I just got an offer to extend my current coverage by another month for $400+ and I have to answer by tomorrow. I'm thinking I might be better off looking for part-time work at Starbucks.

I am really glad I'm moving to MA with no job -- my COBRA payment for my crappy NY insurance would be $600+ per month, but in MA I can get a crappy plan for like $200 or something.

Edit: I mean to say, as far as having no job goes, I'd rather be in MA.

Does anybody know anything about Golden Rule Insurance Co? Or the Freelancers Union?

My feelings on the Roman Polanski issue are represented fairly well by a post at Shakesville: Her Reasons Are Not Yours

That sums up my feelings pretty well, too, shrift. There's a lot more I could say, and have written, even, but I think I'll bite my tongue.

Dana! Job! Yay! You sound like you got what you wanted; I'm glad.

Congrats Dana!

Oh, Barb, I didn't mean to make you feel piled-on. But, yeah, I can't get around the fact that honoring the victim's desire to let it all be over and letting it go would mean (a) opening the door to letting a horrific number of domestic violence and child abuse cases go, and (b) sending a loud, clear signal that you can dodge the law forever with zero consequences if you're only rich and important enough.

He was convicted. He was facing sentencing. He fled the country because he was afraid the judge wasn't going to accept the plea bargain agreed upon between the prosecution and defense (which is a judge's prerogative) and he was too chickenshit to man up and go through the sentencing and then appeal if he felt the sentence was too harsh. He brought all of this on himself--and every second of the lack of closure the victim has had to go through, or will have to go through from now on, is his fault and no one else's.

Bleah. I just look at Matilda sitting on the floor all absorbed in her toddler TV and the mama bear brain goes pure HULK SMASH.

My feelings on the Roman Polanski issue are represented fairly well by a post at Shakesville: Her Reasons Are Not Yours

I liked this piece by Kate Harding in Salon's Broadsheet as well: [link]

et's keep in mind that Roman Polanski gave a 13-year-old girl a Quaalude and champagne, then raped her, before we start discussing whether the victim looked older than her 13 years, or that she now says she'd rather not see him prosecuted because she can't stand the media attention. Before we discuss how awesome his movies are or what the now-deceased judge did wrong at his trial, let's take a moment to recall that according to the victim's grand jury testimony, Roman Polanski instructed her to get into a jacuzzi naked, refused to take her home when she begged to go, began kissing her even though she said no and asked him to stop; performed cunnilingus on her as she said no and asked him to stop; put his penis in her vagina as she said no and asked him to stop; asked if he could penetrate her anally, to which she replied, "No," then went ahead and did it anyway, until he had an orgasm.

No. There is no way that I will ever give ground on this. Rape is rape is rape is CHILD RAPE for fuck's sake and I'm sorry, but the excuses bound up in our RAPE CULTURE are just fucking disgusting. It's not just Polanski, but it is an incredibly truthful way about how WE (as a culture) view rape.

at 13 she had had drugs before, had been drunk before and had already had sex twice, if I read that police interview correctly.

My sister moved away from our home town when she was ten, when she went back for the summer when she was 12, both of her best friends were pregnant. They did seem to be wilder times.

There was definitely some bad parenting going on, If I remember my tabloid TV correctly, I believe it was her mother who originally introduced her to Polanski, because she wanted her to be a star.

I've always thought Polanski needed to come forward as the only way to satisfactorily end this. Him staying away seemed to say that he felt he did nothing wrong and was being unfairly punished. Being brought in smells of a witchunt.

Him staying away seemed to say that he felt he did nothing wrong and was being unfairly punished. Being brought in smells of a witchunt.

Then why did he plead guilty?

I feel lousier than ever. Too lousy to even watch TV. (Also, maybe it's the fever talking, but has GG gotten very stupid?) Stupid airplane was so hot. Flying with a cold is of the devil.

Then why did he plead guilty?

Again, vauge memories about what I read and saw years ago, but I don't think he was ever comfortable pleading guilty, but did so because that's what lawyers and other people advised. PArt of hsi whole thing about fleeing was that he after living in Communist Poland, he didn't trust the system.