Guy who threw shoe at Bush gets a monument in Iraq

[Lord of the Abyss]

Link

Rememer that guy who threw a shoe at Bush ? Now there's a small monument to him in Iraq. First time I've heard of a giant shoe as a monument.

BAGHDAD – When an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at George W. Bush last month at a Baghdad press conference, the attack spawned a flood of Web quips, political satire and street rallies across the Arab world.

Now it's inspired a work of art.

A sofa-sized sculpture — a single copper-coated shoe on a stand carved to resemble flowing cloth — was formally unveiled to the public Thursday in the hometown of the late Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein.

Officials and visitors walked around the outdoor sculpture during the brief ceremony, pondering on its eccentricities — such as a tree poking up from the shoe's interior.

Its sculptor called it a fitting tribute to the shoe hurler, Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi, and his folk hero reputation in parts of the Muslim world and beyond.

The Baghdad-based artist, Laith al-Amari, said the work honors al-Zeidi and "is a source of pride for all Iraqis." He added: "It's not a political work,"

But its location in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, about 80 miles north of Baghdad, is a point of reference for prewar nostalgia among some Iraqis.

The sculpture also includes an ode to al-Zeidi and mentions the virtues of being "able to tell the truth out loud."

Al-Zeidi had shouted in Arabic as he pulled off his shoes and heaved them at Bush during the news conference. "This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq," screamed al-Zeidi, who was working for a Cairo-based television station.

Bush dodged both shoes, but the image was extremely powerful in Arab culture, where throwing shoes at someone is a sign of extreme contempt. Iraqis whacked a toppled statue of Saddam following the U.S.-led invasion with their shoes and slippers.

"This monument ... will remain a present for the forthcoming generations," said Fatin Abdul-Qadir al-Nasiri, director of a Tikrit orphanage whose children helped fashion the sculpture. "(They) will remember the story of the hero (al-Zeidi) who bid farewell to the U.S. president ... in such a way.

Al-Zeidi was scheduled to face trial last month on a charge of assaulting a foreign leader, but the court date was postponed after his attorney filed a motion to reduce the charges.

On Monday, Swiss lawyer Mauro Poggia said al-Zeidi planned to seek political asylum in Switzerland, but one of al-Zeidi's brothers denied the report.

[FaxModem1]

This is like something out of a political cartoon.

[KlavoHunter]

Hopefully they remember and understand the significance of the fact that we Americans didn't torture him and his entire family to death for the insult, the way that Saddam or any other totalitarian ruler in the Middle East would have likely done.

Let them have their shoe. Maybe it will represent something greater to them in the future after the US leaves Iraq. Perhaps it will one day serve as a symbol of civilized values.

[Lord of the Abyss]

Hopefully they remember and understand the significance of the fact that we Americans didn't torture him and his entire family to death for the insult, the way that Saddam or any other totalitarian ruler in the Middle East would have likely done.

The significance that he's in a country full of people who agree with him, and that Bush was on the verge of leaving power, and that he made himself too public a figure for us to haul off and torture to death without notice ? We've certainly tortured and murdered enough Iraqis that he's not going to be stupid enough to think it's because we are morally superior to Saddam.

Let them have their shoe. Maybe it will represent something greater to them in the future after the US leaves Iraq. Perhaps it will one day serve as a symbol of civilized values.

If a man striking out at a monster ( even if in a trivial way ) counts as "civilized values", then yes it does stand for that.

[Zixinus]

I have to say this: "Bush was such an awful president, that when someone threw a shoe at him, a monument was created to the shoe-thrower."

Really, that certainly gives some perspective. Perhaps not for the best of reasons, but still, thisis an achievement.

[K. A. Pital]

Hopefully they remember and understand the significance of the fact that we Americans didn't torture him and his entire family to death for the insult

Maybe after around half a million, and quite possibly over a million, of them has perished as a result of your war and occupation, they would not be so keen to remember that. And of course Saddam was worse than the islamist fanatics who are far more dedicated and prone to random violence than Saddam's secular government was, and who got what they wanted when the US invaded Iraq - a beacon and a place where they could do war against the Great Satan.

