Note: This is an archived site. Each piece, each section was written for a particular purpose, a specific audience… for a given moment in time. Without proper context, an article, etc. can be puzzling, off-putting. Perhaps… only read what’s recommended directly to you. WHAT’S BELOW IS UNEDITED. It was written for Ana LaDou, Rachel Karten, Mara Buxbaum and their associates, accomplishing so much with so little. [In a sense, this was written because of them, their collective efforts with Sean Penn.] UPDATE AS OF 12:50 P.M., 7/14/10: I should have made a distinction between those doing PR for Sean’s project and those working on the ground — more directly — with him on behalf of the Haitian people. To be explained upon request. I am learning about the “differences” as get deeper into the J/P HRO efforts.

The Penn Sieve Sean
by Richard Martin Oxman

“…if there’s enough public support in the United States….” — Sean Penn from http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/13/sean_penn_on_haiti_six_months

“Penn for Governor without any campaigning, without having to collect signatures, and on a zero budget as a write-in, is that right, Papi?” — the author’s ten-year-old son with a spot on take of his father’s vision

“Yes, we are documenting ourselves to death. Sean Penn is doing something in Haiti. You go down there, or do some fund raising for him, or spotlight his work, or do all three.” — Marcelle Cendrars in a note to the author

He doesn’t have to win the gubernatorial race. The powers that be wouldn’t permit that, anyway, even if he did garner the 5 million votes or so necessary. No, he can be well on his way to accomplishing virtually the same thing by simply securing a million votes in 2010 California. For that represents DOUBLE what ALL third parties have ever collected in any gubernatorial contest in history in any state. And creating such a watershed in history would give Sean Penn a permanent spotlight. So many of the issues which are dear to his heart — and ours — would take on a new importance.

Public support for Haiti?

Whatever Sean Penn would want people to focus on with their pocketbooks or minds, well… it would be a whole new ballgame out there. Because securing a million votes out of nowhere on a zero budget in under four months would create an unprecedented magnet… that would not lose its power of attraction.

There’s no denying that actually winning the Sacred Seat in Sacramento as per TOSCA’s initial plans would be much preferable, but we have to be real about our potential at this juncture. [The concept of TOSCA's "gubernatorial dozen" would be an asset, however, and the link is recommended reading.]

In fact, not having the great unilateral power of the gubernatorial seat at one’s disposal can be replaced with singular recruitment which aims to empower people to overcome resignation, apathy, cynicism, ignorance and atomization. Which substitutes an unnecessary attachment to leadership with a deep desire to take over the reins of power for oneself. With action that follows a new paradigm for pushing change. [Elaboration upon request, of course.]

To make a historical mark of such immense proportions without money and without dependence on mainstream media would give Sean Penn’s own media outlet – an obligatory creation — a huge dedicated following. People would cherish the fact that the truth was not being tweaked or omitted altogether. He could speak out vigorously, repeatedly and creatively on Haiti and a lot more. So could others aligned with the same priorities, agenda.

I personally have loads of differences with Sean Penn, judging from some of his comments in the Amy Goodman interview (link above), but in the heartbreaking (b)light of Haiti and his devotion of heartbeats to the people there… the “differences” are truly peripheral, not core concerns for our immediate purposes. The purposes delineated at http://jphro.org/.

We must not succumb to sound biting this proposal of mine.

I beg those who are reading this to give me an opportunity to delineate ALL aspects of the Sean Penn gubernatorial run that I have in mind. Leisurely, with lots of time for Q&A.

For now, permit me to simply point out the obvious. That Sean Penn would be the perfect public servant for helping us to sift out the lumps in our thinking, enabling life-giving liquids to flow in a healthy direction.

And if he got that million votes — which I can absolutely guarantee that he would — why he’d be able to be the Penn Sieve Sean from a film set or under a tent in Haiti. For everyone would be paying attention, hanging on his words and actions. Not just an insufficient number from Democracy Now!’s audience and other alternative media outlets.

If either one of the two major party candidates gets into office unencumbered by the kind of singular opposition I’m recommending above, we are doomed. We all have deadlines — not just the people of Haiti — and something fresh must be attempted. Whether or not it’s what I have in mind.

That said, I don’t see anything else on the horizon that’ll do the trick. The sweetest of the registered third parties are permanently marginalized as things stand, and major career politicians… well, we all know what to expect from that quarter.

Sean has been straining in Haiti for a very long time now, has been sifting lots of valuable information here and there for the U.S. public for even longer.

I trust that Executive Director Ana LaDou, Rachel Karten and Mara Buxbaum will push the envelope with Sean, on the basis of the above, so that a rendezvous can be arranged. ASAP. For to push the envelope with U.S. citizens to the degree that will be necessary in the coming months demands an additional angle, if you will. The public is too distracted and burnt out to do without this supplemental effort of historic dimensions. Or something along similar lines.

For the seeds that have been planted to bloom in time, I ask everyone to be a bit pensive about my proposal.

Contact Ox at 831-688-8038 at any hour. Or email aptosnews[at]gmail.com or tosca.2010[at]yahoo.com. Others who will immediately kick into high gear if we receive a “green light” from Sean Penn (his imprimatur only) are listed at http://oxtogrind.org/archive/556. [The vast majority of them.] Local contacts chomping at the bit to get with this effort include Lisa Massaciuccoli massaciu@yahoo.com, Arnold Pepper impelus@gmail.com, Marcelle Cendrars bcendra@yahoo.com, and Marcello marcelsgeo@yahoo.com, among many others in California.

Special note: The U.S. has life and death influence over too many people abroad for foreigners not to have some say in our policies. Sean Penn is, perhaps, an ideal person to guarantee that that’s in play in our electoral arena — the say so of “others” — and relish the prospect of injecting such a transformative element into our political dialogue. More importantly, even with only four months remaining in California’s gubernatorial race we have a shot at pushing the hand of whoever’s in office to make use of powers which have never been tapped. Sean Penn’s head, heart and soul is in a healthy place, and we owe it to ourselves to put him into a proper spotlight.