Sadam tricks penpal
henk - 24.12.2002 11:16
Sadam en Sean Penn
LOL, LOL, LOL. How typical.
Just another example of the dictator state run by good old Saddam up to its old tricks. They cannot be trusted as proven just once again, once again, once again....sorry I stutter.
Billy
=====================================================
Scrapbook: Hussein tricks Penn pal
December 20, 2002
Actor Sean Penn is stunned to find propaganda in Iraq's dictatorship, reports the New York Post
SEAN Penn, just back from his three-day "fact-finding" trip to Iraq, turned on his new pals in Saddam Hussein's Government – claiming they've transformed him into a weapon of mass propaganda. Penn and various Iraqi bigwigs seemed to be fast friends on Sunday when the star issued a statement saying: "If there is a war or continued sanctions against Iraq, the blood of Americans and Iraqis alike will be on our hands."
But then Baghdad's online news service came up with a considerably more juicy story about the Hollywood actor. "The American movie star Sean Penn has condemned the US-British threats to wage war against Iraq," it said. Not only that, but Penn "confirmed that Iraq is completely clear of weapons of mass destruction and the UN must adopt a positive stance towards Iraq". The story also said that Penn "condemned the US's misleading claims, arguing that it is the US, not Iraq, who is practising such illegal behaviour".
Penn's flack howled in protest, claiming her boss was the victim of terrorist misquotes. "Oh, please! I don't know where those statements are being fabricated from," said spokeswoman Mara Buxbaum. "This is specifically propaganda. It's a twisted interpretation of what he said. They are twisting his words." According to Buxbaum, Penn never even spoke with the Iraq Daily.
So why would Penn's new-found buddies stab him in the back? Buxbaum said Penn would not be available to answer that question. Nor could she say whether the acid-tongued talent would write off the terrorist nation.
Penn's trip into the heart of enemy territory disgusted many Americans and won him the nickname "Baghdad Sean", a take-off on the "Hanoi Jane" moniker Jane Fonda earned by visiting North Vietnam in 1971.
Sean Penn in Baghdad -- Image Gives Way to Substance
by Norman Solomon
When they realized that Sean Penn had arrived in Baghdad unannounced, the Western journalists in the city were taken aback. But they ultimately seemed more surprised by the great distance between media images and the man they actually met.
Quite a few other famous actors in the United States have expressed strong opposition to the impending war against Iraq. But so far, only one has traveled there so that actions and words could speak loudly together.
What Sean Penn said is still resonating.
After accompanying Penn to Baghdad and joining him on a wide range of visits -- including with UNICEF workers, Iraqi officials, patients in hospitals and young children in schools -- I sat with Penn as he wrote on a pad at a restaurant inside the Al-Rashid Hotel. Hours later, he was reading his words aloud at a news conference overflowing with reporters, photographers and TV crews from all over the world.
"I am a citizen of the United States of America," he began. "I believe in the Constitution of the United States, and the American people. Ours is a government designed to function 'of" - 'by' - and - 'for' the people. I am one of those people, and a privileged one."
Penn spoke quietly, with evident sincerity. This was the time for a kind of summing up. For the most part during his three-day visit, Penn had gone out of his way to avoid the cameras, saying that he would share his thoughts at a press conference just prior to leaving Baghdad.
Now, as he continued with his statement, the room was still. Penn said that he was "privileged to have lived a life under our Constitution that has allowed me to dream and prosper." And he continued: "In response to these privileges I feel, both as an American and as a human being, the obligation to accept some level of personal responsibility for the policies of my government, both those I support and any that I may not. Simply put, if there is a war or continued sanctions against Iraq, the blood of Americans and Iraqis will be on our hands."
And then, Sean Penn added: "My trip here is to personally record the human face of the Iraqi people so that their blood -- along with that of American soldiers -- would not be invisible on my own hands. I sit with you here today in the hopes that any of us present may contribute in any way to a peaceful resolution to the conflict at hand."
At a time when fame is so routinely seen as an end in itself, or as a way to accumulate more wealth and power, Penn has become conspicuous for his willingness to take some real risks on behalf of peace. Predictably, the vilification began immediately from jingoistic media outlets like Fox News Channel and the New York Post. Distortion is a big business.
When our country appears to be on the verge of war, stepping out of line is always hazardous. All kinds of specious accusations fly. Whether you travel to Baghdad or hold an anti-war sign on main street back home, some people will accuse you of serving the propaganda interests of the foreign foe. But the only way to prevent your actions from being misconstrued is to do nothing. The only way to avoid the danger of having your words distorted is to keep your mouth shut.
In the functional category of "use it or lose it," the First Amendment remains just a partially realized promise. To the extent that it can be fulfilled, democracy becomes actual rather than theoretical. But that requires a multiplicity of voices. And when the drumbeat of war threatens to drown out all those refusing to harmonize with it, the imperative of dissent becomes paramount.
Sean Penn has described the challenge well: "I would hope that all Americans will embrace information available to them outside conventional channels." And, speaking personally, he expressed the desire "to find my own voice on matters of conscience."
|
