Hollywood Pathetic in Backing Rapist Polanski

If a famous child actress — for example, Tatum O'Neal, Anna Paquin, Dakota Fanning or Natalie Portman — had been raped by a stalker who pleaded guilty to the crime and then fled the country and lived a life of luxury in Europe for 32 years, would Hollywood heavyweights be standing behind the convicted rapist? Hell no.

So exactly what is the difference between a nobody who raped a famous child actress and Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski, who admitted to raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977? Rape is rape, and whether the man is a visionary filmmaker or a lowlife nobody, he should rot in prison for his pathetic behavior.

Martin Scorsese, Harvey Weinstein, Debra Winger, Michael Mann, Woody Allen, Mike Nichols — they all are protesting the arrest of Polanski, 76, in Switzerland for the decades-old rape conviction. Winger even reduced the case to "minor technicalities," saying she awaits his next "masterpiece."

Even Whoopi Goldberg, whose analysis on ABC's "The View" is often spot on, clearly lost her senses on this one. She said: "I know it wasn't rape-rape. I think it was something else, but I don't believe it was rape-rape. ... He pled guilty to having sex with a minor, and he went to jail. And when they let him out, he said, 'You know what, this guy's going to give me 100 years in jail. I'm not staying.' And that's why he left."

Do any of these people have any idea how stupid, narcissistic and sick they sound? The facts in this case are not in dispute. Polanski, then 43 years old, raped Samantha Gailey, who was 13 years old at the time. She testified that Polanski filled her with drugs and champagne, took a bunch of nude photos of her, and then raped her, even sodomizing her. Prosecutors dismissed the rape and sodomy charges, allowing Polanski to plea-bargain if he admitted to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. He spent 45 days in jail, and when released, he didn't want to stick around for the long prison term, so he decided to use his fame and fortune and take off for France, where he was welcomed with open arms.

His case has long been discussed in Hollywood and legal circles. The Los Angeles County district attorney's office has been accused of not caring about seeing that justice was served by not seeking the extradition of Polanski when he visited countries where the U.S.

has extradition agreements. The DA's office contends that it tried to have Polanski arrested many times over the years with no success.

But I really don't care. This miscreant of a man, no matter how famous or talented, must face the U.S. justice system for what he did. This was no "small problem," as one of his longtime friends called it.

In an op-ed piece in The Independent, a U.K. newspaper, Weinstein wrote: "It is a shocking way to treat such a man. Polanski went through the Holocaust and the murder of his wife, Sharon Tate, by the Manson family. How do you go from the Holocaust to the Manson family with any sort of dignity? In those circumstances, most people could not contribute to art and make the kind of beautiful movies he continues to make."

So now he's the victim. Hey, Harvey, the man sodomized a 13-year-old girl! His wife was the victim of a brutal crime, and so was Samantha Gailey. And I'm sorry, but the Holocaust isn't a get-out-of-jail-free card. This sadistic man took advantage of a 13-year-old girl, and it's time for him to pay the price.

This is not the case of a 17-year-old who has consensual oral sex with a 16-year-old. This is not the case of two adults who have consensual sex. This is a man who was 30 years older than the victim forcing her to have sex. No real man, director or not, should be allowed to get away with this.

As a Christian, I am taught to have love and compassion for everyone. We are taught to hate the sin and love the sinner. I can pray for the soul of Roman Polanski and hope that God forgives him of his sin, but the Lord can deal with this man just as easily in a prison cell, as opposed to his palatial pad in France.

Maybe we also need to pray for these depraved Hollywood folks who clearly are so out of touch with reality that they haven't figured out that this is called life; it's not a movie. The only appropriate ending to this story is Polanski's coming back to the United States, standing before a judge, and accepting his fate. And when he is led off in handcuffs, then we can say this sad and pathetic story has come to its rightful conclusion.

Roland S. Martin is an award-winning CNN analyst and the author of the forthcoming book "The First: President Barack Obama's Road to the White House as originally reported by Roland S. Martin." Please visit his Web site at www.RolandSMartin.com. To find out more about Roland S. Martin and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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