Cafferty File: Sainthood Isn't Good Enough!
By CSPANJunkie Thursday Dec 18, 2008 7:00pmDecember 17, 2008 CNN
From The Cafferty File:
The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush during a press conference in Baghdad went before a judge last night. A source at the Iraqi Central Criminal Court told CNN he will likely be charged with assaulting a foreign head of state.
According to wire reports, Iraqi law dictates that he could face seven years in prison. And whether you agree with the war in Iraq or not, it probably saved this man’s life. If he had thrown his shoes while Saddam was in power he likely would have been executed on the spot.
Instead he was arrested and promptly put in jail. Thousands of Iraqis are calling him a hero and are rallying for his release.
When asked by CNN’s Candy Crowley yesterday what should happen to the man, President Bush said authorities shouldn’t overact. He called the incident an interesting form of expression and added that it’s part of the free society emerging in Iraq.
The man will stand trial, perhaps as early as next week, and reportedly be represented by a lawyer who said he will file a request to have his client released on bail.
Here’s my question to you: What’s the appropriate punishment for the man who threw his shoes at President Bush?
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What's the appropriate punishment for the leader of a sovereign state that ordered the illegal invasion of that state that was no threat, executed the elected head of that state and that resulted in the deaths of approx. 100K civilians and the destruction of their infrastructure that resulted in 1,000,000 Iraqi refugees? And all to allow for the installation of permanent military bases to keep the Chinese away from the oil fields. So what is it?
For finding a way to express this sentiment and perspective so clearly. If we ever stayed focused in this age of information we could accomplish a lot.
The government and the media have conspired to whitewash this as much as possible. Get your numbers straight:
There are over 1.5 million Iraqi refugees outside of Iraq and nearly 3 million displaced inside the country.
Civilian casualties are over 1 million not including the estimated 1.7 million that died between GWI and GWII due to the complete destruction of Iraq's civil infrastructure and sanctions that prevented food and medicine from reaching the country. The Lancet conservatively reported in excess of 100,000 civilian deaths in 2004. By 2006 the number was in excess of 655,000.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/604511...
The Lancet studies have been highly disputed but remain scientifically valid. There is a good article in Wikipedia about the Iraq studies that explores both sides.
Punishment?...I was thinking about rewarding him with at least 3 virgins :)
to DisneyWorld.
Or maybe he'd prefer Bali.
His choice. I'd donate.
The punishment for this guy should be to make him speaker of the house here in the US. Maybe he'll have what it takes to impeach the crooked bastards who have dragged us and the world into the depths that we are now experiencing.
That's pretty sadistic.
I was going to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Not only for the sentiments he expressed, but for the manner he found to express them. If he used a gun he'd've only created a martyr ... instead he provided a perfect symbol for Bush's criminal mediocrity.
Give him a helmet of course. People can line up and throw shoes at him, and the money goes to rebuilding Iraq.
those shoes weren't pretzels.
Even if that fucker, Bush doesn't get punished here for his crimes against humanity he won't be able to travel much of anywhere. But, then, he probably doesn't care.
Five Dollar Fine, a new pair of shoes and a six-figure book deal.
Pulitizer. Cy Young if he'd've hit him.
Release. Immediate release. They've already broken one of his hands.
I suppose he'll be kept in custody until he heals up.
I was listening to the Peter B Collins show today. They said they tortured him because they thought Boosh would be expecting it.
nice :(
And THAT is the legacy of George W. Bush. The first president to authorize torture.
I don't get cable so I the only time I see Wolf is here. The remark at the end he made about Global Warming was so irresponsible, that he must be a freakin' idiot.
"Oh, it's snowing in Vegas, so everythings must be alright!"
Yeah Wolf, everything is just peachy! ....
When is Cafferty finally going to tell Wolf to fuck - off.
It's called climate change because we've thrown the global heating/cooling system out of whack. Snow is Vegas is exactly evidence of what humans have wrought on the planet.
Whether it is the war, global warming or whatever, the Wolf has a brainful of republican talking points hardwired into his neurons. When he brushes against a trigger, he blurts one out. Can't help it...
Heating up the planet means you get more evaporation. Where do you think that evaporated water goes? That's right, it collects in the atmosphere until it can't collect anymore and then it falls.
...as category 5 hurricanes.
