December 14, 2008
"This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog. This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq"
[UPDATE] - For the record, Muntazer al-Zaidi, the Iraqi shoe-thrower, is now on my list of personal heroes. His bravery and selflessness should be celebrated around the world, especially in the United States.
It took an Iraqi, through an act of defiant and peaceful protest, to show America how to stand up to a corrupt and incompetent leader.
I hope this is the first in a long and unending series of footwear aimed at George W. Bush. A Traitor To His Nation. The Worst President Ever.
_____________
Looks like someone's in for a little waterboarding tonight...
And for some background, for those of you unfamiliar with this gesture of utter contempt:
In the Arab world, shoe flinging is a gesture of extreme disrespect. A notable occurrence of this gesture happened in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003. When U.S. forces pulled down a giant statue of Saddam Hussein during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, many Iraqi detractors of Hussein threw their shoes at the fallen statue.
This may be an ancient gesture from the Middle East; Psalms 60:8, speaking of some of the traditional enemies of Judah, says that "Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe...." (KJV)
The shoe represents the lowest part of the body (the foot) and displaying or throwing a shoe at someone or something in Arab cultures denotes that the person or thing is "beneath them." Showing the bottom of one's feet or shoes (for example, putting one's feet up on a table or desk) in Arab cultures is considered an extreme insult. Examples include Iraqi citizens smacking torn-down posters of Saddam Hussein with their shoes, and the depiction of President of the United States George H. W. Bush on a tile mosaic of the floor of the Al-Rashid Hotel's lobby, forcing all visitors entering the hotel to walk on Bush's face to enter the hotel.
During President George W. Bush's surprise visit to Iraq in December 2008, an Iraqi man threw shoes at him during a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Kamel al-Maliki.[1]
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53 comments:
i posted a comment to this on another heading but it didn't take long for you to happily post it and what i said was it was interesting to me to see this and i thought if this reporter had done this to another president at another time in history in iraq he would never throw anything ever again with either arm so he should be thanking bush for his new found liberty and waterboarding would be a blessing at least he still has his limbs
Who throws a shoe? Honestly!
It's considered an insult, because most people's shoes once always had shit---human and otherwise---on the bottom.javascript:void(0);
And as usual Bush, completely oblivious to cultural mores and any type of etiquette nuance, 'joked about it later'...
Maybe that's because he couldn't give a rats ass anyway as he laughs his way to the bank to deposit the gazillions his family made on their defense and Halliburton investments.
There has to be a special place in hell for W and his brethren.
DDM, have you thought past your own mindset.
I thought they were supposed to be throwing flowers and candy at us.
Holy shit! When did this happen? Was this today?
The only thing I throw shows at are dogs..... oh wait.
By the time we realize the damage he has done here at home we will all be barefoot as each American slowly slips off each shoe.
At least it wasn't a pile of shit.
He must have practiced at home. That first shot was dead on and the second was thrown under duress and was still close.
:^D
Our man's got the moves!
On an even lighter note, McCain admits he threw us under the bus to get himself elected: Does not support Palin for president.
"...camera;...camera..."
sez the Team Thug.
That's our Georgie Boy!!
Ducking anything IN-COMING, and never losing that smug smirk on his face!!
Thank you Iraq...you dont know how many of us feel he deserved that smack upside the head!!
He is the worst president in history!!
bush looked like he was smiling, i thought it was the funniest thing no wonder he can take all those hits on his policies and personality, he has some sweet reflexes. he is so used to dodging the issues. LOL
yes this is the ultimate insult shoe throwing but what really is the ultimate insult is that iraq has been won and the cowards are still in their caves after what 7 years while bush is visiting what for the 7th time and they are reduced to throwing shoes wait two shoes and the left in this country and their counter parts abroad actually with a straight face state what an honor it is for the shoe thrower to perform this act imagine believing this garbage
I guess the secret service people for Bush are with Obama now? Seems odd to me it took so long before anyone rushed to protect him. But then again, maybe the secret service have little respect for him as well sure seemed they could have cared less.
