Thursday, October 1, 2009

Polanski's Drill Sergeant...


When I was a young man I had a Drill Sergeant with the surname of Harvey. For the life of me I cannot remember his first name, but I do remember the life's lessons that he taught me.

One day while out on the parade square a recruit had the balls to ask: " Why are we doing this?". Instead of bellowing a response or berating the poor fellow, he took us all aside and told us the following: Marching in unison teaches teamwork, it builds character and evokes a sense of discipline. According to Harvey, character was essential for any successful man. It meant standing up for the underdog, doing the "right thing" when no one was looking, taking your lumps when you did the wrong thing, and making amends to anyone you had slighted.

Recently, the film director Roman Polanski was arrested on an outstanding arrest warrant. For those who don't know, Polanski plead guilty in the US for the rape of a 13 year old girl. Before he could be sentenced he fled the US and hid out in France. He was there for more than a decade before he was arrested last week in Switzerland. He is now awaiting extradition to the US for his failure to appear for sentencing.

Friends of Polanski and some in Europe are pleading for the US to annul the extradition request and allow him to stay in France. The victim in the case claims she wants to get on with her life and doesn't care if Polanski is extradited or not.

Don't get me wrong I am no fan of the US "sentencing" process. Too often men and women are jailed for excessive periods of time under such measures as the "three strike law". But this is not the case with Mr Polanski. There is no doubt as to his guilt. He admitted he was responsible. However, he flaunted the fact that he was released prior to sentencing, and chose to ignore the responsibilities that come with being a US citizen. He has also had the privilege of being able to continue his craft without any penance whatsoever. This just boggles the mind.

It's obvious to me that he never had a Drill Sergeant named Harvey.

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