10/25/2007
Condoleezza Rice Confronted by "Blood-Stained" Anti-war Activist
Anti-war protestor Desiree Anita Ali-Fairooz of the Code Pink organization was detained on Wednesday after confronting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at a congressional hearing.
As Rice approached the podium, Farooz placed blood-colored hands in her face and shouted "war criminal" before being escorted form the chamber along with several other activists.
Reuters reports: "Capitol Police said later five people were arrested, including Ali-Fairooz, who was charged with disorderly conduct and assault on a police officer. She was also charged with defacing government property for smearing the red paint from her hands on the hallway wall outside the hearing room. The other four protesters faced disorderly conduct charges."
Halloween, of course, is next week, but in the Bush administration it's scary all year.
Posted 11:15 AM EST by Andy in Condoleezza Rice, George W. Bush, Iraq, News | Permalink
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Condi is thinking "Gawd, I should be shoe shopping and seeing a Broadway play right about now instead of dealing with this crap".
Posted by: Malibu Boy | Oct 25, 2007 11:20:11 AM
Condi thinks, "Damn! Now everyone going to the NeoCon Party will know my Halloween costume!"
Posted by: homer | Oct 25, 2007 11:22:23 AM
The sad thing is, nothing is going to change with the war or anything else in this country until there are hundreds of thousands of people on the Mall in Washington DC screaming the same thing.
If this administration has actual factual information to support their war, then show it to us. Period. Otherwise, "Send em to the Hague!"
Posted by: noteasilyoffended | Oct 25, 2007 11:31:49 AM
Yes, while Halloween is next week, it's always April Fool's Day on this blog. I wish you would just report the news minus your personal slant. You are getting about as bad as Fox News for adding your own personal bias. Let the people read the article and make their own choices.
Posted by: Robert | Oct 25, 2007 11:36:35 AM
I love the look on Condi's face in the second pic, she's like "son of a..."
RE "Send em to the Hague", good thing the US never signed on the whole UN war crimes tribunal ;)
Posted by: Meeg | Oct 25, 2007 11:39:58 AM
Robert, "I wish you would just report the news minus your personal slant". What the hell kind of site do you think this is? No opinions (unless they agree with mine)?
Posted by: ger | Oct 25, 2007 11:50:48 AM
Uh, Robert, including personal bias is the whole point of having a blog, you fucking retard!
Posted by: crispy | Oct 25, 2007 11:52:04 AM
Sorry, noteasilyoffended, but thousands of people marching is not effective anymore, especially since those marching are usually of the patchouli-scented and unkempt-looking variety, not unlike Ms. Farooz.
Politics is theater, but theater is not politics. What will change things is if all these so-called activists stop staging theatrics and do what the right-wing nutjobs have been doing for years: getting out to vote, lobbying like hell, and being a real force for political change.
No, voting for Nader doesn't count as voting. It's just removing your voice from the process: he'll never win, so those who do can (and do!) easily ignore his voters.
Posted by: Michael | Oct 25, 2007 11:55:10 AM
NotEasilyOffended is, apparently, EasilyOffended.
It seems to me that this blog is free of charge, and isn't supported by public funds. It's a privately owned and run business. If one doesn't like the particular political slant of the commentary on this blog, one can easily choose WorldNetDaily, Fox News, or some other fair and balanced media outlet.
Funny how fairness is defined by the Bush adminstration supporters (of which there are literally hundreds in the United States) as being either supportive of their policies or being completely unreasonable. Such is the treachery of idealogues.
Posted by: Brian | Oct 25, 2007 12:10:24 PM
My bad, NotEasilyOffended. My comment was for Robert, not you. I apparently need to adjust my bifocals.
Seems Michael made the same goof!
Posted by: Brian | Oct 25, 2007 12:11:36 PM
Coming across as a mouth-frothing loonie is hardly helpful to those in the anti-war movement. Putting more pressure on the spineless congressional leadership is a better route.
