A small group of anti-war activists gathered outside the White House Wednesday to show solidarity with the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush last weekend.
Members of the theatrical protest brigade Code Pink left several dozen pairs of shoes in front of the White House to represent some of the hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians killed during the war in Iraq, and they called for the release of Muntadar al-Zaidi. It was Bush, they said, who should be in jail.
“It’s not enough to throw a shoe at him, he needs to be hauled before an international court and charged for war crimes,” Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin said.
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Mikael,
As I noted, the country chose not to prosecute Pres. Truman or LBJ either, even though they did much more damage to innocents than Pres. Bush did. Pres. Ford pardoned Nixon and I think he was right to do so. We simply do not have the time as a country to prosecute every one for everything they have done wrong; we would never get anything else done! As Michelle Obama said in a speech, “I wish we had time to angry, but we do not.” We have to choose as a society which things to persue and which to let go of. Pres. Bush did some wrong things but his intentions were good. I think most Americans will want to put this behind them and get on with other business.
Obama for Light,
How soon after your daughter or wife was raped would you say “This issue is so yesterday”?
You are supporting a complete disregard for the Rule of Law and an attempted destruction of our Constitution with your position.
What happens when the next President decides that the war crimes of Bush going unpunished is a warrant to repeat them and much worse? What happens when it isn’t just a few Americans who are arrested and detained indefinitely without every being charged?
How low will you allow the NEXT president to go? Is there no limit to your permissiveness in the name of unity?
This issue is so yesterday. President Obama wants to unite everybody and you are trying to divide us. And really, we didn’t prosecute Truman for dropping the bomb on Japan, we didn’t prosecute either LBJ or Nixon for VietNam, so why make an issue out of Bush? Just because he is Republican? We have so many bigger issues to worry about now, like the economy. I will not support any harrassment of Pres. Bush once he leaves office and I doubt few other Americans will either.
The entire congress should be on trial for war crimes. They’ve known about the illegalities for a number of years now and have done nothing! They are accomplices after the fact!
Mikael,
My apologies for not having posted for sometime. It’s has been a busy, yet joyous, time here at the DNC headquarters.
It pains me to see people burning effigies, or this case throwing shoes at then. To 90% of the citizens of America the only thing these people do is make themselves look like fools. And since they are part of the extreme left-wing, people tend to associate them with the Democratic Party. This makes our more pragmatic efforts to restore American Socialism as a credible alternative to the Corporate Imperialism, that has robbed the people blind for these past 8 years, a little bit more difficult.
There is nothing wrong with protest. But when the protesters conduct themselves in such a childish way, it undermines they attempt to promote their beliefs and their cause.
For too many years I have had to listen to a great deal of my friends and coleagues in the American left-wing tout Sweden as the “model of democratic socialism”. I am tired of that. For the first time in the history of the United States we have a elected a President who, thanks primarily to his mother, is well versed in the writings of Marx, Engels, and Lenin. Finally, we have the best chance we have ever had in 30 years to make this country a modern Socialist autocracy that is not only like the nations of western Europe and Canada, but BETTER than what they have achieved! In the 21st century it is my dream that the rest of the world will point to the U.S. as the model Socialist society.
—
John Spargo
It is called agit-prop theater, Peachie – a style of performance in which political issues are acted out through props and metaphor.
In this case, an ‘editorial comment’ expressed by a highly educated, professional Iraqi journalist through the two gravest insults an Arab can give to someone were reenacted: that of throwing shoes at Bush and thus saying that Bush was ‘lower than the dirt beneath’ his feet and that of calling him “a dog”.
In the street performance by Code Pink, this reenactment drew further press attention to the original action and expressed solidarity with its original expression of sentiment.
While I don’t generally condone violence, this action by a single brave man – since brutally beaten and tortured by the Iraqi police and possibly by Americans as well – perfectly expressed what the vast majority of Iraqis and Arabs around the world – and many Americans as well – think of Bush.
