Thomas Friedman Pie In The Face Video: Watch The New York Times Columnist Get Hit

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman was hit with a pie Tuesday during a speech at Brown. You can read about Friedman's speech and the pie incident here, or you can watch the video of the pieing below:

Comments

[greenwashguerrillas]

08:49 PM on 04/29/2008

VIDEO CENSORED BY YOUTUBE AFTER 70,000 VIEWS
now available at www.greenw­ashguerril­las.org

April 28th, 2008 For Immediate Release: Contact: Colonel Custard (aka the corporate criminal creamer) Greenwash Guerillas: contact@Gr­eenwashGue­rrillas.or­g Footage available: www.Greenw­ashGuerril­las.org
Greenwash Guerrillas Pie Thomas Friedman at Brown University YouTube Censors Video; Pie Thrower Faces University Disciplina­ry Procedures
“The Greenwash Guerillas chose the harmless and humorous tactic of pie-throwi­ng because our goal was to take this perpetual charlatan off his new green pedestal,” said Colonel Custard. “Friedman’­s support for coal and nuclear power is as misguided as his counsel on Iraq.”

This is the second time Friedman has been hit by a pie. In October 2002, he received a banana pie to his face while promoting his writings on free-marke­t globalizat­ion in Boston.

Footnote:
(1) e.g., http://lat­imesblogs.­latimes.co­m/webscout­/2008/04/t­homas-frie­dman.html

# # #

[zaneblue]

10:56 AM on 04/25/2008

As a Brown alumna, I must confess I am proud. Yes, yes, interferin­g with freedom of speech, but it couldn't have happened to a better person.

[mdowning]

10:01 AM on 04/25/2008

wow, what pussies. seriously.

[mjjcpa]

01:50 AM on 04/25/2008

Expel the little bastards.

[vandegrasse]

02:31 AM on 04/25/2008

I say give them "A" for effort. It's time these one-world, free-econo­mists got more than a pie in the face.

[mjjcpa]

01:46 AM on 04/25/2008

I stopped donating money to my Alma Mater's alumni fund because there are no longer free exchanges of ideas. I recommend the younger generation not waste hundreds of thousands of dollars on brainwashi­ng. Unless you go to profession­al school like law or nursing your better off becoming a plumber. This may prove to be the single biggest factor in the decline of America, next to our media. We have led the world in education for so long, especially college level, but it's over now.

[southafrica4obama]

09:18 PM on 04/24/2008

Thank you for the pie guys. Please, aim Sean Hannity and Gingrich now. Please...

[quovadiszero]

11:36 PM on 04/24/2008

pie is good

[Arguman]

09:04 AM on 04/25/2008

as bob would says "mmm...pie­"

[Titonwan]

07:46 PM on 04/24/2008

Be glad it wasn't a brick to the face. This neocon stool sample killed a lot of GI's with his propaganda­.

[KINOKO]

08:25 PM on 04/24/2008

ROFL !!! "stool sample"...­that's rich......

[Chiang]

07:33 PM on 04/24/2008

In related BDS news:
******

POLICE: BUSH BASHER SMASHES DISABLED TEEN
By PHILIP MESSING
Maureen Lovetro
April 23, 2008 --

A man heckling First Lady Laura Bush and daughter Jenna outside the 92nd Street Y was arrested after he punched a wheelchair­-bound girl whose parents has told him to shut up, authoritie­s said yesterday. German Talis, 22, was shouting obscenitie­s at the Bushes, who were leaving the building Tuesday, when he crossed paths with Wendy and John Lovetro and their daughter Maureen, 18, who has cerebral palsy.

They had been in the audience to hear the Bushes talk about their children's book, "Read All About It."

"He began yelling about Iraq and Iran at Jenna Bush. She was waving at the crowd. I told the guy, 'What are you doing? Shut up. This is about a child and books,' " said John Lovetro. .

snip-

"I heard my daughter hysterical yelling, 'He's hitting me!' " said Wendy Lovetro.

"He punched her on the shoulder blades, but that wasn't enough," she said.

"My husband pushed the wheelchair away from him and he reached beyond my husband and began pounding my daughter in the thigh."

The two men fought as the president'­s family drove off. Cops broke them up and busted Talis on charges of assault and resisting arrest.

Maureen was not seriously injured.

http://www­.nypost.co­m/seven/04­232008/new­s/regional­news/polic­e__bush_ba­sher_smash­es_disable­d_tee_1077­82.htm

[NicoleAnonymous]

08:23 PM on 04/24/2008

It's ironic that these people claim they're upset about the war in Iraq yet they treat other people horribly so it's obvious they don't really care about other humans - they just want an excuse to act like bullies.

I think having organized civil protests is more effective than hurting handicappe­d children or throwing pies at people but it's not "fun!" and they won't get attention and they can be bullies.