Also, considering how the US really tortured Iraqi inmates, that statement just makes me laugh. You didn't torture him, right - you tortured others. Incidentally, neither did Saddam torture him, despite the fact that he tortured others. So your difference from Saddam is not even clear at all.

[Shroom Man 777]

Is the guy even still alive, anyway? Wasn't he disappeared? The last I read of him was that his publisher or something couldn't locate him.

[Sky Captain]

I have heard the company who make that particular model of shoe now has so any orders they have hired dozens of new workers and still cant meet the demand.

[KlavoHunter]

Maybe after around half a million, and quite possibly over a million, of them has perished as a result of your war and occupation, they would not be so keen to remember that. And of course Saddam was worse than the islamist fanatics who are far more dedicated and prone to random violence than Saddam's secular government was, and who got what they wanted when the US invaded Iraq - a beacon and a place where they could do war against the Great Satan.

Also, considering how the US really tortured Iraqi inmates, that statement just makes me laugh. You didn't torture him, right - you tortured others. Incidentally, neither did Saddam torture him, despite the fact that he tortured others. So your difference from Saddam is not even clear at all.

I do not condone the actions of the Bush administration, I'm just going by what I see as the best possible outcome in the future from the shitty events of the past 8 years, in relation to this incident.

[cosmicalstorm]

Hopefully they remember and understand the significance of the fact that we Americans didn't torture him and his entire family to death for the insult, the way that Saddam or any other totalitarian ruler in the Middle East would have likely done.

Let them have their shoe. Maybe it will represent something greater to them in the future after the US leaves Iraq. Perhaps it will one day serve as a symbol of civilized values.

You dumb shit.

Shoe thrower 'beaten in custody'
The brother of the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush has said that the reporter has been beaten in custody.

Muntadar al-Zaidi has allegedly suffered a broken arm, broken ribs and internal bleeding, his older brother, Dargham, told the BBC.
Mr Zaidi threw his shoes at Mr Bush at a news conference, calling him "a dog".

A spokesperson for the Iraqi military says the journalist is in good health and said the allegations were untrue.

It is unclear whether the reporter may have been injured when he was wrestled to the floor at the news conference, or at a later point.

The head of Iraq's journalists' union has asked the government for clemency towards the journalist who is still in custody.

A spokesman for Iraq's High Judicial Council said that Mr Zaidi, accompanied by defence and prosecution lawyers, had been brought before the investigating judge, Reuters news agency reported.

Abdul Satar Birqadr said Mr Zaidi had been charged with aggression against a president.

"He admits the action he carried out," the news agency quoted Mr Birqadr as saying.

Earlier, Dargham al-Zaidi told the BBC's Caroline Wyatt in Baghdad he believed his brother had been taken to a US military hospital in the Iraqi capital.

Hero figure

A second day of rallies in support of Mr Zaidi were held across Iraq, calling for his release.

Meanwhile, offers to buy the shoes he threw are being made around the Arab world, reports say.

Mr Zaidi told our correspondent that despite offers from many lawyers his brother has not been given access to a legal representative since being arrested by forces under the command of Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, Iraq's national security adviser.


The Iraqi authorities have said the 28-year-old will be prosecuted under Iraqi law.
Iraqi lawyers had earlier speculated that the charges could include insulting a foreign leader and the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri Maliki, who was standing next to President Bush during the incident.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail.

Our correspondent says that the previously little-known journalist from the private Cairo-based al-Baghdadia TV has become a hero to many, not just in Iraq but across the Arab world, for what many saw as a fitting send-off for a deeply unpopular US president.

As he flung the shoes, Mr Zaidi shouted: "This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog."

Dargham al-Zaidi told the BBC that his brother deliberately bought Iraqi-made shoes, which were dark brown with laces. They were bought from a shop on al-Khyam street, a well-known shopping street in central Baghdad.

However, not everyone in Iraq has been supportive of the journalist's action.

Speaking earlier in Baghdad, Mouyyad al-Lami described Mr Zaidi's action as "strange and unprofessional", but urged Mr Maliki to show compassion.

