Snapped Shot - Human Shields

Lie Down With Dogs

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:42:24 -0500

... get fleas.

And boy, what ugly (yet oddly well-connected) fleas they are!

(Incidentally, the curious alignment of the cartoon terrorist's RPG is quite... Serendipitous. I have no doubts that Ismail Zaydah, propagandist extraordinaire, planned that shot to a "T.")

Reuters is Parsing Again

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:41:25 -0500

From this caption:

Sixteen-year-old Palestinian Sa'ad Mesleh, who lost a leg in an Israeli army attack on militants three years ago, gestures after he and six other Palestinians arrived at Larnaca, Cyprus August 29, 2008 with pro-Palestinian activists, who sailed to Gaza last week to protest against an Israeli blockade of the enclave. The "Free Gaza" activists were the first foreigners to go to Gaza by sea since Israel tightened travel restrictions after the militant Hamas movement took control more than a year ago. REUTERS/Andreas Manolis (CYPRUS)

Just think:—Up until now, the dastardly Zionists and their impenetrable embargo have forced these poor, tormented souls to use actual border crossings.

Oh, the humanity!!

IDF Cleared in Death of Fadel Shana

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:49:00 -0500

A number of people have e-mailed me on this, and even though I'm pretty busy at the moment, I'd be remiss if I didn't forward it on to you. We discussed some questions surrounding the death of Reuters videographer Fadel Shana a couple of months ago, and promised to wait until the IDF's internal investigation revealed more details surrounding the incident.

Alas, the official report has been released, and surprisingly enough, there is absolutely no evidence that he was purposefully killed out of malice or anti-journalistic anger.

The biggest lesson to be learned from this incident, which I would've thought was already self-evident to our photojournalistic corps, is that it's never a good idea to point a launcher-sized object at the business end of a tank.

Go figure.

Anyway, I've gotta get back to my Oracle stuff over here. Hopefully, I can wrap it up soon, so I can get back to having fun over here.

With thanks to: Carl in Jerusalem, Soccer Dad, Quique Kierzenbaum for tipping me off to the conclusion to this incredible story.

High Noon or Coward of County?

nospam@example.com (captainfish) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:07:06 -0500

Have people have had enough of the violence in America's major cities? With the ever increasing crime rates and people voting in even more liberals and liberal policies, it would appear not. However, there may be a light beginning to shine.

...Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Wednesday ... announced he's got a new idea to help combat the violence that Chicago is experiencing: he's talking to the Illinois State Police and the National Guard to see if they could help.

"Violent crime in the city of Chicago is out of control," Blagojevich said at the bill signing ceremony. "I'm offering resources of the state to the city to work in a constructive way with Mayor Daley to do everything we can possibly do to help stop this violence," said the governor.

Oh My! It would seem that someone has had enough with the violence. But, it took the actions of a governor to do something about it. I wonder what the mayor of Chicago has to say about this?

The governor said Chicago Mayor Richard Daley hasn't asked for help... In fact, Daley's office said the mayor did not know anything about Blagojevich's comments and did not know he was going to make them.

Go figure on that one. Elect a liberal democrat and all you hear is silence when people's lives are at stake. Just look at Socialist Party's candidate for president this year: B. Hussein Obama. How bad does violence in a city have to be if it gets the attention of the governor of the state and his proposal is to send in the National Guard?

But then, he is sounding awfully democrat with some of his reasons for researching this plan.
Read on...
Continue reading "High Noon or Coward of County?"

Kindergarten Graduation, Jihadi-Style

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:26:17 -0500

I had nearly forgotten that it was this time of year once more.

Via Carl in Jerusalem, we get a glimpse of this year's culturally-correct Kindergarten graduation, which I'm sure will warm your heart as much as your own heathen children's graduation:

Shoot, what little tyke doesn't look absolutely adorable in a suicide bomber's costume?

Poor Wittle Baby!

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:57:25 -0500

Get yourself beaten to a pulp by Hezbullah goons? Nary a word from the press at large.

Hamas spend a bit of time using you as a soccer ball? Hardly a peep is to be expected for your troubles. (And not even one photograph, apparently!)

Get a tiny scratch from the IDF, however, and it's time for weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Boo fricking hoo, I say.

Embedded with the Enemy

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:27:00 -0500

If Mohammed Abed/AFP would have happened to have been killed by the IDF while filming this Hamas rocket crew in action, how loud do you think the international press would've howled?

My guess is that it'd be a somewhat louder protest than what these guys got.

