Comments on: Shoegate: A ‘Fucktards R Us’ Episode…

By: Julia

Julia — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:19:48 +0000

Fortunately for him, he was able to make his protest, without fear of torture and death hanging over his head.

AH HA HA HA HA HA Oh, wait, you weren’t trying to be funny.

The current Iraqi police and military aren’t much better, in the opinion of the average Iraqi, than they were in the days of Saddam Hussein.

That said, I found it to be an odd and violent protest. And I’m a bit concerned with the level of security that enabled the man to throw a second shoe at a head of state. In general, I think that any security arrangements that result in people throwing things, twice, at a head of state aren’t up to snuff.

By: Sheila

Sheila — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 17:58:58 +0000

I’m not a GWB fan. My first thought when he went into Iraq was that he was doing it for his daddy. I’m also of the opinion that he needs some criminal charges brought against him and the vice-president, but we all know that will never happen.
As for the shoe event it was good for a few laughs but I couldn’t help but point out to a friend just how slowly the President’s Secret Service men reacted.

By: KristieJ

KristieJ — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 16:01:08 +0000

And I don’t believe for ONE MOMENT that Bush did what he did because of 9/11!!!!! Not ONE MOMENT. He had proof that Iraq had nothing to do with it, but he ignored and used manufactured, untrue intelligence – that he KNEW wasn’t true. Yet because he had his own reasons, he ignored it and went ahead and invaded anyways.
Yes – Saddam was an insane butcher of his own people, though that didn’t seem to matter years before when the US worked WITH him. But wasn’t it up to the people of Iraq to take care of it? What business was it of the US to play God and decide which ‘head of state’ to topple. Why not the head of North Korea? He starves his people. Why not the heads of some African nations who commit genocide on their own people? Why not them? Because they don’t have something the US government wants. And just to be totally clear – it’s the US government I hold responsible – not the people of the US. As for the other examples you’ve used – I don’t know enough about it. I wasn’t alive then to watch things play out. But in this case I can see what’s happened. I don’t live in the US so I’ve seen the world media – not just the US version.
If Bush REALLY cared about the perpetrators of 9/11 why didn’t he concentrate in Afghanistan? Instead, Canada has picked up the burden and our troops are dying there. Is that even being reported in the US media? I highly doubt it. What about the British soldiers who have died?
And if he’s so damned concerned, why are returning soldiers being treated like dirt in army hospitals? Why are families living in severely reduced circumstances because their loved ones who are in the army RESERVES being sent to fight a war? Why are rules being rewritten to keep them there when their time of duty should be up?
So please – don’t tell me Bush was doing what he thought was right ’cause that’s a load of crap!

By: Karmyn

Karmyn — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 23:42:11 +0000

I think Bush did what he thought was best. It just didn’t work completely as he thought it would. But at least he got rid of Saddam.
What tickles me is people acting like this has never happened before. Spanish-American War ring a bell?
Plus, if Bush is personally responible for every war death, does that mean President Lincoln is the worst mass murderer in American history?

By: Nicola O.

Nicola O. — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:01:27 +0000

I don’t actually know the background on any particular cultural meaning of throwing shoes, but it was a security breach, for sure.

GWB deserves life in Leavenworth, as far I’m concerned, so as to the question of whether he, personally, deserves insult, I’d say hell yeah.

By: West

West — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 23:04:57 +0000

I’m with the shoe-thrower. He was angry, and expressing an opinion in a way that matters to his people. And I don’t care, POTUS or not, respect has to be earned, and Bush hasn’t done anything to earn it. He invaded Iraq with a personal agenda, lied about both why and the evidence supporting the move, and completely fucked up the country. Is it a good thing a man as evil as Hussein is no longer in power? Yes. Is the country any better off now? Not really. The lawlessness and anarchy reigning over there is just as-if not more-dangerous. Which is what happens when you go in and destroy a goverment without a plan for a new one. And while Bush may not have made all the bad decisions on his own, as POTUS, he does own the mistakes.

So yeah, he threw his shoes. He was angry, and used a time-honored tradition on his people to do it. Just because it’s not something we’d do doesn’t technically make it wrong. We see it as a petty, petulant temper-tantrum. But to them, it’s a way of expressing insult. I’m good with that.

By: JenB

JenB — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:18:49 +0000

I don’t think he deserved having shoes thrown at him. I don’t hate him and I don’t think he’s evil. I think in his first term he originally did what he thought was best for all of us after a horrific tragedy. I don’t care for the decisions he has made in the second term, but I still don’t think he’s a bad or evil person.

I think people forget he hasn’t made all the bad decisions on his own.

By: KristieJ

KristieJ — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:07:20 +0000

Sorry Karen – my hand is up on the shoe throwing thing. As Scott mentioned, it is a huge insult in their culture to do such a thing and considering what Bush has done to the country of Iraq and the world in general, he deserved it – and so much more. And sorry but I disagree with you that Bush was doing what he thought best for the country. I strongly disagree. There was NO evidence to support the invasion of Iraq – only manufactured evidence that he KNEW was false but he went in anyway. And I blame him personally for each and every single American soldier that has died and for the countless Iraquis that have also been killed needlessly. He had a personal agenda – to stick it to his daddy – and he used American lives to do it with.
In my opinion, if there were any justice in the world he would be charged with war crimes.
So no, I don’t think a reporter from the country Bush has helped destroy, a reporter who has probably lost countless family members, seen his country destroyed is out of line in throwing his shoes.
The hypocrisy out Bush outrages me. Yes Iraq had an evil dictator as it’s leader – but whose business was it of the US???? I see the US has done NOTHING about other dictators who prey upon their own people.
(*g* you’ve obviously hit a hot button with me on this topic. I could go on and on but I’ll spare everyone)
And – by coincidence – I just heard on the radio as I was typing this – the reporter was tortured to make and apology.)

By: Dee Tenorio

Dee Tenorio — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 20:50:17 +0000

ROFL at the prospect that anyone believes Nixon felt ashamed of himself for his choices or that it would be a mark of his humanity if he did or didn’t.

Nixon, like Bush, was slapped with a bucket full of arrogance and he truly felt that the choices he made were the right ones at the time. Maybe he regretted methods, maybe he regretted what getting caught did to the office of the presidency in the long run. Or maybe he died knowing that he did the best he could with the info he had.

Thirty years from now, Bush will have to look back and see if anything he did turned out as he hoped and if the choices were worth the cost. And just like we don’t know–no matter how much we’d like to pretend and say what he should have known or should have considered–exactly what happened to cause him to make the decisions he made, we’ll never find out for real if he’ll be satisfied with the outcome.

So, do I think he deserved the shoes? Probably, as shoes are really not the worst thing one can do to a person.

Should the shoes have been thrown? Hell no. He holds an office that requires respect, even if you don’t hold any for the man in it. And there is a such thing as professionalism.

Should the shoes have been able to get anywhere near any world leader, ESPECIALLY hell no. But that’s on security and on the guys who are probably either fired or wishing they were.

By: joanne

joanne — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:11:49 +0000

I’m with you, Karen. I loathe Bush and HATE the Iraq War, but he’s still the POTUS. He is (for better or worse) a representative of the American people, whether we like it or not, and, as such, should be treated respectfully. I don’t find the shoe-thrower’s actions to be brave or heroic at all. I find them self-indulgent, reckless, and disrespectful. He’s supposed to be a journalist. He’s supposed to be a professional adult. He’s supposed to report the story, not be the story.

I don’t think that’s any more excusable than if journalists in the USA flung stuff at Hugo Chavez, Putin, Castro, or the leaders of Hamas or Hizbullah. It’s juvenile and unprofessional.