Hundreds of Thousands Vote with Their Feet and Wallet

Posted on December 22nd, 2008 by Pete Eyre in Bureaucrash HQ

model271Two weekends ago at a press conference in Iraq, Muntadar al-Zaidi threw both his shoes at President Bush. In addition to the very public dis and outpouring of support for al-Zaidi (now being held by the Iraqi military) another unforeseen consequence of the incident is that Ramazan Baydan, maker al-Zaidi’s shoes (Model 271), has  had to hire 100 extra staff to keep up with the orders (for which sales have quadrupled).

I wonder if anyone is going to mail Bush their pair…

  • scott
    Would you even call the cops over some one throwing a shoe at you?
  • Damien
    The reporter who threw the shoe at Bush was not practicing free speech. trying to hit someone on the head with a shoe, is a form of assault. Its not like the shoe was a harmless object. Sure it would be unlikely to kill him, but it would hurt and not the way harsh language hurts.
  • I totally agree that the reporters actions don't fall under the protection of free speech. I know I wouldn't want to get hit by a shoe and it sounds like you wouldn't either, but I doubt too that either if us, if we had the power, would wage a war and kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people.
  • Damien
    Well if Saddam were still in power and that reporter tried to do to him what he tried to do to Bush, he'd wish he were never born.
  • That may be the case, but that underscores the real question: Is it just for the U.S. government to intervene whenever there is a bad head of state in another country? If so, who decides who is "bad" and who is just "somewhat bad"? I'm sure many would say that Bush was a bad head of state... And what about those opposed to the war (either this one specifically or war in general)? Is it right that their money is being taken from them to and spent on bombs and guns?
  • Damien
    At least before Saddam killed him in some incredibly gruesome way.
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