the dissident frogman

Like a suppository, only a bit stronger

Comme un suppositoire, mais juste un peu plus fort

AFP doesn't know the basics. Plus the dissident frogman looking silly on the intarweb.

the dissident frogman 17 years and 2 months ago

Necrothreading much?

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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?
  1. Plus I got to wear my Terrorist costume, which I like to wear nearly as much as my other favorite, the Davy Crockett one (King of the Wild Frontier! Not Yours to Give! You may go to hell, I will go to Texas!)
  2. And I won't mention other embarrassing aspects of this 'news' release, such as the fact — discussed by eminent people and credible sources — that these are not even US Army ammunition...

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J'ai totalement perdu ma capacité à être choqué ou impressionné par les profondeurs auxquelles certaines des plus grandes agences de presse et media occidentaux sont prêts à sombrer dans leur soutien aux ennemis de leur propre civilisation, l'année dernière quasiment jour pour jour, lorsque Reuters et ses correspondants ont enfumé le Liban , et produit certains des grands titres d'Hezbollywood.

Et maintenant, ça :
Mardi 14 août 2007 : Une vieillarde irakienne montre deux balles et déclare qu'elles ont touché sa maison à la suite d'un raid matinal des forces de la coalition dans la banlieue de Bagdad majoritairement Shiite, Sadr City.

Ce dernier coup bas de désinformation de l'agence française AFP (ouais, souligné par mes soins) ne me surprends pas, et ne risque pas plus de faire monter ma pression sanguine — en fait, cela déclenche plutôt un franc accès d'hilarité, ainsi que vous pouvez le voir dans la videofarce festive et bon enfant que j'ai réalisé pour l'occasion et édité pour votre amusement (1).

Je ne peux vraiment pas croire, en l'occurrence, que les éditeurs de l'AFP qui en ont autorisé la diffusion puissent être accusés de duplicité — Et Dieu sait pourtant que je n'ai aucune raison d'accorder le bénéfice du doute à quiconque dans ce genre de tôle [à l'AFP encore moins que dans aucune autre]. Impossible d'admettre cependant que ces individus puissent diffuser un tel mensonge d'une évidence criante vers une audience internationale, en pensant pouvoir passer au travers des gouttes.

Je ne vois pas comment ceci pourrait être le résultat d'autre chose que d'une ignorance crasse de l'un des principes les plus fondamentaux des armes à feu(2). Tellement fondamental, que cela n'appartient même pas strictement au champ prétendument technique de la balistique mais relève simplement du vocabulaire le plus élémentaire — qui s'applique tant à l'Anglais qu'au Français, puisque la distinction entre cartouche (cartridge) et balle (bullet) est identique dans les deux langues.

C'est là où est le véritable outrage : car même en admettant qu'ils puissent être honnêtes et objectifs, si ces Grands Professionnels™ qui font leur ouvrage et leur fierté d'informer sur les crises internationales — vouées à impliquer, plus que jamais, de l'armement individuel de marque et de calibre variés — ne sont même pas capable de discerner la différence entre une balle et une cartouche, pouvez-vous seulement imaginer ce qu'ils peuvent ignorer d'autre, et l'étendue de ladite ignorance ?

On peut faire avec une presse malhonnête — pour autant qu'on le sache — mais de l'ignorance de la part de ceux qui prétendent nous informer ?
  1. En plus, j'ai pu mettre mon costume de Terroriste, que j'aime mettre presque autant que mon autre costume favori, celui de Davy Crockett (l'Homme qui n'a jamais peur!)
  2. Et je ne parlerai même pas des autres aspect embarrassants de ce communiqué de 'presse', tel le fait — abordé par d'éminents individus et des sources crédible — qu'il ne s'agit même pas de munitions de l'Armée US...

Update

Oh Lord give me strength — scratch that — Oh Lord give me a smoke grenade, a gas mask, a helicopter and a hole to hide into: I've made it to The Tank, NRO's Military Blog.

Don't get me wrong: I'm absolutely ecstatic — for at least 10 seconds, up to the point where it suddenly dawn on me that most, and quite certainly all, Tank readers have more weapon experience in their toe nail than I and my last 14 ancestors can claim altogether.

