Editor＇s note: Sean Penn, famous American actor and director, married Madonna in 1985 and divorced four years later after their marriage. Listed as one of twelve “Promising New Actors of 1984” in John Willis' Screen World. Ranked #76 in Empire (UK) magazine's “The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time” list [October 1997]. He starred in I am Sam, Sweet and Lowdown, The Thin Red Line, Dead Man Walking, Bad Boys,etc. In Dec 2002,he held a press conference to denounce the war against Iraq. On Jan 19th,2003, he paid $56,000 to have his open letter to President Bush published as an advertisement in the Washington Post and expressed his idea that the war with Iraq was avoidable. Below is part of the letter.
注：西恩·潘，美国著名演员、导演。1985年与麦当娜结婚，4年后离婚。曾先后获得柏林影帝、嘎纳影帝、威尼斯影帝等大奖，3次获奥斯卡最佳男演员提名。被《银幕世界》列为最有前途的12位新人之一，在英国《帝国》杂志评选的100位顶尖影星中排名76，主要电影作品包括《我是山姆》、《甜蜜与卑微》、《细细的红线》、《死囚漫步》《坏小子》。2002年12月，西恩·潘曾举行记者招待会，反对美对伊动武。2003年1月19日，西恩·潘给布什总统写了一封公开信，并自掏腰包5.6万美元，在《华盛顿邮报》买下一个版面发表。潘认为这是一场可以避免的战争。以下是该信的部分内容：
Mr. Bush:
Good morning sir. Like you, I am a father and an American. Like you, I consider myself a patriot1. Like you, I was horrified2 by the events of this past year, concerned for my family and my country. However, I do not believe in a simplistic3 and inflammatory4 view of good and evil. I believe this is a big world full of men, women, and children who struggle to eat, to love, to work, to protect their families, their beliefs, and their dreams.
My father, like yours, was decorated5 for service in World War II. He raised me with a deep belief in the Constitution6 and the Bill of Rights7, as they should apply to8 all Americans who would sacrifice9 to maintain them and to all human beings as a matter of principle. Many of your actions to date10 and those proposed seem to violate11 every defining principle12 of this country over which you preside13...
How far have we come from14 understanding what it is to kill one man, one woman, or one child, much less the “collateral damage15” of many hundreds of thousands. Your use of the words “this is a new kind of war” is often accompanied16 by an odd smile. It concerns me that what you are asking of us is to abandon all previous lessons of history in favor of17 following you blindly into the future. It worries me because with all your best intentions18, an enormous economic surplus19 has been squandered20. Your administration21 has virtually22 dismissed23 the most fundamental24 environmental concerns and therefore, by implication25, one gets the message26 that, as you seem to be willing to sacrifice the children of the world, you would also be willing to sacrifice ours. I know this cannot be your aim. So, I beg you, Mr. President, listen to Gershwin27, read chapters of Stegner28, of Saroyan29, the speeches of Martin Luther King30.
Remind yourself of America. Remember the Iraqi children, our children, and your own... Yet, that bombing31 is answered by bombing, mutilation32 by mutilation, killing by killing, is a pattern that only a great country like ours can stop. However, principles cannot be recklessly33 or greedily34 abandoned in the guise of35 preserving them.
Avoiding war while accomplishing national security36 is no simple task...Weapons of mass destruction37 are clearly a threat to the entire world in any hands. But as Americans, we must ask ourselves, since the potential38 for Mr. Hussein to possess them threatens not only our country, (and in fact, his technology to launch is likely not yet at that high a level of sophistication39) therefore, many in his own region would have the greatest cause for concern. Why then, is the United States, as led by your administration, in the small minority40 of the world nations predisposed41 toward a preemptive military assault42 on Iraq?
Simply put, sir, let us re-introduce inspection43 teams, inhibiting offensive capability44. We buy time45, maintain our principles here and abroad and demand of ourselves the ingenuity46 to be the strongest diplomatic muscle47 on the planet, perhaps in the history of the planet. The answers will come. You are a man of faith, but your saber48 is rattling49 the faith of many Americans in you. I do understand what a tremendously daunting50 task it must be to stand in your shoes at this moment. As a father of two young children who will live their lives in the world as it will be affected by critical51 choices today, I have no choice but to believe that you can ultimately52 stand as a great president. History has offered you such a destiny53. So again, sir, I beg you ...Don't destroy our children's future. We will support you. You must support us, your fellow Americans, and indeed, mankind ...We know that Americans are frightened and angry. However, sacrificing American soldiers or innocent civilians54 in an unprecedented55 preemptive attack on a separate sovereign56 nation, may well prove itself a most temporary medicine.
On the other hand, should you mind and have faith in the best of this country to support your leadership in representing a strong, thoughtful and educated United States, you may well triumph57 for the long haul58. Lead us there, Mr. President, and we will stand with you.
