Friends, this is a Reuters’ photo of Muntazer’s nephew. He is holding a photo of his uncle who spoke out for the world. Note the look of worry on the boy’s face.
Note the face of the shoe thrower. He doesn’t look like a hero or a renegade. In fact, he looks like an ordinary, regular human, much like us! The difference is that, to date, he’s braver than us. As well, he’s refused to apologize to Bush over the incident.
The badly beaten Muntazer al-Zeidi is due to be tried on December 31. The whole world waits for the outcome. Will the puppet Government throw the book at him to appease and impress their imperialist American occupiers? Will they instead manipulate the judicial process and outcome to suit their approaching election prospects knowing the popularity of the brave journalist among Iraqis? Will they settle for a middle course and give him some punishment but not the maximum available?
You can bet the phone lines between Iraq and America are running hot. This is a difficult political issue. If the man is punished too severely, or even at all, the whole Muslim world will be up in arms. If he is set free the Americans will lose face given the fact that their President, even if most American citizens think he’s a moron, was so convincingly insulted by, of all people, an ‘Arab’. Shock! Horror! Hang him high!
We who live in the Free World (that’s a joke – what is free? – we don’t enjoy full human rights or equality before the law either) await the outcome. It has significance for the whole world.
This blog is on Muntazer’s side. We want him to be elevated to the status of National Hero. He is already an International Hero.
He stood up for his people and for us against the dark parasitic forces which control and manipulate much of our lives!
Free him! Jail the Parasites!
Here, here. He is all of us, which is why the parasites want to punish him. America could also appear the greater for letting bygones be bygones and make a pronouncement to start off on a new foot in the new year!
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Grace, that there are Americans like you is heartening. But there are Americans in high places who want him severely punished, made an example of.
Can’t have the slaves revolting, eh?
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I’m an American, and when I first saw the footage on TV, I found it quite amusing and I knew the significance of the shoe, Kinda like the middle finger here…with a little oomph! Then I was concerned and pissed to hear he was beaten. So much dehumanizing goes on in this world, that people can’t seem to find the empathy for what all of these people go through on a daily basis.
For my part, I’m hoping they just let it go. How much could he possibly have hurt someone with a shoe? So much for freedom of expression.
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Rip, they’ll close down blogs soon, especially those that attack the vested interests. Do you know of one?
Freedom of expression will stop as will what freedoms we still have.
Cheers.
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What sadness USA, Israel, UK has brought on the people of Iraq. And what is I hear about the sadness the Australians have caused the people of Afghanistan, as have my country, to the nth degree? Those without honor or loyalty, except to their own tribe.
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Yes, Grace, under Howard we were conned by Bush into going to war. Australians opposed it but Howard was too interested in impressing the White House.
We are supposed to be out of Iraq but have a few soldiers (killers) in Afghanistan much to the disgust of most citizens.
Cheers.
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“Rip, they’ll close down blogs soon, especially those that attack the vested interests.” — David G
Yes, but the curtailments of freedoms are seldom, if ever, carried out in a manner that makes the targets obvious.
China has been and is the proving ground for the required technologies, with a little help from major U.S. firms like Cisco Systems and Microsoft. Within the “western democracies” themselves, the arguments follow the usual pattern of “deregulating” telcos, cablecos, etc. to enhance their “freedom” to enjoy greater profits. And we all know that “corporate persons” are the only ones whose freedoms actually matter.
Once the major obstacle of net neutality has been eliminated, the process for converting the internet into a vast wasteland like all the other corporate media profit centres is mere detail. Without sponsors like Faux News and CNN, you’re dead meat — or perhaps you’d prefer to join the Disney-ABC group.
My own country, BTW, is no laggard in making the appropriate(?) preparations legislatively and otherwise. (See http://www.neutrality.ca/ ) Have fun “throwing shoes” while you’re still able.
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Thanks, Arvy! Living as I do on the edge of a small, rural town, it’s not easy finding someone important to throw shoes at.
The Parasites don’t visit here too often!
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