Posted on 11/16/2001 8:27:16 PM PST by Edit35
PRINCETON -- Movie star Danny Glover, known for his brutal gunplay in the Lethal Weapon movie series, last night called on the U.S. to spare the life of Osama bin Laden even if he’s provent guilty of terrorism beyond a reasonable doubt.
As guest speaker at an anti-death penalty forum at Princeton University, Glover said America was the one to blame for bombing and terror around the world.
"Yes -- Yes!" Glover said when asked if American forces should spare the Saudi terrorist's life.
"When I say the death penalty is inhumane. I mean [it's inhumane] whether that person is in a bird cage [jail] or it's bin Laden."
Glover spent the first 30 minutes of his presentation at McCosh 50 auditorium deriding the death penalty, which he called "homicide as the official tool of the state."
He went on to chide the U.S. government for incarceration of nearly 1,000 illegal immigrants in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, and derided US Attorney General John Ashcroft for asking permission to listen to conversations between terrorist suspects and their lawyers.
"It gets even worse," he added. "This week President Bush implemented a military tribunal ... which will make it easier for us to execute (people)."
"This clearly is a slippery slope. We must stand vigilant against Bush in these times and work with people who want to stop (state sponsored) executions.
"One of the main purveyors of violence in this world has been this country, whether it's been against Nicaragua, Vietnam or wherever," Glover added.
The event was sponsored by the Mercer County Chapter of Amnesty International, a group with 1,000 members which opposes the death penalty and advocates human rights.
Glover has received wide recognition for his roles in more than 50 films, including his role as a gun-toting police officer in the Lethal Weapon movies.
When asked how he could justify playing a Los Angeles cop who guns down villains in the movies, Glover said only took the roles after convincing Warner Brothers and Sony, the movie financiers, to fund half the cost of movies with pacifist themes, such as Beloved and Buffalo Soldiers.
Glover said 741 people have been executed in the U.S. since the U.S. Supreme Court made it legal again in 1976.
Currently 13 states allow executions, and two allow juveniles to be put to death, he said.
Of the thousands currently on death row, 98 were freed recently after new evidence proved them to be "absolutely innocent" and not on some technicality, he claimed.
"I've been an advocate for peace my whole life. But one of the main purveyors of violence in this world is this country," he said.
Glover quoted the gospel of John where Christ Jesus asked, "Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone," in reference to story of the woman who was saved just as she was about to be stoned for adultry.
"(Government executioners) are killers too, and nobody kills them," he said. If New Jersey doesn’t declare a moritorium on the death penalty, they could begin executions within 18 months, he claimed.
"I’ve been an advocate for peace my whole life. But one of the main purveyors of violence in this world is this country," he said.
"I live in a racist country," Glover boomed. "And it has racist industry. That’s why there’s a million black kids in jail, and the system can’t find jobs for them."
During the question and answer portion of last night’s presentation, a 20-somethint Caucasian man stood up and accused Glover of twisting facts to make it look more blacks have been executed in America when in reality, he claimed, blacks represent only 40 percent of death sentences.
"How can you say this statistics show that blacks commit four times more homicides than whites ... and therefor are more likely" to be arrested for murder," the questioner asked.
The questioner said blacks, statistically speaking, are more likely to shoot a police officer and therefor have a higher homicide rate in the first place.
As the audience booed the questioner, Glover told them to keep their cool and allow the young man to speak his mind.
"Why do you (Glover) chalk this up to racism rather than point out the causes behind the numbers. All you’re doing is trying to point everyone in the wrong direction," the man said.
Glover eventually grew impatient with the young man’s confrontational retorts and began storming around the stage, firing back answers in rapid fire.
During the exchange, the audience, most of whom were anti-death penalty, booed and hissed at the young man and cheered Glover’s comeback answers.
The man eventually left before the presentation was over.
"African Americans have been lynched almost every year in this country. The first year a black was not lynched in this country was in 1947," he claimed.
"My family’s been beaten and oppressed," he said.
Molly Bloom, vice president of the Princeton University Chapter of Amnesty International, said the group has 1 million members worldwide.
Glover, who grew up in South Central Los Angeles, also starred in the screen adaptations of Alice Walker's The Color Purple and Toni Morrison's Beloved.
He received a Cable ACE Aware after starring in HBO's production of Mandela and has been the recipient of an NAACP Image Award.
A tireless human rights crusader, Glover is a recipient of the Amnesty International USA Lifetime Achievement Award for his role in the civil rights movement in Namibia, his work as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program and his commitment to abolition of the death penalty. ©The Trentonian 2001
Wonder how far he'd get being a movie star in Haiti?
They're not paid to think.
As is demonstrated by Glover showing that he's a simpleton.
'Nuff said.
Since when is the 'system' (which I assume refers to the government) required to find jobs for people? Aren't they supposed to do that themselves?
"I live in a racist country," Glover boomed
I do believe, sir, that that racist country of yours allows you to leave. For the sake of whatever dignity you might still retain, take this option, and leave in peace.
Generally speaking I am not very fond of anti-death penalty chaps. Not only do they want us to have unlimited mercy upon murderers, rapists, etc., but also want us to foot the bill so that they can live the rest of their lives in relative peace (depends on the jail, of course, but I've seen ones with TV's for God's sake).
No.
And it always will be as long as this kind of irresponsible talk gets thrown around. It is glaring clear that the the Left wants racism to be alive and well.
HE lives in a racist country, because his WARLORDS are the RACISTS who keep black people on their PLANTATIONS, and practice racism daily. Sheesh. When are they going to figure this out?
One that gives you several million dollars a picture to depict the same violence you rant about. Typical Hollywood; sooner or later they all think that public exposure equals intellect. He has no idea how much he know about the things about which he bloviates.
Is that from "Hollywood Knights"? I haven't seen that in 20 years!
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