And a glaring contrast between the worldly sophistication of the Europeans...
Residents remain fiercely loyal to him. “I pray that he comes back to Gstaad,” said Ruth Fielder, 62, who was born in the village and works in the corner shop just down the road from Polanski’s chalet. “He is a very nice man, he comes here every morning to get fresh bread and he is always smiling,” she said. “I was very upset when I heard he had been arrested. Here everybody says it is not right what they have done. After 30 years they have to stop.”
At the tourist information office, Kerstin Sonnekalb, the public relations manager, is just as perplexed. “He is a quiet man and very friendly and no one cares about his private life. He is a very nice guest here. Some people knew he had a history but no one cared about it.” Gstaad prides itself on being a discreet bolt-hole for A-list stars such as Liz Taylor and Roger Moore. Bernie Ecclestone has a home here, as does the legendary French crooner Johnny Hallyday. “No one cares about rich and famous people here, they can come without their bodyguards and behave as private persons,” said Ms Sonnekalb. “That is very special for celebrities.”
It is the kind of special treatment that has made the arrest of Roman Polanski such a shock for some Swiss and provoked a national debate about whether the country’s longstanding reputation as a haven for the wealthy is under threat.
and the backwoods bigotry of us western philistines...
A Nova Scotia bishop facing child pornography charges is expected to arrive in Rogersville, N.B., on Friday.
Bishop Raymond Lahey, who resigned his post at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish on the weekend before news of the charges broke, plans to stay at the village's monastery.
But the disgraced 69-year-old cleric is an unwanted guest in the community, according to many residents.
"I wish he would go somewhere else," said Mayor Bertrand LeBlanc.
"This is a small community. We take care of our children and we want them to be in security. And this is a scenario you would not want for your children," he said.
LeBlanc said he has heard nothing but complaints from residents about Lahey's visit. It's an affront to the people of the predominantly Catholic community
I know which community I'd rather raise my kids in.
Maybe with a bunch of luck the two of them can share a cell for the next 25 or more years.
Posted by: Bob Devine | October 03, 2009 at 03:28 PM
The Left's celebrities can get away with anything. Polanski is just one more to add to the long list.
Whoppi Goldberg with her "rape-rape" concept is just unbelievable. So is Harvey Weinstein's comment about Hollywood's compassionate moral compass. They define amorality.
In my world of justice, Polanski would have been hunted down and killed just as any wild predatory animal that had escaped.
Ah, the morals of the feminists! I remember Nina Burleigh, the Time mag reporter, who said she'd be happy to give Clinton a BJ just to show her thanks for his abortion support. Clinton raped Juanita Broaddrick, but that didn't upset anyone on the Left.
Posted by: Monnie | October 05, 2009 at 12:45 PM