"Age and ability in the arts or anything else, in my opinion, does not excuse a crime"

Actor Rod Steiger's ironic response (at least it's ironic in light of current events) in 1999 to film director Elia Kazan (89 years old at the time) being awarded an Honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement for such works as "On the Waterfront".

Paradoxically, Kazan's alleged "crime" was not a crime at all. He had informed on Hollywood commies who had colluded with the Soviet Union.

Drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl and fleeing the country to avoid the justice system, however, IS a crime, albeit one that Hollywood types tend not to get too worked up over and, in fact, sign petitions to excuse. May all these Hollywood pervert-apologist jerks see that dirtbag Roman Polanski do hard time rotting in a California prison.


UPDATE
Ed Morrissey has more on this topic in "Hollywood’s statute of limitations":

In order to completely understand the perverse nature of Hollywood’s almost-total support for director Roman Polanski in his effort to fight extradition and avoid the consequences of his conviction for statutory rape 32 years ago, recall their attitude towards another seminal director ten years ago. When the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced that they would give a lifetime achievement Oscar to Elia Kazan, many in Hollywood erupted in anger and protest. After all, Kazan had committed the unpardonable sin of naming names of Communists in Hollywood to the House Un-American Activities Committee.

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Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Reminder: Roman Polanski Raped a Child [UPDATED]