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December 15, 2008 at 10:02:31
Promoted to Headline (H2) on 12/15/08: by Dave Lindorff Page 1 of 1 page(s) |
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By Dave Lindorff When Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi heaved his two shoes at the Al-Zaidi listened to Bush blather that the half-decade of war he I’ll admit, listening to Bush lie his way through eight years of
head of President George W. Bush during a press conference in Baghdad,
he did something that the White House press corps should have done
years ago.
had initiated with the illegal invasion of Iraq had been “necessary for
US security, Iraqi stability (sic) and world peace” and something just
snapped. The television correspondent, who had been kidnapped and held
for a while last year by Shiite militants, pulled off a shoe and threw
it at Bush—a serious insult in Iraqi culture—and shouted “This is a
farewell kiss, you dog!” When the first shoe missed its target, he
grabbed a second shoe and heaved it too, causing the president to duck
a second time as al-Zaidi shouted, “This is from the widows, the
orphans, and those who were killed in Iraq!”
press conferences, while pre-selected reporters played along and
pretended to get his attention so they could ask questions which had
been submitted and vetted in advance, I have felt like throwing my
shoes at the television set.
Send an old shoe (or this picture!) to the White House, Wash. DC 20500!
Al-Zaidi, who paid for his courageous act of protest by being
brutally beaten by security guards, is a hero of the profession. He
stopped taking the president’s BS and called him what he is: a murderer
and a criminal, with the blood of perhaps upwards of a million Iraqis
on his hands. Al-Zaidi used what was supposed to be a staged photo-op
for the president as an opportunity to speak up for those whose lives
have been ruined by this president—the ones our suck-up journalists
routinely ignore.
I’m not suggesting that journalists should routinely leave
presidential press conferences in their stocking feet. We have
different ways of expressing our sentiments to people we feel have
insulted our intelligence than throwing shoes at them, but it would be
nice to see a journalist or two flip the president the bird when he
lies so blatantly to them. Or they could all get up and just walk out,
leaving him standing alone at the presidential lectern.
It’s time for the press corps to stop treating presidents like
royalty. If he accomplished anything at all in eight years in office,
President Bush has demonstrated that, to the contrary, the president is
a very ordinary—and in his case a rather less than ordinary—man. The
office of president deserves no more respect than that of the mayor of
Detroit, or of Wasilla.
My suggestion is that the press corps use the remaining five weeks
of the Bush administration to develop a new relationship with the
presidency—one in which they drop all the phony propriety and tradition
and start acting like boisterous newshounds of old, barking questions,
laughing cruelly at inane answers, demanding follow-ups when they are
given the run-around, and, where necessary, walking out, or perhaps
tossing the occasional shoe.
The journalism profession was a full-blown disaster and an utter
disgrace during the Bush administration, and with all the crises facing
the country and the world, in part because of that failure on their
part, we cannot afford to have them continue that failure into the
Obama administration.
With the Bush administration reduced to a running joke at this
point, it gives the journalism profession a chance to redeem itself by
using these few remaining weeks to establish a new tradition for
presidential press conferences and photo-ops—one that can continue on
into the new presidency.
Meanwhile, I’m suggesting that my alma mater, the Columbia
University Graduate School of Journalism, hire al=Zaidi to teach a
class in press conference journalism techniques. They should make it a
multi-year appointment, because if he left after just one year, his
would be difficult shoes to fill.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE: Speaking of shoes and the White House, Skip Mendler of Honesdale, PA has a great idea. He suggests that everyone who is disgusted with the outgoing Bush/Cheney administration send a shoe to the White House. Just imagine a pile up of a million smelly old running shoes in the White House mailroom! I think he's got something. Spread the word!
