From our friend, Dissident Frogman:

LIKE A SUPPOSITORY, ONLY A BIT STRONGER

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...

YAY!!! He's not really a mime! I hope no one actually believed that article... unless, *gasp* the evil Amerikkkan troops have not only been shooting innocent freedom fighters, they have been throwing cartridges at houses! How unthinkable.

I am outraged! Someone find this minion of misdirection and misinformation post haste! I voted against more funding to the foul smelling, ill-mannered Amerikkkan troops not too ago, would someone kindly explain just how in the hell did they came up with more bullets??!!! I won't stand for this, someone's head will roll.

Friggin' Hilarious.


As I pointed out over at The Autonomist, Flat Fatima has some awfully big gorilla paws or those are two very small rounds.
I think the whole thing was photoshopped: Bullets onto hand onto Flat Fatima.

I love the Gunny touch in the video....nice. "What is that?....WHAT THE F@#K IS THAT?".

<character off>
HAHAHAHA!!!!! I was laughing my sides off the whole time <wipes tear from eye>, but despite this, they probably still will not get it because it requires logical thought, and the realization that the troops are not murderous war machines trying to perform population control.

Nice try, enemies of the revolution! What you don't realize, apparently, is that the story is FAKE BUT ACCURATE. Amerikkan troops really <i>are</i> firing bullets into Fatima's house. Therefore it doesn't matter how the message is conveyed to the People. Stop trying to second-guess the Party.