Happy Monday, America! I hope you had a wonderful weekend of rest and relaxation. Goodness knows you didn't see a movie, so maybe you did a little travel? Spent some time at church? Did some light shopping? Watched baseball? Went out to dinner? All this, of course, in addition to wanting to see Roman Polanski extradited to the United States and shuffling off his plane "in shackles."
This according to the filmmaker's fireball attorney Herve Temime, who'd previously waffled on the prospects of Polanski's voluntary extradition for sentencing in his 32-year-old unlawful-sex-with-a-minor case. He'd also hinted that the pervier members of the French government -- like underage-Thai-bonking culture minister Frederic Mitterand -- might keep their messages of support to themselves until this whole crisis blew over. Clearly Temime never thought the legal battles would go on for months, which -- in the wake of a California appeals court rejecting Polanski's bid to be sentenced in absentia -- led to the lawyer making his latest exasperated appearance on Euro-radio:
"One gets the feeling that there's the desire to see him arrive in shackles, when there's no reason why Roman Polanski should be extradited, none at all," lawyer Herve Temime told Europe 1 radio.
The court has also rejected a petition filed by Polanski's victim, Samantha Geimer, to have the case dismissed altogether. [...]
"The time he spent in jail 32 years ago means he has served his sentence," Temime said.
Oh, boy -- here we go again. I'm not sure anyone besides a few bloodthirsty city attorneys really do want to see a shackled, 76-year-old RoPo making his way off a plane at LAX, but still: This us-vs.-them culture-war flare-up -- that Polanski has paid his debt no matter what California law dictates -- is not really going to help things, is it, Herve? When are you and Polanski just going to get on the plane and work this out? It's not even as though house arrest in Gstaad is all that fun anymore with the snow melting. You can't see any reason to come, but I can't see any reason to stay.
ยท Polanski lawyer says U.S. wants him "in shackles" [Reuters]