Posted by: Jack Scribe | Oct 25, 2007 12:11:58 PM
Sorry, Michael, I disagree. What a blanket statement. There is still power in numbers, not just in the halls of our government. And stop the hippie bashing. 100,000+ people (no matter what they look like) voicing dissent will have an affect on policy. We DO agree that voting is a MAJOR first step to re-gaining populous power.
Voting for Nader may not win a Democrat the election, but if the Democratic Party was smart they would see that those who do vote for Nader are dissatisfied with the "leadership" of the Democratic party and address those issues. Instead, they continue on the same lame road they have for the past 20 years. Democratics have become Republicans have become......
I am afraid that it is going to take physical activity, protest and other very visible efforts to affect any change in the situation of our government. The foxes are in the henhouse. Then again, we as a population have become spoiled, lazy and apathetic. Satisfied with our "middle class" lives that we are pretending is something more, satisfied with our spotty insurance company-run health care system, satisfied with our shrinking two-week per year vacation, satisfied with self-ingratiating people managing our moneys and our futures, eating ourselves into the grave and self-obsessed beyond belief. Americans have become to busy living our own lives to realize our own power. We just don't seem to care any more. Care enough to do something about it, that is....even disrupt a Congressional hearing with theatrics.
Posted by: noteasilyoffended | Oct 25, 2007 12:14:30 PM
No problem at all, Brian. No offense taken. (teehee)
Posted by: noteasilyoffended | Oct 25, 2007 12:18:16 PM
Dear Robert:
STFU and get your own blog.
Thanks in advance.
Love,
Me
Posted by: Tread | Oct 25, 2007 12:20:26 PM
I completely agree with noteasilyoffended.
It is our apathy that is our undoing. While I don't always agree with their tactics, I have great respect for these protesters. The problem with the Iraq war is that the pain and cost is being hidden from most of us -- we will feel it eventually, but we are not feeling it immediately. If we were all taxed to actually pay for the war (instead of borrowing the money for the Chinese) and if there were a draft to fill our armed services, you would see a very different attitude -- people would be spilling into the streets.
Hopefully, $5/gallon gasoline, which is just around the corner, will finally get Americans to take notice. If all this money that has been wasted on the Iraq war had instead been spent on alternate energy research, we might be in a very different place today.
Posted by: Anonymous | Oct 25, 2007 12:26:59 PM
I completely agree with noteasilyoffended.
It is our apathy that is our undoing. While I don't always agree with their tactics, I have great respect for these protesters. The problem with the Iraq war is that the pain and cost is being hidden from most of us -- we will feel it eventually, but we are not feeling it immediately. If we were all taxed to actually pay for the war (instead of borrowing the money for the Chinese) and if there were a draft to fill our armed services, you would see a very different attitude -- people would be spilling into the streets.
Hopefully, $5/gallon gasoline, which is just around the corner, will finally get Americans to take notice. If all this money that has been wasted on the Iraq war had instead been spent on alternate energy research, we might be in a very different place today.
Posted by: Anonymous | Oct 25, 2007 12:29:22 PM
Condi looks like she's about to slap a bitch -- and it would have been justified. There are better ways to deal with this than played out theatrics like this.
Posted by: Nita | Oct 25, 2007 12:46:49 PM
Michael says, "Politics is theater, but theater is not politics. What will change things is if all these so-called activists stop staging theatrics and do what the right-wing nutjobs have been doing for years: getting out to vote, lobbying like hell, and being a real force for political change."
I agree with Michael. Theatre has its place. But the theatre above just moves people away. It's not effective. How many returning vets has Code Pink spoken to, provided shelter and assistance for, lobbied for, presented their stories? I honestly don't know -- and I'm not going to know, through a run-of-the-mill 'blood stained hands' stunt.
One of the greatest stunts remains the Yippies tossing dollars on Wall Street back in the 60s. Brilliant, simple, effective.... and it accomplished its goal by getting the subjects involved in their own asskicking. What would be the equivalent kickyourownass moment, towards warmongers?
Posted by: Nita | Oct 25, 2007 12:53:39 PM
The first photo is totally dishonest. If you watch the video, Condi had been talking to someone behind her and had yet to see the protester. The photo -- unfairly -- makes it look like she is recoiling, which as you can see in later photos is not what happens. Quite the opposite, in fact.