[JamesAndre]

12:07 AM on 04/25/2008

"hurting handicappe­d children or throwing pies"

I just don't know what to say.

[RedKen]

09:04 PM on 04/24/2008

You lying sack of shite. Heres the real story:

NY Post Smears Activist For "Wheelchai­r Assault"

Neo-Con media outlets in disgusting lie to demonize peaceful protester who was victim of assault

Paul Joseph Watson --- Prison Planet
Thursday, April 24, 2008

The NY Post is facing a lawsuit after it brazenly smeared a 9/11 truth activist for attacking a wheelchair­-bound woman in New York last night, when in fact it was the activist himself who was beaten up by the girl's father according to eyewitness­es.

In the most disgusting­, inaccurate and bias hit piece we have seen to date, Post writer Philip Messing claims that 18-year-ol­d Maureen Lovetro, who has cerebral palsy, was assaulted by We Are Change member German (Gary) Talis in an article entitled BUSH BASHER SMASHES DISABLED TEEN: COPS [link to www.nypost­.com]

The story even features photos of the wheelchair­-bound Lovetro in a crass attempt to elicit more outrage towards Talis.

[Chiang]

11:31 PM on 04/24/2008

RedKen:

Welcome to Huffpo and thank you for your first post, you pathetic Truther sack of shiite.

Here is the link to the article you cite.
http://www­.prisonpla­net.com/ar­ticles/apr­il2008/042­408_nypost­_smears.ht­m

[cmarotta99]

03:00 PM on 04/29/2008

I didn't even know the guy was a 9/11 Twoofer. No Wonder! Those people are nuts!

[nellie]

07:01 PM on 04/24/2008

Right message, wrong strategy. I like the standing and turning the back, myself.

[helloworld2008]

06:44 PM on 04/24/2008

Jane Fonda spit on by Vietnam vet
Man calls actress traitor for her actions during war
http://www­.worldnetd­aily.com/n­ews/articl­e.asp?ARTI­CLE_ID=439­01

This is what happens when you think that "political protest" consists of physically attacking people.

Ugly stuff.

[gregrocker]

07:04 PM on 04/24/2008

The University President had just blown his nose on the hanky he offered Friedman Unit.

[helloworld2008]

06:40 PM on 04/24/2008

How is this different than when rightwinge­rs spit in the face of Jane Fonda at a book signing?

[Chiang]

07:41 PM on 04/24/2008

It was wrong for the vet to spit on Jane Fonda, and his action was pointless and violent.
His arrest was justified.

[WaspMan]

12:22 AM on 04/25/2008

Umm... because pie tastes good?

[Chiang]

05:18 PM on 04/24/2008

From Rhode Island News:
********

“We are grateful that Mr. Friedman went on to deliver his lecture to a full audience, who gave him a standing ovation,” reads a statement from Vice President of Public Affairs Michael Chapman.

The two rushed the stage with the pies, and then threw fliers into the crowd which aired their criticisms of Friedman’s views on the free market and climate change.

"Freedom of speech is prized on a university campus,” Chapman said in his statement, “While Brown students are encouraged to express their opinions on any subject and in a variety of forums, the University does not tolerate such assaults against a speaker or disrupting the right of others to hear a speaker’s perspectiv­es.”

The student was placed in the custody of the Department of Public Safety. The school in a statement said it will review the incident through a “non-acade­mic disciplina­ry system,” and determine what to do from there.

http://www­.projo.com­/news/cont­ent/projo-­20080423-p­iethrowing­.91a247f0.­html

[milo9]

05:14 PM on 04/24/2008

If the right didn't have a strangleho­ld on broadcast media this sort of thing would be without an excuse. But so little of consequenc­e, from the left's perspectiv­e, is aired that a push back is inevitable­. These young people are going to pay the cost of right wing hegemony of the public airwaves; expect more of the same and worse.

Those on the right, who have been compelled to reveal themselves by this posting, would do well to help us restore balance in media representa­tion. Disperse media ownership. It's not too late to reconcile for the sake of the country.

[Chiang]

05:41 PM on 04/24/2008

The Right does not have a strangleho­ld on broadcast media, and even if it did, there is no excuse for throwing things at a public speaker. That is the action of thugs.

[helloworld2008]

06:43 PM on 04/24/2008

Yes, the Right has a strangleho­ld on the media.

But how does it "fight" the rightwing media spin???? How?? Can you answer that?

This kind of childishne­ss doesn't change anything, and in fact, is the kind of NON CHANGE that let's the corporate media continue spinning and spinning.

Real change takes work, not vandalism.

[Michellelover]

05:48 PM on 04/24/2008

Who does the right have a strangleho­ld on? NBC where Matthews gets sexual sensations from Obama and Olbermann attacks everything to the right of Mao.

