printWhen in 2009, a brave Baghdadi journalist lobbed a loafer at a similar object (President Genghis Bush), I commended him for his bravery against “a bully.”
Less boldly—and even gingerly—Larry Elder has written “In Defense of the Rose Garden ‘Heckler.'”
Why?
I wasn’t aware that anyone needed defending for speaking truth to power, in America. I was wrong. We Americans may not have the venerated tradition of a hardworking royal family, but we accord an inordinate and undeserving respect to our parasitical political royalty.
Writes Elder:
Last week, a “right-wing activist” (according to Michael Eric Dyson, guest-hosting for Ed Schultz on MSNBC) interrupted President Barack Obama as he explained his executive order that bars deportation for at least 800,000 illegal aliens who came to America – “brought to this country by their parents” – before the age of 16.
As Obama stood in the White House Rose Garden and outlined the plan, Neil Munro, a reporter with a conservative website, shouted, “Why do you favor foreigners over American workers?” Based on his colleagues’ reaction, one would have thought he’d thrown a shoe at the president. Reporters and pundits called him unprofessional, rude and even racist for interrupting Obama.
Speaking of shoe tossing; When that stellar fellow threw his “Bye-Bye Bush shoes,” the Istanbul-based Baydan Shoe Company was inundated with orders for the black leather loafers. From “Take this, Mr. President, For Ramos and Compean”:
In what will go down as the high-water mark of his career, journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi lobbed a loafer at Bush for invading his country, during the president’s last official trip to that country. Iraqis, tens of thousands of whom were killed and millions displaced, have every reason to throw boots, baklava, and even bombs at Bush. But they’ve come along way. Shoe tossing is much better than bomb throwing. … in times of terrorism and economic downturn, the brave journalist who booted a violent bully, and the entrepreneurial shoe merchant who built a brand around this barmy comedy—these [were] good news stories.
It’s sad to say, but if Neil Munro tried to launch a line of loafers thus, in the USA today, he’d been shot on the spot. Were he protesting a Republican, Larry Elder would have probably approved of the murder.
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On a personal note, the pressure of this effort over months has had some unexpected consequences. (I heard it said that in the US there are two types of engineers: overworked or unemployed. A tough economy would indeed force increases in productivity: fewer and fewer workers are doing more and more of work.) The upshot: My husband has come down with pneumonia. I will be taking some time to look after him (and hoping to remain uninfected).
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So sorry to Mr. Mercer is ill, hoping for a quick and complete recovery.
A brief tangent on your previous post regarding the Royal Family (or the original Famous for Being Famous Clan).
“Like or dislike her, the British Queen is harmless. Her role is purely ceremonial. ”
I lived in England for a bit, and I still don’t know why Brits have any affection for ~their~ royalty. Any time I see a Bush or a Kennedy on my Tele, I never miss an opportunity to tell ’em to go suck an egg (yes, I understand they can’t actually hear me through the cathode ray tube).
To your original point, “..we accord an inordinate and undeserving respect to our parasitical political royalty.” — True. Our own political dynasties — the Kennedy spawn and the ineffectual Bush’s — have an actual legacy of harming liberties, common sense, and competence. Our political class should be afforded the same degree of civility and good manners that we’d show to any random stranger on the street (no more, no less), but, as you said, the respect handed to them by the media lackeys is far too submissive.
Someone get me a shoe: Diane Sawyer is on my TV again blathering about the weather rather than the Fast and Furious scandal. Hell, I’d be happy if anchors, reporters, journalists, and political analysts stuck to reporting on the weather and nothing else. Their weather predictions would be as salient as their political wish-casting, but they’d do less harm.
[Cool about shoeing that woman.]
A speedy recovery to Sean and good health for yourself. As to overworked or unemployed, perhaps I said it but I will not claim it since that is the OBVIOUS state of affairs to anyone in science/engineering these days.
Racist Larry Elder is out defending treasonous Neil Munro who dared to disrespect Lord Messiah Obama. After all, the immigration policy was first passed by the Lower House of Obama and then ratified by the Upper House of Obama – then the two Obamas reconciled and the law was signed by Obama – then the Court of Obama declared it to be constitutional and the bureaucrats at the Department of Obama enforced His Holy Will. That is how we do this in Obamerica and if an Anti-Obamerican like Munro doesn’t like the fact that a Mexican pays lower tuition in state Universities than a New Mexican, well Munro should just go back to whatever country he came from and get his disrespectful ass out of Obamerica.
Our freedoms come from our Heavenly Father in the White House and if you can’t respect our freedoms, then a drone should blow your racist treasonous ass up! Long live Hope and Change!
My best regards to your husband, I know you will nurture him back to health. We need every competent engineer we can get. The competent ones work overtime because they only comprise 3% of the total population of engineers. I just ‘went Galt’ and left a team of incompetent boobs with all the responsibility they tried to assume by ‘directing’ me on a major project they are not qualified to handle. The depth of their ignorance in the field is so great that they aren’t even aware of its scope yet, they didn’t believe or understand the hours I was putting in to cover so many thousands of details. I will not trade my health to feed them while they attempt to exercise authority over me and override my design decisions. [You are a brave man. Not many around who stick to true values; you will find creative outlet, or it will find you.] The aftermath will be interesting. They are quite angry at me. Almost a word-for-word replay of the Twentieth Century Motor Company, except I offered them a chance to back off before I quit, right in the boardroom in a big meeting. I’m doing quite well freelancing and feel much, much better. Hopefully my little story will help him feel better. Always loving you from afar …
[Please keep me apprised. In support, ilana.]
One can speak truth to power if the power happens to be on the right. Since the “truth speakers” of the media are all apologists and enablers for the left that’s the way it works. I remember the disrespectful heckling that passed for probing questions directed toward Ronald Raegan and others. Those snot nosed, self important pricks from the media fool noone but others of their ilk.
I hope your husband recovers quickly and completely! I too thought of the the shoe thrown at W in Iraq when I heard about the so called interruption. I guess the Bamster’s big ears are tender…
All the best to you and Sean, with wishes for speedy recovery (and remaining uninfected).
[Many thanks, Nebojsa.]