_________________
DAVE LINDORFF is a Philadelphia-based journalist and columnist. His
latest book is “The Case for Impeachment” (St. Martin’s Press, 2006 and
now in paperback). His work is available at www.thiscantbehappening.net
http://www.thiscantbehappening.net
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
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| 27 comments |
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An excellent column as usual, Dave
This act by Muntadar al-Zaidiwas great. If only US reporters had shown such courage back in 2002/2003. But, hey, now they've got their chance to speak out and stop the escalation of war in Afghanistan. Given the corporate media's bloody history, I doubt we'll see that, but we can always hope, and continue pressure from our end. by Hans Bennett (25 articles, 117 quicklinks, 141 diaries, 246 comments [35 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Monday, Dec 15, 2008 at 10:55:09 AM  (0+)
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SHOE
WONDER HOW MUCH FEDEX WOULD CHARGE TO SEND A COMBAT BOOT TO BUSH by Butler2 (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 9 comments) on Monday, Dec 15, 2008 at 11:23:36 AM (0+)
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Some of us
would have given anything to be "in his shoes." What a brave man, I could not help but feel compasion for him knowing what he would face, but how good it must have felt to toss those shoes... by Judy Ramsey (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 93 comments [3 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Monday, Dec 15, 2008 at 1:33:33 PM (0+)
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Exhaling?
I must confess I forgot my social conditioning and laughed out loud when I saw that footage. That journalist "spoke" for billions of people around the world. I commend him for his courage. How often I have felt the urge to hurl my television set at leaders like Bush, Putin and Mugabe and the other power-hungry and deceitful politicians who are littering the landscape of Mother Earth. For a few seconds I was able to exhale and release some toxic anger and resentment. It felt good but sadly that journalist will have to pay a price for this priceless moment in history. by Fleur (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 29 comments) on Monday, Dec 15, 2008 at 2:55:43 PM (0+)
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Sign Petition!
Montather Al-Zeidi was beaten and is being held in JAIL because of his action! Please sign the petition at: by Hans Bennett (25 articles, 117 quicklinks, 141 diaries, 246 comments [35 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Monday, Dec 15, 2008 at 3:22:31 PM (0+)
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Reply: Join me in calling for an al-Zaidi defense committee
I have written to the Committee to Protect Journalists (www.cpj.org), urging them to set up a defense fund and to begin an international campaign to press for the release of the brave Muntadar al-Zaidi. Go to the CPJ website and send a message of support too. Dave Lindorff www.thiscantbehappening.net by Dave Lindorff (438 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 193 comments [10 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Monday, Dec 15, 2008 at 4:27:27 PM (0+)
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Of Courage And Honesty And Integrity
Dave Lindorff, Wasn't it an insult to your intelligence when Bush told you about Bin Laden being the mastermind of 9/11, and the fairytale of '19 hijackers with box-cutters who hate our freedom' bullshit? Wasn't it an insult to your intelligence that stone age arabs incapable of flying cessna planes managed to waltz through all security check points, hijack 747 jumbos and ram them into buildings with a precision unattainable by confirmed professionals ? Wasn't it an insult to your intelligence that two building were hit but 3 buildings came down? At gravitational velocity ? How many times in 7 years have you admitted or suggested, explicitly or otherwise, that 9/11 might have been an Inside job ? NEVER. Not a single time. Not once. But I have read you parroting to us Bush's nonsensical trash about Al Qaeda and Arab hijackers and Muslim terrorists and doing your best to sell this garbage as absolute undisputable truth to us. So, who are you and where is your journalistic integrity ? You never had any. It is because of obsequious sycophant cowards like you and your boss Alex Cockburn that criminal savage dogs like Bush and Cheney flourish and kill and torture and maim ; and at the end go scot free and get away with their horrendous crimes. It is an established fact that apologist journalists like you are complicit in their crimes against humanity. It is not enough to call Bush/Cheney warmongers and at the same time absolve them of any participation in the 9/11 false flag massmurder. Half truth is a lie, Mr Lindorff. Half truth is doubletalk. Half truth is deceit. And you have been deceiving us all along. Half truth is what I call Erik Larson's syndrome because he is a master of the art. And you too. May be the moment has come for you to learn a lesson of courage from an Arab who just 2 days ago would have been nothing but a Muslim terrorist. by ramsheyi (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 793 comments [1 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Monday, Dec 15, 2008 at 5:45:10 PM (0+)
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Reply: Your comments show an incredible level of ignorance
If you are going to criticize a writer, you should google his or her work. I have in fact written at length about the questions surrounding 9-11, and about the lies of the 9-11 commission. In fact, I was just interviewed by Jesse Ventura for a film on 9-11 because I broke the story that the FBI in fact has in its posession all four of the flight boxes from the planes that hit the twin towers. You would know that if you bothered to do your research. I've also written about the Israeli's arrested after they were seen filming the attacks from across the river, who were found to have been Mossad agents, and about the puts made through Alex Brown, with its CIA connection. Clearly we don' t have the true story of what happened on 9-11. Just because I don't buy your hyperventillated story of the event doesn't mean I accept the official version, which is clearly a pack of lies. Get real, and do your homework! by Dave Lindorff (438 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 193 comments [10 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Monday, Dec 15, 2008 at 7:34:57 PM (0+)
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Reply: People like ramsheyi...
