I'm feeling crabby today, so I'm gonna take it out on whatever I can. One of the copiers is jamming frequently (as in it usually ruins 5 pages for every 1 it copies); I'm fortunate that the stupid things are loud enough to cover my cursing.

I haven't been sleeping well. It's probably the usual September Stupids, which means it'll last until May or June. I'm going to look into vitamin D supplements; I think that it's caused by 1) school starting and 2) shorter daylight hours. Combine both and you have my job. I'm hoping that the move to the Keys will take care of the vitamin D shortage and that the September Stupids will respond to that. Hey, I can blame the way I feel on the part of the world I live in! I don't have to take any responsibility for my actions while I'm living here! I don't have to pay any debt to society for my stupid, illegal, and immoral actions!

Wait--I do claim responsibility for the choices I make. And I do have to deal with the consequences of my actions.

Unlike, say, an artiste whose name rhymes with Poman Rolanski.

From cnn.com: "Investigators in the United States say Polanski drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl in the 1970s. Polanski pleaded guilty (emphasis is mine) in 1977 to having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, but he fled the United States before he could be sentenced. He settled in France."

And: "Filmmakers have reacted with outrage at the arrest. "As a Swiss filmmaker, I feel deeply ashamed," Christian Frei said. "He's a brilliant guy, and he made a little mistake (the emphasis is mine) 32 years ago. What a shame for Switzerland," said photographer Otto Weisser, a friend of Polanski."

And: "The French culture and communications minister, Frederic Mitterrand, said he "learned with astonishment" of Polanski's arrest. He expressed solidarity with Polanski's family and said "he wants to remind everyone that Roman Polanski benefits from great general esteem" and has 'exceptional artistic creation and human qualities.'" Again, my emphasis.

WTF, people?!?!? So people hold him in "high esteem" and he has "exceptional artistic creation and human qualities", he's a "brilliant guy and he made a little mistake. Not buying that. A little mistake is buying nectarines when you meant to buy peaches. A little mistake is forgetting to pack your lunch and having to skip that meal. A little mistake is not when one drugs and rapes a 13-year-old child, pleads guilty, and flees the country before he can be arrested, and doesn't return for 31 years, until he's finally arrested in Switzerland and returned to the US in custody.

That one word--guilty--says it all. The man admitted that he'd done wrong, that he'd taken egregious action, then the mf'er ran away rather than face up to his wrongdoings and pay for them.

(An aside: Doesn't the word "guilty" look odd when you write it so many times?)

And politicians and "artistes" are defending him? It's okay that he did that horrible deed over 30 years ago after his pregnant wife was brutally killed by the Manson gang? It was a little mistake that should be excused because he's so damned good at his career? He's had to suffer the loss of that career because he made some really stupid bad choices? Well damn. Pardon me if I don't shed any tears for him.

That whole not taking responsibility for ones own actions thing drives me absolutely nuts. I deal with it on a smaller--and less illegal--scale daily. Kids who have a bad home life act up at school, don't do their work, and when they're punished for it, it's not their fault. They curse their boss at Mickey D's and get fired, but it's not their fault.

Now I'm seeing where this is coming from. After all, if some big rap star can get away with murder or beats up his girlfriend, why, it's not his fault. And the stupid girl defends him. It happens every day here. Sorry, kid. No, wait, I'm not sorry. I have to pay up for my misdeeds. I have to own my "mistakes". I work to support myself and, apparently, any deadbeat who doesn't want to work. I've worked three jobs at once to keep food on the table and a roof over my head.

Okay, enough of that. I'm getting sidetracked.

So. Because this artiste is so brilliant, such a good man, he shouldn't have to own his actions, should be allowed to return to this country because it happened a long time ago and was a little mistake.

Can somebody please explain to me why this should be allowed?