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31 [lbo-talk] Polanski -- rank: 773

John Thornton writes: "Not exactly. The DA made him a sweetheart deal (maybe because he was rich and famous?) but that deal was still contingent on the judge signing off on it. The judge looked at the facts in the case and decided not to do that." Well, ok, but Polanski's belief that he had a deal with the authorities was undermined when the judge backed out. I have to say, having seen the footage of the judge, grandstanding for the press, in the recent documentary, does not make me th ...

Document Size:	6134
Author:	James Heartfield
Date:	Wed Sep 30 14:11:26 PDT 2009

32 [lbo-talk] Polanski -- rank: 773

> Travis Bickle would have shot Polanski several times. Especially if RP was Black. In Paul Schrader's original script, Bickle is an open racist, which is hinted at in the finished film. The pimp played by Harvey Keitel was originally Black. And Keitel was an early model for Bickle. As intense as he can be, I doubt that Keitel would've matched De Niro's performance. That was from a different place. Dennis

Document Size:	4783
Author:	Dennis Perrin
Date:	Wed Sep 30 13:36:30 PDT 2009

33 [lbo-talk] Polanski -- rank: 773

At 09:05 AM 9/30/2009, James Heartfield wrote: >The same judge had already abused his discretion >by arranging to have Polanski held in maximum >security for 42 days before his conviction, >supposedly for a "psychological evaluation" that >should have taken a day or two. This is wrong and makes me suspect this whole summary. Polanski was sent for this evaluation after he pleaded guilty. This is routine. It's in the California penal code and can be up to 90 days (see b ...

Document Size:	7811
Author:	Dennis Claxton
Date:	Wed Sep 30 13:36:39 PDT 2009

34 [lbo-talk] Polanski -- rank: 773

At 01:05 PM 9/30/2009, Julio Huato wrote: >it seems to me that, in Cuba, this guy would have been executed by a >firing squad. I was thinking about Martin Scorcese signing the BHL petition. Travis Bickle would have shot Polanski several times. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075314/quotes Hey, I'm not square, you're the one that's square. Your full of shit, man. What are you talking about? You walk out with those fuckin' creeps and low-lifes and degenerates out on the streets and you sell you ...

Document Size:	5689
Author:	Dennis Claxton
Date:	Wed Sep 30 13:23:24 PDT 2009

35 [lbo-talk] Polanski -- rank: 773

John Thornton writes: > I've been away from the list for several months but have > things changed so much recently that it is now considered > no big deal to drug someone of any age or gender and then rape them? The one thing that hasn't changed is that people still drop by now and again to drop off a strawman along with a little disdain. Welcome back! /jordan

Document Size:	4762
Author:	Jordan Hayes
Date:	Wed Sep 30 13:21:43 PDT 2009

36 [lbo-talk] Polanski -- rank: 773

Jordan Hayes wrote: > SA asks: > >> Does anyone know how much time Polanski would be facing if tried and >> convicted? > > Who cares? He cut a deal and the wack judge backed out. I would have > left, too! > > /jordan Not exactly. The DA made him a sweetheart deal (maybe because he was rich and famous?) but that deal was still contingent on the judge signing off on it. The judge looked at the facts in the case and decided not to do that. The idea of actually hav ...

Document Size:	5921
Author:	John Thornton
Date:	Wed Sep 30 14:08:32 PDT 2009

37 [lbo-talk] Polanski -- rank: 773

Max wrote: > I venture to say that if one's body isn't one's property, nothing is. > What would have happened to RP during the Paris commune. (not a > question) Based on -- admittedly -- a very superficial knowledge of the matter, it seems to me that, in Cuba, this guy would have been executed by a firing squad. (Not an answer.)

Document Size:	4747
Author:	Julio Huato
Date:	Wed Sep 30 13:05:27 PDT 2009

38 [lbo-talk] Polanski -- rank: 773

His denial, in its contours, seems to parallel quite closely with other kinds of denialism: dismissing as unlikely the simplest, most probable version of events; promoting instead a scenario far more complex and improbable; taking as evidence the workings of his own imagination; and assuming of the participants abnormal levels of evil--with the exception of Mr. Polanski, whose only fault is naivete. To see this sort of thing unfold (something I've only read about, as I don't  know personally any ...