There isn't anything environmentally worth saving in this God forsaken cesspool anyways, Fricken nuclear test site less than a 100 miles away (great way to save money on kemotherapy though just go walk around there), 240,000 times the daily allowance of rocket fuel in our water supply, Yucca mountain storing nuclear waste, air quality blows, and who knows what crap they are playing with out at area 51.
FOX could have a new reality show - "Who threw that Shoe?" - where you'd get the chance to throw your shoes at people who've pissed you off during your life. They can't see you and between each shoe thrown they're given a clue as to your identity. It could be hosted by this guy, the original shoe thrower.
This man should be forced to take half of the $8 Billion Dollars from that pallet that was "lost" when we sent American dollars to prop-up the fledgling government, not only that, he should be forced to spend it in America (right after he is granted US citizenship)
punishing him by bringing him to this country.
Ouch.
How about the Medal of Freedom?
my thinking exactly. Perhaps a couple of more potent weapons for the next round to go with it.
Yeah, Jack. **IF**. That's a pretty big 'if'. Most likely, he was happier with a country that was stable, even if it was the stability of a petty, murderous despot.
What utter crap. Still acting like the Iraqis should be happy about this thin silver lining the GOP is pretending can be found on the tornado-grade storm cloud they've left over Iraq. "Oh, we freed them from Saddam! They're so fortunate!"
What. Utter. CRAP!!
a lot of sactifice from this guy, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN-XexyxYCg , my take on all this.
Saint is correct. He did what 80% of the country here would like to do. Our lame gov. can't even stop .001% of the crimes the bush gang has done,at least let us throw a shoe at him...of course if he LIT the shoe first,that might be a no no.
Of course not, but that's one pardon I would support and might serve to rehabilitate the outgoing POTUS just a bit.
> And whether you agree with the war in Iraq or not, it probably saved this man’s life.
What a bizarre assertion.
Punishment? Elect him to the Iraqi parliament.
If Saddam was still alive and in power, the fuk wit evil bastard Bush wouldnt have been there to have shoes thrown at him, whats wrong with the arses breath!!!!!
Are you saying that if Saddam were in power, he would have been angry with this guy for throwing his shoes at Bush?
Not likely.
a key to the planet, a global passport as it were...
They should erect a statue of the man where Saddam's was pulled down!
If he has, he has received more than enough punishment and should immediately be released.
A 10,000 dinar fine (for missing). At current exchange rates that's about $8.35.
Um, put him in charge of the shoe exhibit at the Imelda Marcos Museum.
In all seriousness, it would not set a good precedent to let him off completely. I'd say 100 hours community work would be appropriate. The punishment should fit the crime. He sought to humiliate Bush and should be given a humbling task to repay his service, I mean crime.
It was not only an act of humiliation, but he did intentionally attempt to cause bodily harm to a fellow human being regardless of the fact that Bush is actually a subhuman, as most of us already know.
Seven years...?!! No way. Let him off with a light sentence.
In the Middle East, only thieves and prostitutes got shoes thrown at them. Until Bush.
...what's the proper punishment for missing?
Hoooooo Agggghhhh!
Medal of Honor
The appropriate punishement: fine for disorderly conduct. Perhaps civil liability for damages ensued.
But since the punishment meted out already was not appropriate to the crime, drop all charges and allow him to sue the government.
It was once true that the people in America had the right to petition their government, which once meant you could go talk to your senator, representative or, if you made an appointment the president.
Now the only time you can let your feelings be directly communicated is by writing them a letter that will not be read by them, but by an anonymous staff member, or by shouting out from behind the velvet rope, (or concrete barricade). Heck you even need a permit if you want to carry a banner and sing a song.
Now I don't hold with throwing stuff at people, except maybe pies, but I do have a sutable punishment.......
Make him wear a pair of shoes around his neck for a two months. Same punishment they once used for sailors who killed an albatross.
The Iraqi journalist has more courage and sense of right and wrong than nearly all the members of Congress and the Justice Department. He deserves the gratitude of the American people for doing symbolically what our elected officials have failed to do officially.
How about a statue, where Sadam's used to be.
1st off... the only reason this man is not being executed is becuase he made international news. People conveinently dissappear everyday in Iraq.
2nd off... give it some time. When the news forgets about this man; I'm sure he will "supposedly" commit suicide or be on the recieving end of somekind of unfortunate accident in prison.