[Picture]—DayLife link pending

Palestinian militants take position in the early hours on the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. Three Hamas gunmen were killed by Israeli troops in Gaza as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was set to meet top ministers to weigh up a possible military offensive on the territory in a bid to stop militant rocket fire. (AFP/Mohammed Abed)

Full series here.

Embedded with the Enemy

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:28:00 -0500

Crud, I saw these photos on the wire earlier today, and it didn't even occur to me to bring them up!

[Photo 1] [Photo 2]

Urban Infidel (via LGF) has identified yet another instance of Associated Press personnel "coincidentally" being on-site to photograph enemy forces (the Taliban, whom we're still ostensively fighting in Afghanistan) transferring their weaponry in the middle of the night.

It's curious to note that the AP didn't feel compelled to identify the stringer who took this picture. Based on what's on the wire, the only named AP stringer in Kandahar at the moment is Allauddin Khan. Could he be our "anonymous" photographer in this series? Or is the AP relying on someone else to gather its Taliban-friendly coverage?

Why not name the photographer? Is the editorial staff afraid that yet another one of their stringers will be arrested for assisting enemy forces?

Previously: AP + Islamic Jihad, AP + Hamas, AP + al Qaeda.

If nothing else, this trend just goes to show that the Associated Press is full of equal opportunity anti-Westerners.

Let's Play: Name That Injury!

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:41:00 -0500

Reports are coming across the wires that a "protestor" has been killed, and another handful injured at the Karni crossing in Israel. Details aren't fully clear yet, but the other protesters were carrying around this body, and I saw a couple of others carried across in a traditional Palestinian "rush." What's interesting, though, is this photograph, which purports to hold someone who was injured by the IDF. Here's a close crop of the injury, from three different shots:

[Source: A B C]

The Associated Press plays the middle of the road, stating merely that, "Palestinians run with a boy after he was wounded during a Hamas demonstration." Agence France-Presse, on the other hand, lays the accusation directly at Israel's feet, stating conclusively that, "Palestinians protestors carry a boy who was wounded by Israeli military gunfire during a demonstration."

But to my untrained eye, that sure looks like more of a cut than it does a bullet wound. Is there anyone out there that knows combat medicine who could definitively say either way? Could something like this be caused by a rubber bullet? A tear-gas grenade? A rock?

Considering that the Palestinians were in the middle of their traditional violent pursuit, it's looking more to me like they fired upon their own, and then trotted the injured and dead in front of the cameras for maximum Israel-blaming effect. I mean, it's not like they haven't done that before, right?

As an aside, I won't contend that the man being carried about at the top of the page is pretty conclusively dead, but I do find it interesting that his shirt's bloody, but there's not much sign of injury.

If you want, you can view the full photo feed here. I'd love to hear what you think about the evidence.

Update: Another question—When carrying the seriously wounded, is it customary in the Palestinian territories to grin like the Cheshire cat?

Update 2: While the caption to this photograph reads:

Palestinians protestors carry a youth who was wounded by Israeli military gunfire during a demonstration against the siege on the Gaza Strip on May 22, 2008 at Karni Crossing, between Israel and Gaza. One Palestinian was killed and 17 injured today when Israeli troops fired at protesters in Gaza who demonstrated against the crippling blockade of the territory, some hurling rocks, medics and witnesses said. AFP PHOTO/MAHMUD HAMS (Photo credit should read MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images)

... I think it's far more likely that the injury over his ear was caused by something more like this, frankly.

The AFP is being completely dishonest here, before all of the facts from on the ground have been sorted out. Here's our "IDF-injured" boy in the ambulance.

Update 3: As with most of these events, this protest was carefully coordinated by Hamas. Any chance that Hamas set this up knowing that people would get injured ahead of time? If so, that means that this article's gonna be moving into the "Human Shields" category, and soon.

Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement on Thursday called on its supporters to join a rally in eastern Gaza City near an Israeli commercial crossing in protest against the embargo imposed by Israel one year ago.

Hamas made the call through mosques, saying the people should gather in Gaza City's mosques at Thursday noon prayer before making their way to the Karni crossing.

The mosque-terrorist axis strikes again? The telling quote:

"The people have run out of patience and they have decided to break the siege with any means, even if the cost was their lives," said Ashraf Abu Dayya, a Hamas spokesman.

Yeah, I'm thinking Hamas set this up to be a sacrificial protest way ahead of time. Which means that it can't be discounted that Hamas bullets and stones were responsible for these photos.

"Human Shields" it is.

Update 4: And thus, the crocodile tears are beginning to flow forth.

