Welcome to Tuesday Night Fights, a weekly celebration and analysis of street-fight videos found on YouTube. Tonight's fisticuffs: "Jordanian Politician Pulls A Gun On Critic On T.V.." (Action starts about 25 seconds in.) Tonight's commentator: former NFL Pro Bowl quarterback (and current assets manager) Jim Everett, who would probably be in prison had he had access to weapons on Jim Rome's TV show.
First the background: A Jordanian member of parliament, Mohammed Shawabka, was on a live TV talk show with political activist Mansour Sayf al-Din Murad. Shawabka and Murad were discussing the recent Syrian conflict. As the debate heated up, Murad called Shwabaka a "Mafia thief," Schwabaka accused Murad of being an "Israeli Spy" and proceeded to throw his shoe at Murad. Murad got up quickly and the table flew. Soon after that, Schwabaka pulled a gun.
Would Schwabaka have pulled the trigger if Murad called him "Chris"?
No, I don't think so either, but the war of words continues around the world and way beyond the scope of athletics. This table flipper gets a score of four on a ten scale. I'd rate him higher but it was more of a defensive "dodge the hated Muslim shoe technique" rather than an offensive maneuver of "attacking the infidel."
This outlandish behavior on live TV will not be heard by a Jordanian Court. In the US, we'd expect a court trial based on attempted murder or assault with a deadly weapon. However, life is much different in Jordan. The listed reasons for no repercussions; 1) the gun was not pointed at Murad's head, 2) the words "I'll kill you" were not used, and most importantly 3) Shawabka is a paid member of the King's parliament.
Thus Shawabka does his job of intentionally sending a visual message that leadership will physically stymie any uprising. Speaking of toting heat, I still wonder who's uprising Plaxico Burress was trying to stop?
In America we love sports, know the stats, cherish the records, anticipate juicy gossip; like who got the latest DUI, who used steroids, or who is about to get trophies taken away because of some sort of cheating.
Sports sells here at home, but in general, we are rather naïve about other societies, their democracies and their motives.
The Michael Jordan we love and admire is free to make any decision he likes; however, in the land of Jordan, they have a King and it's not the NBA King James from Florida.
Jordan's ruler is King Abdullah II and he does not run a free democracy. If the king allows a vote for parliament members and he does not like the results, he dissolves the parliament. This sounds more like an NFL owner clearing house than a voting member of our Congress.
Murad, the table tipper, used to be on the king's staff but now is an opposing voice, which is unwelcomed in the Kingdom. The usual pension plan of ex-king employees is a free one way ticket to any country of your choice (and stay there for life) or be next in line for the CEO position at "Pushing up Daisies Inc."
The meat of the TV conflict is about Syria. Yet Syria has a president, so we assume there must have been a vote, yes? Hold on a minute, the president of Syria is Bashar al-Assad and he has been in office since 2000. Who was the president before al-Assad? Oh, that would be Bashar's father, Ḥafiz al-Assad, who was in power since 1971. Forty-one years of family reign in Syria sounds like a free voting a society to me. NOT!
This would be like listening to Jim Rome since no other programs are allowed to air. ULGH!!!
So the typical behavior of those in power (whatever their label in the Middle East) is that anyone who does not agree with them is called an Israeli agent. Why Israel is considered a derogatory term is a subject that would take more than one article to finish; but for now in my humble opinion, I'll simply state that the Arabs are jealous of Israel.
What really pisses me off is the fact that we are sending our American young men into this hell hole without a firm and long term game-plan. Our American leaders pick and choose which dictator, king or governing body to support for our own gains; then we'll change political course mid-steam. Are we not a free society in support of free nations and democracy? Yet, we supported Syria's President Bashar al-Assad for years, now al-Assad calls USA supporters of terrorism.
Overall, we'd all much rather watch ESPN highlight than dive into our own foreign policy.
