Over the past few days I’ve been watching the Roman Polanski story unfold. As much as I’ve been repulsed by Polanski’s 1977 rape of a 13-year-old girl, I’ve been absolutely flabbergasted and offended by the list of Hollywood elites and celebrities who have recently signed a petition demanding his release. Posting their names publicly in support of Polanski speaks loudly regarding their own lack of personal ethics and morality. Regardless of their friendships or professional affiliation with Polanski, by supporting him this way they are saying to the world that some of us are above the law. That some of us, due to artistic talent or past tragedy in life, or whatever, ought to somehow get a pass when it comes to the serious crime of raping a young girl.
Yesterday, for the first time, I read through the transcript testimony that Polanski’s victim gave shortly after he committed his crime. It is graphic and sickening. Although it is disturbing, I’d recommend reading through it should you have even an inkling of feeling of support for this man. Some of the relevant details can be found in this op/ed piece written by Steve Lopez over at the Los Angeles Times.
I’m just a small time blogger and have nowhere near the voice of Hollywood A Listers like Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch and others. But it’s hard for me to just sit by and not react to the brazen, public ethical and moral failure that their signatures on their petition represent. So I’ve decided to create my own petition that people can sign. My petition is one in support of the extradition and criminal prosecution of Polanski. If you’d like to sign it feel free to indicate so by signing your name as such in the comments here at my blog or on FriendFeed and I’ll append them to the petition itself. If you’d like to include a link to your blog or to an organization that you represent or are affiliated with as well feel free to add that too.
Petitions carry no real legal significance of course, but they can matter in terms of public opinion in cases like this. And even if I’m the only one who signs this, as a father of two young girls myself, I’ll at least have added my voice in some small way to the repudiation or Polanski and his supporters.
PETITION SUPPORTING THE EXTRADITION OF ROMAN POLANSKI
Recently we have learned of the arrest of Director Roman Polanski on a 1978 warrant stemming from his fleeing a sentencing hearing related to a rape he committed of a 13-year old girl in 1977. We are outraged that Polanski has been able to escape justice this long for his crimes and that has been allowed to live as a free man abroad for over three decades. Regardless of one’s artistic achievements, regardless of one’s life tragedies, regardless if someone felt that they could travel legally in a neutral country, regardless of whether or not someone is being honored with a lifetime achievement award at a film festival, the crime of raping a child deserves punishment and the perpetrator of such an act should be brought to justice.
Money or powerful celebrity friends or political influence or artistic accomplishment should not have a bearing on one’s culpability for one’s crimes. All should be considered equal in the light of the law and Polanski should be afforded no special consideration given his status as a celebrity and artist.
As such, the undersigned fully support the extradition of Roman Polanski to the United States where he can finally be properly sentenced for his crimes.
Signed,
Maureen Andersen
Anna K Anderson
Diana Aprile
Christine Arndt
Jordan Asfari
Stefan Baeurle
Johnny Barham
David Baron
Claire Batley
Andy Beal
Tony Bedell
Tresa Bennett
Shelly Bohannon
Daniel Brandt
Ramona Britt
Lauren Bruce
Christopher Budden
Amber Burrows
Gregory A. Butler
Glen Campbell
Kimberly Capece
Trevor Carpenter
Maria Castillo
M.C. Peggy Challen
Celine Chamberlin
Kombo Chapfika
Miriam Clarke
Fabian Corrado
Deborah Cowan
Dave Cridland
Sara Crowe
Richard Cutts
Joanne Dale
Mike Davis
Dr. Thomas E. Davis
Charles Delacroix
Mary Dempsey
Jeff DeVico
Carolyn Doughtie
Erin Duplessis
Holger Eilhard
Dr. Carolyn Erickson
Adriana Ericson
Walter Esparza
Kim Espina
Mikolas Fabian
Vinny Ferrari
Dorothy Figiel
Debra Fletchinger
Michael Foley
Todd Gillette
Dave Gilligan