This is oddly reminiscent of a previous "disaster," in which civilians were killed after answering Hamas' call to serve as human shields in front of a group of terrorists hiding from the IDF inside of a mosque.

Definition of Horror and Sadness

nospam@example.com (captainfish) — Tue, 13 May 2008 23:35:44 -0500

Click here, here, if you have a heart.

Please note, the aid given here are by the People's Liberation Army of China. Why do I point this out? Cause the Burmese Junta refuse to help their own citizens! And, despite how bad China is, compared to Burma they are saints. And, John (I hate lobbyists) McCain hired two lobbyists who once toted the water of the Junta while calling President Bush a liar.

Tell me this doesn't break your heart knowing the Burmese people were just left for dead. That the children in China were smothered in debris, smashed between huge concrete beams, and forced to lie twisted in dark, dust-filled tombs hoping someone would rescue them. And the Chinese government did come and rescue them. But, the Burmese government just wanted them to die. And to this day, bodies float in stagnant water while soldiers stand on streets guarding sidewalks or preventing aid convoys from entering the hard-hit areas.

And yet, there is no real condemnation in the media for the Burmese government. Oh, sure, they cite that the Junta are blocking access or are preventing access to US and International aid. But, they defend it by calling the Burmese "paranoid".

This makes me sick and makes me just sick of John (I love liberalism) McCain. (Yes, I am glad to hear that Myanmar recently started to allow a greater flow of relief workers and aid supplies. But, how long did it take? Even people already there had to be secretive with their help. Even news crews had to fear for their lives for reporting the devastation)

Neturei Karta: At it Again

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:51:58 -0500

They sure aren't going to win many friends this way.

More pics here. As I've said before, this is a group of perhaps a dozen people, who always seem to find the time and money to travel to wherever the latest outbreak of blameIsraelism is, and if it weren't for the fact that their message aligns very closely with that of the press, they'd be completely ignored by the rest of the world.

Student Council Elections, Jihadi-Style

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Tue, 06 May 2008 10:55:00 -0500

It would seem that the student body at Hebron University is in the process of its annual election. Judging by the looks of things, the students seem to be in the process of choosing between:

Militant Group #1:

A Palestinian Hamas supporter holds up a Koran during a student council election rally at Hebron University in the West Bank city of Hebron May 6, 2008. REUTERS/Nayef Hashlamoun (WEST BANK)

Militant Group #2:

Standing against a poster of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Palestinian student supporters of Fatah gather during student council election campaign activities at Hebron University in the West Bank town of Hebron, Tuesday, May 6, 2008. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

If you want to see the rest of the deeply-educational election, feel free to peruse the wire archives over yonder. I think it's worth pointing out here that the base word for Hebron is—drumroll, please:

From the Hebrew word "friend."

Ain't it grand to see Western progress unravel bit by bit with each passing year?

I'll be on the edge of my seat waiting to see which bunch of thugs wins this one.

Update: Soccer Dad points out via e-mail that this type of thing has been going on for quite a while. It's still quite a sight to behold, though.

Eulogizing Etiquette... and Copyright?

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 23:22:00 -0500

It concerns me to see pictures like this in the aftermath of the death of Reuters videographer Fadel Shana. It's one thing to pay respects to a comrade, that's obviously understandable.

It's the presence of the ginormous propaganda posters in the background that is a bit unsettling, at least to me.

Was this man a journalist, holding every side of a given issue to equal critique, aiming to bring the truth to discussion of modern events?

Or was he an activist, interested in promoting and supporting a very specific side of the conflict? A propagandist, if you will, bringing one very biased point of view to his coverage of news events on the ground?

Because, when I see propaganda posters like those posted in the picture above, I immediately think of the latter. Without question.

But hey, what are knee-jerk reactionaries for if their knees don't jerk on occasion?

To be charitable, I'll throw this one into "Human Shields" for now.

(Oh yeah, one wonders how the copyright on the propaganda posters would work, considering the photo was published on the Reuters wire. Who is "borrowing" from whom here, anyway?)

Department of Redundancy Department

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:25:21 -0500

Here's a nice example from Reuters, dutifully pointing out the obvious:

Palestinian children hold up a placard reading "Don't kill childhood in Palestine" during a protest against the Israeli army in Gaza April 7, 2008. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA)

Oh, and in case you were wondering, this is who killed "childhood in palesteine."

Bread and Circuses

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:52:00 -0500

... plus a bonus Rageman sighting.

