Fauxtography: DNC-caught-redhanded edition Update: DNC innocent!
posted at 11:27 pm on October 7, 2006 by Allahpundit
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They support the troops. Canadian troops.
Update: I like the Freepers’ headline.
Update: Florida Cracker exonerates the DNC, sort of:
LGF is claiming a Democratic photoshop on the cap insignia, but iStock’s photo is without it. Never ascribe to malice what can be explained by incompetence (as I need to keep telling my own self). They went for a free iStock photo of a soldier, and had no clue what an American one looked like.
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Moving my comments over from a previous thread for a bit of background about our uniforms:
I served for 4-years as a Canadian soldier, so know this is true. Those are DEFINITELY Canadian uniforms.
Just so everyone knows, those are Canadian poppies worn by almost all citizens military or civilian on November 11th, what we call “Remembrance Day”.
The green colour of the soldier in the foreground’s uniform indicates he’s a member of our land forces (army). Our army berets come in many colours, but are most often green.
The soldiers in the background are also Canadian army soldiers (no other branch of our forces have green berets) wearing combat uniforms and poppies. They are wearing their dress berets with combat uniforms because that is the usual Canadian practice.
The Canadian beret is always worn with a metal or in some cases cloth badge at the front. For recruits, usually the Canadian tri-service badge and for other than recruits, a badge that indicates which unit the soldier, airman, or sailor belongs to. To intentionally remove this is prima facie evidence that the photoshopper knew these were Canadian soldiers.
But hey… at least they’re supporting someone’s military even if it’s not your own.
Christoph on October 7, 2006 at 11:36 PM
Fake but accurate.
infidel4life on October 7, 2006 at 11:48 PM
I don’t know if I’d call photoshopping the insignia off a soldier’s image and portraying him as a member of a different military “support.”
But hey, that is just me.
(Of course, for the record, I strongly support our Canadian allies who have done a great job and taken tremendous losses on our behalf in Afghanistan. Thank you Canada!)
tommy1 on October 7, 2006 at 11:48 PM
Does this look familiar?
Considering that the Royal Canadian Regiment have a long and proud military history, are fighting in Afghanistan today, and took a casualty in defence of freedom last week… I’m not entirely sure that they would appreciate having their regimental badge removed from their berets on Remembrance Day and put on another country’s political party’s website as supposedly their token of support (but not to them).
Tommy, I agree with you.
Christoph on October 7, 2006 at 11:58 PM
AFTERTHOUGHT: This is disrespectful not just to your soldiers, but to ours.
Christoph on October 7, 2006 at 11:59 PM
And thus is the Democratic Party. They don’t care who it is or what they do to/with them, be they dead or alive, as long as it serves their personal agenda.
SilverStar830 on October 8, 2006 at 12:11 AM
They jumped all over Ann Coulter for saying Canada
sent troops to Vietnam.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/1/84811/76485
They weren’t sent, They volunterred.
http://www.geocities.com/pentagon/5344/cvvm.html
Texyank on October 8, 2006 at 12:22 AM
*sigh*
SouthernGent on October 8, 2006 at 12:34 AM
As Rush points out repeatedly, there is simply no way to parody these nitwits.
Jaibones on October 8, 2006 at 12:55 AM
They are kind of a self-parody, aren’t they?
Christoph on October 8, 2006 at 12:59 AM
Priceless. We could tell the entire world how clueless the DNC is about anything patriotic, about anything at all of value about America, and it wouldn’t come across as clear as their own demonstration.
Showing off the wrong country’s troops on your website in a half-witted, half-baked attempt at claiming you care is as goofy as Ron Silver’s “those are OUR planes now!” idiocy at the 1992 inauguration. Both events indicate that the liberal mind sees the military as an object to be possessed, a toy to play with.
Freelancer on October 8, 2006 at 1:18 AM
Has anyone noticed the update?
Allahpundit on October 8, 2006 at 1:22 AM
Well, I guess they’re just idiots.
