Quote-O'-The Day: Nobel Peace Prize v. Shoe-Throwing edition

By GottaLaff

Oh, suh-nap!

"Gives us a sense of momentum when the United States has accolades tossed its way rather than shoes."

-- A State Department spokesman, quoted by CNN, on President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize.

(via)

Iraqi shoe thrower to be released early

By GottaLaff

Shoe Department:

An Iraqi journalist imprisoned for hurling his shoes at former President George W. Bush will be released next month after his sentence was reduced for good behavior, his lawyer said Saturday.

Muntadhar al-Zeidi's act of protest during Bush's last visit to Iraq as president turned the 30-year-old reporter into a folk hero across the Arab world, as his case became a rallying point for critics who resented the 2003 U.S. invasion and occupation.

"Al-Zeidi's shoes were a suitable farewell for Bush's deeds in Iraq," Sunni lawmaker Dhafir al-Ani said in welcoming the early release. "Al-Zeidi's act expressed the real will and feelings of the Iraqi people. His anger against Bush was the result of the suffering of his countrymen." [...]

Defense attorney Karim al-Shujairi said al-Zeidi will now be released on Sept. 14, three months early.

"We have been informed officially about the court decision," al-Shujairi told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "His release will be a victory for the free and honorable Iraqi media." [...]

The case's investigating judge has said the journalist was struck about the face and eyes, apparently by security agents who wrestled him to the ground and dragged him away.

Al-Zeidi's family has said he was also mistreated while in custody, although the government has denied the allegation.

"We thank God that he will be released, although we still fear for his safety since he is still in the prison," his brother Dargham said. "He will be released full of pride and strength from all the love he has received from the Iraqi people and international organizations and figures who advocate freedom."

Court reduces sentence for Iraqi shoe-thrower

By GottaLaff

Here's an idea: How about throwing the guy who started the fraudulent Iraq war into jail, too:

Iraq's federal appeals court has reduced the sentence for the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at then-President Bush at a news conference in December, his lawyer told CNN on Tuesday.

Muntadhar al-Zaidi now will serve one year in jail instead of three, the attorney said. Bush was able to duck, and was unhurt in the incident. [...]

Al-Zaidi's lawyer, Dhiaa al-Saadi, said the appeals court announced its decision to reduce the sentence Monday, after lawyers appealed the criminal court ruling. [...]

Al-Zaidi became a kind of hero after his actions, because of Bush's unpopularity — mainly as a result of the Iraq War. Expressing their own freedom on Facebook, a worldwide fan base rose up. Supporters formed hundreds of fan pages and groups, including one called the "Shoe-Throwing Appreciation Society."

Shoe-thrower gets three years

By GottaLaff

So many mixed messages, so little time.

"Freedom is untidy and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things." -- Donald Rumsfeld, 2006.

The Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at George Bush, gaining instant hero status in much of the Arab world, has today been sentenced to three years in prison.

Muntazer al-Zaidi, 30, who worked for the al-Baghdadiya television channel, shouted "Long live Iraq" when the sentence was read out.

Zaidi had earlier pleaded not guilty and said his actions were a "natural response to the occupation".

He was given the three-year sentence for assaulting a foreign head of state during an official visit.

Of course, that would be after a foreign head of state assaulted his entire country.

After the verdict was announced, his relatives erupted in anger, shouting that the decision was unjust and unfair. Some collapsed and had to be helped from the court. Others were forcibly removed by security forces as they shouted "Down with Bush" and "Long live Iraq".

"This judiciary is not just," Zaidi's brother Dargham said. Another brother, Uday, said the verdict was politically motivated. The journalist's sister, Ruqaiya, burst into tears, shouting: "Down with Maliki, the agent of the Americans," referring to the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki.

There's that newborn democracy rearing its Bushy little head again. See? See how they're honing the politicization of their justice system? BushCo, meet Mini-BushCo... all while fomenting even more resentment toward the United States.

Zaidi's lawyers said he would appeal against the sentence. [...]

Zaidi, who seemed nervous throughout, began to restate his defense from the first session of the trial, saying that he had not "intended to kill Bush or humiliate him." He explained that when he saw "the occupiers' president" smiling, he "imagined millions of Iraqis killed every moment at Bush's orders." His testimony was then interrupted by the judge, who told him to keep quiet unless he had anything new to say. [...]

The trial began on 19 February but was adjourned until today as the judges considered a defense argument that the charge was not applicable because Bush was not in Baghdad on an official visit, having arrived unannounced without an invitation.

However, Rubaie read a response from the prime minister's office that said the visit had been official.

The chief defense lawyer, Dhia al-Saadi, demanded that the charge be dismissed, saying his client's action "was an expression of freedom and does not constitute a crime".