"Even if he has made a mistake, the government and the judiciary are broad-minded and we hope they consider his release because he has a family and he is still young," he told the Associated Press news agency.

"We hope this case ends before going to court."

Abducted by insurgents

The shoes themselves are said to have attracted bids from around the Arab world.

According to unconfirmed newspaper reports, the former coach of the Iraqi national football team, Adnan Hamad, has offered $100,000 (£65,000) for the shoes, while a Saudi citizen has apparently offered $10m (£6.5m).


The daughter of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Aicha, said her charity would honour the reporter with a medal of courage, saying his action was a "victory for human rights".
The charity called on the media to support Mr Zaidi and put pressure on the Iraqi government to free him.

Mr Zaidi, who lives in Baghdad, has worked for al-Baghdadia for three years.

Muzhir al-Khafaji, programming director for the channel, described him as a "proud Arab and an open-minded man".

He said that Mr Zaidi was a graduate of communications from Baghdad University.

"He has no ties with the former regime. His family was arrested under Saddam's regime," he said.

Mr Zaidi has previously been abducted by insurgents and held twice for questioning by US forces in Iraq.

In November 2007 he was kidnapped by a gang on his way to work in central Baghdad and released three days later without a ransom.

He said at the time that the kidnappers had beaten him until he lost consciousness, and used his necktie to blindfold him.

Mr Zaidi never learned the identity of his kidnappers, who questioned him about his work before letting him go.

[KlavoHunter]

You dumb shit.

I don't see anywhere in there where this man and/or his family were tortured to death, genius.

[Phantasee]

You dumb shit.

I don't see anywhere in there where this man and/or his family were tortured to death, genius.

Are you fucking kidding me? Are you saying that you can't torture someone to death, but torture up to the point of death is alright?

I'm not sure if I should laugh. I hear it's rude to laugh at mentally retarded people.

[KlavoHunter]

I never said that what happened to the guy was right, I am only pointing out that my earlier post only referenced people being tortured to death.

[Ryan Thunder]

You dumb shit.

Same to you?

A spokesperson for the Iraqi military says the journalist is in good health and said the allegations were untrue.

But, of course, unsurprisingly, you're gonna tell me that the authorities are a less reliable source than the guy who decided to throw his shoes at the president of the United States, right?

[Lord of the Abyss]

A spokesperson for the Iraqi military says the journalist is in good health and said the allegations were untrue.

But, of course, unsurprisingly, you're gonna tell me that the authorities are a less reliable source than the guy who decided to throw his shoes at the president of the United States, right?

Since the "authorities" in this case are a bunch of collaborators with the guy who had a shoe thrown at him, of course.

[Knife]

A spokesperson for the Iraqi military says the journalist is in good health and said the allegations were untrue.

But, of course, unsurprisingly, you're gonna tell me that the authorities are a less reliable source than the guy who decided to throw his shoes at the president of the United States, right?

Since the "authorities" in this case are a bunch of collaborators with the guy who had a shoe thrown at him, of course.

lol, I am more or less on your side until this post. Wouldn't the brother of the 'shoe thrower' be a collaborator with the shoe thrower? Deductive reasoning like this works both ways man.

[Ryan Thunder]

Since the "authorities" in this case are a bunch of collaborators with the guy who had a shoe thrown at him, of course.

Oh, give me a break. You're going to have to do a bit more than assume guilt by association.

Knife also makes a good point.

[Lord of the Abyss]

Wouldn't the brother of the 'shoe thrower' be a collaborator with the shoe thrower?

Not unless he militarily conquered his brother. .

More seriously; the point is I see no reason to trust a bunch of people collaborating with conquerors. And it's a perfectly plausible accusation. And we aren't going to get anything like an objective view until a neutral third party has a look, if then ( depending if the torture methods would leave marks ).

Oh, give me a break. You're going to have to do a bit more than assume guilt by association.

Like what ? A fair trial after an objective investigation ? There's no chance of that.