Has there ever been a bigger bafoon and idiot than this man??
As we say in Texas, All hat, no cattle.
That's the funniest thing I've seen since Chavez called Bush the devil at the UN:
Chavez on the Devil
Bush is such a tool. Sadly many Americans still don't see it. Of course, Obama will prove to be just as big a tool. It's only going to take a bit longer for most to realize it because he's black, well spoken and intelligent.
Who throws a shoe?
My mother, for one. This brought back horrific nightmarish memories of dodging my mothers shoes. And I never knew she was also inflicting extreme disrespect on me, rather than just pain and suffering. hehehe
Eddie Murphy had the same problem... 4:15
Eddie Murphy, Mother's Shoes
.
Quick move.
Bush: 2
Iraqi: 0
Bring 'em On!
Now we know how to properly send him off in a few weeks.
This was a wonderful bit of guerilla theater, we should all be out in the street throwing shows and shouting that all the politicians must go, all of them, every last one and we the people will form a new government that respects life, dignity, peace and justice. They all must go! Throw the shoes at all of them. We can start by defunding all wars and instituting a department of peace.
The stupidest thing I keep hearing is how in Islamic culture, throwing or hitting someone with a shoe is a sign of great insult. To which I ask, in what culture is getting a shoe thrown at you considered a compliment??????
Words have meaning, actions have consequences, numbers have value, and, of course, last but not least, shoes are projectiles.
A dude like Bush representing us on the world stage makes us all look like morons, I hope B.O. is better, so far, he's looking like crap, a scandal of corruption before even swearing-in.
Maybe I should take-up praying, seems like the only thing left........
Throwing a pair of handcuffs across his wrists is more appropriate.
link fixed to Eddie Murphy on shoe throwing...
4:15
Eddie Murphy's Mom
.
Do we have any reporters in the US that have the balls to throw their shoes at any of the following?
Bernanke
Paulson
Pelosi
Cheney
Obama
Clinton
Frank
Rice
Powell
Emanuel
I doubt it. American journalists are bought and paid for. They couldn't give a rat's ass about their country or their people. At least the Iraqis still have some dignity.
To quote Anonymous: DDM, have you thought past your own mindset.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D5oKEVqQJg
DDM was making an austin powers reference, obviously.
i laughed
gwk said "he should be thanking bush for his newfound liberty"
Over one million men,women,and children dead,plus the depleted uranium to ensure devastated future generations just to capture some oilfields in the name of "newfound liberty."
gwk...a chainsaw to your worthless carcass "would be a blessing"
I'm just disappointed it took an Iraqi to stand up and make a statement.
300 million Americans, that's 600 million shoes just waiting to be thrown.
I hope Bush gets shoes thrown at him regularly for the rest of his life.
TV news here reports that the Iraqi journalist also shouted that "you have destroyed many families here in Iraq and orphaned children and widowed wives"
Some body can fill up on this.
What a waste of a shoe.
He threw his shoes at the American president.
He threw his shoes at the American president.
Wow.
Now that is a statement. Why can't we do something meaningful like that?
Oh, I know. We are anesthetized.
This one man did more with this one act than any American these past eight years.
Muntadar al-Zaidi - add him to my personal heroes list (joining David Kessler, David Walker, the China Tank guy, and Lenny Skutnik)
They're rallying today in Iraq in support of him:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7783608.stm
And I'm digging the throwing shoes thing. I encourage all of you, if you're ever lucky enough to be in the presence of any of the bastards who ruined America and took down the world financial system, to take off those sneakers and toss 'em.
And try not to miss.
But, see, here's the thing. For all of our talk of 'freedom', we really are not that free in this country. If any of us tried to throw shoes, or anything else for that matter, at a politician, we would be tackled by security, dragged off to jail, charged with assault and battery, and fined or sued. So much for freedom. Yes, we can protest, but protestors get drowned out, escorted off as 'disruptive' and 'dangerous', harassed, sometimes jailed, and generally ignored. (See the Berrigans.)
