Unsure if this has been posted yet, but no matter, here it is AGAIN!
But done my own special way.
I know there are readers who should just go find something else to read while other continue to enjoy the afterglow of the the shoe heard round the world.
I have 2 quick reports on the "Mushroom Cloud of Reactions" still occurring from the soleful dissent of our Iraqi friend.
First, a report from The Guardian appears to take great pleasure in the Iraqi's shoe insult to Bush. They pen an article "How to insult George Bush, wherever you are in the world":
George Bush was on the receiving end of the worst of all Middle Eastern insults at the weekend when an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at the outgoing US president at a press conference in Baghdad. Throwing a shoe at a person's head isn't, of course, considered insulting in only the Islamic world, though it does carry a particularly degrading symbolism (showing the sole of your shoes is considered deeply offensive; when the statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled in Baghdad in 2003, Iraqis beat it with their shoes). Bush steps down in January, but this surely won't be the last offensive gesture he encounters on his travels. Here, then, is our handy guide.
It's really funny because, not being an America paper, the Guardian is able to sort of let loose THEIR disdain for "Mr. Bush" by reviewing many different cultural insults. They also note, as I and others often have, that he will live in disdain for probably the rest of his life.
And history has him chiseled in as Worst President Ever as well as liar, war criminal, and responsible for the deaths, torture and mutilation of countless numbers of people.
He won't enjoy the same freedom as Bill Clinton though he's got the wealth and family connections to never set foot in our sort of reality again.
But still, he is so unpopular (despised) he gets a huge 103 man security detail to insulate him from his "widespread non-popularity".
Next I want to share with you this bit at Raw Story about a website that has sprung up called sock and awe. From Raw Story:
Following in the footsteps of the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush, anyone can take a virtual swipe at the US leader on the Internet thanks to a new game.
The aim of "Sock and Awe" (www.sockandawe.com), launched by Britain's Alex Tew, is to knock Bush out with a shoe, a feat already attained by 1.4 million players, according to the website Tuesday.
Aptly named after the US "Shock and Awe" military campaign to knock out Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the game gives players 30 seconds to aim at a figure of Bush ducking behind a rostrum.
When I treid to get on to "sock and awe" it took a few moments to connect. Busy place, I suppose. So many people want to relive the thrill of the moment, and much like playes of video games like "Guitar Hero", they want to experience some of the visceral excitement of actually hurling footwear at Bush themselves.
A message on the banner says "6818540 shoes have successfully hit President Bush in his face. Well done!"
I was able to bean "Mr. Bush" 4 times.
Yes. It's just a momentary fad - a nano-fad, but it IS a broad reflection of just how pervasively despised Bush is.
If you are not one of those with "shoe violence traumatic suffering disorder", visit sock and awe and hurl away!