Corporate plant Bush was an unwelcome visitor to the land he illegally ordered invaded and occupied at the behest of his profiteering cronies. He is lucky all he got was a shoe thrown at him. He deserves far worse.
If justice is to be served, at some point he will be tried by an international war crimes tribunal, convicted and punished to the full extent of the law.
Just curious–what does throwing shoes at a Bush puppet accomplish? Does it make these people feel any better? Do they hate Bush any less? Does it bring Bush any closer to impeachment? Is this the best they can do?
Or is this nothing more than good old-fashioned “Bush bashing” lowered to the most puerile and primal level?
This goes a long way toward explaining why efforts to bring Bush to justice have gone nowhere. It’s hard to take people like this seriously. Unless they happen to be children.
Oh my, my apologies, Mikael. It’s there again. Must be my wretched computer acting up again. Sorry
Hey, what’s going on here. I posted, it came up as post #19, then disappeared?
Take a cue from your MasterMime Marceau, Michael: “It’s good to shut up sometimes!”
Wow! I’m suprised that this topic has received so many comments. Your other threads don’t seem to do as well. I was searching for a homepage and decided on Andrew Yu-Jen Wang’s blog. He seems to share some of your opinions, am I right Mikael? The Code Pink Gals would have done better to donate those shoes to a needy organization, rather than throw them at Bush effigies. They look more like the ignorant protesters in the streets of Iraq (isn’t it nice that they can do that now?). [Personal attack deleted].
Dear Mikael,
Chubby surrenders, and has seen the light. In the spirit of the Christmas season, he has asked me to offer you, on his behalf, this olive branch, this token of goodwill, and ask that you let bygones be bygones, and that we all bury the hatchet in the name of–what else? Peace!
http://www.aksalser.com/game.htm
Mikael, Merry Christmas to you and all of yours at the IFP, from all your loyal trolls. Keep those shoes flyin’!
Mimi
Standards:
Chronically criminal world leaders should be held to the Rule of Law
Protest should be treated like protest and not terrorism
Torture should be illegal and torturers should be prosecuted
Questions?
Yes—I agree: Muntadar al-Zaidi should be released immediately, and George W. Bush should be locked away. The American people should really hope that Bush is eventually prosecuted after he leaves office.
Submitted by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang
B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996
Messiah College, Grantham, PA
Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993
Clearly the standards leave much to be desired.
Dagny, If you’re confident of Chubby’s argument, let’s not change the subject. Changing the subject is not a tactic of someone who has confidence in their idea. How is Chubby’s comparison legitimate.
Hitler/Bush comparisons may be accurate depending upon what aspects of the people you’re comparing. Maybe their both good painters, I don’t know. But let’s stick to the topic at hand.
Jodin, comparing Bush to Hitler? Please.
Chubby, comparing WWII with the illegal invasion of Iraq? Please.
Jodin,
I’ll make it easy for you.
Did the USA rape France, Holland, Italy, Belgium and Germany to defeat Hitler? Be honest.
BTW, Sunday night 10PM…”Saddam and The Third Reich” on History International. Do yourself a favor and watch it, then you’ll get a clue.
Summa Cum Laude?
No, Phi Alpha Theta, Egregia Cum Laude.
Comment by Dagny Taggart you dont have any proof little dagny taggart what a liar you are,
Dagny taggart another chump you are little dagny taggart the only documentation is
Dennis MMccullough vs Penn State Police,et,ali
State Police Lost Dagny Taggart you frivilous chump “Libel” proved your so small dagny and with any means
to personnel attack or combat Dennis M Mccullough
Dagny your the mentally challenge person who can’t afford to the ticket,you have no documentation Dagny,pure libel bluff.
Impeachment of Bush/Cheney backed and supported Mikael,,,,,,
Young Chubster,
Once again, be reminded, that name calling and personal attacks are not permitted. Really. You can do better than that.
(Why do I feel like a grade school recess monitor over and over and over again with you, Chubby?)