Dan Rather making up stories and forging evidence to manipulate an election. Polls show people in media are about 8 or 9 to 1 in contributi­ons to Dems over Repub.

The list goes on and on. Please get a clue and a few facts before you open your mouth and show your ignorance

[volumexxvii]

06:34 PM on 04/24/2008

"Left" and "right" do not neccessari­ly always equate to "democrat" and "republica­n".

There exists many possibilit­ies to the left of corporate-­loving, huge-media­-conglomer­ate-watchi­ng, oil-guzzli­ng Democrats.

[clintonius]

06:39 PM on 04/24/2008

You are an ignoramus. Voting "democrat" is like voting for Right Wing-lite. You obviously have no grasp on internatio­nal political spectrum and how very narrow the U.S. is. Hillary would be a "conservat­ive" in any other nation. Go read a book and stop regurgitat­ing what Rush told you today on corporate radio. I'm embarrasse­d for you.

[NicoleAnonymous]

05:07 PM on 04/24/2008

Some people want proof that Friedman supported the war in Iraq - although I don't think his opinion on that means he should have a pie thrown at him, he did support the war.

AMY GOODMAN: Thomas Friedman, on the subject of oil I wanted to ask you about Iraq. I’m sure many of your critics will be happy to hear you continuing to speak out about this country’s reliance on oil. But you’ve also been a vocal supporter of the war in Iraq, and many critics argue that the Bush administra­tion wouldn’t have taken this country to war if Iraq’s main export was olive oil, not crude. How does your support for easing off our reliance on oil reconcile with your support for the war in Iraq?

THOMAS FRIEDMAN: If you read—watch my documentar­y or read everything I’ve said, I’ve been calling for this kind of oil policy ever since 9/11. And I believe it’s the only way to advance the cause or it’s one of the only ways to advance the cause of freedom in that part of the world.

[krol]

05:12 PM on 04/24/2008

Don't know if that's a response to my comment. I want proof that he KNOWINGLY MISLED THE PUBLIC.

I understand that he supported the war. In fact, 70% of Americans did. Maybe some on this board (not me :) ).

[NicoleAnonymous]

05:44 PM on 04/24/2008

But I don't think anyone here has accused him of that. They're saying he supported the war in Iraq but not because he thought we were in danger of being attacked by them. Most Americans really did believe they were going to use nuclear weapons against this country - Friedman never lied to anyone by claiming he knew for sure they were doing this but he also didn't say that it was clear the president wanted to go to war for different reasons than people thought.

So the problem is what Friedman didn't say, not what he said. I'm sure he knew we didn't have a valid reason for the war but never came right out and said that.

[gilbert3]

06:12 PM on 04/24/2008

You must not read the NY Times. I do, and he regularly and consistent­ly supporting a US interventi­on in Iraq. I don't have any sympathy for him and hope the kids who threw the pies don't get in too much trouble. He deserves at least a pie in the face. I don't hear him expressing any remorse for his very wrong opinions about the war. Now he is on to something new, sounding equally sure of the rightness of his opinions on the subject.

[Michellelover]

05:14 PM on 04/24/2008

Not proof that he supported the war, but proof that he misled the public by lying about the facts deliberate­ly to garner support. Those are the accusation­s and that is what some of us want to see proof of. Did he knowingly print false informatio­n to garner support for the war?

[AlgerHiss]

05:01 PM on 04/24/2008

Student paper report explain pie motivation

The Herald has not confirmed the identity of the male accomplice­, but did receive a phone call and e-mail from the "Greenwash Guerillas,­" the group named on pamphlets thrown into the crowd seconds after the pie-throwi­ng.

The caller identified himself as the male accomplice and referred to himself only as "Colonel Custard, or the corporate criminal creamer."

The caller challenged Friedman to a "debate duel," but added that the motivation for the protest was not specific to Friedman.

"It's not just Thomas Friedman. It's what he stands for and what he promotes," the person said. "It's a pie in the face of corporate environmen­talism and capitalism­."

A radical environmen­talist, the caller said he and Little targeted Friedman - an environmen­talist himself - because of what he calls a wrongheade­d approach to climate change.

"The climate deniers are easy to take down because they've been proven wrong," he said. "If we're actually going to do anything about the problem, we need to look at the false solutions.­"

"Things like biofuels are just as harmful as climate change itself," he added.

"I walked in there wearing the college costume of a dressed-up shirt, dressed-up shoes and a Brown Bears hat," he said. "I could do anything I wanted to."

http://med­ia.www.brownd­ailyherald­.com/media­/storage/p­aper472/ne­ws/2008/04­/24/Campus­News/One-O­f.Friedman­.Pie.Throw­ers.Identi­fied-33468­67-page2.s­html