Roman Polanski isn't worth it

Hollywood has undoubtedly produced some of the most important pieces of art of the last 100 years, but directors like Martin Scorcese and Woody Allen should keep their opinions about Roman Polanski's arrest in Sweden last week and potential extradition to the United States for raping a 13-year-old girl 32 years ago to themselves.

Polanski may have directed some very important movies, including Chinatown and The Pianist. But Michael Vick being very good at football didn't mean he was above going to prison and, last I checked, drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl was a more heinous crime against humanity than dogfighting. Being good at something does not preclude anyone from being subject to the law.

And for those who argue that being kept out of the United States for 32 years should be punish enough for Polanski, imagine if it had been someone you love who had been drugged, given champagne and raped by the director. Would you still be protecting him?

The defense for Polanski is shocking, as the 32 years between the rape and Polanski's most recent arrest don't mean that the rape didn't happen. If anything, those years only reinforce the perception that Polanski was running from a crime that he had already pleaded guilty to committing.

If anything, that proves that he is a coward and an even more despicable human being than he had already proven himself to be.

For more on this subject, check out what Kate Harding said on Salon.com or what Kate Dailey wrote for Newsweek.