Bad sh!t happens in Iraq.
It's hardly a model of democracy in the Middle East.
Give him another shoe and if he hits the Prezdent in the forehead he gets the large stuffed animal.
... an alarm clock that awakens him to the sound of a standing ovation in his honor every day.
Obama should invite him to the White House and give him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
..really mean something to a lot of people if he did. Worldwide.
Obama is too busy playing nice with the neocons for that to ever happen.
And inviting that wanker homophobic preacher as his number one prayer giver at his inaug. Obama loses the plot on important issues like, the millions of gays and lesbians who voted for him and he insults them with that jerk antigay bible basher as a top dog on the front line. Typical.
Live long and prosper shoe man. Live long and prosper. No one needed to die for a lie. Bush to the Hague.
That's what I'd give him. Some cash and his own line of shoes made specifically for throwing at jaggoffs.
Air Al-Zaidis. I'd buy a pair.
to do it again this time with ice-skates!
I must submit that unfortunately, we become no better then Bush and his cronies if we do not honor the rule of law in Iraq for whatever constitutes attempted assault against a foreign dignitary. As much as I admire this man for his courage, he was caught, and he must now be punished for the technical violation of the law he did commit. If we say that he should be let off without any punishment, we advocate Bush and his scumbag allies never being tried for the crimes they've committed while in office.
That being said, I hope this man remains safe, and doesn't become another vanished Iraqi victim, like so many others before him.
Oh Puleeeeze! You have got to be joking.
I have to basically agree with you. I'm hoping that the Iraqi judge will take the physical abuse the man has received into consideration, or that he can at least sue for his mistreatment. And I hope that he gets the lightest punishment he can be given for the offense, since his assault is certainly not in the same category as an attempt at serious harm. I mean, he threw a shoe, not a hand grenade.
What would be nice, but what I don't expect, is for Bush to attempt to intervene on the man's behalf in any meaningful way, especially since the man was abused at least in part due to the Iraqi government's belief that it was what Bush wanted in the first place.
uhhh...part of it is changing weather patterns...as in...it never snows in vegas
god...i hate all the fucks who are a part of the msm....how did any of these ignorant bastards get jobs
Since it was a form of free expression, Bush should award the man withe Presidential Medal of Freedom. Hell that would go a long way to making that award a coveted prize again. This guy certainly deserves it more than the assholes that were in charge on 9/11 and during the Iraqi invasion.
Since inception, approximately 400 medals have been given to persons representing a wide variety of disciplines and achievements. Like George John Tenet Director of Central Intelligence Agency. To have to stand next to Tenet wearing the same medal would be a shame that would stain his family name for generations.
from Greg Maddox so he can throw strikes next time!
.
The MSM is so smooth.....I love the direct nature of Jack Cafferty and how he can elicit so much mail....but after the select responses. good olf Wolf just shmoooooooooozes on to the topics....makes me want to vomit......
A slap on the wrists. Literally.
Take the guy out into a big public square, tell him to expose the inside of his forearms. Then take a thick leather strap and give him a good hard whack on the wrists. That should satisfy the literalistic physicality of Middle Eastern punishment psychology, plus make it clear that, although he technically "assaulted" a head of state, his government understands that the man did not intend any actual physical harm, and that it was a symbolic protest and "assault".
After all, who the hell ever got hurt by getting hit by a tennis shoe?
Hahah no global warming there, hahah. No actually Blitzer, you uneducated moron, that is global warming effects. Why don't ya ask Al Gore about the subject matter before your spread your stupidity on the TV again.
What happens when the Ocean currents shut down? It was in our recorded history. How would the ocean currents shut down, what would cause such a thing?---give you a hint melting Ice caps-----
What I mean by that is, his portrait should be put on a coin.
How about the Nobel for Peace?
Nevada gets fairly cold during the winter. When the big storms pass over the West Coast; sometimes it does snow in Nevada. The big snowstorm that is passing over the West Coast right now, isn't that unusual for December.
Snow in Vegas during December is not really that big of a deal.
If it was Key West or Miami then it would be unusual or weird.
In Australia, we've had ten straight years of the hottest years on record (or something very similar). We cut down all the trees and put up a parking lot...
...to pitching lessons from Bert Blyleven. Work on that fastball.
I can't decide whether he should be rewarded with $1 million dollars for trying or fined $5 for missing. So I'm going to compromise with myself and say that he should be awarded $999,994.99.
