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I definitely lost my ability to be bothered, shocked or amazed by the depth at which some of the greatest Western news agencies and media outlets are prepared to sink in their support to the enemies of their own civilization, last year almost to the day, when Reuters and its stringers cast smoke on Lebanon, and produced some of Hezbollywood's greatest blockbusters.Now, this:
Tuesday August 14, 2007: An elderly Iraqi woman shows two bullets which she says hit her house following an early coalition forces raid in the predominantly Shiite Baghdad suburb of Sadr City.
This latest disinformation hack from the French news agency AFP (yeah, emphasis added) didn't come as a surprise, and didn't raise my blood pressure either — in fact, it sparked quite a stroke of frank amusement, as you can see in the good-natured and videotaped farce I've performed for the occasion, and edited for your viewing pleasure(1).
I really can't believe, this time, that the AFP editors and minders who let this one go through the wire can be accused of dishonesty — and God knows I have no reason to give anybody in this joint [at the AFP even less than any other] the benefit of the doubt. I simply do not believe these people could release such a screaming obvious mendacity to a worldwide audience, and hope they could get away with it.
I just can't see how this could be the result of anything else but crass ignorance of one the most basic facts on firearms(2). So basic that it doesn't even belong strictly to the allegedly technical field of ballistics, but is simply a question of elementary vocabulary — that applies to both English and French, as the distinction between cartridge (cartouche) and bullet (balle) is identical in both languages.
This is where the real shocker lies: for even if we assume that they could be honest and unbiased, if these Great Professionals™ who make their trade and pride of reporting on worldwide crises — that are bound to involve, more often than not, individual weaponry of various make and caliber — can't even tell the difference between a bullet and a cartridge, can you just imagine what else — and how much — they ignore?
We can live with a dishonest press — as long as we know it — but ignorance from those who pretend to inform us?
Comments
Comments thread (64)
2338 - KL
KL
Frogman, I agree that this is one of your best from an already impressive collection. You're like a real-life defender of Truth, Justice and the American Way and you're not even American!! YOu rock! Can we hope for Frogman, The Movie??? :)
2339 - fyrfytr_3
fyrfytr_3 Ashland, Virginia USA
My problem with the picture is, if those rounds were fired at her home would they be in the condition they are in? I mean everytime I fire my .308 the round doesn't stay pristine, if you know what I mean!
2341 - ColoradoRight
ColoradoRight
A really great video - as noted by others earlier I certainly hope we see more of them. Very professionally done, including the blooper reel at the end. Perhaps some suggestions on other instructional topcis:
The difference between an actual American who is proud of his country and a Retarded Socialist Ratbag who badmouths his country overseas
How to recognize the difference between genuine evil (getting children to chop off heads) and pretend evil (Club Gitmo where everybody gains weight)
The proper way to photoshop a news picture (see last Lebanon war)
How to tell if a politician is lying (mostly because their lips move I know)
Keep up the good work
2342 - floridasuzie
floridasuzie Florida
ColoradoRight,
At first I thought you were trying to slam our good Frog, but when my blood pressure came down I think maybe you are referring to Natalie Maines and her ilk?:
>a Retarded Socialist Ratbag who badmouths his country overseas<
I proudly live in Dixie and will happily hand over the Dixie Chicks but nobody messes with the Frog :)
2343 - lefty
lefty
Committed lefty-- hate the war, and at times pro-war crowd like you. But this is awsome. I was rolling. Got to stand and applaud your sense of humour. And how the hell did you get to watching Chiaya Chaiya, eh? Superb song-- never thought one could use it so effectively as a background to weapons instruction!! You sir may have dodgy political beliefs but your sense of the absurd is delightful. I hope the idiots at AFP were watching. Hope to see more of this.
2344 - the dissident frogman
the dissident frogman France
Lefty: thanks for posting this compliment in a (globally) civil way, despite your self-professed dodgy political beliefs that — no argument here — certainly conflict with mine. I'm glad you enjoyed my stunt, and I'm sure we can both agree to disagree on the rest. Politely it seems - and that certainly makes you stand out when one considers the manners usually displayed by the crowd on your side of the political spectrum.
I'm always amazed however by the distinction people on your side seem to make: you hate war (I quote) and thus imply that I, somehow, love it simply because I support it. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
If you allow me to risk the guess that you are a US citizen, and have been so by birth, then I'd say I probably hate war even more than you can possibly do: after all, being native French and the grand-child of native Frenchmen, I'll remind you that we've seen - and lived - the ravages of war at home (and not thousands of miles away from our homes) less than two generations ago. In fact, the last one was particularly ugly, since it managed to combine a "regular" war with the occupation by a foreign army, and a civil war that tore down French society up to this day between collaborators and resistants (and their descendants).
Incidentally, I'd like to point out that all the warmongers who managed to set my native continent ablaze all over the 20th century (setting up concentration & death camps, political polices and so on) were "committed lefties" of one collectivist brand or another. I hope you can take that fact in consideration if you ever fancy understanding why I came to hold "dodgy political beliefs"... and why I consider yours the same (worse in fact, if I may say so).
The only difference between your hostility to war and mine however is that I know that war can be a solution sometimes. Please note that I'm not saying "I think", "I guess" or "Well, I suppose war could be a solution, etc."
I know that. For a fact.
And I can assure you that despite their reflexive anti-American posturing, and their outrageous display of phony pacifism in the run up to the second Iraq war, most of the French wouldn't deny it either.
At least none of those who can remember (or imagine) the sound of German troops patrolling the streets of their towns and villages at night.
Almost forgot: as for my musical choices, and your surprise, well... I'll just say that I frequently do not live up to many people's stereotypes (I'm not trying to be a smart ass here, that's just a fact I've observed time and again). In that occurrence, I understand that a gun-toting right-wing warmongering French redneck that happens to have a certain Bollywood culture might come as a shock to you. I'll sincerely hope however that this will help you realize that just because I'm fiercely in favor of defending Western civilization and personally kill some of the meat I eat doesn't mean you can necessarily deduce I have brown people's babies for breakfast and advocate ethnic cleansing at lunchtime.
2345 - Grimmy
Grimmy Where I'm at.
Mr. Frogman:
Please sir. Tell us true. Are you now, or have you ever been, a real mime?
There are some offenses that should never be forgiven.
2346 - the dissident frogman
the dissident frogman France
Mr. Chairman, members of the Commitee: no, I am not and never was.
Please don't blacklist me.
2347 - Andy
Andy
That is an excellent video.
2348 - caveman82952
caveman82952
I laughed 'till I damn near cried. How delightful, having these pompous idiots handed their asses! From their right hand to their left. I own and shoot four guns, and you can damn sure bet I know one end from the other. Found you on a link from the Rott.....had to join. Your composition funny as hell.