Brad Pitt's Death Penalty Jibe Over BP Spill

[Turborama]

Source: Sky News

Brad Pitt has said that he would consider executing those responsible for the BP oil spill if he was in power. The Fight Club and Ocean's Eleven actor, said he usually opposed capital punishment but would make an exception if he could.

He was speaking during a documentary on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, to be aired in the US on Tuesday night.

"I was never for the death penalty before - I am willing to look at it again," the 46-year-old said when asked about the situation.

The actor was talking during the screening of If God Is Willing And Da Creek Don't Rise, a fim by director Spike Lee to mark the fifth anniversary of the hurricane which devastated much of the southern states.

Read more: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Showbiz-News/Actor-Brad-Pitt-Says-He-Would-Reconsider-Views-On-Death-Penalty-Because-Of-BP-Oil-Spill/Article/201008415702715?lpos=Showbiz_News_Carousel_Region_4&lid=ARTICLE_15702715_Actor_Brad_Pitt_Says_He_Would_Recon

[jefferson_dem]

1. Not cool...

but I get his point.

That being said ... "CUE POUTRAGE"!

[Downwinder]

6. Just read an article on Truthout, can't say I disagree with him.

Picture heavy
http://www.truth-out.org/how-has-it-come-this62558

[axollot]

27. LOL! n/t

[trumad]

2. Dude was tounge and cheek for sure...

but I guarantee most will do their typical outrage feigning act...even here in this thread...

[joeybee12]

23. Proabbly, and i don't blame him...how quickly we forget people died in that

initial explosion...BP is culpable.

[No Elephants]

3. This is what passes as "news" nowadays? Can you spell "distraction?"

How many of our troops died or were maimed this week? No clue. But I know what Brad Pitt said without meaning it.


If the Framers could have seen what American media would devolve into from Peter Zenger and Ben Franklin, the First Amendment might read a lot differently.

Why do we allow this?

[dipsydoodle]

4. It was in Sky's Showbiz News : not News.

.

[Turborama]

8. Currently front page news on their website....

http://news.sky.com/skynews/

It's interesting to see how many views and responses this gets compared to the other news about Pakistan. As it stands, this thread has got 2 recs and that one hasn't got any. Plus this has had more than double the amount of views (quickly going up to triple) in roughly the same amount of time.



BTW That was an excellent example of British generosity.



"He told a press conference in central London that for the first time in DEC's history, more money was donated in the second week of an appeal campaign than the first.

Mr Gormley said this fact was "hugely moving" and a response to the situation on the ground in Pakistan continuing to develop."


I found it moving when I heard him say that the press conference.

[dipsydoodle]

12. I hadn't noticed that

As I said - its our population make up which is contributing to this. Its not just that that we've a high population of Pakistanis - they've obviously got friends too who are not Pakistani but feel it to be a worthwhile cause.

DEC stuff goes out in the orm of goods ,e.g. tents and water sanitation equipment etc, as far as I'm aware and so is far less subject to misuse of funds.

:hi:

[Turborama]

17. Thanks for the info on DEC, they really walk the walk

I'm going to reply to the other comments in that OP later, see you there. :hi:

[eowyn_of_rohan]

14. why is destruction of the earth & sea and creatures other than humans "Distraction"?

...or any less important?

[hlthe2b]

5. I'm sure that is not an isolated sentiment--as sure as I am...

that it was hyperbole. Of course much will be made of it, because it came from a progressive liberal Hollywood actor, who unlike others, has actually put his time and money where his mouth is to make things better for the people of NOLA and the Gulf.

[rfranklin]

7. The death penalty might be too extreme, but...

we could try a few sentences to hard time in the penetentiary to try to make these corporate bigwigs a bit more careful.

[Demeter]

9. Or even a stiff fine and a strong regulation

Anything above a sternly-worded press release would be an improvement.

[Dogmudgeon]

10. Doesn't he live in New Orleans now?

I don't think I'll be taking him off my Christmas card list over this.

--d!

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

11. Pitt/Jolie 2012!

Seriously. If you executed a half dozen CEO's for gross malfeasance, I'm pretty sure the rest would fall into line pretty quickly.

On a less-harsh note -- If the Feds are willing to indict Roger-Fucking-Clemens for lying to Congress, I think they've missed a few people along the way.

[pattmarty]

13. Sky News is owned by Fox. END OF STORY. Some people............

.........don't seem to understand sarcasm.

[bherrera]

15. This reflects the violent nature of American society

This guy is a barbarian, that is all I can say. Maybe he should learn a little civilized behavior from his wife, who is a true heroine of justice and peace.

The true problem is the 11 men who died. Thus harsh penalties against the culprits are indeed indicated, because they did kill those workers. But the death penalty is a barbaric punishment. It is only applied in the USA, China, and North Korea, I think. And it is also known there are many hundreds of innocent people executed using the wrong information. So why give this actor any voice at all to advocate such medieval practices?

[pjt7]

16. Big Oil would change it's ways

if people were killed over this.

As is, they are laughing & laughing.

[bherrera]

24. I seriously doubt they are laughing

Their stock value has dropped to half of the value it had before, and they are facing a criminal investigation. I don't think they are laughing at all. A solution such as this actor proposes, execution by firing squad, is used in China quite often. And it doesn't work, they continue to have horrible worker safety problems, enormous corruption, pollution, and abuses of the population by powerful politicians continue. A more sensible solution is to jail those found guilty, and to improve the regulatory regime.

I don't want to sound anti-American, but you did elect Mr Bush, and I suspect this accident is a result of a very friendly relationship between the regulator and the business entity. If the regulator fails to have teeth, then this is very dangerous.

Evidently other countries have a similar problem, for example in Europe we have had problems with the lax control of banks, which used easy credit to encourage a building excess, and this has caused a crisis. But in the USA, the problem caused by the Bush government extends across many areas. A more effective solution is to improve regulations to avoid the problem, and not to execute some guys after the problem erupts into a national crisis.

[Pathwalker]

26. No, we didn't elect George Bush. The Supreme Court did. n/t

[CLANG]

18. Hes' a good actor, but he's DEAD wrong on this (pardon the pun).

[stanwyck]

19. OK. He wasn't serious. He was making a point.

Give a guy from my alma mater (the University of Missouri) a break. We're jokesters.
No harm meant.

[Kristin av Havn]

22. And if you want to be serious.....

I want the governments who make a killing out of the same drilling to hang with them :/

[Kristin av Havn]

20. I think killing people is bad.

But, also people need to be held to account. :/

[maxsolomon]

21. Gibe

Jibe
Jive
Jape

[spanone]

25. every time i see those 'feely good' commercials from bp i want to rip their heads off

fuck, there's one on right now