Topic: War On Terror
Retrocession: Shoes at Head - Bush's Farewell Could Not Be Worst The Bush administration has for ever metaphorically been marked by the shoes thrown. Is there any better symbol to enclose his long eight years at the White House?by Edu Montesanti Goldoni
(liberal)
Saturday, December 20, 2008
On Sunday, December 14, 2008, moments before an interview in Baghdad the Iraqi-Shiite Journalist Mountadhar al-Zaidi, 29, a correspondent for Al Baghdadia, an independent Iraqi station, stood up about 3.5 meters from Bush and shouted in Arabic: "This is a gift from the Iraqis; this is the farewell kiss, you dog!" He then threw a shoe at George Bush, who ducked and narrowly avoided it. "This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq!" That shoe also narrowly missed Geroge Bush as the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, stuck a hand in front of the President's face to help shield him. In the Arabian world, such an action is the worst offence, and calling someone dog is the worst insult.
Arrested soon after these acts, Mr. Al-Zaidi has been considered a hero for his people, both Sunnites and the majority Shiites, historically divided (this division has been one of the Bush's worries in the Middle East, and theoretically a motive for invading Iraq, and to put the country in order being there all these years).
After the incident, George Bush visibly nervous and abated said that this is normal to happen in free and democratic societies, especially from those people who want to draw the attention. No, George Bush, Iraq is not a free and democratic country. But after eight years giving gaffes, he finally hit home: Yes, Mr. Al-Zaidi wanted to draw the world attention. But to what?
Before understanding the Iraqi situation and Mr. Al-Zaidi's motivation, let us remember that a judge not only sentences a cause, but also its context. A very respected judge in Brazil, Dr. Ives Gandra Martins, is used to saying that, "A judge is not slave to law, but to justice". We are going to understand and discuss its context, and all Mr. Al-Zaidi's pains.
Concerning the delirious Iraqi democracy we have to remember, also to analyse the specific event which took place last Sunday, that Iraq is a totally atypical case: the Iraqis have been decimated, in an invaded country where, since 2002, 1,5 million people has died, 2 million have taken refuge in Jordan, and 3 million are homeless today (1). The Iraqi education system and all its infrastructure have been completely destroyed. What to say about Abu-Ghraib and Guantanamo? What about P2OG (Proactive, Preemptive Operations Group), orchestrated directly by George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld (ex-Secretary of Defense) to carry out secret missions designed to "stimulate reactions" among terrorist groups in Iraq, provoking them into committing violent acts which would then expose them to "counterattack" by US forces? (Read the article about this subject, written by Chrys Floyd in the Counterpunch Magazine; see one of the P2OG documents (in English) at our journalistic blog). How would we tolerate torture in our homeland practiced by foreigners, who take control of our riches? The same way George Bush responds to the 9/11? Or then, voting him again?
The Iraqis have their traumas, their pains, and these things are themselves justifiable. It is very comfortable for us in the West, seated on our democratic and religious throne, to say at this moment about dialogue, peace and democracy. We know that to many it is politically and religioulsy correct. But leaving behind theoretical viewpoint, be sure: the Iraqis do not care about our philosophy, our religion, even less if George Bush and the lords of democracy at the White House think about themselves as being predestinated to save the world, carrying to others our "civilization" through the American Way of Life. George Bush's apologize cannot bring back Mr. Al-Zaidi fellow-citizens who has died until now, cannot bring back those killed in the outskirts of Basra, under the US Mini-Nuke bombs in 1991 - according to revelations last October, they struck 4,3 degrees on Richter Scale (!), and were from 6 to 30 times stronger than the atomic bomb which desroyed Hiroshima, in the end of the II World War (2).
Yes, Mr. Al-Zaidi wanted to draw the attention, my and your and the world attention. In a place and time where he and his people have no space to echo their suffering, he wanted to draw our attention to the coward US invasion they have been facing, causing innumerable and unthinkable victims. As Iraq is an atypical case, we understand his act last Sunday. George Bush's oppression incites such acts, the US policy stimulates such an understandable and justifiable repudiation against us, westerners. George Bush's cowardice and lies stimulate the world to cry, "That is enough!".
The point are not the shoes thrown, but the way we respond to them, and how we westerners assume our responsability to the atrocities which easterners have been suffering.
Taking all this, we can affirm it: the retrocession was not shown by the journalist, definitely not, but by somebody who responds, through sayings and done, as the world sheriff whose administartion encloses now in a vexatious way, as always hiding himself behind democratic speeches. Last Sunday, George Bush's long eight years was metaphorically and for ever marked by the shoes thrown - for which George Bush is the very responsible, it is good to point out again.
Finally, among media spectacles, and among "intelligent", expensive and genocide bombs, at least a positive thing we have to recognize about the Bush administration, after a long time: one of his biggest problems seems to have been solved with the shoes, the division between Shiites and Sunnites. Go away happy, George Bush, you have got it.
While the world laughes (including the democratic George Bush), we must never forget: Iraq bleeds.
(1) Research Business, The Guardian, British newspaper. Cited by Carmen Aristegui on CNN en Español (December, 2008)
(2) A Nova Democracia, Brazilian newspaper (December, 2008)
This article is published on Mr. Al-Zaidi's page (the author of the shoes thorwn) www.freealzaidi.com;
The views expressed in this
article are those of Edu Montesanti Goldoni only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Edu Montesanti Goldoni is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
Posted By: Jahfre Fire Eater
Date: 2008-12-21 10:25:14
There is hope for the Iraqi people on the horizon. Emperor-elect Obama is more inclined to wage his war in Afghanistan...although it will probably be staged from the new super military base the US has in Iraq. With enough "staging" it may become militarily expedient to take a short cut through Iran.
That would be par for a Democrat President. They have never seen a conflict they didn't attempt to escalate in either a military sense or an economic sense.
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