don't have any constructive criticism to offer. They just use these comments for juvenile insults towards others who have an opinion, or the actual author. I have been very critical of "peace" mom Cindy Sheehan's articles, and have questioned her intentions to run for Congress in San Francisco. However, I keep my language professional, staying away from the profanity. Ramsheyi has used profanity towards me in her posts, but if she wants me to respond with such language, she is talking to the wrong person. She is not worth my time, nor should she be worth yours. Peace on Earth Wendy by Wendy Nelson (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 12 comments) on Monday, Dec 15, 2008 at 8:08:17 PM (0+)
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whatever
If you really felt that way then you would have touted "The Switch" a long time ago when I first brought it to your attention since it's all about making sure that Bush is held in the utmost contempt. www.stoplittering.com/theswitch.htm by Jay Foster (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 29 comments) on Monday, Dec 15, 2008 at 9:30:40 PM (0+)
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I DON'T KNOW ABOUT
The rest of you people but my shoe will be in the mail tomorrow. by MARGARET BASET (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 345 comments [45 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008 at 12:00:30 AM (0+)
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Reply: ??
I bet. Why don't you make a nice donation to a charity that helps the families of killed or wounded soldiers instead? The boot would just wind up, unopened, in the trashcan at the end of the X-ray station in the WH and end up taking up valuable space in a landfill. The 'sending a shoe' gesture is about as worthless as committing an assault on a President. by Mad Jayhawk (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 652 comments [56 recommended, 3 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008 at 5:42:21 PM (0+)
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Dave,
Send? by Samuel Bryan (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 168 comments [7 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008 at 12:48:21 AM (0+)
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Soup or duck
I gained a glimmer of respect for our President when I saw the footage of the shoes (no pun intended). He ducked really well and didn't hide behind the podium after the first shoe! The unfolding story of the shoes is very engaging, and I hope it receives continuing coverage. The shoe-throwing was hailed by many as the symbol of the freedoms now enjoyed in Iraq. For that argument to hold water, we have to see what happens to al-Zaidi. Personally, I think Bush should publicly lobby for his release. One disturbing allegation that came up on the blogosphere is that the charge against al-Zaidi has something to do with throwing a shoe in the presence of an Iraqi Prime Minister. Elevating the status of a government official above that of the citizen smacks of tyranny. However, I have not yet found a credible source confirming these charges. If someone knows the source, please post. On a different note, I don't agree with the author that the courage shown by al-Zaidi is an example to the pre-invasion press. Al-Zaidi merely (albeit courageously) expresed the opinion of an overwhelming majority in his part of the world and a significant majority in ours. Standing up against the Bush administration spin machine on the way to the war would have involved facing off against the popular opinion at that time. Thus, I suggest that the author should seek different role models for that type of courage. As for sending our old shoes to the White House - please don't. Shoes can be recycled for playground mulch, and there's no point to shoot at the lame duck. We must stay informed and vigilant, and brace ourselves for the next challenge. We, the supporters of the coming president, must protect the vision and agenda which got him elected even when it will involve criticising a popular leader. by Serge Minin (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 2 comments) on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008 at 2:09:22 AM (0+)
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Snicker
I indulged myself in a little fantasy today- the mental newsreel of Bush [and all his cronies, and family members, and all the rest of these bastiches] being pelted with shoes wherever he [they] went. It was very much like a Monty Python sketch, only better. I giggled much. ...but then I saw the post for the shoe-sending idea, and I'm forwarding it. Thanks for this. by Jennifer Hathaway (16 articles, 16 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 760 comments [220 recommended, 1 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008 at 3:47:44 AM (0+)
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Throw your shoes!