This video illustrates Israel's incredible patience with regularly-scheduled malcontents better than anything I could possibly hope to write:

Some observations, beyond the fold:
Continue reading "Bread and Circuses"

Good Grief

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:57:47 -0500

The caption says it all:

Gaza mural : Palestinian children paint a mural [Ed.:—Of gravestones, incidentally.] in Gaza City as part of a demonstration organised by the pro-Hamas National Commission for Child Protection from the Holocaust. (AFP/Mehdi Fedouach)

No word on where the National Commission for the Burger Protection from the Hamburgler is on their mural. As far as preventing Child Holocaust, I'd recommend that this pro-Hamas group actually condemn the endangerment of children once in a while.

Of course, being a terrorist-affiliated group, they won't. It takes a village, and all.

Side note—Since this is an AFP photo, this URL should stick around for a while.

And, as always, if you want to purchase this print for your own use (who doesn't want some sick terrorist propaganda hanging on their office wall?), I encourage you to use GettyImages.

This recommendation has nothing at all to do with the fact that AFP/Getty is one of the biggest competitors for those other guys.

Nope, not one iota.

Human Shields Illustrated

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:10:37 -0500

For the record: When you hear me say "Palestinians use their children as human shields," this is what I am referring to. From the caption:

Palestinian Hamas militants take cover during an Israeli military operation in the east of al Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, 20 December 2007. EPA/ALI ALI

If the boy in this picture were to have been accidentally killed, either by the IDF or by the careless fire of the terrorists themselves, who do you think the international press would have blamed for it?

Probably not his parents.

Awkward...

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:57:12 -0500

You know, this really has to be one of the most amusing ways in the world to mess up a protest:

On Tuesday, a protest was held by Hamas supporters in the Gaza Strip where sheep, camels and donkeys where paraded before journalists (with some farm animals wearing Hamas headbands!) alongside signs reading "Save the Children of Gaza" in a protest against Israel's decision to blockade the Gaza Strip... But there was only one problem — The Hamas-garbed farmed [sic] animals wouldn't stop defecating into the street and having sex with each other during the protest. From the always-excellent Popb--ch:... After a few minutes the beasts started a dirty protest. Some defecated in the streets, while the donkeys started shagging each other. Journalists found it almost impossible to do a straight piece to camera without some animal porn behind them.

When I first saw this series of pictures, it occurred to me that Hamas is genuinely starting to get desperate. I mean, they use their women as human shields. They use their children as human shields. And every time they do, we see right through their ruse.

So I guess it's only natural that they have to stoop so low as to need to use their livestock as human shields as well.

At least the animals in this particular instance put a stop to this despicable charade in their own rather unique way. That's more than I can say for most of the Hamas-supporting "civilians" of Gaza.

Pictures of this comical event are here, here, and here, while they last. (And I just might have been joshing around on that last one. )

(Many thanks to Yishai for sending this report along!)

The Unmentionables: 1st Amendment Died on 9/11

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 14:40:59 -0600

I'm not sure the service that's dead to me is in much of a position to speak on the First Amendment, but it would seem that Curley's done it regardless.

Hey Tom, why don't you try explaining to me your personal take on this so-called "Freedom of Speech" one of these days.

Says The Foxhole:

The AP has a publishing policy in accordance with their leftist agenda, and Curley has the unmitigated gall to hyperventilate about “waning civilian oversight of the military” and “eclipsing press freedom and other constitutional safeguards”.

What. An. A--hole.

If anything, the Fifth Column has done everything guaranteed by the Constitution to undermine the security of the United States. They portray al Qaeda and the Taliban (what’s left of them) in a favorable light, denigrate the American military as ‘occupiers’, print national secrets across their front pages, and snivel about FISA and the Patriot Act as if the government has nothing else better to do than to eavesdrop on Curley’s phone sex.

"Shadow" of 9/11, indeed.

The Death of Nahoul the Bee

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:56:45 -0600

Good riddance to bad rubbish—Which, in this case, is a bunch of two-dimensional cartoon characters with suspiciously similar voices:

If a nation becomes what its children are taught, then what is Palestine? Yeah, I thought so.

That Dastardly Zionist Embargo

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:35:33 -0600

'Cuz, you know, the Israelis are just that heartless:

Security workers employed by the Israel Airport Authority uncovered two tons of fertilizer used in the manufacturing of Qassam rockets on Monday afternoon, the substantial amount of explosive material was concealed in a truck allegedly transporting humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

The security officials manning the Kerem Shalom border crossing discovered the smuggling attempt during a random inspection of vehicles carrying humanitarian equipment and goods.

This is the second such incident to occur this week.

Keep incidents like this in mind the next time you read a report of weeping and woes regarding the humanitarian "crisis" in Gaza.