Treatment of Shoe Throwing Iraqi Journalist Raises Questions About US as Liberators

I'm vlogging about how the treatment of the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush, a broken arm and ribs, calls into question our role as the liberators of the Iraqi people. While if he had thrown shoes at Saddam he'd be dead, how much more authentic our claims to be democratizing Iraq would be if he'd been unharmed and not in jail facing 2 years in prison.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Shoe Throw
• Iraq Journalist
• Bush

[lulunarf]

I'm arguing that it sets a terrible precedent for free speech to prosecute this journalist. I don't think that the particular way that he expressed his opinion was something that should be encouraged. I'm just saying that throwing someone in jail for two years for insulting a foreign leader is a terrible blow to free speech.

[Coleburg]

It would set a terrible precedent to not make an example out of this guy. You would have scenes like this all the time to get attention, which is what he wanted. Journalists need to stop thinking they deserve special treatment.

And the whole argument about not responding to terrorist attacks is suicidal. It's like saying that we shouldn't have declared war after Pearl Harbor because so many people would die in the war. It would have sent a far more horrific message to have not responded at all.

[lulunarf]

It's a good question. I mean, on the one hand, throwing objects is out of line. On the other hand, I definitely take issue with making insulting a foreign leader illegal. That means if he had asked a question as a reporter that was deemed insulting, they could put him in jail for two years. My main area of concern is the existence of laws like that.

[iraq284]

Stfu slut .

[juki0h]

hey, dont take this the wrong way, but you look funny, in a good way

[MinieMermaid]

war on terror is just a war on islam ....... wht abt UN'z report sayin no weaponz of mass desctruction who is USA to gve freedom.......IRAQ Afghanistan now PAKISTAN all targets ov BLOODY BUSH....get the hell outta other countriessssss.... OSAMA IS MERE A BLOODY JOKE THEY CAN FIND ANIMALS LOST IN THE WILD BUT THEY CANT FIND OSAMA ....YES CUZ THE DAY THEY WILL FIND HIM ITLL BE OVER....

[hurataimad]

ignorant £$%, what "you have become

more babarian" you are calling us babarians, saddam was a despot put into power by YOU, you slapper, if he acted like a brute, it was because the CIA wanted it like that.

here was me, thinking this would be an informed vlog, instead it was drenched in the same american ignorance that made them arrogant enough to think that destroying iraq was GOOD!

[clearlyme2u]

Many words but you say so little.

[SpartanOstrich15]

ROFL no, he didn't he gave them the idea of democracy you stupid idiot.

[clockwise28786]

a dumshit bush made them vote he said if u dont vote we will nuke u! so what choice did they have!

[clockwise28786]

right on dude thats so true there just killing innocent civilians. yea theres still the taliban, but y kill civilians?

[SpartanOstrich15]

Plus to fact, in their culture it is very insulting to disrespect a guest, this is not our laws the U.S. has nothing to do with them which is good. We can't invade a country give it freedom and their right to vote then put our own laws or look at a law as unfair and then put our people in and abolish it. If the country became corrupt and a threat to it's own citizens, that would be different but that isn't happening.

[SpartanOstrich15]

Hate us? If they hate us, why did the iraqi parliament re vote us in there. Not only did they re vote us in there, they voted US in the over ANY other country. Yeah, sounds like hate to me. No help? hey the iraqi parliament is VOTING. Over 70% of the people fighting in Iraq want to stay till the job is done. This isn't bush's war, congress voted on it. He can't just go hey go to iraq willy nilly.