The prefect protest! http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/diarypage.php?did=11207 by Mr M (8 articles, 0 quicklinks, 66 diaries, 2845 comments [654 recommended, 27 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008 at 9:51:51 AM (0+)
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elevate yourself
I still fail to see how American citizens sending shoes from the comfort of their homes makes any sort of political point! We don't like Bush and his policies, and it has been made very clear (although four years too late, by many). But this is the lamest duck ever, ladies and gentlement. It's the past! If you exert any effort, do so with the goal of affecting the future. For example, one can write an appropriately-phrased letter to the president encouraging him to lobby for the quick release of al-Zaidi. Bush, like the kings Lear and Oedipus is a fallen victim of hubris. Will you, citizens, now join in the revelry of disrespect? Come on, throwing shoes at the president, and, as someone suggested, his family? I can almost hear the roar of the vengeful mobs. Hey, progressives, my brethren, if you would like to show your scorn for an ex-president, I have a suggestion. Burn your twenties to protest the Indian Removal Act of 1830! Perhaps your sacrifice will add nobility to your outrage. Lastly, for the same reason, if you chose to send a shoe - pick your best one! That little difference might distinguish you as a protestor and not a common hooligan. Peace! Serge by Serge Minin (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 2 comments) on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008 at 10:40:04 AM (0+)
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Reply: Well said
Well said. Alternative perspectives are always great to read instead of the usual herd mentality. Bush will be gone in a month. He will be, of course, continued to be blamed for everything from someone's hangnail to hurricanes. An all-purpose punching bag that keeps on smiling. Obama is lucky. Any mistakes he makes he will be able to put the blame at Bush's feet. I hope Bush saved the shoes for his President library. The President has a great sense of humor and probably did. by Mad Jayhawk (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 652 comments [56 recommended, 3 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008 at 5:28:16 PM (0+)
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PEACE - For civilization sake!
Thank you for bringing up the subject. Please know your work is highly appreciated. Please allow me to raise few points however: What's happening to conversation and negotiation? Is there any other way but throwing shoes? What different is this from physical violence? Is this a way to peace. I thought journalism was about COMMUNICATION. Is this really a journalist? Is this an educated adult or mature way of conveying a message? I think he would have been more effective if he stood up with courage and spoke out against whatever he had in mind. I don't think nobody -even Bush - deserves to be treated that way in a civilized word. I'm glad Bush ducked those "size 10" shoes perfectly. I'm not here to defend Bush. There are things he's done wrong. He also done some good. It's true the Iraq was a Blunder. Bush has the ultimate responsibility being commander-in-chief But is Bush the only one to be blamed? Regarding "hero". I don't think throwing shoes or any such behavior can make one heroes. By definition a true Hero is "a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength" according to wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn There is nothing this Iraqi journalist did that I consider "distinguished" or "exceptional courage and nobility and strength" in this type of attitude. To me True heroes were those who fought the real cause for our freedom. Some spoke out, some sacrificed their lives for us and died for the good cause.Real heroes like Lincoldn, Ghandi, JFK, RFK, MLK, Mandela, Todd Beamer on UA flight 93 just to name a few. Let's not fall backward but move forward figuring out, how we can ALL help the next administration avoid this type of situation we're in today. Let's first figure out how we got to this point in the first place instead of deciding to blindly follow this Iraqi "journalist" footsteps. Journalism is to be OBJECTIVE and NOT manipulative (of the crowd out there that journalism are supposed to inform about the TRUTH). Anger in the street is what this journalist generated and anger is self-destructive! by Lydia Kopere Patterson (6 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 154 comments) on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008 at 1:35:31 PM (0+)
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The Litmus Test
Lydia Kopere Patterson, You seem to be a Bush apologist blind to all the crimes and atrocities he and his family have commited upon humanity through decades. Bush is one of the filthiest creature the world has ever seen ( another one being his boss Cheney): 9/11 massacre of US citizens, torture and rape at Abu Gharib and Baghram and Guantanamo and elsewher, slaughter of innocents in Iraq and Afghanistan. If all the dirt and the filth and the manure of the planet was thrown at this sub-human, it would not be enough to express the pent-up disgust of billions of humans who have suffered in the hands of this demented psychopath and his forefathers. The shoe throwing was perfectly appropriate and symbolic. Stop telling bullshit to us. We know much better than that. By the way, how did WTC7 come down to its roots without being hit? The Litmus Test of honesty, that is! The author of this article has failed the test, and you? by ramsheyi (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 793 comments [1 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008 at 2:19:44 PM (0+)
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I empathize with the shoe thrower, truly.
