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Showing posts from September, 2009

At last, a hint of sanity…from the French

Oh my… French drop Polanski release call The French government has dropped its public support for Roman Polanski, saying the 76-year-old director “is neither above nor beneath the law”. […] Speaking to reporters, French government spokesman Luc Chatel said: "We have a judicial procedure under way, for a serious affair, the rape of a minor, on which the American and Swiss legal systems are doing their job." […] [T]he Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has distanced himself from the move by asking his ministers to show "greater restraint" in defending him. He added that despite a "leading Polish director" being involved, it is still a "case of rape and of punishment for having sex with a child". A member of the British parliament has called on the Council of Europe, of which he is also a member, to support Polanski's extradition to the US. Denis MacShane said the film-maker "should be held accountable&qu

Roman Polanski, your cell is calling….

Look, I’m as conservative as they come. Does that make me right-wing? Fine, have a nice time with the label. But here and now, let’s be clear: Roman Polanski is not a right-left issue. The defense coming from the “art world” in general isn’t an expression of left-wing, or even liberal, values, it’s an expression of depravity. Am I being too subtle? Roman Polanski was charged with multiple felonies, all stemming from having sex with a 13-year-old girl . Will you please read that again? 13. The age of consent in California, since the early 1900’s, has been and is 18. Polanski, at the time, was in his 40’s. Any sexual conduct between him and her would be a felony. The age gap aggravates the offense, compounding the possible sentencing. If Polanski had been 18 at the time, it would have been bad enough, but 43…? Now, add the alcohol and Quaaludes that he introduced into the mix, shake well with both vaginal and anal intercourse, and voila, the crime. Polanski was charged but reac

We pause now for a minor rant…

“My car has a flat tire.” “You should buy a new car.” Every time I hear President Obama and other Democrats talking about “health care reform,” that’s what the conversation sounds like. A health care crisis is declared and the only solution is to replace the entire system. At most, around 15% of the American population is without health care insurance. Ignoring the fact that for most of them, this is a matter of choice, it also means that 85% are insured. And of that 85%, something like 70+% like their current coverage and don’t want the government to touch it. So for the vast majority, the current system works and works great. Yet, because of the minority for whom it allegedly does not...toss it all, start again. Admittedly, regardless of insurance coverage, it all costs too much, but again, the only accepted approach to controlling costs are to throw out everything and turn it all over to the government. Tactics that are proposed to address specific cost issues are not consid