Sincerely,
Sean Penn
San Francisco, California
布什先生：
您好。与您一样，我身为人父，也是美国公民。与您一样，我也认为自己是一个爱国者。与您一样，我也关心我的家人和国家，对过去一年的恐怖事件深感愤慨。然而，对于那种过于简单、并带有煽动性的善恶观，我却不敢苟同。我相信这是个拥有男女老少的广大人间，他们为了温饱、为了爱、为了工作、为了保护家人、信仰及其梦想而奋斗着。
与您的父亲一样，我父亲也曾因在二战期间的表现得过勋章。自小他就培养我对《宪法》和《人权宣言》抱有坚定的信念，因为这是所有的美国公民应该不惜一切遵循的准则，也是全人类应该遵循的原则。然而，您迄今为止的种种行为乃至策划中的种种行为，似乎都违反了您所领导的这个国家确定无误的每一条原则……
我们远远没有意识到屠杀一个人（无论是男人、女人还是孩子）意味着什么，更没有意识到数十万无辜者深受其害的“旁系损害”意味着什么。您用到“这是一场新型战争”的字眼时，常常带着奇怪的微笑。我担心的是您在要求我们抛弃先前的历史教训，盲目地追随您进入未来。我担心是因为您的“好意”已使巨大的经济赢余挥霍一空。您的政府实质上对最基本的事关人权的环境问题不予理睬，因此，人们不妨这样理解您所作所为的暗示：您似乎不惜牺牲全世界的孩子，当然也会不惜牺牲我们自己的孩子。我知道这并非您的本意，因此，总统先生，我恳求您，听一听格什温的歌曲，读几篇斯泰格纳和萨瓦扬的文章，听几段马丁·路德·金的演说吧。
别忘了美国。别忘了伊拉克的孩子，我们的孩子，还有您自己的孩子……然而以轰炸来回应轰炸，以伤害来对付伤害，用屠杀来报复屠杀，是只有像我们这样的大国才有能力结束的一种罪恶循环，却绝不能打着保护人权和宪法准则的幌子，不计后果、急不可耐地丢弃人权和宪法准则。
避免战争同时又要保护国家安全，这绝对不是一件容易的任务……任何人手中拥有的大规模毁灭性武器无疑对全世界都是个威胁。但是作为美国公民，我们不妨自问：既然侯赛因先生拥有武器潜在威胁到的不仅仅是美国，（事实上，他的技术很可能还没有达到那么高的复杂水平），因而伊拉克所在地区的国家有更大的理由表示关注。那么为什么，您的政府所领导的、占世界众多国家的少数派——美国，要率先发起针对伊拉克、先发制人的军事袭击呢？
简而言之，总统先生，让我们重新借助武器核查小组，抑制它们的攻击能力。我们要争取时间，在海内外坚持原则，采取灵活性，发挥这个地球上、也许是这个地球上有史以来最强大的外交影响。答案就会从中找到。您是一个有信念的人，然而您的政见动摇了许多美国人对您的信任。我很理解，此刻处在您的位置是多么令人惊心动魄。身为两个孩子的父亲，当他们生逢其时的世界就要面临严峻选择的时候，我别无选择，只能寄信于您，作为总统，您最终会以伟人姿态立足于世。这是历史赋予您的使命。所以，总统先生，再次恳求您……不要毁了孩子们的未来。我们一定支持您，您也必须支持我们、您的同胞，甚至全人类……我们深知，美国人十分害怕，也深知他们的愤慨。但以牺牲美国士兵以及无辜百姓的性命为代价，对一个独立的主权国家发动空前的、先发制人的攻击，这种做法，显然只是一种权宜之计。
另一方面，如果您在意并且相信这个国家的精英分子支持您的领导，拥护您的政府代表一个强大的、有思想的、有涵养的美国，您旷日持久的努力才可能获得胜利。率领我们走向这一目标吧，唯其如此，总统先生，我们才会和您站在一起。
诚挚的西恩·潘
于加州，旧金山
1． patriot n． 爱国者
2． horrify v． 惊骇，极度愤慨
3． simplistic adj． 过于单纯的
4． inflammatory adj． 煽动性的
5． decorate v． 表彰……
6． constitution n． 宪法
7． the Bill of Rights 人权法案
8． apply to 适用于
9． sacrifice v． 牺牲
10． to date 到目前为止
11． violate v． 违犯
12． defining principle 解释明白无误的准则
13． preside v． 主持
14． come far from． ． ． 远离……
15． collateral damage 间接的损害
16． accompany v． 伴随
17． in favor of 支持
18． intention n． 目的，意图
19． enormous economic surplus 巨大的经济盈余
20． squander v． 浪费
21． administration n． 政府
22． virtually adv． 实质上
23． dismiss v． 解除，使／让离开
24． fundamental adj． 基本的
25． implication n． 暗示，含义
26． message n． 讯息
27． Gershwin 格什温，美国作曲家，钢琴家
28． Stegner 斯泰格纳，美国作家
29． Saroyan 萨瓦扬，美国作家，剧作家
30． Martin Luther King 马丁·路德·金，美国民权运动领袖
31． bombing n． 轰炸
32． mutilation n． 切断，损毁
33． recklessly adv． 不计后果地
34． greedily adv． 渴望
35． in the guise of 在……的伪装下
36． security n． 安全
37． weapons of mass destruction 大规模杀伤武器
38． potential n． 潜能，潜力
39． sophistication n． 混合
40． minority n． 少数
41． predipose v． 预先安排，偏向于
42． preemptive military assault 先发制人的军事袭击
43． inspection n． 核查，检查
44． inhibit v． 抑制，约束 offensive
adj． 攻击性的 capability n． 能力
45． buy time 争取时间
46． ingenuity n． 灵活性
47． diplomaticadj． 外交的
48． saber n． 政见
49． rattle v． 发出咔嗒声，此处指破坏
50． daunt v． 沮丧
51． critical adj． 严峻的
52． ultimately adv． 最终
53． destiny n． 命运
54． innocent civilian 无辜的贫民
55． unprecedented 空前的
56． sovereign adj． 独立自主的
57． triumph v． 获得胜利
58． haul n． 拖、拉