ARE THE PEOPLE IN SAN AUGUSTINE AS BACKWARD AS THEY ARE DEPICTED? I was there. That jury would gladly have given him the death penalty had it been a capital murder trial. It was a little scary. I have talked to judges since then, and I asked them, could my eyes have been deceiving me? They had Big Gulps, chewing tobacco. They said it's at the judge's discretion. Other judges might say you need a coat and tie to come into my courtroom. But there, it was such small-town Southern life — you wouldn't believe it.
BUT IT'S REALLY THE OIL MILLIONAIRE MRS. NUGENT WHO'S THE ELITIST. IS THIS A KIND OF ROBIN HOOD STORY, LIKE THE NEWTON BOYS? Those are my kind of criminals. That was part of the appeal of the story; that Bernie really didn't have any greed in himself. He didn't really spend the money on himself, he was just giving it to others.
SO THIS IS A SOCIALIST MOVIE, BASICALLY. [Laughs.] Pro-gay, socialist, everything you can think of.
TO HIS CREDIT, AT LEAST DANNY BUCK DIDN'T CONDEMN BERNIE AT THE TRIAL FOR BEING GAY. You know, I think it was implied. I don't think the word "gay" or "homosexual" ever came up. And yet, it was the implication. When you think of all that's gone on in the world since then — the president's support of gay marriage, Lawrence v. Texas — it's a different world from the one Bernie was operating in. I think even after only the 12 to 13 years that have passed, that tactic could not have flown like that. But maybe it would. It was a pretty backwards place.
AND NOW WE HAVE AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN PRESIDENT WHO SAYS HE BELIEVES IN GAY MARRIAGE. That's like the worst nightmare of a certain percentage of our population. [Laughs.] A black president promoting gay marriage! It's like, okay, this really isn't the country I grew up in. Not with a socialist, Muslim, black president who wants your kids to marry someone of the same sex.
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