Makin' progress! Let freedom reign! Wait a minute... Didn't the Bushies say "they hate us for our freedoms"? Does this mean...? Could it be...? Is it possible... that they now... hate themselves?! Will Iraq be the new central target of terrorists... because they're so free?

Irony isn't dead. That was just a rumor.

"I thought about what the achievements were -- killing about a million Iraqis," Zaidi said. "I saw only Bush and it was like something black in my eyes." [...]

A poll released today, commissioned by ABC News and the BBC, suggests 62% of Iraqis regard the shoe-thrower as a hero. Twenty-four percent of respondents saw him as a criminal who had assaulted a visiting head of state. [...]

Prior to the start of the trial, Zaidi claimed he had been beaten and tortured while in custody.

Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose.

From the Dep't. of Whatever Happened To...? Trial date set for Iraqi shoe thrower

By GottaLaff

He'd be wise to walk in barefoot:

The Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at former President George W. Bush will be tried in two weeks, a spokesman for Iraq's Higher Judicial Council judge told CNN.

Muntadhar al-Zaidi faces charges of assaulting a foreign head of state on an official visit to Iraq. The trial is scheduled to begin on February 19, the spokesman for Judge Abdul Sattar al-Beeraqdar said.

Al-Zaidi has been detained for nearly two months and his appearance in court will mark the first time he has been seen in public since his arrest. [...]

In December, Al-Zaidi's defense team filed an appeal requesting the charge be changed from "assaulting" a head of state to "insulting." Al-Zaidi's chief defense attorney, Dhiyaa al-Saadi, said the appeals court ruling left it up to the court trying al-Zaidi — the Central Criminal Court of Iraq — to decide what charges he will be facing.

According to the Iraqi penal code, anyone who assaults a foreign head of state is punished by "imprisonment for a term of years," with the sentence length up to the court. Al-Saadi told CNN in December that his client could face 15 years in jail if convicted. On the other hand "insulting" a foreign head of state is punishable by a two year prison sentence and a fine.

Al-Saadi said he has been allowed only one meeting with his client, in December, during the nearly two months that al-Zaidi has been in custody.

Al-Zaidi marked his 30th birthday in jail last month. One of his brothers told CNN he "in good health and is being treated well."

Al-Zaidi's employer, TV network al-Baghdadia, keeps a picture of him at the top left side of the screen with a calendar showing the number of days he has spent in detention. The network has been calling for his release.

Bush should consider himself lucky. He got to witness Iraqi democracy in action... whizzing right by his thick skull.

Shoe on the other foot: 'Shoe monument' in Iraq taken down one day after it was unveiled

By GottaLaff

Remember this uplifting story? So much for the new, "democratic", free-speech-oriented Iraq:

The monument commemorating the journalist who hurled his shoes at President Bush was taken down a day after it was erected, local officials in Tikrit told CNN. [...]

But officials from Salaheddin province told CNN that the monument was removed after a request from the central government, which has charges pending against al-Zaidi [Bush's shoe-thrower]— now in an Iraqi jail.

After the request was made, Iraqi police visited the location to make sure that the shoe monument was removed.

"We will not allow anyone to use the government facilities and buildings for political motives," said Abdullah Jabara, Salaheddin deputy governor.

Al-Zaidi's angry gesture touched a defiant nerve throughout the Arab and Muslim world. He is regarded by many people as a hero and demonstrators last month took to the streets in the Arab world and called for his release. [...]

The orphans helped al-Amiri build the $5,000 structure in 15 days, said Faten Abdulqader al-Naseri, the orphanage director.

"Those orphans who helped the sculptor in building this monument were the victims of Bush's war," Al-Naseri said. "The shoe monument is a gift to the next generation to remember the heroic action by the journalist." [...]

One of his brothers told CNN he "in good health and is being treated well." [...]

By tradition, throwing a shoe, is the most insulting act in the Arab world.

I'd like to correct what I wrote at the top of the post. Iraq is, indeed, a democracy: A Bush democracy. Let's hope that President Obama will have a more positive influence.

Payback: Iraqi statue of giant shoe honors attack on Bush

By GottaLaff

Richard Perle, 2003:

A year from now, I’ll be very surprised if there is not some grand square in Baghdad that is named after President Bush.

He was close:

A sofa-sized shoe statue was formally unveiled to the public today in Tikrit, the hometown of the former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

Baghdad-based artist Laith al-Amari described his fiberglass-and-copper work as a homage to the pride of the Iraqi people.

The statue also has inscribed a poem honoring Muntadhar al-Zeidi, the Iraqi journalist.

Al-Zeidi is the man who threw the shoe at Bush.

Some stories don't require snarky punch lines.

H/t: DKos