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Date Posted: 12:37:53 12/17/08 Wed
Author: M.Denil
Author Host/IP: 72.75.110.85
Subject: So, you think slaves should be silent?
In reply to: Prairie Dawg 's message, "what did it accomplish?" on 18:41:36 12/16/08 Tue

He stood up and told off a foreign invader in a gesture everyone in that part of the world understands. No one expected generalissimo El Busho to change his behavior, or to apologize, or even to understand; that certainly wasn't the point.

When General McAuliffe, defending Bastogne, replied "Nuts" to a demand for surrender, the recipients of that message didn't understand it either. But, of course, McAuliffe is an American, and a hero, and by definition a good guy, so it is considered a wholly appropriate answer and very much to the point by most Americans.

Muntadhar al-Zaidi, on the other hand, is by definition, to most Americans, a sub-human who engaged in a strange quixotic gesture for unfathomable reasons. Did he really expect Bush, or even the proud parents of individual members of the murderous occupying thug forces who have destroyed his society and home to welcome or understand his action, or even concede that he might have a point? I doubt it very much. He had other reasons, and other audiences.

As to what his gesture means, one need only consult any book on etiquette abroad. One is strongly warned about even crossing one's legs (say, resting the foot on the opposite knee) in these countries; lifting the foot and showing the sole is a faux pas at best. Throwing a shoe at the head is a strong gesture. It is nothing like a pie in the face; it is closer to being slapped with a bag of shit. I agree it is likely a bit mild a gesture when applied to generalissimo Bush, but give al-Zaidi a break; he had to improvise.

One possible good to come out of this may be a little more backbone in the Iraqi Parliament:

- IRAQ TROOP DEBATE ENDS IN UPROAR
- Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, Iraq's parliament speaker, has threatened to resign following house arguments concerning the presence of foreign troops and the imprisonment of a local journalist who threw his shoes at George Bush.
- Furor descended on parliament on Wednesday when legislators bickered over whether Muntadhar al-Zaidi, who hurled his shoes at the US president on Sunday, should be released from jail.
- Speaking to Al Jazeera, Mahmoud Othman, an Iraqi member of parliament, said it had been argued that keeping an Iraqi journalist in jail while debating immunity for foreign forces in Iraq was unjust. [...]
- Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

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