Journalist throws shoes at Bush

[Teuthida]

http://james.nerdiphythesoul.com/ben...id=duLds-TZMGw

[GameMaster]

Originally Posted by Teuthida

http://james.nerdiphythesoul.com/ben...id=duLds-TZMGw

I knew there to be another Digg reader here. I just had to plant the bait and wait.

[Angrist]

America, delivering the world the freedom to throw shoes.

[Bube]

To be honest, if it wasn't for himself, Bush would never have been able to go to Iraq, so the guy would never have needed to throw his shoes at him. Bush brought this upon himself.

[Nighthawk]

the game everyone has been waiting for

[Angrist]

Hehe, great.

[KillerGremlin]

Funny shit....Bush's grin is priceless.

I keep saying it...Bush is a hella cool guy. I mean I think he would be a fun guy to smoke a bowl with and go to the strip club. I could see him having a few drinks, putting some singles in some g-strings....

I mean he seems like a really cool guy.

Cool president? Eh....entertaining, sure. Intelligent, probably. Good president? Not likely.

He'd make a cool uncle though.

Add to the list of Muslim stereotypes:
1) keep their women in check
2) go alalalalala and darka darka
3) fly planes into things
4) throw shoes

[KillerGremlin]

[mickydaniels]

Sorry, but the fact that the guy left behind a note saying it's great to die a matyr tells me he could care less about his punishment, only getting out his message.
By the way, this guy could get 15 years in prison, not exactly simple assault. Interesting that you state he was an idiot for using his shoes. Is nonviolent protest the only acceptable form of protest now? Would King George III have received a respectable reception here in the 1770's?

[KillerGremlin]

Originally Posted by mickydaniels

Is nonviolent protest the only acceptable form of protest now

Well when you put it that way, we should have just shoot the shoe-throwing mother fucker. And then when the rest of the world complained about our cruelty we could wave our big American dicks at them and remind them that we have the largest stockpile of nukes, the largest spread of foreign occupancy, and huge economic power.


seriously you guys are making way to much of something that is supposed to be funny.

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by mickydaniels

Sorry, but the fact that the guy left behind a note saying it's great to die a matyr tells me he could care less about his punishment, only getting out his message.
By the way, this guy could get 15 years in prison, not exactly simple assault. Interesting that you state he was an idiot for using his shoes. Is nonviolent protest the only acceptable form of protest now? Would King George III have received a respectable reception here in the 1770's?

So assualt is acceptable protest? In that case, I'm going to go smash Obama in the head with a brick because of his stimulus plan. After all, its just protest, right?[/sarcasm]

Yes, non-violence is the only form of protest that is acceptable. Anything else is not protest, but revolution. Protest works to CHANGE THE MINDS of those in power by making a statement. Revolution is an attempt by bypass the system all together. You reference of King George only serves to illustrate that fact, as the Colonists petitioned George for YEARS to have a voice and equal rights without success, and the revolution was a war to send them home, not a form of protest.

I'm a little dismayed at you seeming acceptance of violence as a legitimate form of protest. Martin Luther King and Ghandi understood that when you react violently you only serve to alienate those that you disagree with, rather than changing their minds.

In the end Bush came out looking good in all of this, and most people view the shoe thrower as a fool. Bush didn't overreact and even made some memorably funny quotes. So this "protester" did nothing to help his cause, and instead made Bush look better because of his moronic actions.

[thatmariolover]

Originally Posted by Professor S

So assualt is acceptable protest? In that case, I'm going to go smash Obama in the head with a brick because of his stimulus plan. After all, its just protest, right?[/sarcasm]

Of course I don't think throwing a shoe (or violence in general) is an acceptable form of protest. But you do have to take his point of view to heart before judging him. He doesn't recognize Bush as somebody that gave him freedoms. He sees Bush as the leader of a military occupation of his country. If the US was crumbling from within and another country came over and enforced unfamiliar rules and laws, of course part of the population would rebel.

Those supporting this war see themselves as benefactors, bringing the light and justice to the underprivileged. But not all of them want our help, and you can hardly expect them to take that sitting down. Of course there are less violent ways to express your frustration than throwing a shoe.

In the end I think 15 years in prison is hardly a just punishment for somebody who threw a shoe for something he truly believes in.

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by thatmariolover

Of course I don't think throwing a shoe (or violence in general) is an acceptable form of protest. But you do have to take his point of view to heart before judging him. He doesn't recognize Bush as somebody that gave him freedoms. He sees Bush as the leader of a military occupation of his country. If the US was crumbling from within and another country came over and enforced unfamiliar rules and laws, of course part of the population would rebel.

Those supporting this war see themselves as benefactors, bringing the light and justice to the underprivileged. But not all of them want our help, and you can hardly expect them to take that sitting down. Of course there are less violent ways to express your frustration than throwing a shoe.

In the end I think 15 years in prison is hardly a just punishment for somebody who threw a shoe for something he truly believes in.

I recognize his rights to dislike Bush, and I recognize his argument as being a legitimate one, even if I disagree with it. What Im disagreeing with is the shoe tossing. Its his actions that are punishable, not his ideas or speech, and that was and is my point. The reporter simply could have stood up and screamed the same messages and gotten as much attention for his beliefs.

His show throwing destroyed his own argument and marginalized his opinion because he looks like a fool.

[mickydaniels]

Originally Posted by Professor S

I recognize his rights to dislike Bush, and I recognize his argument as being a legitimate one, even if I disagree with it. What Im disagreeing with is the shoe tossing. Its his actions that are punishable, not his ideas or speech, and that was and is my point. The reporter simply could have stood up and screamed the same messages and gotten as much attention for his beliefs.

His show throwing destroyed his own argument and marginalized his opinion because he looks like a fool.

I don't know about that.
The shoe throwing is something that anybody all over the world can understand without any translation. And compared to other kinds of projectiles, is relatively harmless. Screaming out in Arabic limits his effective audience (would have been carried out anyway). So does using accented English that most people wouldn't understand.

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by mickydaniels

I don't know about that.
The shoe throwing is something that anybody all over the world can understand without any translation. And compared to other kinds of projectiles, is relatively harmless. Screaming out in Arabic limits his effective audience (would have been carried out anyway). So does using accented English that most people wouldn't understand.

So if he had simply gotten up and started to angrily scream, his message wouldn't have been sent? The media wouldn't have covered it or translated his message? Really?

Throwing shoes is assault and is unacceptable under any circumstances, not to mention silly, regardless of the message intended. Something tells me that if some republican whack job had done the same to Obama, you'd be singing a different tune. And no, its not ok because it's Bush.

That said, I think it would be a big PR win if Bush pushed for this guy's release. It would show compassion and in the end shoe throwing is unacceptable but as mentioned, harmless barring some freak accident. The release would go a long way to show that Americans are understanding and magnanimous, a perception we have not cultivated in that region.