Have you seen the now infamous video of our Thief in Chief practicing his reflexes? The more I watch it, the more it makes me think where was his quick reactionary skills when he was told ‘the country is under attack’ on 9/11. Muntazer Al-Zaidi became an instant hero in the Arab world.
In Arab culture, showing the soles of the feet is a sign of contempt and the shoe-throwing incident is a reminder of the widespread opposition to the US-led invasion. The American appointed Iraqi court system may send him to trial under a clause in the Iraqi penal code that makes it an offense to try to murder Iraqi or foreign presidents. If convicted he could face 15 years in prison. After learning this information I began to think, this wasn’t an attempt to murder anyone. Unless they can prove he had explosives in his shoes, it was just a shoe. Could he possibly be indicted for a more serious crime then the one that was perpetrated. If so, then shouldn’t the thousands of American citizens who turned out for Bush’s first inaugural parade armed with tomatoes and rotten eggs also be punished. I mean he just ducked with the shoe, the eggs and tomatoes got him in the car peeling off while secret service was left behind to chase the motorcade in the rain.
If a shoe tossing could incur a 15 year jail term, then what should be a suitable punishment for someone who launches an illegal ‘War of Aggression’ using fraud to sell the war to Congress and the public, then misuses government funds to begin bombing without congressional authorization subjecting our military personnel and innocent civilians to unnecessary harm, debilitating injuries, and deaths? Not to mention detaining captives without due process or charge and authorizing the torture of thousands, resulting in dozens of deaths. All the while violating the Constitution by illegally wiretapping without a warrant and using ‘singing statements’ to defy hundreds of laws passed by congress. Well in this country he gets $400,000 dollars a year, access to the best medical care, free trips anywhere on US tax dollars, a driver, bodyguards, a chef, and free housing. Now that’s what i call the American Dream.