PS Now that the news is getting better out of Iraq, is anyone reporting it? Nope. How anyone trusts anyone in the media is beyond me.
PSS I want Bush out, but I hate the Islamofascists more.
Posted by: Mike | Oct 25, 2007 1:11:25 PM
Bravo Desi, you rule.
The american people as a nation will never wake up and they are powerless to do anything even if they did. Their self interests are too diverse and contradictory. Also, they are cowed by the powers that be and their military might. The powers that be (via the media) know very well how to manipulate the masses through fear, ignorance and superstition, playing one group (black, hispanic, gay, straight, x-tian, etc.) against the other. It’s the old game of divide and conquer and they play it very well and it works. You can see it quite plainly on a blog such as this where even 5 queens can’t agree on anything.
Posted by: the queen | Oct 25, 2007 1:12:46 PM
Stunts like this make paranoid pols even more paranoid. Capitol Hill is already turning into a fortress because of one lone gunman ten years ago (to the tune of a half-billion dollars in fortification work), and access to the public has been greatly curtailed. This will make matters worse.
Posted by: anon (gmail.com) | Oct 25, 2007 1:15:18 PM
I was waiting for the pink girls to scream, "Don't taze me bro!"
Oh and Michael, I will continue voting for people like Nader and Kucinich because that's who I want to lead this country, not Hillary. Kind of makes sense, doesn't it?
Posted by: jake | Oct 25, 2007 1:59:09 PM
That picture of Condie near that woman's "blood" stained hands is very powerful. Sure, it's theater and it surely hasn't made a whiff of difference to Condie as her only loyalty is to her boss, not her country. But, Condie is pure theatrics herself. Has this woman told us the truth about anything?
Remember her defense of Bush regarding the dismissal of the damning august PDB during the 9/11 hearings? She's fake to the core. A acting dynamo.
Posted by: Marco | Oct 25, 2007 2:06:40 PM
The caption should read "Talk to the hand!"
Posted by: David Ehrenstein | Oct 25, 2007 2:15:37 PM
Considering the hundreds of thousands of civilians killed in Iraq, a pair of blood-stained hands in Condi's face seems a bit of an understatement. Theatrical this is not - I'd bet that many an Iraqi has lost countless family and would do the same with more honesty than we can comprehend.
Posted by: scientitian | Oct 25, 2007 2:41:18 PM
Mike!
Islamofascists??
For Christ's Sake, get an education! When Republicans use that pseudo-term it makes me cringe because its so inept and meaningless. How about we stop fascists in general, including the Christian fascists, you know, the ones that waged a war on an innocent country and killed nearly a million of their citizens for NO FUCKING REASON.
It shames me to say that the Bush Administration are the terrorists, here, and anyone at this point who disagrees is just plain stupid.
While I don't agree with the mouth-frothing theatrics this woman displayed, part of me secretly cheered that someone said it right to that bitch Condoleeza Rice's face.
All of these people are war criminals and should be thrown in jail.
Posted by: Allen | Oct 25, 2007 2:57:47 PM
that woman has more balls than all of you naysaying she-males combined. rice and all the rest of the lawless bush-cheney administration should be tried as war criminals then hanged.
Posted by: nic | Oct 25, 2007 3:26:34 PM
Look, that was pure theater, but counterproductive. The second photo went out as the AP stock photo of the incident. The first photo looks like an outtake from the famous fake Bigfoot film from 1967.
Either way, the Pinkie looks like a stalker to the average voter. Aside from the crazed look and the fugly hair, there's the Lamb of God blood on the hands. That's what the angry lefties don't get, especially after looking at photo number two: how that looks to a Registered Voter.
Yesterday was a good day for Condi Rice and the Bush Administration. Trust me.
Posted by: section9 | Oct 25, 2007 4:11:11 PM
Hilarious, section 9. Every time a protester or a Democrat or anyone not on their knees hailing Bush does anything - from protesting, to plain old disagreeing - winguts count it as a bonus for Bush and his lackeys. And every time, Bush's approval continues to slip. Every single time.
