I’ve never served in the military, let alone fought in a war, so I tend to be very generous about how soldiers act out under all the stress. I do think this is extremely unhelpful however:
The Marines are investigating a photograph circulating on the Internet that depicts a soldier with two Iraqi boys and a sign, in English, proclaiming the soldier had killed one boy’s father and impregnated the boy’s sister.
A Washington, D.C.-based Muslim civil rights group complained about the photo and urged the Marines to punish the soldier.
Investigators have not determined if the photo showing Lance Cpl. Ted J. Boudreaux Jr. was altered, said Capt. Jeffrey Pool, a spokesman for Marine Reserves in New Orleans.
Here’s the image if you want to judge for yourself (WARNING: You may not want to visit this site at work). It does look as if it might have been altered, but it’s hard to tell.
The Marines are responding swiftly and professionally, and that’s a good thing.
“How the military reacts to this case I think will send a message to Muslims in the Middle East and worldwide as to how seriously the United States takes these issues,” said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Good Bog, Edward. You’d becoming downright evenhanded.
Which, by the way, I think is a good thing.
I’m still voting for Kerry Slarti, but thanks for the feedback. 🙂
Hey, I harbor scant hope of flipping you back from the dark side. But now that you’ve brought it up…
The dark side! ahhh, that’s rich….
More justice
Some far-lefty blogger — I think it was Jeanne d’Arc — posted on this some time ago, and she concluded that it was a faked photo. Drudge has the purported original.
For me, I have no skills to determine fakes or not. It’s certainly the kind of dumb thing I could see a military man doing, having been one, but that means little.
If a diarist on Kos says something stupid and offensive it’s not reflective of the community and if a soldier does something stupid and offensive it’s a sign that the military is corrupt and evil, right? I just want to make sure I have my answers straight. . the Leftist Council Audit is coming by today.
Sidereal…the point of my opening statement is to suggest your second conclusion is not correct.
The Leftist Council Audit has the correct answers here…trust your gut when they show up.
Sure, sure. I was making fun of people who probably aren’t present (and therefore can’t defend themselves. Flawless victory!). I do think you got it right. But the event 242 brought to our attention to, if true, is worth a thousand practical jokes.
Tac, nothing on Drudge I can see says definitively it’s a fake…you got any links?
In fact if Jeanne d’Arc was doubting it, she doesn’t seem to be so sure now
http://bodyandsoul.typepad.com/blog/2004/04/photo_update.html
I haven’t examined it pixel by pixel, but if that’s a fake, it’s a damned good one. Better-than-the-moon-landing good.
hmmm…I did look at it, pixel by pixel, and although I still can’t tell, it could still be a fake (photoshop’s that good now).
It also occurred to me while looking that a handwriting comparison could easily resolve this…if it is Lcpl Boudreaux’s handwriting that would be fairly indicative of a need for some action.
Edward,
I just looked at it. Examine where the sign lettering intersects the boy’s finger — the tip of the finger is cut off.
“the tip of the finger is cut off. ”
So not only is he humiliating these children, he’s mutilating them? Monstrous!
Actually, if we’re delving into Photoshop forensics, keep in mind that if it were doctored, the previous letters also had to be removed (assuming the boy wasn’t holding up blank cardboard, which seems unlikely), and there would be some indications that the cardboard texture is smudged or pasted in.
See here for more on this hoax–including the unaltered picture.
I don’t know Sebastian.
First of all, the finger Macallan points to is cut off in both of them.
Second, the “d” on the end of “saved” doesn’t look like the “d” on the end of “Dad” anywhere near as much as the “d” on the end of “killed” does…compare the handwriting…
Also, whereas “killed” seems to be on the same angle as the rest of that line, “saved” tilts up a bit.
And I’ve just officially gone off the super-geek deepend
On the site you link to, the link that should explain that it’s a “hoax” is broken.
However, I note that – apart from the text on the cardboard – the two pictures are identical in every respect. So if the self-identified photoshop experts were right in claiming that they could tell the first photo was faked, presumably the second photo is also a fake.
I gather that the Marines are investigating this. I’m glad they’re taking it seriously, and I’d rather wait till they announce the results of their investigation.
And the more I look, the more I’m convinced the one that reads “Saved my father and rescued my sister” is the fake.
Look where the word “up” would have been in that one…you’ll see tell-tale signs of the rubber stamp tool…the “cardboard” is much more convincing on the “killed” one.
Sidereal, it occurred to me while looking at both photos on the site Sebastian linked to, that it could be that the boy was holding up a piece of blank cardboard – that the photo was set up to be a fake: much easier to “write” text if you don’t have to obliterate real text.
Apparently “Boudreaux” is one of a pair of names that repeat in jokes from New Orleans. If so, then it’s a still a nasty joke, but probably not so easily traceable – especially if the man in the picture isn’t a Marine, as there was some discussion he might not be.
I wonder if both are fakes…!
Never mind. Like Edward, I think I’ve just gone off the geek deep end.
Welcome…to my world. Bwah-ha-ha-ha-haaa!
Welcome…to my world. Bwah-ha-ha-ha-haaa!
dang, that was a slow buffering event. Sort of loses the impact when you see it twice. Still…
Bwah-ha-ha-ha-haaa!
I’ve stared at them both, and I couldn’t begin to tell ya which one’s real: the idea that they’re both fake is appealing, if only for its sheer evilness.
We ought to be able to read the soldier’s face – is that a frat-boy grin or a smile of accomplishment?
I think I found the original
I know nothing about Photoshop, so I cannot speak about the technicalities. However, if you look at the Marine’s face, it looks to me like he was posing for a photo saying “America is Good”, or some such thing.
If it were a joke, or the first photo was for real, I would think that he would have some sort of mocking expression on his face.
I suppose it is all speculation, anyway.
For those who care, Body and Soul has a link to the latest – apparently the “killed my dad” picture is real.
Actually, the last I saw, the original said something about all the Iraqi bases are belonging to us, you have no chance make your time.
Strange but true.