Cornflower, a poster whose views I nearly always find interesting, if not downright refreshing, in this thread has expressed unequivocal support of GrahamY's post of Tuesday, 29 September 2009 at 10:06:10 AM. GrahamY's post included a link, one which I question whether she (or GrahamY, for that matter) read with comprehension. GrahamY (and, by expressed agreement, Cornflower), while recognising the importance of due process, seemed not to have recognised that such due process in the Polanski case had been compromised from the outset, calling into question the very 'admissions' themselves upon which the revulsion with which most view Polanski is now based.

Cornfower wrote, earlier in the thread, "Polanski admitted the offence and tried to plea bargain to a lower penalty. His lawyers claimed a technical breach of process allegedly because the judge disregarded a claimed acceptance of a plea bargain." Nothing like this claim can be derived from GrahamY's link. Does Cornfower have some other authoritative basis for this claim? Something very like it, however, seems to underpin the official US line, and it is that very underpinning which is now in question, not whether there should be any statute of limitations upon pedophilia-related crimes.

One of the features of any prosecutorial system that accepts 'plea bargaining' is that one or a number of more serious charges (for which little, if any, evidence may actually be in hand) may be laid for the sole purpose of bullying an accused into pleading guilty to an allegedly lesser offence. Such a system facilitates the targetting of individuals for malicious prosecution. There may have existed a 'get Polanski' mindset, based at the time upon what Polanski 'thought', as distinct from what he may actually have done. Plea bargaining facilitates, if not encourages, entrapment, for the 'evidence' for the 'lesser' charge never has to face the scrutiny of a trial before a jury.

The office of District Attorney is frequently an elective one in the US. If someone was attempting to 'grandstand' upon revulsion to pedophilia, the plea bargaining system makes it easier.

Now read http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=3055#72731 and scroll.

Bronwyn

Yet Greer has also maintained she is the best judge of when a youth is mature enough for her to have sex with, disputing that even young legal ages of consent are any worth.

It is interesting you would seek every opportunity to explain and rationalise Greer's excesses, from her own lips too, but you would see Hensen as "guilty of preying on and deliberately exploiting the emerging sexuality of very young girls (and using his) status and power differential to exact a price from these girls, who with a little more maturity would most likely never have agreed to being used in the manner in which they were."

I wouldn't see either Greer nor Hensen ase paedophiles, but it is interesting that you would fudge your definition to exclude Greer while using it to convict Hensen. There is a gender difference.

Shadow Minister,
Well said!

Bronwyn,

Considering that girls modelling for Henson and their parents knew him, and permission was freely given, I fail to see the manipulation, or any harm to the girls.

Art in its nature explores the limits, and in my time I have seen many works of "art" that in my opinion were either offensive or just plain rubbish. However, the fact that they provided some meaning to others means that they have some merit.

The alternative of only allowing PC artworks would reduce most artwork to "hallmark" like banality.

I fear the work of paedophiles, but fear more the thought police.

Who can forget the feminist attack aimed at muzzling and kneecapping Michael Leunig over his cartoon "Thoughts Of A Baby Lying In A Child Care Centre"? As Leunig has commented later, a lot of opportunities were lost to him from that day for having the temerity to put truth first in commenting on life. Art that disturbs PC is plainly not wanted.

http://www.abc.net.au/gnt/profiles/Transcripts/s1103411.ht

Henson's work has originality and truth like Leunig's, which are what sets it apart in my view from the tired grossness, sensationalism and worst of all, lack of originality of Greer.

Forrest Gump

Hi and thank you for your generous comments.

I don't think politics are relevant, either then or now, the main question being why hasn't Polanski surrendered to authorities and before now.

The US justice system can be relied upon to resolve any alleged questions of unfairness or lack of due process.

No-one is denying him his day in court to present his case, in fact it is guaranteed should he return to the US.

Has he ever denied a sexual offence involving the girl was knowingly committed by him?

Shadow Minister <'Considering that girls modelling for Henson and their parents knew him, and permission was freely given, I fail to see the manipulation, or any harm to the girls.'

I often wonder how those girls will feel later in life when they realise a stranger photographed them nude, and the whole world then checked them out online or on a wall?

Where do we draw the line with painting or photographing nude unrelated children then Shadow Minister?

If we come out and say 'Hey it is ok to do this in the name of art', then you can imagine the free-for-all amongst the paedophile ranks as they all rush to learn how to paint and do photography.

Sorry, but those days are gone, thank goodness.
We need to protect children, not expose them to more danger.

Cornflower

<< I wouldn't see either Greer nor Hensen ase paedophiles, but it is interesting that you would fudge your definition to exclude Greer while using it to convict Hensen. There is a gender difference. >>

I'm not 'fudging' anything, or certainly not to my way of thinking. As far as I'm aware, Greer has written about young boys in a general sense, and as just one aspect of a complex body of work. Henson, on the other hand, has used real life images of very young girls who are very much alive. These girls are more than likely to see things differently as they mature, and will very possibly live with regret at the way their personal journeys of sexual awakening were exploited to make a permanent and very public statement.

I'm not defending Greer in a big way here. I haven't read the book and for all I know it could contain material that would put her work on a similar footing to that of Henson's. From what I know at this stage though, I do not see her writing as representing the same level of personal violation as I do Henson's photographs.

I agree, gender could be an influencing factor to some extent as well. Statistics indicate that women and girls the world over bear the brunt of exploitation in various forms, so I do tend to be a fierce protector of their rights. Rightly or wrongly, I tend to consider men and boys fairly capable of defending themselves. :)