Besides having a great name (“Tara”, one of my favorites), Washington Examiner reporter Tara Palmeri exercised her first amendment rights in the presence of Sean Penn and lived to tell about it. She didn’t end up in jail, a place Penn has publicly stated he believes journalists belong when using words he doesn’t approve of (like “dictator” when referring to dictator Hugo Chavez).

During a gala at the Washington Hebrew Congregation, members of media were invited to ask Penn one question behind closed doors. Palmeri asked about the reaction of Penn’s critics since he told CBS News he wished they would all “die screaming of rectal cancer”.

Immediately, publicity coordinator C.J. Jordan interrupted to say the reporter was only allowed to talk about the Haitian benefit. But Penn responded in a bored or chronically sleepy tone, “”I don’t think a discussion of critics has anything to do with the people…there.”

It’s also unclear how people dying in an agonizing death of rectal cancer also benefits the people….there, but the reporter wasn’t given the opportunity to continue her line of questioning.

Palmeri was escorted out, after Penn, again appearing to fight off a caffeine low, told her, “”You know, I think that you are investing in a culture that I am not interested in. And you should go your way.”

Going her way had led to Sean Penn and the publicity coordinator having Palmeri escorted out. Perhaps instead of “go your way”, he meant “go away”. And perhaps instead of “die screaming of rectal cancer”, he meant “lie dreaming of O’Reilly Factor.”

Once escorted out, Tara Palmeri was then scolded by the publicity coordinator because she “desecrated this sacred place” where rectal-cancer-Grim-Reaper-wisher Sean Penn, at that moment, was sitting and demanded a letter of apology be written to the Haitian ambassador, which will no doubt benefit the people…there.