Shoes...

I'm sure you all heard about the Iraqi reporter throwing a shoe at Bush the other day. When I first saw the video, my initial response was laughter. I kept rewinding back to the part where the shoe almost hit him and how quickly Bush ducked and then as the second one was thrown how he seemed to be smiling and didn't move very much. It was a funny scene. A guy threw a shoe at the president. Here's a joke I just made up: "Why'd the reporter throw his shoes at the president? He ran out of tomatoes!" I didn't say it was a good joke...

Anyways, as the story unfolded and I got beyond the what seemed to be a silly event, it turned into something much more than that. A rallying cry for the voices that we don't often hear in the news and read about in the papers. The hundreds of thousands of people who may not have wanted Saddam in power, but certainly didn't want a war being fought at their homes for the last 7 years. This is what the journalist said to the president, "“This is a gift from the Iraqis; this is the farewell kiss, you dog!” In Iraq, the same as it is in many eastern countries, including India, to hit someone with the bottom of your feet or your shoe is an insult; it means that the person being attacked is basically worth the dirt on the bottom of your feet. This is why my mom would tolerate my brother punching me and tackling me, but never kicking me.

As a result of his actions, there were thousands that gathered to support him and people who took off their shoes in a sign of solidarity. Perhaps to some it's a sign of the arrogance and ill-mannered ways of the 'Arabs' but I see it as a show of ridiculous courage. This dude willingly hurled his shoe at the most powerful man on the planet knowing full well that he was gonna get his ass kicked by a ton of people. He did. He knew he would go to jail. He did. He pretty much ruined his career but it's a small price to pay to be a hero to thousands. It's also pretty significant of how much people hate Bush. I mean, they threw shoes at the statue of Saddam as it was being taken down by the U.S. troops.



I keep having this vision of a huge shoe standing in front of a tank in Tiananmen Square.














Perhaps this may not be as prolific or blatant but to a lot of people it means the same thing. It's inspiring that little things like that can still mean so much. I disagree with a lot of things Bush does and if I had the opportunity to throw a shoe at him with no repercussions, I would. But to do it knowing that I would go to prison, get beat up and lose my future, I probably would back out - but that's also because Bush hasn't brought war to my doorstep. It's a pretty callus view but it's also pretty American. I wish our media and country were more supportive and open to other opinions aside from those of the U.S. It would make people much more intelligent, compassionate and tolerant of others. If we're picking sides, I'm on his side.

Anyways, I'm out. As always, go big or go home. Pain heals, chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever. Carpe diem. Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it.

-M, p, z & shredder