NEW YORK – The new president of the National Organization for Women has some harsh words for men she believes are behaving badly — among them, director Roman Polanski and talk show host David Letterman.
First, Terry O'Neill condemned as "dangerous" suggestions by some Hollywood luminaries that Swiss authorities were wrong to detain Polanski for possible extradition to the U.S. He faces a charge dating from 1978 of having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl.
O'Neill then fired another salvo after Letterman's on-air revelation — prompted by an alleged extortion attempt — that he had sex with women working on his "Late Show." She contended Letterman had created a poisonous workplace environment.
Elected as NOW's leader in June, O'Neill has plenty of other issues on her plate, including health care reform. But she says badly behaved men are at the core of why women are unequal.