On
October 18, 2002, Penn placed a $56,000 advertisement in the
Washington Post asking
President George W. Bush to end a cycle of violence. It was written as an open letter and referred to the
planned attack on Iraq and the
War on Terror. In the letter, Penn also criticized the Bush administration for its "deconstruction of
civil liberties" and its "simplistic and inflammatory view of good and evil." Penn visited Iraq briefly in December 2002.
This advertisement was cited as a primary reason for the development of his friendship with Venezuelan president
Hugo Chávez. Hugo Chávez has also used and read aloud an open letter Sean Penn wrote to President Bush in one of his recent televised speeches. The letter condemned the Iraq War, called for President Bush to be impeached, and also called President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "villainously and criminally obscene people". Chávez also said in the same televised speech "Welcome to Venezuela, Mr. Penn. What drives him is consciousness, the search for new paths," and also "He's one of the greatest opponents of the Iraq invasion".
On
August 3, 2007, Penn met with Hugo Chávez in Caracas for two hours. Chávez praised his bravery in urging Americans to impeach President Bush. Penn applauded portions of Chávez's speech, including his characterization of the invasion of Iraq as genocide. Penn's visit led to condemnation from Venezuelan exiles, who describe Chávez as a totalitarian leader trying to control Venezuelan society.
On June 10, 2005, Penn made a visit to
Iran. Acting as a journalist on an assignment for the
San Francisco Chronicle, he attended a
Friday prayer at
Tehran University.
In September 2005, Penn traveled to
New Orleans, Louisiana to aid
Hurricane Katrina victims. He was physically involved in rescuing many people. One man was 73-year-old John Brown, who had told his sister over the phone: "Guess who come and got me out of the house? Sean Penn, the actor. The boys were really nice." The actor then gave some rescuees an unspecified amount of money to tide them over, and then took those who were in need of medical attention to the hospital. He was and is supported by best-selling author
Douglas Brinkley, a professor of history at Tulane University and archival historian for the city. The two were seen on
CNN coverage Friday,
September 2, as Penn, filthy, soaked, and exhausted, gave an impromptu interview about what he was seeing and doing, and obviously critical of the response until that time, stating that at that time he felt there was only "about one-fifth" the assistance and resources there that needed to be.
On
January 7, 2006, Penn was a special guest at a forum hosted by the
Progressive Democrats of America. He was joined by author and media critic Normon Solomon, Democratic congressional candidate
Charles Brown, and activist
Cindy Sheehan. The "Out of Iraq Forum" was attended by 200 individuals and took place in
Sacramento, California. The program was moderated by Bill Dursten, President of the Sacramento Chapter of
Physicians for Social Responsibility. The forum was held at a
SEIU union hall and was organized to promote the anti-war movement calling for an end to the
War in Iraq. Progressive activists,
Democratic Party leaders, and other individuals gathered to demonstrate their impatience and frustration with U.S. involvement in
Iraq.
On
December 18, 2006, Penn received the
Christopher Reeve First Amendment Award from the The Creative Coalition. On
March 24, 2007, Penn publicly criticized
President Bush and his handling of the war in Iraq. Penn questioned whether President Bush's twin daughters supported the war in Iraq, and said "Let's show them we can fire this president and put him in fucking jail".
On
April 19, 2007, Penn appeared on
The Colbert Report and had a "Meta-Free-Phor-All" versus
Stephen Colbert that was judged by
Robert Pinsky. This stemmed from some of Penn's criticisms of
President Bush. His exact quote was "We cower as you point your fingers telling us to support our troops. You and the smarmy pundits in your pocket — those who bathe in the moisture of your soiled and blood-soaked underwear — can take that noise and shove it." He won the contest 10,000,000, to Stephen Colbert's 1.
In a statement made at the Creative Arts building in
San Francisco State University on
December 7, 2007, Penn said he is supporting Ohio Congressman
Dennis J. Kucinich for U.S. President in 2008.
Gun control controversy
Penn, a noted gun control advocate, has generated controversy due to his application for and receipt of a concealed carry weapons permit as well as his loss of two pistols. On April 10, 2003, Penn's 1987 Buick Grand National was stolen in Berkeley, California with two firearms in the trunk. Berkeley police said a loaded Glock 9 millimeter semi-automatic pistol and an unloaded Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver owned by Penn were missing after the actor's car was stolen April 8. Police recovered the car, but the guns Penn had in it were stolen.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/04/30/BA268108.DTL