Since Iraq is now a Democracy nation, he should get the same kind of punishment as one would expect here in the states. A slap on the hand...NOT A BROKEN HAND. Bush must of told them that...he gets everything mixed up.
Yes, having a major street named after him, having a commemorative statue of him in a square in Baghdad--if it has a square--doing his famous action, and of course, having the case against him quashed. And that's for starters.
in Baghdad square, and erect one in the shoe thrower's honor.
Oh, wait, they didn't erect one of Bush, did they?
He should be the first guest on Shamity's new fox show.
Force him to come to New York City and sit in a limousine throughout the entirety of a ticker-tape parade and then force him into a three month captivity while he is trained by the New York Yankees pitching staff on how to correctly throw something. After that, make him appear on Letterman and have Dave go after him for 5 minutes about how he could have missed!
Award him the the US Medal of Honor, whatever is the Iraqi equivalent of the Medal of Honor, the Iraqi equivalent of the Medal of Freedom, and then - as a punishment, make him serve 4 years as a member of Iraqi parliment.
Make a bronze statue of him, too. Let his act serve as a point of unification, reminding the Iraqis that they are a people and not a bunch of factions that hate each other's guts (kind of like the way that Benjamin Franklin almost single-handedly created the idea of Americans as a People, by continually referring to us as "Americans", instead of "Virginians", or "Pennsylvanians" or "Bumfuckians", which was the mode of thinking up to that point).
The guy is a hero, and he's their first one. They should not blow it.
Hitler was a head of state too, should he have been showed respect after all the innocent people he got killed? Bush has gotten of easy with just having a couple of shoes hurled at him. He's wrecked two nations, ours and theirs and killed 4500 American service members and countless innocent civilians. Shoe thrower guy has performed a public service. He's a hero.
Cafferty said the guy would have been executed had he thrown those shoes at Saddam and that this was a show of how things are better that he can show his opposition in Iraq now without being executed.
Apparently the shoe thrower has lost relatives in Bush's war that were still alive when Saddam was alive and the shoe thrower's country didn't lay in ruin with an occupying force staying there building the worlds largest emabassy with the goal of stealing the country's oil.
That ingrate! How dare he not be grateful for what Bush has brought upon him, his family members and his country! Things are so much better now.
Wolf; "Nevada has snow, so much for global warming"
Why is this man not amongst the ranks of the unemployed?
while Playboy bunnies feed him chocolates and read his mail praising him until he cracks and begs them to stop.
Two years for missing.
""Are you saying that if Saddam were in power, he would have been angry with this guy for throwing his shoes at Bush?
Not likely.""
Well said.
I'm sick of these rightards saying that he's lucky to be alive.
Didn’t this guy say something like “It is glorious to be a martyr” before doing this?
He probably expected to be shot by the secret service and in all reality he probably should have been.
So that “Lucky to be alive” point is totally moot … this guy was ready to die for his actions I truly believe that.
He will be a hero in his country and others for all time.
Personally, I couldn’t believe he was actually able to get off the second shoe!
I mean, at least the second shoe should have hit a diving secret service agent no?
Roughly wrestling the man down does not make up for the fact that you didn’t protect your man ... those agents should be fired before a target worth protecting takes office.
And what is it with dumb-asses that can't tell the difference between weather and climate?
Give him a $1000 gift certificate to Payless Shoes.
I'm sick of this story. I'm sick of Keith Olbermann and his apparent shoe fetish.
Damn people move on.
Then WTF are you doing in here commenting?
In a nation of men then a just punishment would be nothing because of all the vile things Bush has done.
In a nation of laws, the punishment should be the same as if the shoe was thrown at Obama, or any other head of state.
A time out. Then a parade in his honor :-)
I wish more journalists...hell, I wish more people had thrown shoes at George DumbShit sooner.
The Iraqi govt. can say they punished him without losing face.
I am reminded of a scene from the 1980 movie, "Flash Gordon":
Chicken George never dodged a bullet in his pathetic life. That's why he couldn't even withstand dodging a few shoes and ordered the man be tortured.
The man should be released and should be granted political and legal safe heaven in the United States. He did what every sane person in the world would have loved to have done if only they could get close enough to the mass murdering Christian terrorist.
Give that man a medal and his own radio show.
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