Christoph on October 8, 2006 at 1:26 AM
They are almost certainly innocent of any sort of photoshopping. Why would they go to that sort of trouble over a stupid photo? It is truly incredible that they don’t know what an American soldier even looks like? I mean, the red poppy didn’t give it right away?
tommy1 on October 8, 2006 at 1:29 AM
One thing that is a little strange is that the image is copyrighted by what I presume to be (by his name) a Hungarian- Canadian photographer, Arpad Benedek. His website has the same photo, but includes the insignia:
http://www.students.yorku.ca/~arpad/portraitureab.html
I wonder why he altered it?
tommy1 on October 8, 2006 at 1:34 AM
It doesn’t give one confidence in their ability to manage the military and the war on terror if… they can’t identify their own soldiers’ uniforms, does it?
Christoph on October 8, 2006 at 1:34 AM
Good point. Kerry and Murtha are their only examples.
infidel4life on October 8, 2006 at 1:42 AM
I shot Mr. Arpad Benedek, the photographer in question, an email asking him for confirmation that he personally modified the image as well as asking why he chose to do so before selling it.
We will see what comes back.
tommy1 on October 8, 2006 at 1:50 AM
Did you mention to him that, as a Canadian, it’s disrespectful to remove a soldier’s unit insignia in a picture? That it’s all but unpatriotic?
I think he was probably ignorant of this custom. As are the Democrats.
Christoph on October 8, 2006 at 1:53 AM
On second thought, don’t mention this… you’re an American and it’s probably not your place. It’s just very ignorant of him, which is sad because his photos of Canadian troops themselves were good.
Christoph on October 8, 2006 at 1:55 AM
No, I didn’t mention that Christoph. Like you said, it isn’t my place to lecture your countrymen on how they should respect their country.
I’ll leave that to you guys. But wait until I get a response back first, OK? Otherwise he may not answer my email at all. ;-)
tommy1 on October 8, 2006 at 2:08 AM
Even though the DNC probably didn’t do the photoshopping, the whole thing is careless, as, the poppy gives it away. The poppy is a distinctly Canadian symbol of remembrance.
casey (who was born in California, now living in
exile, I mean, Ontario.nailinmyeye on October 8, 2006 at 4:52 AM
There are at least one million pictures of US ARMY, MARINES, AIR FORCE, COAST GUARD, and NAVY service men and women on-line.
And the F-ing retards at the DNC couldn’t FIND EVEN ONE Of AN AMERICAN?
georgej on October 8, 2006 at 5:03 AM
That should be a political ad!
Pam on October 8, 2006 at 7:20 AM
Actually the Poppy is a BRITISH COMMONWEALTH tradition.
The British Foreign Legion makes millions of cloth and paper poppies which people wear proudly in the weeks up to Nov 11, (Aristice Day) and Remembrance Sunday.
The remembrance concludes with the Queen attending the cemeronial laying of wreaths at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in White Hall, almost opposite Downing Street.
The monet raised from the sale of poppies goes to assist Veterans,
Jack Bauer on October 8, 2006 at 7:48 AM
Correction — British Legion. My typo. Sorry.
Jack Bauer on October 8, 2006 at 7:49 AM
AP- I need to steal that How The Left Was Won for some serious e-mailing!
Pam on October 8, 2006 at 7:54 AM
Just out of curiosity, was Istock paid for use of the photo? Do we have an example of “theft of services” here?
.
GT on October 8, 2006 at 8:42 AM
I wouldn’t call it exonerated. Aren’t they still guilty of not even knowing what an American uniform looks like?
juliesa on October 8, 2006 at 9:07 AM
Given the DNC I’m suprised its not an Iranian soldier……
CrazyFool on October 8, 2006 at 9:28 AM
Why does Lando Mollari’s line from the Babylon 5 movie “In the Beginning” keep running through my head?
The Dhims are stupid enough to use a photograph of a Canadian soldier on a webpage proclaiming their support for the (presumably U.S.) troops, and arrogant enough to think that they can get away with it.
Rusty Bill on October 8, 2006 at 9:45 AM
Unbelivable..well not really. I thought the poppies were a dead giveaway. I guess they dont know about Remembrance Day OR what American troops look like..geez.
labwrs on October 8, 2006 at 9:54 AM
Oh, almost forgot…
If anyone wants to get free, high quality photographs of American servicemen, they can go to the Defense Visual Information Center. Click on “Popular Still Search”; all the photos you could ever need.
