Schwarzenegger Thinks Big Oil Is Responsible for First Degree Murder, Will Sue

More recently, though, he was invited to talk at the SXSW festival and let's just say things got very interesting very quickly. The discussion started with Arnold taking a punt at Donald Trump after the U.S. President had made a comment involving the former Mister Universe.

In response, Schwarzenegger said: "I really never know exactly why the Russians make him say certain things. It's beyond me. [...] He's supposed to be very busy." And he delivered that with a calm and assured tone that shows what a man who is at peace with himself looks and acts like.

Anyway, the Hollywood actor soon gave the discussion a much more serious tone when he started talking about the "big oil" industry. “This is no different from the smoking issue," he told POLITICO’s Isaac Dovere. "The tobacco industry knew for years and years and years and decades, that smoking would kill people, would harm people and create cancer, and were hiding that fact from the people and denied it. Then eventually they were taken to court and had to pay hundreds of millions of dollars because of that.”

Well, there are definite parallels that can be drawn, though it's hard to put the equal sign between the two situations. But that's not what Schwarzenegger wants to do. He's not out to shut down Big Oil and cleanse the streets of all ICE vehicles. Not yet, at least.

His immediate goal is to force companies dealing with fossil fuels one way or another to have a clear warning telling people their products are bad for everyone's health, just like cigarettes do. “[..] To me, it’s absolutely irresponsible to know that your product is killing people and not have a warning label on it, like tobacco. Every gas station on it, every car should have a warning label on it, every product that has fossil fuels should have a warning label on it. [...] I don’t think there’s any difference: If you walk into a room and you know you’re going to kill someone, it’s first degree murder; I think it’s the same thing with the oil companies.”

Schwarzenegger said he's in talks with some private law firms to formulate a lawsuit against oil companies that looks to enforce these changes. He didn't say exactly when it would happen, but it's definitely coming. “We’re going to go after them, and we’re going to be in there like an Alabama tick." Well, with the Terminator on one side and the "Big Oil" on the other, it's sure going to be an interesting fight.