Laura Good
Jeremy Goode
Rob Gorthy
Jeffrey Grant
Kim Grashoff
Donna Green
Jennifer Green
Sandra Grigoletti
Brett Hampton
Mary Hanrahan
Mahbuba Haque
Joanna Hardie
Steve Hauben
Thomas Hawk
Pamela Henderson
Ricardo Hernandez
Sarah Hewitt
Aaron Hilton
Anthony Homan
Mat Hughey
Richard Jervis
Sonia T Jonas
Ceridwen Keeley
Allison Kennon-Frink
Anthony Kerstens
Scott Kivowitz
Russell Klosk
Travis Koger
Scott Kuperus
Marcus Lancaster
Rob LaRosa
Reta Le Quesne
Alice Li
David Lloyd
Jose Lopez
Melanie Loudon
Gene Lowinger
Tom Lynch
Peter F. Madsen
Ivan Makarov
Jean Manning
Gladys Marquez
David Marsden
Joe Meiners
Andrew Metcalfe
E Mills
Shantanu Mishra
Candice Montgomery
John Moran
Amy Mortensen
Damian Moseley
Charlotte Mothers
Judith Murray
Matt Needham
Rhiann Nicole
Ernie Nitka
Chris Nixon
Julia Norton
Colleen Olsen
Christopher Adam O’Toole
Kate Paik
Kevin Palmer
Lauren Palumbo
Steven Parry
Steve Phillips
Nia Phipps
Jay Platt
Elizabeth Rainwater
Ian Randy
Ann Read
Bronwyn Reece
Tom Reestman
Justin Reho
Nicole Richter
Cole Rise
Brenda Rogers
Rebekah Ross
JoAnne Scherfel
Denise Shafer
Edward Shahzade
Daniel Shea
Susan Shepherd
Scott Shoemaker
Barbara Shores
Philip Silkoff
Gordon Smith
Julius Smith
Kenton Smith
Amanda Smothers
Niamh Soederlund
Erin Solaro
Tom Stauffer
Nicola Swaei
Mary Taggart
Kelley Thom
Kat Thomas
Bob Timmons
Robert Trama
Kevin Trotman
Dyanne Tsai
Mary Turner
Maria Virgen
Tahelia Wagner
Una Walsh
Anna Warren
Dick Whyte
John Wright
Chantal Zeegers
Suzanne Zelei
Lisa Ziems
Please add my name!
Count me in. The signatories of the “Free Polanski” petition have all exposed themselves as child abuse apologists.
Everybody thinks child abuse is a despicable thing, until somebody they know or admire is exposed as a perpetrator. Then they blame the victim.
I’m depressed that so few prominent Hollywood actors and film makers have spoken out against this regressive, nasty little petition. Nobody wants to offend Mr. Big Hollywood Producer Weinstein – everybody wants to work with Scorsese.
Hollywood sure is a rat race isn’t it?
Please add my name to the petition.
And congratulations for standing up for justice for Polanski.
let’s hope they throw the book at him
Please add my name to this list. Twice. I’m disgusted by the names I’m finding on the pro-polanski petition.
Bless you!
Oops! Just in case you need written permission, YES! sign my name to your petition. And I am a resident of Canada. Here is one of the best editorials I’ve seen in our neck of the woods – it aired on our National news:
http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/video/rex_murphy/hollywoods_strange_morals.html
Please add my name.
Yes! Please add me to this petition. It is incomprehensible to me that people can come out in support of a self acclaimed child rapist who fled the country before his trial just because he is an accomplished artist. These two things have nothing to do with each other. I feel sorry for all the victims of sexual abuse because those people just sent a very wrong message to them: We support the perpetrator, sorry for the victim but maybe it wasn’t really all that bad after all. Outrageous!
Enough is enough! Nobody is above the law and that is also true for Roman Polanski.
Please add me to your petition. I’m compiling a list of those who have spoken out in support of Polanski in order to boycott them. Unfortunately, it really does restrict my movie viewing for the future. However, I don’t stay in Hilton hotels because of Paris and I won’t put money into the pockets of moviemakers who think they can dictate our morals and ignore the American (not to mention international) justice system.
Count me in. How sad that we even have to do this.
Please add my name.
Add my name, but also look up Dyncorp, white ship of death, CPS in America and the Texas Youth Authority. Man you people are really hypocritical if you only want to hate celebrities, there has been a political pedophile ring going on in America for DECADES!!!!
Put this piece of crap under the prison. If it would have been my daughter he wouldn’t have made it to the justice system. As is I have no respect for the many so called celebrities that are backing him if it was thier daughters being molested by this pervert he would still be in jail today.
