The Shoe Fits

It’s sad that throwing a shoe at the major source of global travail is all you can do. When did the people of the world become so powerless that we must glory in one small act by an Iraqi journalist, an act which symbolically showed the world’s scorn for the misanthrope who engineered the ransoming of our planet.

It is especially tragic when you consider the global suffering wrought by the policies of one man and one ruthless political party. The checks and balances of a democratic government have obviously failed when 8 years of Bush profligacy have been allowed.

Though the twilight of his power is nearly here, we are still saddled with his blight as he continues to trash us with midnight regulations, not just his enemies but the people – that is to say current and future generations of Americans are his targets not his enemies.

Muntader al-Zaidi threw his shoes at President Bush and shouted, “This is a farewell kiss, you dog. This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq .” Seemingly as self-deluded as ever, Bush said that he was unfazed by the incident, and it had no larger significance.

If nothing else, the enterprising spirit of American business has kicked in, and there is already a multitude of electronic games with the theme of shoe-throwing at the president. With some thirty days left of the Bush regime, this seems to be the extent of our power, levity toward our leader.

Nevertheless, al-Zaidi’s reference to widows, orphans and the murdered in Iraq does ring true. Many have spoken of Bush’s crimes against humanity, and they don’t just speak of Iraqi victims.

We don’t seem to punish the rich, the powerful and the well connected.

If you think it is not power that dictates who is punished and who is not, consider the make-up of our prison population, which is over two million strong and the largest per capita for all countries.

Though only 12 percent of the overall population, blacks make up almost half of the prison population. The truth is crime and punishment alike are heavily concentrated in poor city neighborhoods, and especially in black neighborhoods.

Those without power and opportunity represent the heaviest concentration of prison inmates.

Why do we put people in prison? Most would tell you to protect others from their malice. We feel safer, more protected, when a mass murderer is put out of commission.

The point seems to be that the people in power go unconstrained and, if found criminal, largely unpunished. Those in power are precisely the people who can do the must damage to the largest number of innocent people.

When oversight and regulations toward the powerful fail, there are potentially many victims to suffer the consequences.

The subprime fiasco, with many rich and powerful in a reckless greed-fest, has almost toppled the global economy.

Individually you have Ken Lay, the ex-Enron CEO who had the Bush connection to encourage his fraud.

More recently Bernard Madoff, in a high position, allegedly cheated others out of $50-billion, thousands losing their retirement money, all this before he was discovered.

My point is that Muntader al-Zaidi’s gesture of scorn signifies the frustration of billions on global citizens who suffer because a few with power can make victims of the other six billion people on our planet.

Is there not a long-term remedy, other than playing an electronic game, “Hit Bush with a shoe”?