Shoe-Thrower Got Statue

[Eki]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,485055,00.html

Statue Dedicated to Bush Shoe-Thrower Unveiled in Saddam's Hometown

Thursday, January 29, 2009

BAGHDAD — When an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at George W. Bush last month at a Baghdad press conference, the attack spawned a flood of Web quips, political satire and street rallies across the Arab world. Now it's inspired a work of art. A sofa-sized shoe statue was unveiled Thursday 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 was charged with assaulting a foreign leader, but the trial was postponed after his lawyer sought to reduce the charges.

[Mark in Oshawa]

EKi...these were the same people who got lots of goodies from Saddam while the rest of the country was raped. You of course wouldn't mention this.

Oh..and ask yourself this question: Would anyone who threw a shoe at Saddam be alive by nightfall? Would his death be messy? Just little questions to remember when you realize Iraq is now a lot better place now even with all the turmoil and fighting between 2002 and 2007.

[555-04Q2]

Just little questions to remember when you realize Iraq is now a lot better place now even with all the turmoil and fighting between 2002 and 2007.

I have a fellow distributor in Iraq who I talked to at our 2008 Briggs & Stratton International CSSD's Conference in Dubai over 15-18 November 2008. He will tell you the opposite to what you suggest. Life in Iraq, according to him and he is an Iraqi, is now twice as bad as it was before. To quote him, "I cant even drive to work anymore, I have to catch a bus and hope it doesnt get attacked. I have already experienced that on several occasions". In 2006 his business partner was taken hostage and a ranson had to be paid for his release.

Yup, sounds like a better place to me.

[schmenke]

I would think that the shoe thrower would have been better off getting a new shoe :mark:

[schmenke]

I remember reading an article (no, no link - look it up yourselves) a while back that suggested that, on any given day, the average Iraqi citizen is 50 times more likely to get killed now than when Saddam was in power.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I have a fellow distributor in Iraq who I talked to at our 2008 Briggs & Stratton International CSSD's Conference in Dubai over 15-18 November 2008. He will tell you the opposite to what you suggest. Life in Iraq, according to him and he is an Iraqi, is now twice as bad as it was before. To quote him, "I cant even drive to work anymore, I have to catch a bus and hope it doesnt get attacked. I have already experienced that on several occasions". In 2006 his business partner was taken hostage and a ranson had to be paid for his release.

Yup, sounds like a better place to me.

Maybe....I aint saying it is the garden of eden...but there is something to be said for the potential of things getting better there. They may have ended up in this state of affairs at some point when Saddam died. Neither one of his idiot sons would have likely controlled the country without a fight and when dictators fall through their own mortality, the factions vying for power often make a mess similar to what we saw the last 5 years. There have been a lot of reports saying that people in Iraq have more opportunity now too. I am not going to argue with you entirely that things are good there. It is a dangerous place but please spare me how living under Saddam was easy either. Would you argue that South Africa was better off under apartheid then under the ANC led government it has now? If you do, then you are telling the black majority they didn't deserve an opportunity. The fact the country has a lot of crime issues now isn't changing the fact people now are not being held down by their own leaders. They are being held down by their fellow citizens greed and lust for violence. That can be dealt with in time...whereas the boot of oppression usually has to be lifted by force...

[Mark in Oshawa]

I remember reading an article (no, no link - look it up yourselves) a while back that suggested that, on any given day, the average Iraqi citizen is 50 times more likely to get killed now than when Saddam was in power.

The average American is more likely to be killed on the street than he would be in North Korea but I can guess only an idiot would like in North Korea by choice unless he was the idiot in charge....

[Jag_Warrior]

I heard somewhere that when old Akmed "Two Shoes" gets out of jail, the Yankees have offered him a $7 million/year contract as a pitcher. No doubt about it, that boy has a got a mean fast ball... fast shoe... whatever. :D

The guy has become a sort of hero in much of the Arab world for what he did. If Bush had been smart (yeah, I know... cue laughter), he would have appealed to the Iraqis to be lenient on him. That would have taken some of the wind out of the matter, IMO. But now.... I predict this guy will probably get elected to office in Iraq when he gets out of jail (and gets done playing for the Yankees).

