[Vision2020] Shoe-Thrower Gets Visit, Birthday Party

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of today's (January 17, 2009) Spokesman Review.

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Shoe-thrower gets visit, birthday party
   
The Iraqi journalist jailed since throwing his shoes at President George 
W. Bush got a visit from his brother Friday and a birthday party from his 
guards as he turned 30.

Muntadhar al-Zeidi, who has gained cult status for his bizarre protest, is 
in good shape but has been denied access to his lawyer, relatives said 
after his brother Maitham visited him for two hours in his detention cell 
in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone.

Al-Zeidi has been in custody since the Dec. 14 outburst at Bush’s joint 
news conference with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Thousands 
demonstrated for al-Zeidi’s release and hailed his gesture.

But concern was raised about his welfare after allegations that he had 
been severely beaten and tortured in detention.

Maitham al-Zeidi was not available to comment on the visit, but another 
brother, Dhargham, told the Associated Press that he was told the wounds 
had healed.

Al-Zeidi had been due to face a trial in December on a charge of 
assaulting a foreign leader. But an appellate court is considering a 
motion to reduce the charges to simply insulting Bush

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Insulting Bush?

If Al-Zeidi's charges are reduced to "insulting Bush", I recommend that 
Moscow send him a letter of appreciation and a new pair of shoes.  In the 
past eight years, Al-Zeidi is the only person to stand up to Bush.

Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
 
"For a lapsed Lutheran born-again Buddhist pan-Humanist Universalist 
Unitarian Wiccan Agnostic like myself there's really no reason ever to go 
to work."

- Roy Zimmerman


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