ABC News, Feb. 13, 2007

Link to Video Statement of Support  

Actor Defends Lieutenant Who Faced Court Martial Over Refusal to Serve in Iraq  

Feb. 11, 2007 - Sean Penn was in Fort Lewis, Wash., this week to support Lt. Ehren Watada, on trial for refusing orders to fight in Iraq. Watada told the court martial, which is steeped in controversy and ended in a mistrial Wednesday.

Sean Penn [partial transcript]: Lt. Watada has made it very clear and in taking the position that he did, he's made it very clear. He's willing to make that sacrifice, he's willing to, quote/unquote, "Pay the price." But the price we'd be asking him to pay is to punish a good deed, is to punish an honest soldier who's a patriot with great integrity and great courage for having courage, for having integrity and for being an American willing to call into question the lies of this administration. ...

Lt. Watada is serving a great obligation to those soldiers in his unit and to all those soldiers who are fighting in Iraq right now. He is standing to ask the questions that have to be asked on their behalf. He is fighting the fight. ...

Thomas Jefferson said that dissent is our highest level of patriotism. And so, whether it's dissent or celebration of American policy - and I believe that there are people that believe on both sides of that, relative to this war - without debate, we have no America.