[filepile]

Editor - From reading The Chronicle's banner-line propaganda, which teases the "star envy" piece within ("A modest proposal for celebs on the skids," Thursday), I could only hope this great city was more clever than its increasingly lame-brain paper. In its unequivocal naming of Chavez as dictator on A1, either "Pop Culture" man Peter Hartlaub or his equally biased Chronicle editor, doesn't quite understand that Venezuela's President Chavez was democratically elected, and that dictators don't lose constitutional referendums. The Chronicle should take comfort that the New York Times generally does no better than them here. Yet, in the paper's attack on Oliver Stone, who, agree with him or not, has at least the balls, passion and intellectual curiosity to pursue information away from a porcelain dumping bowl and a desperate newspaper, we see another attempt to marginalize the outspoken. (Outspoken: a louder and more credible voice than The Chronicle itself.) For myself, also listed in Hartlaub's piece, it should be noted that my recent trip to Venezuela was as a journalist, and marginalization of that due to "celebrity" is simply "Putin ultra light" to me. Believe it or not, I have a reasonably good sense of humor (if that's what Hartlaub attempted), but I felt so embarrassed, even for The Chronicle. Its "hard news" section for the banner line, and now its Datebook editorials have become Mad Magazine for small-minded cowards and former writers of substance. Who could that be, Phil?

SEAN PENN

Former S.F. Chronicle contributing reporter

SAN FRANCISCO

[KenHorse]

Ahhhh...more from the Great Thinker Sean Penn....

[tcostell]

So basically this proves that Sean Penn doesn’t kow what the word “dictator” means I guess.

[itsamelman]

...But Bush IS!

-Sean Penn

[Army Air Corps]

When Spiccoli speaks...people yawn...and point...and laugh

[sono]

“Who gives a sh*t what an actor thinks?”
James Caan

[kidd]

Sean Penn is no actor!

[Ancient Drive]

STFU! Sean Penn STFU!

[never4get]

Sean Penn is an ignorant and stupid moron.

[G8 Diplomat]

Yeah, and the sky is actually green

[reagan_fanatic]

Not this twit again...

[dfwgator]

"Venezuela under Chavez is a happy place. They have flowery meadows and rainbow skies, and rivers made of chocolate, where the children dance and laugh and play with gumdrop smiles."

[Billthedrill]

Uh, Sean? There was this little failed coup d'etat in 1992 that you might want to look into...

[RonF]

Hugo Chavez isn’t a dictator in the vein of Saddam Hussein, etc., but he’d like to be. And it’s not from a lack of effort on his part that he isn’t. He certainly is doing a lot of things that dictators do, such as limiting the freedom of the press (something that a “journalist” should be aware of).

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

This writing/thinking borders on the psychotic - this is the kind of stuff that you see on the mental wards.

[LibLieSlayer]

LLS: “sean penn is NO American”.

LLS

[oneamericanvoice]

Chavez is no dictator???? I thought you had to be able to read to be an actor. Guess not. Sean should get someone to read the definition of dictator to him. Perhaps he can relocate like Johnny Depp did. Hope springs eternal.

[pogo101]

Reminds me of the LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE! video by that Chris Crocker guy.

Sean: “LEAVE HUGO ALONE! SOB”

[Ulysse]

Sean Penn the future foreman of the Cannes’film festival jury in France this year in May...
French losers have their own vision of USA ! A bright vision

[Nickname]

Keep it up, Hollywood.

[Brilliant]

And neither is Castro or Jung-Il...

But Bush... he’s just like Hitler, only worse.