[18-Till-I-Die]

Frankly i think that conservatives are someday going to accept the reality that the world despises them, their beliefs and what they have done to Iraq. I think someday they will realize that not only do the Iraqis not genuinely give a fuck about being "saved", they don't consider it to be saved at all, seeing as conservative estimates from very credible sources put the death toll of this cataclysm at around 500,000 or so. I think maybe, someday, they're realize that their chosen leader-cum-dictator Bush was so utterly, thoroughly hated by the Iraqis that a man who threw a shoe at him in a fit of pique now has a monument to him.

Yeah...

And someday wings will spring forth from my ass and i'll fly to the moon.

[Rye]

Frankly i think that conservatives are someday going to accept the reality that the world despises them, their beliefs and what they have done to Iraq. I think someday they will realize that not only do the Iraqis not genuinely give a fuck about being "saved", they don't consider it to be saved at all, seeing as conservative estimates from very credible sources put the death toll of this cataclysm at around 500,000 or so. I think maybe, someday, they're realize that their chosen leader-cum-dictator Bush was so utterly, thoroughly hated by the Iraqis that a man who threw a shoe at him in a fit of pique now has a monument to him.

Yeah...

And someday wings will spring forth from my ass and i'll fly to the moon.

The idea that the Iraqis do not give a fuck about being free of Saddam is reactionary anti-war nonsense. The Kurdish region in the North is relatively stable, stable enough to be taking tourists and investors, in fact. The most recent Beeb videos from Iraq show that though the suicide bombings and such continue, things are getting better, and lots of Iraqis/Americans have made friends with each other. Sure, there's a lot of lingering anti-occupation resentment, lots of terrorism and soforth, but to characterise the situation like you did was inexcusable stereotyping.

[Duckie]

I'm sure the non-dead Iraqis really appreciate the tourism money and freedom. The dead ones? Maybe not so much. 18 might have a point with his post.

[K. A. Pital]

I'm sure the non-dead Iraqis really appreciate the tourism money and freedom.

Change that to "Kurds", and the point may stand.

[Lord of the Abyss]

Sure, there's a lot of lingering anti-occupation resentment, lots of terrorism and soforth, but to characterise the situation like you did was inexcusable stereotyping.

This was a war of conquest, nothing more. As for any supposed positive responses from the Iraqis, what do you expect them to say to someone who might drag them off and kill or torture them ? Let's see how they sound when we're gone.

[Ryan Thunder]

Wouldn't the brother of the 'shoe thrower' be a collaborator with the shoe thrower?

Not unless he militarily conquered his brother. .

More seriously; the point is I see no reason to trust a bunch of people collaborating with conquerors. And it's a perfectly plausible accusation. And we aren't going to get anything like an objective view until a neutral third party has a look, if then ( depending if the torture methods would leave marks ).

Yeah, so your reasoning boils down to "rar they work with America!11" Why am I not surprised?

Oh, give me a break. You're going to have to do a bit more than assume guilt by association.

Like what ? A fair trial after an objective investigation ? There's no chance of that.

Like I said, the street goes both ways. Demonstrate to me, beyond a reasonable doubt, that they're lying.

[Rye]

I'm sure the non-dead Iraqis really appreciate the tourism money and freedom. The dead ones? Maybe not so much. 18 might have a point with his post.

I don't think the dead care one way or the other. Whether the deaths of thousands of people justified the current situation or not, it is still inaccurate to claim that even the majority don't care about Saddam being gone or that they universally despise the war, which is the impression I got from "I think someday they will realize that not only do the Iraqis not genuinely give a fuck about being "saved", they don't consider it to be saved at all". Additionally, the following graph shows the civilian death trends in Iraq:



The trend is obvious; while Iraq's handling by the neocons was indeed disastrous and riddled with corruption, things are getting better, and unless we have reason to believe the BBC is lying, the people there, especially groups like the kurds, are better than they were under Saddam.

As for any supposed positive responses from the Iraqis, what do you expect them to say to someone who might drag them off and kill or torture them ? Let's see how they sound when we're gone.

Is this "unsubstantiated liberal conspiracy" hour or something? You think the 5k people questioned did it out of fear of being taken away by Americans if they said otherwise? Do you have any evidence of this?