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September 27, 2009
Applebaum: Arresting a Guy for Child Rape is Outrageous
Anne, this word "outrageous." I do not think it means what you think it means.
Of all nations, why was it Switzerland -- the country that traditionally guarded the secret bank accounts of international criminals and corrupt dictators -- that finally decided to arrest Roman Polanski? There must be some deeper story here, because by any reckoning the decision was bizarre -- though not nearly as bizarre as the fact that a U.S. judge wants to keep pursuing this case after so many decades.If you have the stomach for it, read Samantha Geimer's testimony to see the behavior Applebaum considers 'outrageous' to prosecute. As if getting the facts of the case wrong weren't enough, Applebaum seems to believe the suffering Polanski has endured in his life somehow mitigates his crime. However, as Bill Wyman said in Salon, there are "many people who survived the Holocaust who don't drug and rape children."Here are some of the facts: Polanski's crime -- statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl -- was committed in 1977. The girl, now 45, has said more than once that she forgives him, that she can live with the memory, that she does not want him to be put back in court or in jail, and that a new trial will hurt her husband and children. There is evidence of judicial misconduct in the original trial. There is evidence that Polanski did not know her real age. Polanski, who panicked and fled the U.S. during that trial, has been pursued by this case for 30 years, during which time he has never returned to America, has never returned to the United Kingdom., has avoided many other countries, and has never been convicted of anything else. He did commit a crime, but he has paid for the crime in many, many ways: In notoriety, in lawyers' fees, in professional stigma. He could not return to Los Angeles to receive his recent Oscar. He cannot visit Hollywood to direct or cast a film.
Applebaum concludes her post by asking how arresting Polanski serves "society in general" and opines that if he weren't famous, "no one would bother with him at all." Unintentionally, Applebaum answers the first question with her last sentence. Polanski's arrest serves society by showing that no matter how famous the perpetrator, those who rape children will be held to account for their actions.
Update - Oh, my...
In an earlier post I noted substantial inaccuracies and omissions in a post by Washington Post pundit Anne Applebaum in support of Roman Polanski. (For example, she said Polanski fled during his trial; in fact, he pled guilty and fled before his sentencing.) But I think this is worth its own post: Applebaum failed to mention that her husband is a Polish foreign minister who is lobbying for Polanski’s case to be dismissed:Read Patterico's whole post to absorb just how...'complex' her motivations for writing that post are.
Many at Ace of Spades HQ wondered what would motivate someone to defend Polanski. There's your answer.
Posted by slublog at 09:41 PM | Comments (86) | TrackBack
September 21, 2009
The Art of Agitprop*
As I was reading the transcript of the now-infamous conference call between government officials and various artists, something occurred to me.
Mike Skolnick, the artist asked by the White House to coordinate the effort said in his view, part of the group's task was "to support some of the president's initiatives, but also to do things that we are passionate about and to push the president and push his administration."
What's interesting is that not a single government official on the call corrected him, or objected to his statement. It's almost as though the president's 'I won/anything goes' rhetoric has trickled down to his staff.
As Andrew Klavan points out, there are limits.
*h/t to Mere Rhetoric for the better word.
Posted by slublog at 10:16 PM | Comments (84) | TrackBack
September 17, 2009
The President Geeks Out
This picture cracks me up. In part because the leader of the free world is fully embracing his inner geek, but mostly the look on Michelle's face. It is exactly the same amused/'oh no there he goes again' look that my wife would have.
The picture was taken at an event promoting Chicago for the 2016 Olympic Games so I'm not sure what's with the lightsaber. Maybe the summer Olympics now have a lightsaber dueling event? If so, that would totally get me to watch, even if they're on NBC.
Posted by slublog at 06:31 PM | Comments (59) | TrackBack
September 16, 2009
Jon Stewart on ACORN
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| The Audacity of Hos | ||||
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I don't have cable, so I only experience "The Daily Show" through clips like this. I've watched enough of the show to know when Stewart is being goofy and when he's genuinely outraged but hiding it behind humor. This clip looks like the latter.
It's a funny video, and a great question, but I think Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe have already provided the answer. Eventually, the media won't be needed. (To clarify, I mean the media that dropped the ball here, not all media.) After all, look at what two people with a video camera have been able to accomplish.
Posted by slublog at 10:13 PM | Comments (84) | TrackBack
September 14, 2009
Pelosi's Priorities
Cheat on your taxes while writing tax law? Keep your position.
Heckle the president during a speech? Sanction.
Posted by slublog at 09:10 PM | Comments (101) | TrackBack
September 08, 2009
"Our Love For Him Now Ain't Hard To Explain"
Adam Baldwin looks at the president's speech to schoolchildren. I agree with his main point - the problem isn't the speech, it's the lesson materials distributed beforehand that seemed a little odd.
Posted by slublog at 09:27 PM | Comments (115) | TrackBack
The White House Shouldn't Count on Snowe
I met with the Senator personally during the August recess back here in Maine when she spoke with dozens of Maine folks in a series of health care talks throughout the state. Here is what I learned: She is worried about costs and the impact on the deficit, the public option plan is "off the table", she wants more private insurance companies in Maine (we have 3), and she doesn't support higher taxes - especially during a recession.First off, full disclosure: I'm friends with the guy who wrote this. However, that is not why I tend to agree with his view on this one. I've had many disagreements with Snowe in the past, but she seems clearly irritated with the amateurish attempts to put pressure on her by the "unnamed sources" of this administration.Those concerns and opinions were not from "unnamed sources," they were straight from Senator Snowe. And just to be certain, last week I also spoke with her Chief of Staff and her Health Care Legislative Aide. There is nothing new - other than the fact that Senator Snowe continues to be committed to working for health care reform with her colleagues in the "gang of six" and that "nothing has changed that would justify the CNN story."
What the president fails to realize is that Olympia Snowe has been in Washington for a long time. Obama's office may grant him more authority, but by virtue of her seniority and her reputation, Snowe has more real power at the moment. She has the potential to be a key ally, or a formidable opponent. And the administration just annoyed her.
Not exactly a good move for a guy desperate to achieve bi-partisan consensus.
Posted by slublog at 07:43 PM | Comments (74) | TrackBack
September 03, 2009
Hope and Loose Change!
Who better to work for the government than someone who believed the government is responsible for the deaths of 3,000 people?
Of course, Jones is furiously trying to backpedal on this one even though he signed the document calling for an investigation of the possibility that the Bush administration allowed the terrorist attacks of 9/11 to occur.
And unless Obama cuts this guy loose, we're paying Jones a six-figure salary to keep a job that is unaccountable to Congress and by extension, the American people. Good call, Barry.
Posted by slublog at 10:19 PM | Comments (61) | TrackBack