It helps if people know what they are talking about. The issue is not did he do it, where was the mother, etc. etc. The fact is that he pled guilty. In this country, that requires a sentence. Not because of who it is or what his occupation is, but because we live in a country of law. I do not want my safety diminished by half-laws or no laws.

Unfortunately, the sentencing judge did not take his passport so Polanski just skipped away and stepped up, time and again to accept awards and praise.  Never showed a glimmer of remorse. The man is a confessed criminal. Fortunately, our culture has a system for dealing with criminals.

E. 

http://articles.latimes.com/2003/feb/23/opinion/oe-geimer23

 http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0302/24/lkl.00.html

I have read all the post and I have a different slant on the situation.  I am the daughter of a female victim of molestation as a young child.  It did affect her life later.  She could never allow me, her first born, any freedom that was age appropriate.  She was constantly in my business until she died in 1990.  If you didn’t live here in the LA area during the Manson Family rampage you have no idea of the high level of fear that was present in everyone life until the group was caught.  I wasn’t of Hollywood but I had friends and family with connections.  The only news for months was Manson and the trial.  I believe that Polanski was probably a victim of PTSD, like our soldiers today.  That doesn’t excuse his behavior but it does help give some understanding to his actions.  I am more concerned about the child’s mother who was pimping her daughter out to the Hollywood community as a means to enrich herself.  She has never been held accountable.  Hollywood was very different back then and many things were overlooked.

In my personal experience I had a father, of one of my female students, that I concider 1000 times worse then Polanski.  This male killed a young child over a bicycle and with his father’s help had his 15 year old brother take the fall for that crime.  While growing up he was raping the female child next door to his childhood home.  When his daughter was 2 years old his wife caught him molesting her and turned him in.  The court let him go because his child was too young to be a believeable witness.  They took the children from his wife for a year because she had let him near their daughter.  She didn’t know of his crimes.  The family broke up and when his daughter was 5 years old she walked into my classroom after Easter Vacation with a strange attitute.  When I got the chance I talked to her to find out what was bothering her.  She told me what her father had done to her at his apartment.  I had my aide check the story with her—they matched.  I reported the act to the county and we went to trial.  The children were again taken from the mother and given to her sister for safe keeping.  Dad was sentenced to 6 years.  When he got out of prison, he was again arrested for molesting a little girl and I was again called as a witness but with a plea- bargain there was no trial.  This happened again in 2000 with the same result and he is now behind bars as a LIFER.  Three Strikes and your out.  I have more of a problem with the course the law took with this Father then the course taken in the Polanski case.  The judge reneged on the agreement reached and that was wrong.  With the climate here in CA at the time Polanski may not have had any other course of action.  He needs to meet his financial obligation but it is time to move on.  The people directly involved have done so now the rest of us to do so. 

I know he is 75 He is a father etc etc

I just wonder had this been an every day "Joe" who committed the same crime would house arrest be on the table?

It is up to the Judge, and God. I would put an ankle bracelet on him so he cannot go anywhere for the rest of his life. Since he has been living it up all these years.

In those days, he was involved with the High Priest Anton LaVey who founded The Church of Satan in 1966 the day he declared God Dead. When Polanski made Rosemary’s Baby he used LaVey as the Devil, but his name was not in the credits, and, or he was angry that he made public secret rituals only satanist was supposed to know about.  Well they had a falling out to the worst degree. LaVey cursed him, and said he would pay ten fold. LaVey was also involved with the Manson girl Sadie (susan atkins) who was a topless dancer, putting her in a movie which she played a vampire with pictures showing her licking a bloody knife which later Susan Atkins admitted in court that she licked the bloody knife that killed poor pregnant Sharon Tate. The book I got that from is Sunrise Over Santa Susana, a mind blowing brand new book by Adam Gorightly which I am still reading. It is very disturbing and he names big stars also involved in the whole scene.

I think he should wear an ankle bracelet for back then it was usual for drugs and perverted sex parties were the norm. Our morals were not what they are now. We got better I think. Plus he did pay emotionally. Only i don’t know if he is still into the dark side of movies. Rosemary’s baby was the first of movies that delved into rituals and devil worship, and if you remember she had the devils child in that movie.