> I don't get the cultural elite's reaction. So it's not under dispute that
> the guy drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl, right? Call me a hardass,
> but that sort of thing deserves some serious time. Running off to Paris
> for 35 years is hardly a substitute. Am I wrong?
> Doug
I think much of the outrage is over the misconduct of the prosecutor and judge during the trial. As I recall they basically reneged on a plea agreement and Polanski fled. It's all detailed in the HBO documentary, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired. One can fault the judge for offering a plea deal that was too lenient, but that isn't Polanski's fault. Add tot that, the victim, Samantha Geimer settled with him in a civil suit and called for the criminal case to be dismissed. So the government appears to be the only party with an axe to grind here.
shrill