One wonders why the Democrats were unable (or unwilling?) to look at a website of the Department of Defense; the American Forces Information Service.
Rusty Bill on October 8, 2006 at 9:58 AM
Jack Bauer, are you a regular at Newsbusters?
rightside on October 8, 2006 at 11:11 AM
This is so pathetic it is un-lampoonable. I’m reminded of when democrats try to quote the bible with equally abysmal results.
This is a campaign commercial for the RNC if I’ve ever seen one. We should see a veritable elephant stampede of hit pieces spawned from this event.
Mojave Mark on October 8, 2006 at 11:35 AM
Why doesn’t Drudge link to this story? We know that Michelle and AP have “web cred”, but a Drudge link would put this over the top.
… and I would like to thank the DNC for provding a great campain ad to the ‘publicans.
-FFOG
Fogpig on October 8, 2006 at 11:36 AM
OK. I received word back from the photographer. Here is his explanation:
tommy1 on October 8, 2006 at 1:14 PM
Yeah, this story has to get out there. If the Republicans had balls they could make Foleygate disappear with this stuff.
It’d put the Dems on the defensive, bring the war back into focus and really lay out the parties divisions.
Iblis on October 8, 2006 at 1:15 PM
As Tommy pointed out, the photographer has come forward also in the Florida Cracker blog comments:
Arpad, I second Dave’s 12:17 PM comment from the Florida Cracker blog.
Before I say more, I respect you for going to that blog so quickly to defend and explain your work.
I’m Canadian ex army too (in the reserve forces and my military occupation was also infantry like the person in the picture).
The photo you took was excellent and I was surprised to see the soldier’s unit insignia removed.
I think you’re a good photographer and a decent man (and I agree with you about Istockphoto as well).
One thing that you may not be aware of is how soldiers the world over, particularly Canadian soldiers like the one you shot, feel about their unit insignia ESPECIALLY their cap badge.
It means a great deal to them. They all treat it with enormous respect because of what it means about the often tens of thousands of soldiers who have worn it from their regiment before them. Many of whom gave their lives for Canada.
A fellow soldier mishandling their “unit brass” would be opening himself to ridicule, maybe, but more likely fists. I mean that completely literally including today.
As you may be aware and as I linked to at 4:40 AM comment, private Josh Klukie was the most recent member of the Royal Canadian Regiment to volunteer for service knowing he would be heading to war for Canada (24-Canadian civilians died in the 2001 World Trade Center attacks including a friend of mine’s close friend; these attacks as you know were plotted by the Taliban’s ally al-Quaeda from Afghanistan) on September 29, 2006.
cbc.ca/world/story/2006/09/29/soldier-afghanistan.html?ref=rss
These men are very proud of their regiment. They fight for it at least as much as for their country.
I do not believe that unit insignia is a copyrighted element as defined by Istockphoto, but then I don’t know their complete policy.
I WILL point out though that that poppy design is a protected trademark of the Royal Canadian Legion and several other elements of that picture, uniform design, etc., could be argued to be copyrighted elements of the Canadian Forces… but that the CF has no policy prohibiting anyone from taking its members pictures and you are completely free to reproduce them.
This is all food for thought for you and to give you a greater understand of the historic Royal Canadian Regiment that is serving Canada today.
Christoph on October 8, 2006 at 1:27 PM
You might want to email him, Christoph, and let him know:
arpibenedek@yahoo.com
tommy1 on October 8, 2006 at 1:39 PM
“Jack Bauer, are you a regular at Newsbusters?”
Hey rightside
That’s me. I post there fairly regularly!
Jack Bauer on October 8, 2006 at 2:12 PM
Update : It appears that the DNC Removed the picture of Canadian Soldier and replaced him with an image of an American Flag. Luckily it appears that nobody is burning the flag so they seem to have suppressed most of the party faithful for the moment.
Webloggin on October 8, 2006 at 2:14 PM
I’ve already emailed him essentially the same as the above, Tommy, right on it.
