# Shoe Statue erected in Honor of Shoe-Throwing Journalist **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-statue-erected-in-honor-of-shoe-throwing-journalist/483611 "2009-01-29T21:05:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-statue-erected-in-honor-of-shoe-throwing-journalist/483611/21 "2009-01-31T18:58:48Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Don’t get me wrong, I’m not defending W, but the Office of the President instead. Whether it’s US Grant or Abe Lincoln, I don’t want a foreign journalist throwing shoes at him, regardless of the circumstances. By this logic, the Iraqis have every right to be pissed because Bush threw _bombs and missiles_ at the Office of the President. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not defending Saddam”. A mere shoe is somewhat mild a retaliation. If the incumbent is a douche, they devalue the Office. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-statue-erected-in-honor-of-shoe-throwing-journalist/483611/22 "2009-01-31T19:03:40Z")
> [@spike404](#): > > I wonder what the opinions of those who applaud the shoe thrower would be if it comes to pass, that someone throws a watermelon rind at Obama? > > Just wondering. I might think he’s an idiot or a racist, but it’s nothing more than an exercise of free expression and I would judge him and his message according to my own opinion. Other than that, I would not want the government to impose any penalty on him. I certainly would not be wishing for him to get a “beatdown of a lifetime.” ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-statue-erected-in-honor-of-shoe-throwing-journalist/483611/23 "2009-01-31T22:56:12Z")
Baghdad was once one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Now it is blown apart, partitioned by fences, has intermittent electricity and the water is screwed up. The man who lied the country into a war that destroyed it was standing in front of him. He got off easy. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-statue-erected-in-honor-of-shoe-throwing-journalist/483611/24 "2009-02-01T00:03:42Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Baghdad was once one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Now it is blown apart, partitioned by fences, has intermittent electricity and the water is screwed up. The man who lied the country into a war that destroyed it was standing in front of him. He got off easy. Baghdad was already partitioned by religion and had intermittent electricity and poor water service. What’s a little blown up going to harm? j/k ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-statue-erected-in-honor-of-shoe-throwing-journalist/483611/25 "2009-02-01T00:05:04Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > By this logic, the Iraqis have every right to be pissed because Bush threw _bombs and missiles_ at the Office of the President. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not defending Saddam”. A mere shoe is somewhat mild a retaliation. > > If the incumbent is a douche, they devalue the Office. Please enlighten me as to when and where GWB tortured, executed, gassed, raped and murdered his fellow citizens of his country. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-statue-erected-in-honor-of-shoe-throwing-journalist/483611/26 "2009-02-01T00:08:01Z")
Okay, so GWB didn’t rape anybody. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-statue-erected-in-honor-of-shoe-throwing-journalist/483611/27 "2009-02-01T02:06:42Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Please enlighten me as to when and where GWB tortured, executed, gassed, raped and murdered his fellow citizens of his country. > > Thanks. What bearing does that have on your position? You claim to respect the Office, _regardless_ of the incumbent, no matter how horrible. I would therefore expect you to have that same position regarding the equivalent office in other countries. Clearly you do not. Which is hypocrisy. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-statue-erected-in-honor-of-shoe-throwing-journalist/483611/28 "2009-02-01T04:21:20Z")
To say that GWB didn’t actually rape anybody… wow. I’d certainly hope that the legacy of future leaders of my country have a little more to stand on than “I didn’t rape anybody!” ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-statue-erected-in-honor-of-shoe-throwing-journalist/483611/29 "2009-02-01T04:26:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Fatin al-Nassiri says Iraqi police told her the statue had to be removed from the orphanage in Tikrit because government property should not be used for something with a political bias. Actually I’d say that’s a good sign. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-statue-erected-in-honor-of-shoe-throwing-journalist/483611/30 "2009-02-01T04:31:40Z")
> [@spike404](#): > > I wonder what the opinions of those who applaud the shoe thrower would be if it comes to pass, that someone throws a watermelon rind at Obama? > > Just wondering. Why do you have to throw Obama’s race into a thread about someone throwing a shoe at Bush? Even if you want to ask how people would react to someone throwing something at Obama, why inject race into it? Do you think Bush got a shoe thrown at his head because he was white? ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-statue-erected-in-honor-of-shoe-throwing-journalist/483611/31 "2009-02-01T04:43:21Z")
Exactly. Bush had a shoe thrown at him because he was an ass deserving of contempt, not because of his race. If Obama proves to be a total dickwad, I’d not have a problem with people expressing their opinions as such. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-statue-erected-in-honor-of-shoe-throwing-journalist/483611/32 "2009-02-02T00:47:28Z")
The statue’s been removed: [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090131/ap\_on\_re\_mi\_ea/ml\_iraq\_shoe\_sculpture](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090131/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_shoe_sculpture) > [@](#): > > Iraq sculpture honoring Bush shoe-thrower removed > > BAGHDAD – The director of an Iraqi orphanage says a sculpture honoring an Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at former President George W. Bush has been removed. > > Fatin al-Nassiri says Iraqi police told her the statue had to be removed from the orphanage in Tikrit because government property should not be used for something with a political bias. > > She says the sofa-sized statue of a shoe was taken down on Saturday after being unveiled on Thursday. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-statue-erected-in-honor-of-shoe-throwing-journalist/483611.md?page=1)