Since Virginia's new far-right leader Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has said he will go through with the first execution under his administration (we presume there will be many more, jaywalkers beware!) this week, it seems appropriate to quote one of the nation's leading anti-death penalty advocates Susan Sarandon.
Though I am considerably more to the political center than Sarandon, one has to admire her for taking a stance and sticking to it. She has recently been in the news for her personal life as her relationship with actor Tim Robbins is apparently over.
Robbins directed Sarandon, arguably the sexiest 64-year-old around, in her 1995 Oscar-winning performance as Sister Helen Prejean of Louisiana.
Sarandon also debuted in the 1970 film "Joe," which starred the late Peter Boyle of "Young Frankenstein" fame, which we put on our recent list of the Best Left-Wing Films of all time.
I decided not to put "Dead Man Walking" on the list because it is a superlative film which has a relevant message which goes beyond its politics.
Ironically, Prejean who is more admired by liberals than conservatives, is also pro-life.
Here is the quote of the week from Sarandon, who grew up in Edison, NJ:
"I try to live every day in the present, and try not to turn a blind eye to injustice and need."
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3 comments:
something to consider:
"Dead Man Walking" & Sr. Helen Prejean: A Critical Review
From Dudley Sharp
" . . .makes you realize the Dead Man Walking truly belongs on the shelf in the library in the Fiction category."
"Being devout Catholics, 'the norm' would be to look to the church for support and healing. Again, this need for spiritual stability was stolen by Sister Prejean."
The Bourques, Victim Survivors, Dead Family Walking
"Sister Helen Prejean & the death penalty: A Critical Review"
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/05/04/sister-helen-prejean--the-death-penalty-a-critical-review.aspx
Ahh.....Dudley. Great to hear from you again. I interviewed you in 2000. Sorry, though I am more to the center than Susan Sarandon, I don't share your political views as I am highly opposed to capital punishment.
For those who are unaware, Dudley Sharp is one of the leading pro-death penalty activists in the country. I did interview him when covering a controversial death penalty case which lead to an eventual exectuion in Virginia circa 1999. As a newspaper reporter, I took objectivity very seriously (which clearly Fox News does NOT) but as a blogger I will continue to express my views however unpopular they might be. I am an agnostic who is the son of a Muslim immigrant and I live in the South. I can take whatever comes my way and then some.....
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