His comments explained everything, to remember the widows and orphans and dead of Iraq. Maybe Gandhi wouldn't have thrown his shoes, but such actions have enraged the Iraq Prime Minister much as Gandhi's Salt March enraged the Viceroy (Lord Irwin, as I recall) as well as the rest of the British imperialists occupying India for the prior 250 years. It was the Salt March that finally broke the back of the ostensible British "moral superiority," and thus de-justified their presence in India. Gandhi just told them over and over, until they finally got it: "YOU ARE UNWELCOME IN INDIA ANY LONGER." Time proved Gandhi right, and Time will honor this fellow; even though he has a broken arm and internal bleeding after the beating the enraged Iraqis gave him, he is lucky in my humble opinion, to be alive....don't forget how many broken arms, collar bones, and even skulls the British broke to crush an uncrushable movement in India. Time will give a lot more credit to al-Zaidi than he has at present. With all of those lies about Weapons of Mass Destruction resulting in the outdated, corrupt, and morally reprehensible occupation of Iraq, which has, if you recall, virtually bankrupted the USA, throwing shoes is pretty minor, but vastly symbolic to an opressed people like the Iraqis. All else has failed, and the rejoicing actions of the Iraqi people in response to al Zaidi's actions, explain everything at the real core of this unusual event. In conclusion, don't forget that several hundred lawyers have offered to defend him for free! What does that tell you? by Stephen Fox (96 articles, 3 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 802 comments [33 recommended, 1 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008 at 4:40:51 PM (0+)
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Reply: What does that tell you?
The lawyers are stupid? The man committed an assault on another individual in front of cameras and a room full of witnesses. The lawyers, as usual, come from the despicable cesspool of publicity seeking attorneys who see an money-making opportunity to prey on this poor deranged man's 15 minutes of fame. by Mad Jayhawk (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 652 comments [56 recommended, 3 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008 at 5:35:05 PM (0+)
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Reply: War is NOT the answer
Indeed, ghandi peaceful message paid off. Stephen, thank you for your supportive arguments and excellent points to PEACE! by Lydia Kopere Patterson (6 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 154 comments) on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008 at 6:24:48 PM (0+)
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Hilarious
That was one of the funniest thing I have seen on TV for some time. President Bush could be a world class dodgeball player. Great reaction times. The thrower obviously did not practice his throwing before his grand, futile gesture. Given the element of surprise and the distance he should have nailed him. The thrower failed for 6-7 years to nail Bush and failed again in front of the world. A loser. Appropriate conduct for a journalist? Journalists are jokes anyway so this type of conduct is probably far down the list of all the other crap they have 'thrown' at the President for the last 8 years. Is this worse than what Rather tried to do to him in 2004? I don't think so. At least the thrower wound up in jail in the hands of probably some rather unpleasant people while Rather is still around with drool running down his chin. As far as other so-called journalists attempting an assault (that is what the shoe throwing was) on a US President, I will give them some free advice: don't, unless you enjoy spending lots time in a prison library reading about your own stupidity while all your buddies who graciously cheered you on are on the outside, enjoying the holidays. And macho grandstanding about throwing an object at a president for whatever reason is about juvenile and/or insane as you can get. by Mad Jayhawk (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 652 comments [56 recommended, 3 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008 at 5:12:47 PM (0+)
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Reply: If your mother or child or brother were killed by US forces,
