Shoe Thrower Jailed

[Tancrisism]

The sad truth.

He's become a Middle East folk hero, as well as one among many Americans, including myself. I think what he did was a bit over the top and risky, though.

But should he be jailed for three years?

Personally, I feel this is the wrong message to be sending. I feel that we should encourage the freedom of speech in almost all forms (except in the most violent ways, such as those that could actually harm someone, and the ways currently restricted in the first amendment), to introduce an idea that isn't very well known to their culture as of yet.

[Korriken]

He got off easy. He could have been jailed for 15 years. Also some countries would have him danging from the end of a rope for attacking a foreign leader.

[DeIirium]

Why throw shoes? He could´ve used that opportunity to kill him if he wanted to.

[Sajberhippien]

At 3/13/09 06:24 AM, Korriken wrote: He could have been jailed for 15 years. Also some countries would have him danging from the end of a rope for attacking a foreign leader.

Sure, but does this make it right?
If a woman is hanged for being raped, is that okay just because she could had been stoned and that is worse?

[zoolrule]

At 3/13/09 07:51 AM, Sajberhippien wrote: Sure, but does this make it right?
If a woman is hanged for being raped, is that okay just because she could had been stoned and that is worse?

Are you kidding me?
He threw a shoe on a fucking president.

[morefngdbs]

This guy is a citizen of Iraq.
He used an insult that is demeaning in that culture.
He didn't hit the ExPresident & his intent wasn't to 'harm' but to insult.

I personally feel that 3 years in jail for an insult is a bit much. He has been incarcerated since the incident, reports are he was beaten, possibly tortured. That IMO should have been what they gave him as a sentence...time served & let him go free.

Perhaps he's just a pawn in some other political manuvering that is going on over there. We all need to remember that different cultural values are in place in many foriegn countries. Look at that Austrailian that was jailed last year for writng a book that only sold 7 copies,but supposedly it had an insult to a member of the Thai royal family in it.
He was jailed for three years when he went to Thailand, not realising he had broken any law. He was recently pardoned by royal decree.

In both cases no one was harmed, although you could call the shoe throwing an attempted assault.

[bcdemon]

At 3/13/09 08:14 AM, zoolrule wrote: Are you kidding me?
He threw a shoe on a fucking president.

So you hold GW Bush in higher regard than others just because a bunch of Americans voted him as their leader? If Bush brought peace to Iraq, or maybe a cure for Iraqs deadliest disease to the people of Iraq then I can see them getting pissed, but the guy brought 5+ years of war, suicide bombings, disease due to lack of infrastructure, not to mention thousands of innocent deaths to Iraq. He's lucky all he got was a shoe or two in my opinion.

[Malachy]

At 3/13/09 06:51 AM, DeIirium wrote: Why throw shoes? He could´ve used that opportunity to kill him if he wanted to.

throwing your shoe at somebody in the arab world is a very grave insult. It's about the worse insult you could think of to say to somebody else.

At 3/13/09 10:26 AM, bcdemon wrote: So you hold GW Bush in higher regard than others just because a bunch of Americans voted him as their leader? If Bush brought peace to Iraq, or maybe a cure for Iraqs deadliest disease to the people of Iraq then I can see them getting pissed, but the guy brought 5+ years of war, suicide bombings, disease due to lack of infrastructure, not to mention thousands of innocent deaths to Iraq. He's lucky all he got was a shoe or two in my opinion.

it's not the fact that it was bush speicifically, but that it was a head of state from another country. You may not like the PM of Canada, but if you are invited as a member of the press to his press conference on a visit to Washington, well, you are going to face some consequences if you throw things at him.

[igorchen31]

That`s retarded. Rapists get less than that

[thedo12]

3 years is way too much, I dont think he should have gotten anything other then a fine.

the fact is if you randomly threw your shoes at someone on the street chances are you wouldnt get anything. and I dont see why we should give heads of state special privilages.

[Tancrisism]

At 3/13/09 01:18 PM, valium9 wrote: He attempted to assault a world leader, potentially destroying the chances of peace in the middle east. He got off lightly.

Hardly. Most people in the Middle East and in the US felt exactly the same as he did. If anything I felt closer to our Arab brothers when he did that.

[SolInvictus]

i was wondering why no one bothered with assault charges.

[Ericho]

At 3/13/09 04:54 PM, SolInvictus wrote: i was wondering why no one bothered with assault charges.

Of course! It was inevitable.

[SolInvictus]

At 3/13/09 05:33 PM, Ericho wrote:

At 3/13/09 04:54 PM, SolInvictus wrote: i was wondering why no one bothered with assault charges.

Of course! It was inevitable.

hey; if throwing a phone at someone is assault, so is throwing a shoe.

[LordJaric]

This is stupid, people have thrown non-threating items at each other all the time, what makes this any different

[SolInvictus]

At 3/13/09 05:37 PM, LordJaric wrote: This is stupid, people have thrown non-threating items at each other all the time, what makes this any different

people also strike each other all the time, the difference is whether or not someone wants to press charges.

[wdonica]

At 3/13/09 03:07 AM, Tancrisism wrote: But should he be jailed for three years?

Would you think that jail time correct if he had thrown a shoe at Obama?

[MortifiedPenguins]

More then likely you would have gotten the same sentance here if you did that.

