Sean Penn interviewed drug kingpin El Chapo

[meridannight]

actor Sean Penn did a secret interview with this drug lord while the latter was on the run from the authorities after having escaped from prison. this is fascinating to me, for many reasons. i don't know how many of you have heard of this, i think it is an important perspective, so i'm putting it out there.

i gotta hand it to Penn, he has substance behind his persona. i'm left with a very positive impression.

CNN

NY Times

Rolling Stone

[LONDONER]

El Chapo is a bit of a publicity seeking nutcase. I wonder for how long the authorities are actually going to manage to keep him imprisoned this time before, because of their incompetence and maybe their help, he escapes again? Let's admit it, the Mexican police aren't exacly known for their competence or for their squeaky clean image.

[meridannight]

that is true, he has a flair for publicity. whether he's a nutcase, i can't say. but this is something that brings attention to the whole drug war problem that we're having. we need to fucking get our heads out of our asses and start accepting the fact that war on drugs is the problem, not the drugs.

i like Sean Penn's style, though. go in to a clandestine meeting with a known fugitive, write a piece on the controversial subject of drugs, and own up to actual truth about it publicly -- i like that. Sean Penn just went up a few notches in my book.

[Insertnamehere]

Isn't this punishable by law? Not giving info or turning in someone who's escaping from justice?

I feel like it should be. This is a fucking drug lord ffs. Gawd knows how much blood is on all the money he has. Don't people care about that?

Sure, Bowie dies and everyone loses their fucking mind, right? Gawd...the world is messed up and people have messed up priorities.

[meridannight]

Isn't this punishable by law? Not giving info or turning in someone who's escaping from justice?

I feel like it should be. This is a fucking drug lord ffs. Gawd knows how much blood is on all the money he has. Don't people care about that?

Sure, Bowie dies and everyone loses their fucking mind, right? Gawd...the world is messed up and people have messed up priorities.

i disagree. people have the right to communicate with whomever they want, and it's their private matter not the matter of state. a person talking to a criminal is not guilty of their crimes. a person who is close to another person who commits some sort of crime or gets in trouble with the law is not the criminal. and they don't owe an explanation to the justice system.

we have the freedom to meet and talk to whomever we want to, and form relationships with whomever we want to. it's a basic human right. none of us are saints. pretending some are better than others is a huge misconception.

[Borg69]

I find it highly embarrassing to the US and Mexican governments that some B rated actor was able to track this guy down and get an interview. To me it just shows how little effort the government's put into finding this drug lord. It's like Jimmy Olson infiltrating Lex Luthor where Superman couldn't.

[Insertnamehere]

i disagree. people have the right to communicate with whomever they want, and it's their private matter not the matter of state. a person talking to a criminal is not guilty of their crimes. a person who is close to another person who commits some sort of crime or gets in trouble with the law is not the criminal. and they don't owe an explanation to the justice system.

we have the freedom to meet and talk to whomever we want to, and form relationships with whomever we want to. it's a basic human right. none of us are saints. pretending some are better than others is a huge misconception.

And I will disagree with everything you just said. This ain't some kid who stole 10 dollars. It's a fucking drug lord responsible for who knows how many deaths and ruining quite a few other lives.

Anyone who thinks it's cool to set up an interview with a person like that, who is on top of everything, on the run from justice, is a severely messed up person.

[meridannight]

And I will disagree with everything you just said. This ain't some kid who stole 10 dollars. It's a fucking drug lord responsible for who knows how many deaths and ruining quite a few other lives.

Anyone who thinks it's cool to set up an interview with a person like that, who is on top of everything, on the run from justice, is a severely messed up person.

and who is responsible for the fact that drug market is in the hands of the criminals? the United States government.

people will use drugs and will continue to do so. and it is within a person's right to do what they want to their body. drugs are little different from alcohol. it's hypocritical to have the latter legalized and the rest criminalized. the WHO proved that cocaine use (as an example, other substances, like amphetamines are more toxic) doesn't pose a significant health risk to users. DEA told WHO that if they didn't brush that report under the carpet and disown it, they would pull funding. there are other examples, like the more recent leak by Richard Branson.

there will always be a market for drugs. the US government is responsible for the fact that this market is criminalized. consequently the US government also bears responsibility for the murders, loss of life, and other negative effects resulting from the drug market. this is partly what people like Sean Penn, Richard Branson, myself, and others are trying to bring attention to. and for that they are to be commended.

i'm kind of in a hurry at the moment, but i would also like to point out that you are a little resorting to speculation what concerns the murders etc this guy has committed. you have not witnessed anything he has done. ergo, you are not in the best position to qualify this guy the way you did.

[meridannight]

The same can be said for people who treat him like a hero, I'm not saying it's as cut and dry as either side,

i agree with you. i'm not advocating that the guy (El Chapo) is material for idolizing. and the fact that i laud what Sean Penn did, does not mean i admire El Chapo.

my point is that we as a society need to take responsibility for the useless deaths and imprisonments resulting from criminalization of drugs. it is our collective fault that we allow criminalization of a thing that should be every individual's personal call. the fact that drug production is in the hands of criminals results directly from that.

[Insertnamehere]

and who is responsible for the fact that drug market is in the hands of the criminals? the United States government.

people will use drugs and will continue to do so. and it is within a person's right to do what they want to their body. drugs are little different from alcohol. it's hypocritical to have the latter legalized and the rest criminalized. the WHO proved that cocaine use (as an example, other substances, like amphetamines are more toxic) doesn't pose a significant health risk to users. DEA told WHO that if they didn't brush that report under the carpet and disown it, they would pull funding. there are other examples, like the more recent leak by Richard Branson.

there will always be a market for drugs. the US government is responsible for the fact that this market is criminalized. consequently the US government also bears responsibility for the murders, loss of life, and other negative effects resulting from the drug market. this is partly what people like Sean Penn, Richard Branson, myself, and others are trying to bring attention to. and for that they are to be commended.

i'm kind of in a hurry at the moment, but i would also like to point out that you are a little resorting to speculation what concerns the murders etc this guy has committed. you have not witnessed anything he has done. ergo, you are not in the best position to qualify this guy the way you did.

You are not incorrect here, of course. I won't argue you there.

Methinks, however that in this chain of responsibilities you are leaving the producer without its due blame.

A market doesn't exist without consumers, but it also doesn't exist with out the one who manufactures the product.

To be lessening the criminal's responsibility just because some other factors allow said criminal a grater frame of action is as messed up as ignoring these other factors.

Sure, I speculate. We can also speculate on how many people Hitler and Stalin directly killed, which is probably zero...right?


EDIT: Oh hell no to the above. Drugs, starting with alcohol and tobacco and ending with the hardcore stuff should be/remain illegal and hard punished to the teeth. The ilogical thought of "oh, look how they start criminal endeavors, lets make them legal" is an easy way out instead of finding ways to educate people and eradicate their consumption all together.