Document Size:	5526
Author:	Mark DeLucas
Date:	Wed Sep 30 12:54:02 PDT 2009

39 [lbo-talk] Polanski -- rank: 773

> > > Children have an absolute need for love and will trade almost > > anything for it. They will allows themselves to be sexually used, > > beaten, starved, punished, "educated," you-name-it, just so long as they > > are "loved." > > Golly, they sound a lot like Democrats. > > -- > Dude, that is a pathetic thing to say. I'm ashamed for you.

Document Size:	4939
Author:	Jim Straub
Date:	Thu Oct 1 01:11:21 PDT 2009

40 [lbo-talk] Polanski -- rank: 773

On Wed, Sep 30, 2009 at 09:13:14AM -0400, Wojtek S wrote: > I also find it peculiar that Mr. Polanski was able to move freely for about > 35 or so years and nobody gave a flying fuck about his sexual misconduct > until recently. Isn't it true that recently - very recently (end of 2008) Polanski had lawyers trying to have the original case dimissed alleging prosecutorial misconduct? Wouldn't the most simple explanation be that the DA was content to leave well-enough alone (in light of th ...

Document Size:	5947
Author:	Matt
Date:	Wed Sep 30 10:56:44 PDT 2009

41 [lbo-talk] Polanski -- rank: 773

At 10:40 PM 9/29/2009, Shane Mage wrote: >No force, no coercion is alleged. This is simply wrong. She said repeatedly she was afraid of him and that she said no. You can believe that or not but to say no force or coercion was alleged is, like I said, simply wrong. >People are slavering over the "thirteen I emphasized thirteen because you said she was "sexually mature." You still haven't explained what that means. And, worse, it boils down to you're saying she was a willin ...

Document Size:	5004
Author:	Dennis Claxton
Date:	Wed Sep 30 10:54:42 PDT 2009

42 [lbo-talk] Polanski -- rank: 773

Haven't you noticed that Shane takes the contrarian position on everything? From the sheer fact of being a Trot to the Koestler theory on the origin of Eastern European Jews to Neo-Lamarkianism to denying the Big Bang to various weird theories about antiquity all the way up to Velikovskianism. Why is a question for psychoanalysis. --- On Wed, 9/30/09, Mark DeLucas <delucasm at yahoo.com> wrote: > From: Mark DeLucas <delucasm at yahoo.com> > Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Polanski > ...

Document Size:	5824
Author:	Chris Doss
Date:	Wed Sep 30 10:48:44 PDT 2009

43 [lbo-talk] Polanski -- rank: 773

"The French seem to have some notion of droit de seigneur at work, even if such a thing is fictitious." Really? That would be interesting to know. My french isn't up to reading the newspapers. I would have guessed that the French view would be nationalistic anti-Americanism, of the 'you can't trust the US courts' variety. But I can imagine that, with that national difference factored in they might see it as a case of common American trollop pulling down a high cultural figure. Still, s ...

Document Size:	5056
Author:	James Heartfield
Date:	Wed Sep 30 10:48:20 PDT 2009

44 [lbo-talk] Polanski -- rank: 773

On Sep 30, 2009, at 1:00 PM, Dennis Claxton wrote: > Polanski has admitted it himself and I'm not talking about his > guilty plea. He's on record saying it happened at least as early as > a 60 minutes interview with Mike Wallace after he left the country Frankie Thomas, keeper of the excellent Verlyn Klinkenborg blog, posed this question as a thought experiment as a Facebook status update this morning: what if he'd raped a boy? Would the French be rushing to his defense?

Document Size:	4881
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Wed Sep 30 10:11:37 PDT 2009

45 [lbo-talk] Polanski -- rank: 773

On Sep 30, 2009, at 1:00 PM, Shane Mage wrote: > Prurient fascination with a prosecutor's version of a sexual > encounter 30+ years ago lets some people treat it as a "fact." > Grand Jury transcripts may make for good pornography. They ain't > evidence any more than is a plea bargain. It's more evidence than you've got for your version. The French seem to have some notion of droit de seigneur at work, even if such a thing is fictitious.

Document Size:	4873
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Wed Sep 30 10:08:27 PDT 2009