So...if corporations are people, and they have the same rights as people...

[AndyA]

they can help determine the outcome of an election by flooding money into advertising promoting elected people they like, and trashing those they don't like...

That would mean that corporations also have the same responsibilities as people, and if they do something wrong the people that make up that corporation should have to go to jail, just like everyone else. Right?

Wonder how the SCOTUS is going to work this one. Something tells me this BP oil spill is going to be the one that does it. Seems to me it's about time to file criminal charges against "BP" whoever that is.

[John Q. Citizen]

1. Was their crime stupidity? Hubris? Criminal negligence?

[lob1]

2. They killed 11 men because BP skipped safety precautions in order

to make more money. That sounds at least like manslaughter to me.

[John Q. Citizen]

3. Yep, that would be negligent homicide.

[AndyA]

4. BP has a long history of safety violations. LONG, LONG, LONG history.

They were fined $87 million by OSHA in October 2009 for safetly violations at a refinery where 15 were killed and 170 were injured.

Now 11 more deaths.

What does it take before "stupidity" or "hubris" become criminal negligence? How many have to die?

[treestar]

5. Corporations can be charged with crimes

If they violated a law or regulation, they can be charged for it.

They don't have the same rights as people. They can't vote. They can't serve on juries.

Corporate personhood means they can sue and and be sued. Note the be sued. If you have to find the individual to sue them when a corporation causes injury, it could be impossible for the individual plaintiff to figure out who that is and serve them and recover for damages from them.

[Sebastian Doyle]

6. As Thom Hartmann has been saying

some corporations deserve the "death penalty". BP and their partners in destruction (TransOcean and Halliburton) certainly belong on that list.

[Vexatious Ape]

7. I love the argument

They should at least be charged with manslaughter.

[Whisp]

8. and can run for President ;)

if they are at least 35 years old and 'born' in the US.

[Dems to Win]

9. I want BP to suffer the corporate death penalty

If corporations have the rights of humans, they should have the responsibilities, too.

11 counts of criminally negligent homicide, for starters.

Disband the entire corporation and confiscate its assets. Send the CEO and Board of Directors to prison for life.