This "old time" NFL quarterback would audible for protecting the free right of people abroad. However, we need rules of engagement and understand what contributes to a first down, what leads to a score and most importantly, when is the game over.
If your taxpayer dollars are involved, why don't we support ONLY those entities that promote true democracies of the people and freedom? The Middle East is not a game and our young men and women are not players to be used recklessly.
Lastly, speaking of reckless, isn't it time for LA to bring our Rams home for they have been in the Middle West way too long!
And now, the rest of your Tuesday Night Fights:
• Awesome happens when a dude on parole or probation or some sort of restriction that requires regular check-ins gets interviewed outside the jail in Rockford, Illinois. This, because a fight breaks out behind him and he wonders if it might be a Punk'd situation. He's been through the system since youth; he knows the hijinks of which people are capable. (Start of Violence, 0:06, but watch it from the start as it's among the more entertaining TNF clips in ages)
• There was a dust-up outside the Popeye's on Broadway. A lady passerby ended up swinging a cane. A narrator ended up noting that this fracas interfered with his ability to get some Popeye's, which is all he wanted to do on this day. This is understandable because Popeye's has some damn good chicken and, of course, the nation hasn't turned on its owner. Yet. (SoV, instantly)
• "They wanted to fight? Let 'em fight!" (SoV, 0:01)
• Your "Gatorade Bitch" Intermission:
• This Week In Philadelphia Street Brawls: Bonus Coverage: "Free for all North Philly Fight." Bonus Coverage: This would have been considerably more entertaining in Hanna Olivia Johnstone knew how to hold her damn phone when being all, like, I'm outside McFadden's and there's a fight and check it on YouTube tomorrow.
• TNF Beijing Correspondent Anthony Tao humbly submits, "Females Duke It Out In Female Way, By Which We Mean With Hair-Grabbing" (SoV, instantly). And that is your weekly TNF report from Beijing.
• If you didn't expect people to get violent at a casino where the headlining act is Frank Caliendo, you don't understand people. Or, just how horrible Frank Caliendo is at whatever he does when he isn't yukking it up on an NFL pregame gigglefest. (SoV, instantly) Bonus Casino Coverage: "Hooker Fight!!!"
• One Shining Go-Kart Racetrack Melee Moment:
• This fight is apparently over a Gucci belt. (SoV, 0:08)
• This World Star Hip Hop classic is notable for the "CHOKE HIM OUT!" exhortations and the fun fact that one of the two participants has 20 kids. (SoV, instantly)
• Here's the lede that tipster Erik provided in sharing this clip from early June: "San Francisco, CA. Mid-Market crack head Rosa Parks attacks historic trolley, then gets her ass beat under the train by some lady who was trying to help(?). Meanwhile, some other shitbag tags the windshield of the trolley car." — 30 — (SoV, 0:40)
• Bested on the street of battle, this man would not let his conqueror drive off without a parting message. (SoV, instantly)
• HULK NO LIKE GYPSY CAB DRIVER IN FOREIGN LAND. (SoV, 0:14)
• Don't sell drugs in Poland. (SoV, 0:04)
• Your "Ana vs. Netta" Intermezzo:
• Not sure what's worse: The lighting for "That's Fucked up! (Hair Done Nails Done) part.2" or the fact that "That's Fucked up! (Hair Done Nails Done) part.1" doesn't seem to exist. (SoV, instantly)
• Hey look, someone encouraged two five-year-olds to fight. And they did. And one of them got "dropped." Which prompted the worst daycare worker/babysitter hanger-on/young parent/uncle/something on the face of the earth to proclaim "World Star." (SoV, 0:50)
• Others: "Street Fight." "Hoes Fighting Hard." "Girl gets Knocked Out!!!" "Constable Remembers Night Club Brawl" "Lafeyette and lens." "Niggaz fightin Outside A Store." "Brawl: Murder Suspect's Son Drops Witness Outside Of Court For His Dad's Trial!" "Police dogs breaks up cat fight." "Chinese street fighters in action".