As for the "angry lefties" crap, well, anger is healthy. Maybe you should get a little steamed about the 9 billion that went missing in Iraq, or the thousands of missing weapons that ended up in insurgent hands. Or perhaps get a little miffed about the waste of U.S. lives or innocent Iraqi lives in this asinine war. But no.
The right gets pissed over Moveon.org ads (ones they have never refuted, btw) and too many kids getting health insurance or someone not displaying a flag pin.
Please, don't worry about the left. Look at your own party and do something to make it conservative again. You're running out of time.
Posted by: Marco | Oct 25, 2007 4:35:22 PM
I wish we had the ability here at towleroad to check back on posters past posts. I wouldn't be surprised if those screaching that protests are out or whatever have posted many very log cabinite esque posts here in the past.
Posted by: jimmyboyo | Oct 25, 2007 5:04:37 PM
Why were the non-bloody Code Pinkers taken out too? Guilty by association?
Jake, Nader isn't running against Hillary, at least not yet. And I don't mean to be rude, but anyone who would still vote for him despite the effects of his ego-driven efforts in the past two elections...well, you're putting principles way too far ahead of practicality. He's an irritating closet case who has served as a spoiler to get Bush elected. Don't forget that Republicans were pushing the Green party in some states because they knew the effects of splitting the liberal vote. I'm sorry that we only have a two-party system, but that's the way it is. If it wasn't for Nader, we wouldn't be in Iraq and none of this discussion would be occurring.
On a lighter note, I think it's funny that the "placard" they used for "Secretary Rice" looks like something from a junior high debate.
Posted by: Paul | Oct 25, 2007 5:15:09 PM
Protests aren't a silver bullet in any case, and are ineffective in most. Do you recall any radical shifts in legislation or attitudes after the (huge) 1988 and 1994 (maybe 1993) gay marches on Washington?
There have already been plenty of big war protests all over the country. Nothing sways Bush, Cheney, or Condi. They have a script and they're sticking to it, and screw what the average American believes.
Posted by: Paul | Oct 25, 2007 5:18:46 PM
Tell ACT UP in the 80's that their protests were irrelevant.
LOL
We have AIDS awarness, AIDS funding, and a lot of recgonition and respect thanks to LOUD, VOCAL, IN YOUR FACE protesting by ACT UP
Posted by: jimmyboyo | Oct 25, 2007 5:42:25 PM
CodePink are morons and that woman looks like she belongs in an asylum.
Posted by: queendru | Oct 25, 2007 6:08:40 PM
Nita, the voice of reason! Until we stop bitching from the bar stool and start VOTING, EVERY DAMN ONE OF US, we will not see real change!
This was a stunt that left the majority of America saying "what the hell was that". Not exactly the effect that was needed.
Posted by: RB | Oct 25, 2007 7:37:53 PM
Condi should have let the scary witch touch her shoes. The sparks would have knocked the Code Pink moonbat on her butt.
"Don't taze me bro!"
Posted by: Tom | Oct 25, 2007 7:39:30 PM
No real change will come from voting. The dems love war as much as their evil twin. Sorry but the war will end not when there are hundreds of thousands of people on the mall either. The war will end when the big boys say it will or when the U.S is defeated by the people of Iraq. And why are people still craping about Nader. I thought the election was stolen becaused of supressed votes and then given to bush by the court. Good for the protester to get that close to condi with bloody hands.
Posted by: Richard | Oct 25, 2007 9:34:20 PM
Way to go Desiree. Should have smeared the paint all that ugly closeted woman's clothes.
Posted by: Mike | Oct 25, 2007 10:44:23 PM
Totally uncalled for behavior. Stunts like this are useless and juvenile. This administration has made a decision and is sticking to it till the end of their term. They were elected and so thats whats going to happen. Citizens will have their chance to change things in a year from now. But the war in Iraq will more than likely go forward, no matter who is in power. Because the executive, whether Hillary or Guiliani, will see the need to continue it for humanitarian reasons.
Posted by: Vi Agara | Oct 28, 2007 1:38:44 PM