Many thanks to Steve Schippert anyway, and welcome to you all coming from The Tank. Now I feel really small in my balaclava.

Is it global warming, or is it getting hotter around here? (Ha Ha, hotter, Hot Air... Geddit?)

Oh boy... Now I really think I'm going to pass out.

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the dissident frogman

I own, built and run this place. In a previous life I was not French but sadly, I died.

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The Wise knows that Cities are but demonic Soul-tearing pits that shall not be entered.

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Related

Random (somewhat) related entries

  1. Read my lips
  2. Potshots at the gun shop
  3. French Fruitcakes +1, Reason 0
  4. We is teh angry.
  5. Your kung-fu is no good

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Comments thread (64)

2371 - 2hotel9

Comment author avatar

  • 2hotel9 Western Pennsylvania

Hey, Pa! Long time no hear. How ya been?

  • August 25th 2007
  • @ 0018 ZULU

2374 - Jason

Comment author avatar

Brilliantly hilarious video, DF! When are these jerks going to learn that all their fauxtography belong to us?

  • August 26th 2007
  • @ 1113 ZULU

2378 - Antares

Comment author avatar

I loved your video course on the composition, and use of the cartridge for the French media wonks. Could you do another video for Hillary Clinton on say.... ethics, values, honesty ... any of those will make a good video for her. She's sure to watch since it will be something very new for her. If you're up for a huge video project, how about an instructional video on getting your facts straight for Al Gore.

  • August 26th 2007
  • @ 0115 ZULU

2379 - Billy Jack

Comment author avatar

Ah, come on. Perhaps you are not thinking of all options. It could be that during the attack, the soldiers threw the rounds at the ladies house! :)

  • August 26th 2007
  • @ 0221 ZULU

2380 - 2hotel9

Comment author avatar

  • 2hotel9 Western Pennsylvania

Algore; The Goreacle, needs a bit more than a suppsitory in order to straighten out his facts.

  • August 27th 2007
  • @ 0547 ZULU

2382 - Folly

Comment author avatar

Since when did truth ever matter? The way they tell it, we are the Ottoman Turks, the Huns, the Mongols, and the Nazis are rolled into one.

  • August 27th 2007
  • @ 0725 ZULU

2384 - Iwo Gina

Comment author avatar

  • Iwo Gina Maryland

After the Dan Rather/Mary Mapes disinformation scandal, I am still amazed (although, perhaps I shouldn't be) that the media are so arrogant that they feel they can make up whatever they like and no-one will question the veracity of the story. So much so that they include a captioned illustration that so obviously contradicts what has been reported as "fact".


P.S. - I know that there are quite a few more media disinformation scandals I could use as an example, but the Rather/Mapes scandal is my personal favorite. To put it in a way that Rather would understand: Post-report interviews of Danny -boy showed him lookin' about as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rockin'chairs! I Wouldn't mind seeing images of those two Mickey-ized and slapped on a t-shirt!


P.P.S. - Fan-freakin-tastic video, DF! You even included the bloopers! Love it!

P.P.P.S. - Hotel - love your remark about The Goreacle (LOL!!)

Iwo Gina
  • August 27th 2007
  • @ 1853 ZULU

2391 - 2hotel9

Comment author avatar

  • 2hotel9 Western Pennsylvania

Thanks! I been calling him The Goreacle since the mid-'90s, when he started pushing this crap. And I second the nomination of Danny Blather to be Mickeyized.

  • August 27th 2007
  • @ 0301 ZULU

2392 - Deuce

Comment author avatar

Wow, I could only have been more impressed with your answer to the AFP (and video) had you used a Browning instead of the Sig! We can only hope to see more of your work! This one's headed to Classic status fast!

  • August 27th 2007
  • @ 0309 ZULU

2393 - Iwo Gina

Comment author avatar

  • Iwo Gina Maryland

Hotel: I love it when you talk Gorey! Oooo baby!

Iwo Gina
  • August 27th 2007
  • @ 0324 ZULU
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