14, and furnishing a controlled substance to a minor. The charges were dismissed under the terms of the plea bargain, and he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.       

Under the terms of the plea agreement, according to the documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, the court ordered Polanski to report to a state prison for a 90-day psychiatric evaluation, but granted a stay of ninety days to allow him to complete his current project. Under the terms set by the court, he was permitted to travel abroad. Polanski returned to California and reported to Chino State Prison for the evaluation period, and was released after 42 days. All parties expected Polanski to get only probation at the subsequent sentencing hearing, but after an alleged conversation with LA Deputy District Attorney David Wells, the judge "suggested to Polanski's attorneys that he would send the director to prison and order him deported". In response to the threat of imprisonment, Polanski fled the United States.               Via

                                   

My feelings are simple. There’s this thing I vaguely remembered from my law class about the Death Penalty. If a person was convicted and given the death penalty there was a stipulation that the execution must be carried out and/or scheduled within some years…usually 10-15. If it exceeded it was deemed as inhumane and sometimes an appeal was even possible and the convict could get life imprisonment in stead. Now, obviously what Polanski did was wrong. And his fleeing the country only exacerbated it. Roman Polanski didn’t go all Bin Laden on us…if you wanted to find him, you could. So why didn’t the authorities arrest him then. Why did they wait thirty two years later? That’s my issue! It’s incredibly fickle for the authorities to now arrest him. I know that time doesn’t absolve him of the crime, but like that adage goes poop or get off the pot. And they haven’t pooped in over three decades, so by default they should be off the pot.

                       

One last thing, regardless of your thoughts on this I don’t think it’s valid to call out the celebrities for signing the support Polanski document. Media personnel have gone crazy saying that the celebrities are only signing it because he’s a celebrity. Well, doh! I mean, if some person in your group got charged with whatever, you’d sign the petition because he’s part of your group. Right? Polanski is one of them, so they support him.