Where is the mightiness of his pen?

You've no doubt heard about the journalist in Iraq who threw his shoes at President Bush. They say the pen is mightier than the sword. But this man's pen was inadequate and he resorted to brandishing footwear.

Muntadar al-Zeidi, a 28-year-old unmarried Shiite, used his journalistic access to President Bush for a symbolic gesture of rage (and bad aim) in an abuse of the journalistic privilege.

The journalist, identified as Muntadar al-Zeidi, 28, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia television, an Iraqi-owned station based in Cairo, Egypt, stood up and threw the shoes from about 20 feet away.

“This is your farewell kiss, you dog!” he shouted in Arabic. “This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq.”

After the perpetrator was removed, near the end of the press conference, Mr. Bush took a question about what happened. He said that he did not feel endangered (although questions remain why the Secret Service did not get between the journalist and the president.)

He mentioned that the other journalists were very apologetic and told him that this was not representative of the Iraqi people. But Mr. Bush did not express concern. He said that this was a function of democracy.

Even those who dislike Mr. Bush admitted that it was a sign of liberty. Reuters quoted a person they identified as Abu Faisal, who was critical of the war.

“The Iraqi journalist is a true and free Baghdadi,” he said.

The Bulletin

Muntadar al-Zeidi is in jail now and I'm glad. That's where he belongs. He is scheduled to be in the Iraqi Central Criminal Court on Wednesday according to news reports. M&C Middle East

CNN.com reports:

In a statement read on the air, Al-Baghdadia said that al-Zaidi should be freed "in accordance with democracy and freedom of expression Iraqis were promised by the new era and American authorities."

Free speech involves words

When someone hurls an object at another person, with force, they make of that object an airborne missile. Hurling an object at another person aggressively and with intent to harm physically  is a violent act of aggression; an assault. It's not "free speech." Free speech pertains to verbalization not physical assault. Destructive acts are not excused because they are perpetrated for, what is believed to be, a noble purpose.

Whatever your opinion of President Bush, that was a physical assault against him and hugely disrespectful to the office of the president.

The journalist is being hailed by some as a hero. Really he is just a crass abuser of journalistic privelege; a man of violence with bad aim.