Conversation | 10/09/2009 3:30 pm

The wOw Conversation: The Predicament of Polanski? (Audio)

In this audio presentation, Liz Smith, Joan Juliet Buck and Julia Reed debate the debacle of Polanski’s predicament.

With Joan Juliet Buck, Julia Reed and Liz Smith

Image: PR Photos

wOw recently asked its community and Contributors: Do you think Roman Polanski should go to prison? The passion behind the arguments was evident, and so we invited a few of our wOw women to continue the discussion.

Liz Smith, Joan Juliet Buck and Julia Reed’s discussion follows. Click the play button to begin:

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JULIA: "And I think Liz’s point about the fact that in this country, and every country, you’ve got privileged people having a different set of rules. And, like you say, if this were … I mean, for a long time Catholic priests could get away with this kind of stuff."

JOAN: "This particular chick in the case that happened back in the ‘70s; the girl who Roman Polanski photographed for French Vogue. The assignment was for French Vogue. And this girl was not a random chick. She was a little girl around town in the hot pants who was used to doing qualudes. He was not the first man she’d had sex with … Now I’m not saying bad things about this kid, but I’m saying that this was not a 13-year-old schoolgirl in a uniform on her way back from school, got pulled into a car and raped by a strange man of 43."

LIZ: "So he went from being that rotten little joke that you heard to being somebody very distinguished. But he still broke the law and ran away and never took any chance to go back and mitigate what he had confessed."

148 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Re: DOMINIC DUNNE: It was NEVER "mere observation". He was a dedicated researcher, he investigated EVERY avenue available to him. He was not only a dedicated and true victims advocate, he was also a wonderful story teller. Above all, he had integrity, character and the remarkable ability to admit it - when he was wrong.

By Lin Cercone on 10/10/2009 6:20 pm

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Agree with your comment.

By vicki fred on 10/10/2009 10:03 pm

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Pedophiles should be punished for their behavior. Seduciton and sex with a 13 year old is massively "pervie" and illegal as Bridget Jones would say. The perp was so remorseful that he fled the country and took up with Natasha Kinskey - a 15 year old. The guy was a predator, and we all know the cure rate for these types of predators is zero. He obviously continued to be a menace to society by taking up with another underage child that he could exploit.

He used the drugs to make her more pliable. The fact that he got her to willingly take them should be held AGAINST him, not mitigate his behavior.

By Bella Mia on 10/10/2009 1:56 pm

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Roman Polanski is not a pedophile. Lucille Ball was not a communist. Got it yet?

By Baby Snooks on 10/10/2009 5:07 pm

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The perp was so remorseful that he fled the country and took up with Natasha Kinskey - a 15 year old.

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And she took up with him.

By Baby Snooks on 10/10/2009 2:05 pm

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Polanski should be brought back to serve a life prison sentence. I’m guessing this won’t happen. Afterall, he was living in France for quite sometime. They like the young girls over there. In France the age of consent is 15.

Here is picture of the president of France checking out the backside of a 16 year old. The age of consent is 14, where this was taken. And we should bow down to Europe for all the good its done. Yeah, right.

http://www.apakistannews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Obama-Checking-Out-Girl.jpg

I don’t blame them, I just hope Polanski gets his.

By Frank Somsel on 10/10/2009 2:35 pm

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FRANK: I’m so impressed, you have actually left the dark side and have come over to the light. I don’t believe Polansky should serve a "life sentence", but certainly some prison time.

We have never agreed on anything before, I would never have imagined I could find you SO attractive.

By Lin Cercone on 10/10/2009 4:03 pm

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Lin: I’ve always been on the side that makes the most sense. That would the right side.

Opposites attract. How much prison time for a 46 year old man that gave alcohol and Quaaludes to a 13 year old then sodomized her? A week? A year? Read her the original testimony when she was 13. Tell me what you think.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/polanskicover1.html

By Frank Somsel on 10/11/2009 8:40 pm

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Hi Frank: I don’t know about "California sentencing", whatever term the law mandates, I guess.

What amount of time would a "Leroy Washington" get, under the same circumstances including fleeing the country, and with a public defender" That would work for me.

By Lin Cercone on 10/12/2009 7:26 am

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Hey Frank:

Upon further consideration, how about this: Give him a couple of daily doses if Viagra, and make him share a cell with Bernie Madoff. Oh and don’t forget the qualudes and champagne.

It would be like ‘killing two jailbirds with one stone’. THAT sounds like a little justice to me.

By Lin Cercone on 10/12/2009 7:46 am

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Hello Lin: Haha about Leroy Washington. This is what Debra Winger said. The arrest is based on an…old case that is all but dead but for minor technicalities. We…wait for Polanski’s release. I’m sure if her daughter was the victim, she would have a different opinion.

By Frank Somsel on 10/12/2009 11:05 am

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Hey Frank: I posted another reply, but it came to me instead of going to you. A solution to the Polansky matter. Give it a read and get back to me. Its right after my last reply.

By Lin Cercone on 10/12/2009 8:46 am

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Lin: I thought we were going to be rivals, but I like your style. Did you hear Debra Wingers speech about Polanski? She seemed a bit gaga over him. Shes to old for him. I can’t believe this site put this young girl as someone who dated him.

http://www.whosdatedwho.com/celebrities/people/dating/roman-polanski.htm

By Frank Somsel on 10/12/2009 11:25 am

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Hey Frank: Finally got to read it. SHOCKING, Who’s Dating Who? I can only assume they’ve got some dumb kid typing this crap, maybe they thought it was humorous. Who could be SO sick.

By Lin Cercone on 10/15/2009 10:33 pm

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Ya know I have to agree with Baby Snooks on this. What part of "THE VICTIM HAS MOVED ON, AND WANTS THE MATTER DROPPED" don’t you people get?

What Polanski did was wrong, yeah I will agree with that. But during that time the age of consent was a lot lower than it is now. I feel for the victim, no child should have their innocence taken away like that. But where were her parents? Sorry but they have to shoulder some of the blame too. They were the ones responisible for her safety and well being. So if he goes to jail, they need to put her parents there too, its called child neglect.

Polanski went to France with Natasha Kinskey, a 15 yr old. Age of consent is 15 in France so technically what he did wasn’t illegal get over it.

By Raquel Miller on 10/10/2009 4:02 pm