Saw something about El Chapo and reminded me of Sean Penn. If he has received deeper attention than his ties to Madona, I have missed it. But I believe he deserves a study.
He seems to pop up a lot prior and during some major events in contact with major players.
Prior to last Iraq war:
"During his three days in Baghdad, Sean Penn visited children in a hospital and toured a water treatment facility bombed during the Gulf War. He even got an audience with Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, one of Saddam Hussein's closest advisers."
http:// abcnews.go.com/Travel/story?id=118513&page=1
Lybia:
Upon landing in Benghazi, Libya on Oct. 4, 2011, Penn told AFP, "This is my first visit to inspirational Libya. I am inspired by the Arab Spring, and am here to be able to get a sense of what humanitarian aid can be delivered."
Penn declined to comment on exactly what his plans were during a press conference in Tripoli, Libya. He did praise the Libyan people for their courage to rebel against Qaddafi, and added that he had full confidence that they would succeed in establishing a democracy in their country. "An enormous price has been paid, but I think that there is no question that they can follow it through," he said.
https:// www.cbsnews.com/news/sean-penn-travels-to-inspirational-libya/
Highly publicized meeting with El Chap:
Mexico: Sean Penn's meeting with 'El Chapo' was key to capture.
The photographs bolster the idea that authorities were tracking Penn's movements in a bid to find the elusive Guzman.
https:// www.cnn.com/2016/01/11/americas/mexico-sean-penn-el-chapo-capture/index.html
Haiti:
Sean Penn and Ben Stiller were among the celebrities who attended the Caracol park's opening.
But a year after its opening, the Caracol park was home to just 1,500 jobs — a far cry from the projected 60,000.
"Hundreds of smallholder farmers were coaxed into giving up more than 600 acres of land for the complex, yet nearly 95 percent of that land remains unused," said an Al Jazeera report in September 2013 of the ambitious industrial park.
https:// www.washingtonexaminer.com/clinton-foundation-travels-to-haiti-amid-criticisms/article/2569235
When Penn was presented with a military coin and several honorary certificates of commendation for his service in the Haitian crisis, Lieutenant General P. K. Keen “gave me this look in the eye—a look of pride,” Penn tells Brinkley. “It meant more to me than any movie award.”
Penn—along with the organization he started with Sarajevo-born philanthropist Diana Jenkins—was recently made official “camp manager” of Port-au-Prince displaced persons facility that has housed some 50,000 earthquake survivors.
Following looks like code with talk of light:
“I can always see light in any situation. It’s just the way I’m made. I’m capable of making foolish commitments. Of being a fool. But I can see the light very clearly in terms of the ‘big picture’ for Haiti. It’s a pretty damn distant light. But the brightness of the Haitians’ eyes is enough to make you giddy. There is a strength of character in the people who have, by and large, never experienced comfort. That’s exactly the character that our Main Street culture lacks and needs in the United States. In other words, we need Haiti.”
http:// www.hollywoodnews.com/2010/06/04/sean-penn-talks-about-his-sons-life-threatening-accident/
Iran:
San Francisco - Sean Penn is trading screenplays for a reporter's notebook yet again. The Oscar-winning actor traveled to Tehran, Iran, in June. The San Francisco Chronicle, which has published previous accounts of his travels, is running a five-part series this week on his experiences.
http:// www.banderasnews.com/0508/ent-penn.htm
Cuba and Venezuela:
The actor Sean Penn has flown to Cuba to chase what would be the biggest scoop of his career as a part-time journalist: an interview with Fidel Castro.
The Oscar winner, who last year bagged interviews with Raúl Castro and Hugo Chávez, is reportedly on assignment for Vanity Fair in his quest to meet Cuba’s former president.
Venezuela’s socialist president, who seldom gives interviews, gave ample access to Penn and arranged an interview with Raúl Castro, Cuba’s even more interview-shy president.
http:// havanajournal.com/culture/entry/sean-penn-in-cuba-with-hopes-to-interview-fidel-castro/