It's just so much easier to sit on the sofa, shake our heads in disgust, and pop another cheezdoodle. Ho Hummm...
Let the foreigners throw the shoes and go to jail. But, hey, good for them.
Lets sign that man up to play for the Yankees!
"I'm pretty good at ducking, as most of you know," Bush joked, adding quickly that "I'm talking about ducking your questions."...
...As they dragged him off, he was moaning and screaming as if in pain. Later, a large blood trail could be seen on the carpet where he was dragged out of the room...
WH press spin on the event: Due to the high esteem with which GWB is held in Iraq, the local press were taking their shoes off to honor him. This is a long held way of bestowing respect.
Lucky duck.
Would they be throwing rotten tomatoes in Italy? I think Bush should go there next.
I agree with the other poster, it's nice to know he's spry enough to be able to dodge slow moving objects--while the Secret Service seems to stand by and watch.
Of course, the economy is a slow moving object too, and I think his legacy won't be able to dodge that as easily...
Here's W commenting on it. Says he doesn't know 'what the guys beef is'. Ignores the reporter pointing out it's a big insult.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7782911.stm
Every news clip you see the reporter reporting it has a smirk on their face! You can tell everyone loved it!
We ought to take up a collection for the shoe thrower. He's an American hero.
The ancient tradition of executing all of the generals of the victor nation after the war is still a fine tradition in my book.
Do any of you hold any contempt for the French, Russians and Germans that were violating the U.N. Oil For Food Agreements. It's because of them that the sanctions against Iraq weren't working, you know. I was throwing my shoes at them back in 2000. What about the UN Officials who knew the agreements were being violated and did nothing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENAV_UoIfgc&feature=related
Makes one wonder whether Bushco really won their hearts and minds?....LOL
I congratulate the thrower!!!
Love it.
That's the ultimate insult - in Iraqi culture - to hurl shoes at someone.
It's a sign of ultimate disrespect, and contempt for an indivdual.
Of course Bush joked about the incident later, because he's too dumb to realize just what the shoe thowing symbolizes.
By the way - why on earth does the US continue to insult itself (and add to our enormous debt) by sending this guy around the world - on the tax payer's backs - to make matters even worse for ourselves down the road?
Obama has been dealt the worst sh*t cream pie ever given to a president on behalf of a prior administration.
This guy is obviously going to be fired. If I knew where to send him some cash, I would. Two things I wish "someone" would do:
1. Organize a way to donate money to the shoe thrower.
2. Design an online game where I can throw a shoe at Bush, too.
SeattleMoose wrote: I congratulate the thrower!!!
Now way! He missed! No way should he be congratulated for that.
it's very typical of cowards who want you to perform some acts of defiance such as suicide bombs flying planes into buildings blowing up women and children in the name of god or simply throwing a shoe at the president of the united states and i say this as i read your poll question would i throw a shoe at bush i would rather you say that you would throw the shoe given the opportunity why ask someone else go do it yourself with a little ingenuity you should be able to pull this off you are a member of the media #1 housing blog only cowards ask other people to do what they themselves won't do and i don't believe you are a coward so get your best shoes and drop into washington before he leaves office and have at it
your in great company keith libya gave this reporter a medal sadar city is rejoicing the whole arab world is celebrating and i ask you if he for some reason threw his shoes at let's say the king of one of these beautiful countries or maybe the esteemed leader of libya in all honesty do you think he would be hailed as a hero or would he be hailed as a complete raving lunatic that no one would support because he would have been taken into custody before the second shoe and by the end of the day would be pleading to go to his 70 virgins
's very typical of cowards who want you to perform some acts of defiance such as suicide bombs flying planes into buildings blowing up women and children in the name of god or simply throwing a shoe at the president of the united states and i say this as i read your poll question would i throw a shoe at bush i would rather you say that you would throw the shoe given the
What's more cowardly?
1) Dropping cluster bombs from the stratosphere on innocent villagers in Afghanistan?
2) Throwing your shoes at "The Decider" in point blank range of the Secret Service?
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