Cross-posted from The Mustard Seed.
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while i enjoy the sentiment, looking at the other pictures the site includes looks pretty suspicious. I mean, i am sure there are soldiers who feel this way, but many of the pictures look like they were tampered with, possibly using a photoshop writing tool…i would be more inclined to believe these if the photos were of anti-bush opinions in different handwriting that was probably etched in, or written with a ball point pen. most of the writing stands out pretty poorly, like the person altering them didn’t feel like matching perspectives or shadows, etc.
I thought that, too. There was something really suspicious about these. Mainly, it looked like all the other writing was perhaps in ballpoint or lighter colored pen, and the Bush statements were all the most prominent in dark sharpie, in around the same “font” size, and in very similar handwriting.
Maybe they were really there and s/he highlighted the Bush statements with photoshop, but if that was the case, they should have just fessed up to it and showed the originals and then showed the highlighted version. Or perhaps these were all in the same latrine written by the same person at the same time, I don’t know. But it just doesn’t look right to me.
I was suspicious too. He now has an update denying that these are fake, and posting a contact sheet which apparently has dozens more graphittis.
The dark, clear writing may be because it’s a fake; but it’s also possible he selected the ones with the clearest, darkest writing to post, out of dozens to choose from.
Ummmm…look at the contact sheets; they’re not photoshoped (they are burnt at the edges to draw the eye though). And I don’t know about anyone who reads this blog but I have quite a few high school classmates who are in the army and air force (or where) and the anti-Bush and anti-Rumsfeld talk is extremely high.
Plus, as a photographer I can tell you the grave consequences of trying to fake photographs; one’s career can be ruined because of talk like that and almost all photographers tend to be very good at not manipulating pics or forging pics. It’s just simple journalistic integrity.
Plus, I’m pretty sure none of us are photography experts (well…except me) and handwriting specialists so I’d be careful of saying terms like “handwriting” and “font-size” with no actual experience and substantial analysis.
Authenticity aside looking for one or two or even five percent of the troops to be fanatically anti-Bush/Anti republican is not productive. The Majority of troops are pissed that we are not mission focused. They want to get the job done. Remember they are all volunteers, a few will have the jitters, cold feet, or re-evaluation of their political philosophy but this is currently under five percent.
I have been in the military and I know that the vast majority are not now nor ever will be either left or progressive.
The Grafitti can be authentic, but it is moot as best. When you have active duty members who have legs and arms blown off fighting to get back in theatre on active patrol, it makes a statement that nullifies the grafitti regardless of its authenticty
I can understand the gotcha satisfaction such grafitti may bring but riding it hard for gotcha effect does much more to drive a wedge into ever making fans among the military as a whole. Iraq is not Vietnam and Overreach is the most dangerous pitfall that faces the left today.
The best advice for the left is don’t place words in the mouths of the military as a whole, it does nothing more than make them intensly distrust you.
They want to get the job done.
What job? Completing the destruction of a country that, whatever its many faults, never actually did the US any harm?
jack, you know that contact sheets, once scanned, can be photoshopped as well, right? i mean, “hey, look, this is a scan of my contact sheet” doesn’t even work any more.
And even if it worked for film, that is a DIGITAL contact sheet, as it sure as hell isn’t a negative version–no space between frames, and no film strip info… usually you see one if not both on a contact sheet.
I agree that the soldiers hate bush. And I have no reason to think these are fake. but the “proof” isn’t, well, proof.
Dianne,
Completing the destruction of a country that, whatever its many faults, never actually did the US any harm?
No, and that’s not a very honest thing to say. Soldiers follow the orders of the commander in chief, who has stated the goal of the mission to be protecting the safety of Iraqis while the nation gets back into order after decades of rule by Saddam, destructive wars with Iran and the U.S., and over a decade of sanctions. Iraq is in a reconstructive phase, even if the continued presence of insurgents means that there are still battles and casualties. I continue to feel skeptical that our presence will be appreciated by Iraqis, but to ascribe malicious motives to the soldiers, or even to Bush (who is mostly incompetent and indifferent, not actively malicious), is inappropriate.
while i’m pretty anti-war, i do agree with this statement. there’s a very fine line between being anti-war and anti-military, and i think it’s important not to cross it. i for one appreciate the willingness of others to protect the american people, and so i feel it’s unnecessary to attribute anti-bush/war/etc statements (true or not) to soldiers. all it does is make people go, see, even the soldiers believe this, and it only takes one for many people to lump all soldiers together. so whether these photos are authentic or not, i think the issue here is to not let the few represent the many. being anti-bush/war shouldn’t be synonymous with being anti-military. soldiers don’t deserve to be undermined.
I’ve noticed that people who advise the left not to place words in the mouths of the military, don’t hesitate to put words in the mouths of the military themselves.
Officers in the army are significantly more right-wing than the general public. But enlisted soldiers, contrary to right-wing myth, have political beliefs that pretty much match those of the US public’s. (23% liberal, 45% moderate, 32% conservative).
The idea that at an outside, only 5% of the military would favor withdrawal from Iraq, is contrary to the evidence we have.
OK, this whole argument is really stupid; can someone please offer me proof that Zoriah Miller, a well known and respected photojournalist actually is doctoring his photographs.
Well why don’t you give me proof that he isn’t!
*Smacks head*
This is do dumb.
Seriously, the man is photographing graffiti in latrines, and people are claiming it looks suspicious that he hit upon the work of a particular graffiti artist who worked in sharpie (there are indeed a number of graffiti in that set that look like they were similar in handwriting, and were written with sharpie instead of ballpoint – so?).
Is anyone seriously claiming that there are no soldiers who have access to sharpies? Is anyone seriously claiming that there are no soldiers in Iraq who would like to come home, or who wish the President ill?
Jack?
Did you read this?
“I agree that the soldiers hate bush. And I have no reason to think these are fake.”
That’s not dumb. And it’s not accusatory.
OTOH, when you implied that “as a photographer” you can somehow tell that the contact sheets and photos are not photoshopped?
That’s dumb. And wrong. There is no way to ascertain, from a short visual inspection of a low level digital photo, whether or not the photo was altered. Alteration is routine. It’s bad, but it happens all the time.
And because of that, it is important that the public remain aware that ALL photos they see can be (and sometimes are) altered. Conservatives do it. Liberals do it. Artists do it. Nature photographers do it.
[shrug] as i said I have no particular reason to think these are fake. But it’s entirely an issue of integrity, not a nonexistent ‘proof’ which is shown by a digitally produced ‘contact sheet.’ If the drafter thinks that the contact sheet is proof, then s/he’s either not knowledgeable about the process, or is deliberately not telling the truth because s/he thinks the audience won’t like the real answer.
Sailor, several people made the argument. Jack probably isn’t just responding to you.
My experience has been mostly with the Marines and Naval personel. I am out now, but have a job where I keep in contact with a lot of Navy and Marines both in theatre and out.
Most of the Marines do not have the attitudes you are ascribing to. I do not know if the Army is different. The Navy except for the special individuals is pretty much technical, do the job, types.
For the Navy peace and war have very little difference. They always forward deploy and parts wear out and are replaced at the same tempo either way. Planes take off and land at the same rate in peace and war. To many of them, a target is a mathematical concept on a screen, or data in a targeting computer. They understand the concept of what the life and death toll is and can debate it philisophicly (sp??) but they will think you are a little nutty if you try to make them emotionally connect with too much insistance or intensity.
As for the special folks, well they are special, and fall in to a different category or categories. Understanding where they come from can be a little challenging to those looking through the wrong prism.