[Easy Drifter]

I understand his best pitch is the beanball. :eek:

[555-04Q2]

I am not going to argue with you entirely that things are good there. It is a dangerous place but please spare me how living under Saddam was easy either. Would you argue that South Africa was better off under apartheid then under the ANC led government it has now?

1. Living under Saddam was safer and easier as far as my contact is concerned. Cant comment for the rest of their country though.

2. South Africa was a lot safer under the old regime, suprisingly even for the black population, but definetely far, far better and more open than under the old regime.

[Tazio]

I heard somewhere that when old Akmed "Two Shoes" gets out of jail, the Yankees have offered him a $7 million/year contract as a pitcher. No doubt about it, that boy has a got a mean fast ball... fast shoe... whatever. :D

The guy has become a sort of hero in much of the Arab world for what he did. If Bush had been smart (yeah, I know... cue laughter), he would have appealed to the Iraqis to be lenient on him. That would have taken some of the wind out of the matter, IMO. But now.... I predict this guy will probably get elected to office in Iraq when he gets out of jail (and gets done playing for the Yankees).As I stated on another thread:
:dozey: "The first shoe/pitch was a good two seam sinking fastball!
The problem was that he left it high!
That pitch has to got to be down in the zone to be effective" :p :

[Mark in Oshawa]

1. Living under Saddam was safer and easier as far as my contact is concerned. Cant comment for the rest of their country though.

2. South Africa was a lot safer under the old regime, suprisingly even for the black population, but definetely far, far better and more open than under the old regime.


Well in the case of 1. I wont dispute his feelings but ancedotal evidence is fine. That said they have elections there now and for the most part it is THEIR country to do what they wish with and there is only a violent minority that are messing with that. At some point, the people there have to take control of the chaos that a few would cause.

In the case of 2. it sums up a lot really. You can be safe in a prison, but is that really living? I wont dispute the streets of Iraq are not that safe in some cities but hey, walk around downtown USA in some major cities at the wrong hour and you aren't safe at times either. Still doesn't change the fact that living under a government that allows you personal freedom gives you opportunity and an ethical way of life. Under Saddam, the only way to really find wealth or achieve goals was to play the game in his system. Be a brutal enough thug in his name and you could be something. Pay enough homage to him and you might keep what you earned. Last time I looked, that wasn't really living.

[555-04Q2]

Well in the case of 1. I wont dispute his feelings but ancedotal evidence is fine. That said they have elections there now and for the most part it is THEIR country to do what they wish with and there is only a violent minority that are messing with that. At some point, the people there have to take control of the chaos that a few would cause.

In the case of 2. it sums up a lot really. You can be safe in a prison, but is that really living? I wont dispute the streets of Iraq are not that safe in some cities but hey, walk around downtown USA in some major cities at the wrong hour and you aren't safe at times either. Still doesn't change the fact that living under a government that allows you personal freedom gives you opportunity and an ethical way of life. Under Saddam, the only way to really find wealth or achieve goals was to play the game in his system. Be a brutal enough thug in his name and you could be something. Pay enough homage to him and you might keep what you earned. Last time I looked, that wasn't really living.

:up:

It is sad that there are so few "safe" places left in the world. Hell, I remeber playing in the street outside my house as a young boy until well after dark and there was no fear from my folks or me. Today my son cant even play in the street during the day let alone when the lights go out :(

[Mark in Oshawa]

:up:

It is sad that there are so few "safe" places left in the world. Hell, I remeber playing in the street outside my house as a young boy until well after dark and there was no fear from my folks or me. Today my son cant even play in the street during the day let alone when the lights go out :(

But you are free to move, free to live in the country, free to emigrate. In Saddam's Iraq, your quality of life was restricted and you didn't have those same freedoms in the sense the Iraqi citizenery does now.

With Freedom comes often additional threats at times. Still doesn't change the fact you have some control as a result on how to avoid these threats whereas in a police state...you are "safe" just like Mandela was safe on Robben Island.....