in defense of sean penn

For the life of me, I can't understand why so many libertarians hate Sean Penn. Yes, he's a Hollywood liberal, but the issues he really seems to care about are ones that libertarians are also supposed to really care about. Here's a guy who's been against the Iraq war from the beginning, and to me, that's one of the most important issues of the day. Shouldn't libertarians be rallying behind him and supporting him?

A couple of days ago, he got grief for smoking at the Sutton Place Hotel during the Toronto International Film Festival, in defiance of Canadian law. Here's how the Toronto Star put it:

Sean Penn has left a bad taste in a lot of mouths for his behaviour at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The 44-year-old so-called Hollywood bad boy puffed on cigarettes at two separate news conferences this week at the Sutton Place Hotel in open defiance of Ontario law.

Let us not protest that he didn't know better. Penn pulled the same stunt two years ago at the film festival and was roundly criticized for it.

But Penn is a Hollywood movie star and seems to think he is above the laws that govern regular people, such as those who pay to see his films.

David McKeown, Toronto's chief medical officer of health, says Penn won't be charged under the new Smoke-Free Ontario Act, unlike hundreds of other smokers who lit up illegally in recent months.

Gimme a break. It's not Penn's fault that the police charged hundreds of other smokers in violation of the Smoke-Free Ontario Act. Where do they get off saying he thinks he's above the law governing regular people? I'm sure he'd have no problem with some guy walking in off the street and puffing up in the same place. He's protesting an unjust law, ladies and gentlemen. It should be up to the property owner whether or not smoking is allowed in a hotel, and libertarians should be supporting him in this act of civil disobediance.

Sure, Penn's done some stupid things in his life - like marrying Madonna, for example - but who hasn't? (Done stupid things, that is - there's plenty of us who haven't married Madonna).

It galled me that he even got grief for going down to New Orleans last year to help with Katrina rescue efforts. Lots of people laughed when his boat sank; OK, that was pretty funny I have to admit, but he still deserves our praise for taking action and going down there to help out.

On top of all this, he's a damn good actor. I'm sure I'd disagree with him on many issues, but of all the liberals in Hollywood, Penn seems to be one that libertarians should be able to find some common ground with. So fuck you, Trey Parker and Matt Stone!