[homor]

At 3/13/09 03:07 AM, Tancrisism wrote: But should he be jailed for three years?

i'd say for attacking a world leader, yeah, three years is preatty nice.

[Proteas]

At 3/13/09 09:07 AM, morefngdbs wrote: He didn't hit the ExPresident & his intent wasn't to 'harm' but to insult.

In middle eastern culture, showing the bottom of your shoe to someone is an insult. If he had merely stood up and shown his shoe or propped his feet up recliner style on the chair in front of him, it would have been an easily understood insult.

As it is, he threw the shoe at Bush, which showed intent to hit the guy.

I could understand a charge of assault, but whatever.

[homor]

At 3/13/09 09:07 AM, morefngdbs wrote: He didn't hit the ExPresident & his intent wasn't to 'harm' but to insult.

"i punched you in the face, but my intent wasn't to harm you, just insult you!"

*spit*

excuse me, i just got a litte moronic shit in my mouth.

[Tancrisism]

At 3/13/09 09:40 PM, homor wrote:

At 3/13/09 03:07 AM, Tancrisism wrote: But should he be jailed for three years?

i'd say for attacking a world leader, yeah, three years is preatty nice.

What is the purpose of incarcerating him for so long, though? To rehabilitate him? So he doesn't become a repeat insulter? So he changes his evil shoe-throwing ways?

[homor]

At 3/13/09 09:07 AM, morefngdbs wrote: He didn't hit the ExPresident & his intent wasn't to 'harm' but to insult.

seriously, this excuse pisses me off more and more every time i hear it.

its completely RETARDED to try and claim he wasn't trying to hurt the president.

he threw the shoes at him ah hard as he fucking could, and gave a bystander a black eye, he was obviously trying to hurt him.

even if he wasn't trying hurt the president, he should have been smart enough to know that throwing something at someone as hard as you can is probebly going to hurt them, or cause some kind of damage.

three years is just about NOTHING. there shoplifters who get more than that.

he's lucky he didn't get put into Gitmo or something.

you people act like its some kind of horrible attrocity that someone who attacked a world leader gets a light sentence, which it is, but you guys are getting upset over it for the completely Wrong reason, you think the punishment isn't light ENOUGH.

what would you have given a man who attacked the Prime Minister of England by tossing something at him? a fine of 200$ and some light community service?

no, because i still bet if he was given that, you go to the mountain tops and shout that the Iraqis are Nazis and that hes some kind of fucking hero for assualting a political leader because he didn't agree with him. STILL.

ugh, you people are assinine.

[homor]

At 3/13/09 10:06 PM, Tancrisism wrote: What is the purpose of incarcerating him for so long, though?

so long? three years is almost nothing.

jail is a horid experience, i admit, but three years is shorter than what some jaywalkers get.

To rehabilitate him? So he doesn't become a repeat insulter? So he changes his evil shoe-throwing ways?

if you're gonna ask that, you may aswell ask "why do we put anyone in jail?"

[Christopherr]

At 3/13/09 08:45 PM, wdonica wrote:

At 3/13/09 03:07 AM, Tancrisism wrote: But should he be jailed for three years?

Would you think that jail time correct if he had thrown a shoe at Obama?

If a Muslim tossed his shoes at the Chosen One, Democrats would call for the death penalty.

[Tancrisism]

At 3/13/09 10:15 PM, homor wrote: if you're gonna ask that, you may aswell ask "why do we put anyone in jail?"

It's a worthwhile question.

[homor]

At 3/13/09 10:39 PM, Tancrisism wrote: It's a worthwhile question.

thats brings up a whole bunch of philisophical questions, and we'll have to that other situations into account.

this topic is just not the place for it.

[Tancrisism]

At 3/13/09 10:57 PM, homor wrote:

At 3/13/09 10:39 PM, Tancrisism wrote: It's a worthwhile question.

thats brings up a whole bunch of philisophical questions, and we'll have to that other situations into account.

this topic is just not the place for it.

I was actually hoping that people would take that into account when I first posed the question: should he be jailed for 3 years?

After all, how can one say yes or no if one doesn't have some idea in one's mind of what the purpose of incarceration is?

[Psil0]

The guy got what he deserved and I do hold Bush in higher regard (because he was a leader of a country) than some anonymous unimportant citizen. Guy got what was coming, not only is that an insult, but what if he had hid an explosive in there. Think of how many people could've suffered because of his actions. Idiots who want to assault foregin leaders should understand whats to come. His repercussions were very deserving, I probably would've put him in for 10 years.

Also, those of you who want to insult Bush. I bet you couldn't have done much better in his situation and with the information he was given you probably would've made the same decision. Its easy to reminisce on a situation and say I would've made the right decision, than being the leader at that time and being the one who has to make the decision. So why don't you do most people a favour and shut your mouthes.

[Tancrisism]

At 3/13/09 11:41 PM, Nosferatu-of-Worms wrote: Also, those of you who want to insult Bush. I bet you couldn't have done much better in his situation and with the information he was given you probably would've made the same decision. Its easy to reminisce on a situation and say I would've made the right decision, than being the leader at that time and being the one who has to make the decision. So why don't you do most people a favour and shut your mouthes.

It's actually quite easy to imagine doing a much better job than him in most aspects. The reason he failed so badly is his fundamental standpoint was flawed - that is, refusing to budge regardless of the facts that arise. Acting without using facts simply doesn't make sense.