Mad Jayhawk, you would not have such a barbaric and catastrophic lack of empathy. I feel sorry for you, wallowing in your inflamed indifference and blatant lack of compassion, but I feel sorry more for those whose families have been killed by a US military and a depraved and bestial Presidency, exercising its own personal grudge match against Sadaam Hussein. In due course, our disastrous adventurism in the Middle East and in Afghanistan will help destroy our economy and our very precepts of freedom and responsibility, much of which has already occured. Al-Zaidi, as Dave Lindorff has bravely written, was speaking for many more of us than would meet the eye, and no great loss if that doesn't include you, Mad Jayhawk. Nothing real seems to penetrate your thinking, so I don't expect you ever to understand any of this, as it will never sink in.... by Stephen Fox (96 articles, 3 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 802 comments [33 recommended, 1 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008 at 9:03:36 PM (0+)
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Reply: Calling me names
If calling me names makes you feel good this holiday season, have at it Steve. I have some bad news for you: War is hell. Always has been and always will be. You can pretend and 'hope' that someday it won't be, but I can guarantee you it won't be in our lifetimes. These idiotic people, like al-Zaidi, the shoe thrower, just don't hate Bush they hate Americans. That includes you no matter how much love you show them. See if it changes in another month. It won't. Then what will you do and say? I know. I know. It is Bush's fault. When I read about all the so-called progressives lionizing someone who in a fit of juvenile irrationality assaults our president, I remember how Saddam's son Uday 'lionized' a young man back in 2000, according Saddam's executioner, by having the young man taken to the Uday Huessin's private zoo and put into the lion's cage. The lion immediately decapitated the young man and proceeded to eat him, leaving only small scraps of tissue scattered in the dirt. Or I could recall the story of 3,500 Iraqi men who surgically, without painkillers, had their ears removed in a 3 day period. These wonderful people, the Husseins, would still be in charge if the so-called progressives had their way. The progessives loved the Hussein family. The progressives lionized and defended them and people like al-Zaidi. No atrocity, even genocide against their own people using WMD that Saddam didn't have, was too horrible to justify their forcible removal in the all-caring, sensitive progressive view. by Mad Jayhawk (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 652 comments [56 recommended, 3 rejected]) on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008 at 10:28:35 PM (0+)
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Why So Much Hatred ?
Mad Jayhawk, Please wakeupfromyourslumber.com and try to find out whatreallyhappened.com while you had your head buried in the sand or were being brainwashed by the treacherous deceitful MSM and the idiot box that we call television.You should travel outside the US in poor sections of the world in order to have a perception of the unglamorous and sordid reality. When you would have seen the world as much as I have you would realize that the majority of world population lives in a misery unimaginable to an average American. Poverty beyond what is tolerable. But why ? Because of the USA. Because the richess and resources of the third world are stolen and brought here so that you can live in opulence and luxury and waste. And things did not happen through accident. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and the Federal Reserve were created and they joined hands to maintain the third world in absolute poverty so as you can have all that comfort and fat. Then they created the devilish organization called the CIA to subvert and to opress and to torture dissidents and protestors. It was the CIA that brought the brainless totally demented Saddam Hossein to power and set him loose to do what he did. It was the CIA who brought ruthless dictators Pinochet and the Shah to power. And it is the CIA that has overthrown and overthrows democratically elected leaders of the third world: Mossadegh, Allende, Lumumba, just to name a few. Please understand that it is the CIA's criminal and terrorist activities that generate so much hatred towards USA. I was lucky to have met the bright and beautiful side of this great nation through Peace Corps agents who helped me settle in the US and to discover this fabulous land of opportunity. But I remain critical of whatever the CIA and the World Bank do to the world outside this country. And I remain critical of the apparatus that keeps people ignorant and brainwashed and transformed into robots programmed to consume without critical-thinking intelectual capability. Please understand and start doing some research on your part. You seem to have some untapped reserves. by ramsheyi (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 793 comments [1 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Wednesday, Dec 17, 2008 at 9:06:00 AM (0+)
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