Chubby, your comment is nonsensical. Your meaning is far from clear. Your conclusion doesn’t follow.
“Sometimes positive results follow atrocities, it doesn’t make the criminal who committed the atrocities innocent.
A rapist may cause a child to be born who is a nice child, that doesn’t make the rapist a hero.”
Wow, talk about a disconnect. With that kind of logic, All of Europe would be called The Third Reich and we’d all be speaking German.
You can’t get any dumber folks.
Sea-Bass
Sometimes positive results follow atrocities, it doesn’t make the criminal who committed the atrocities innocent.
A rapist may cause a child to be born who is a nice child, that doesn’t make the rapist a hero.
Mikael,
What points are there to actually debate? An Iraqi reporter threw some shoes at Bush and you and your band of window lickers are glorifying him for it. The funny thing is, the reporter never would have had the right or had even dared to throw his shoes at Saddam, so the evil bushitler gave this man the freedom to do such a thing. Hmmm, in reality you and the window licking fools are glorifying the very one you hate…lol!!!
What is it about Bush supporters that they are completely incapable of debating the actual points of discussion and can only attack the messenger?
I think Bush should be Impeached for ducking the shoe, I bet you got a semi from watching the Iraqi reporter throw his shoes at the evil bush, didn’t you? But the evil baby killing bush thwarted what could have been your most orgasmic experience ever, the baby killing Bush ducked the shoe that was thrown at him, leaving you limp and searching for the ecstasy that Bush stole from you with his cat like reflexes. Do you stay awake at night having thoughts of ecstasy with the shoe throwing reporter, wishing to embrace this brave and heroic comrade? Playing out in your feeble mind what it would be like to meet your athlete footed Zeus. The evil kitten eating Bush has beat you again, as well as all of these people in this story who are acting like pre-schooler that play with puppets. These people are utterly retarder, lets make a Bush puppet and throw shoes at it so we can show our solidarity with the Iraqi reporter…what great and creative minds all them must have…The puppet and the idea to throw shoes at it are just brilliant, I say good for them…lol!!
Mikael its Dennis M Mccullough this article;
Cheney Publicly Confesses to Approving War Crime of Torture
——
Try a rewrite without the personal line of attack and we will consider allowing it to be posted.]
Comment by Chubby Huggs — December 17, 2008 @ 1:41 pm
4.Sorry Mikael, but there was no “personal line of attack”. The only personal name I mentioned was Andrew and I was hoping for a theological reply on the “God’s fiery judgment” questioned I posed.
The real problem is that you can’t comeback with a snappy retort to the truth.
Everytime that happens, you censor.
This time was no exception.
[Not true at all, Chubster. You can’t seem to find it in yourself to simply debate the facts. For whatever reason you cannot resist personalizing it. Talk about the subject at hand directly and your posts will remain. Attack individuals on this forum and your posts will be deleted. The same rules apply to everyone. You are the only one that seems to have a consistent problem with that.]
Comment by Chubby Huggs — December 17, 2008 @ 8:38 pm
5.Mikael, here is an example of a personal attac…Ahem:
“Dennis M. McCullough is a mentally challenged individual who repeatedly was arrested for harassment and disorderly conduct in the mid-90’s.”
Oh, wait a minute…is real and documented truth a personal attack, or just statement of fact? “A” is “A”, is it not?
[Ed. Note: Do you have a comment to pose on this thread? Do you have anything to contribute to the discussion?]
Comment by Dagny Taggart — December 17
——
mikael I was with the Police this afternoon Chubby Huggs is liar,thta intention personnel which Chubby Huggs not big enough to with me and a pig(abuse).
I called the FBI MIKAEL,,,,,,,
CHUBBY HUGGS has a abuse problem……
impeach! call me Mikael Please…..
Makael hello Dennis M Mccullough I contacted the Police and FBI and The D.A Office
they told me to contact Mikael,
Chubby Huggs a liar Mikael I was with Police afternoon Mikael,Mikael we have a dispute
Impeach!