By the way, I’m an “anti-spam Nazi”. Can’t stand spam. (For posterity, all quotes using the words “I am” and “Nazi” must also keep the “anti-spam” disclaimer!!)
He posted his own email address in that format so it’s no big deal, I’m sure he’s deluged with spam already.
But in the future it’s considered bad form to post someone’s email address because… they will get deluged with more spam! Spam email harvesting robots scour the Net looking for email addresses. Even “munging” it by going:
myname[at]REMOVE_THIS_PARTexample (dot) com etc. is no guarantee that it won’t be harvested: Spambots are wise to these tricks and get smarter every day. They can often figure this out and spam the recipient anyway.
Okay, enough nitpicking; I warned you about my feelings on spam!
You’ve been proactively on the right side of this story and as ex-military, if by no means with as illustrious a career as the person photographed, I appreciate it. I also think your treating the photographer respectfully, offering info, and asking questions first is commendable.
I’m sure I can learn something there…
Christoph on October 8, 2006 at 2:16 PM
Luckily it appears that nobody is burning the flag so they seem to have suppressed most of the party faithful for the moment.
Funny dude. At least they never used a picture of a Mountie.
Ya think the hat and horse may have been a giveaway, even for a peacenik democrat?
Jack Bauer on October 8, 2006 at 2:18 PM
The’d probably go, “… sweet, a picture of ‘armored cav’! Look at the thick coat.”
Christoph on October 8, 2006 at 2:29 PM
Look at the thick coat.
“And that Maple Leaf, like man, symbol a New England right bro?”
Jack Bauer on October 8, 2006 at 2:38 PM
At least they got the right flag.
nailinmyeye on October 8, 2006 at 2:40 PM
They can’t even bring themselves to correct the picture with an American soldier. For fear of what? Their kook base getting mad? We are hopeless if these people take over Congress.
SouthernGent on October 8, 2006 at 3:40 PM
Will they apologize?
Christoph on October 8, 2006 at 3:47 PM
I find it funny they replaced it with a flag. Is it really that hard to find a photo of a sailor, marine, soldier, or airman? I have a hint for them… try one of the hundreds of DoD sites.
For what? “Being democrats?” lol
mdconservative on October 8, 2006 at 4:05 PM
As you guys noted, even when they were informed that the soldier was Canadian, they couldn’t or wouldn’t come up with a picture of a U.S. soldier.
Maybe they couldn’t fine an American that would give their permission to the Democrats for political use of the picture. Hey, wasn’t that amubulance-chasing schmuck from Ohio in the military? Can’t find one of him in his community-liaison uniform?
Jaibones on October 8, 2006 at 4:38 PM
Oh, man…I just did a search (ask.com) of “Democrat ambulance chasing shyster” and got the name I couldn’t remember: Paul Hackett. What a scumbag; he’s perfect for the DNC.
Why’s he getting stiffed? I am sure he had hundreds of photos taken in Iraq for his future campaigns…
Jaibones on October 8, 2006 at 4:41 PM
Replacing the Canadian with the US flag is the second time they changed the photo. Check out an earlier version of the page here.
;)
Tuning Spork on October 8, 2006 at 7:04 PM
Lol Tuning Spork!
Dawnsblood on October 8, 2006 at 7:20 PM
How do the Dems expect to inspire confidence in the average voter, with regard to their military and foreing policies, when they don’t even know what an American military service uniform looks like?
To the looney left, one uniform is as
much like(evil as) any other.Lawrence on October 8, 2006 at 8:18 PM
Now the site doesn’t even have the flag! Maybe they realized that they had the American flag rather than the hammer and sickle flag.
DAT60A3 on October 8, 2006 at 8:27 PM
At this point, it seems that a chronological caching of the various versions of the page in question will serve as a crystal clear statement of the DNC’s incompetence.
Of course, anyone would change something about a web page that they discovered (or were laughed at because it) was incorrect or inaccurate. But how many changes is that over a three day period? And to make what point?
Wimps.
Freelancer on October 9, 2006 at 6:59 AM
This was a shot of Canadian troops on Remembrance Day. The poppies on their uniorms gives it away
Hening on October 9, 2006 at 11:13 AM
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