I totally agree with you, Thomas.
It is horrible to see famouse people from cinema saying that is a crime against art, the extradition of Polanski. I think it is a crime to the World their words.
Do add my name. Thank you, d:
Please add my name. As soon as I learned that there was a petition to set this man free, signed by a number of people I used to admire, the first thing I did is search for an anti-petition to call out anyone misguided enough to support him. How anyone could put their name to a document condoning such a horrific crime is absolutely beyond me.
Thank you for creating this.
There’s another petition, which has more than 3,000 signatures. Our goal is to reach 10,000.
You can find it on dontfreepolanski.com
Add My Name Please.
Death Penalty for Pedophiles.
Please add my name.
Add me twice please.It’s us vs Hollywood in the fight for common sense,decency,and morals in our kids.Hollywood wants NO AGE LIMITS on sex period.Yes.This is their ultimate goal.
Do not support this.They are too dumb too understand anything until you put a dent in their lavish lifestyles so stopping buying DVD’s with USA hating pedophiles in them.Do not go see their overpriced movies or you are supporting the decay of any moral compass in our country.
This is not about hurting Hollywood as much it is about helping the ever impressionable youth that will run this country someday.Please be vigilant and your kids and grand children will thank you.
I can cure all pedophilia and sexual abuse within the U.S. in less that 2 years.Ok first you start by castrating Polanski.Then you would the full undivided attention of pedophiles.Even 3 decades went by it doesn’t make it ok.Over the next 2 years a few hundred pervs would have to lose their tool and then the rest would get the picture and control their urges.Why give them a cell with free food and tv?You want the problem to diminish by 80%,that’s how.
Oh is crazy,inhumane,and lacking any compassion whatsoever?Of course it is,but so is holding a 13 yr old hostage,drugging and anally raping her.Let the punishment fit the crime.
Her life was forever affected,so should his.Execution is too easy for this cesspool.
Please add my name.
Please add my name.
Please add my name.
please add my name to the petition …
Roman Polanski may be a great director, an old man, a husband, a father, a friend to many powerful people, and even the target of some questionable legal shenanigans. He may very well be no threat to society at this point. He may even be a good person on balance, whatever that means. But none of that changes the basic, undisputed fact: Roman Polanski raped a child. And rushing past that point to focus on the reasons why we should forgive him, pity him, respect him, admire him, support him, whatever, is absolutely twisted.
Add our names. We are disgusted by the support that this man is receiving. One cannot help but wonder whether Polanski’s supporters have daughters. Would they condone his drugging and sodomizing them because he’s just such a damn great movie director? Please. They are morally bankrupt.
Please sign this petition if you believe “Art Does Not Excuse Rape: Polanski Must Face Justice”
Go to “dontfreepolanski.com”
Please add my name
Please add my name.
Add my name, please.
And here’s the link to my blogpost about this:
http://radisworld.blogspot.com/2009/10/bringing-slimebag-to-justice-after-30.html
Signed.
Does it matter that I’m not American? I’d still like to see justice done and Roman Polanski extradited. Please add my name to the list.
How typical and maddening. There is no shame. Complete idiots and hypocrites.
I hate to say it, but I hope every intellectually/morally/ethically-challenged celebrity who signed a petition supporting him….gets a tiny taste of what it’s like to have one of their children raped, molested, or put through something similarly catastrophic. How open-minded will they be then? There really is no limit to the depths of hypocrisy and shocking stupidity…when it comes to “celebrities”. No wonder actors were viewed as only a tiny step above prostitutes not terribly long ago. Rightly so too, I think.
Lastly, in many cultures historically, and presumably still today…you would be publicly executed for raping a child. And again I say…rightly so.
I sign this petition because no artist should be above the law!! Please sign this petition if you believe “Art Does Not Excuse Rape: Polanski Must Face Justice”
Please add my name to the petition. No one should be above the law.
Please add my name to this petition.
Please add my name to the petition or give me instructions on where to sign it.
You used the right description, it is sickening.
I am not from America, I reside in the U.K. actually but
Please, add my name.
So disappointed in David Lynch. Always heard he was a conservative. Where do I sign? Is it too late?
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