Fake photo(s) of prisoner abuse by UK military...

[blackfox]

My father receives the Weekly Telegraph (those in the UK might be familiar), which is a recap of a weeks' worth of Daily Telegraph news...perusing through it, I found an interesting article concerning "torture photos" supposedly of UK soldiery abusing an Iraqi prisoner...the nature of the article was a 13 or 14 point debunking of the photos' authenticity, by analyzing descrepancies in equipment, protocol etc. Unfortunately, I could not find that article online, but here is a later, related one:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/05/11/nirq211.xml
The erroneous photo was originally covered by the Daily Mirror, although it appears they were duped...
My question is this:
Why would someone fabricate something of this nature? Especially in the light of there being other more substantiated cases of Abuse by the UK military (and of course, the US)...I would assume it is political, but still, the poor taste bothers me. This is not meant to lessen the serious nature of unrelated substantiated instances of prisoner maltreatment BTW, I am just curious what people think about this, especially those in the UK. Cheers...

[Voltron]

Why would someone fake a picture with Kerry waiting on Jane Fonda to finish up speaking for his turn when a real picture really existed of the both of them sitting in an audience at a different rally?

Some people do things simply because they can.

[Neserk]

Apparently one of the photos is a still from a porn movie...

[Ugg]

I've read only a little about the so called fake photos. But there does seem to be a big furor about it in the UK. It does seem odd for someone to fake them when worse ones are readily at hand. Tony the poodle isn't too popular right now and seems to have a lot of enemies who would like nothing more than his downfall. Although to be fair, there are many in the Uk as in the Us that would like to see this entire travesty swept under the rug.

[toontra]

This is a spectacular own goal for the Mirror. At best they can justify publishing without being certain of the authenticity of the photos on the grounds that it drew attention to the abuse which had not previously been widely reported.

But its effect is to give Tony Blair a small fig leaf to hide behind, detracting attention briefly away from the actual issue of abuse and onto decrying the Mirror for unnecessarily putting British troops in danger.

As with the Andrew Gilligan story last year, if you are going to criticize the government, you'd better make damned sure you check every single iota of substance, wording and nuance - ****** up in any way and they'll screw you so hard you won't survive it.

The sad fact in both these cases is that (almost) no-one doubts the claims made - it is in the standard of reporting that they have erred. A truly modern, Orwellian scenario where the truth is almost irrelevant, everything is in the presentation.

[Lyle]

Why would someone fake a picture with Kerry waiting on Jane Fonda to finish up speaking for his turn when a real picture really existed of the both of them sitting in an audience at a different rally?Apparently one of the photos is a still from a porn movie...Whoa! John Kerry was in a porno? :eek: :D

[skunk]

Whoa! John Kerry was in a porno? :eek: :D
Yeah, give us a link, Neserk! :D

[Chappers]

My question is this:
Why would someone fabricate something of this nature?

Only one word needed

Propaganda.

[blackfox]

Only one word needed

Propaganda.
I understood this...but as above posts have noted, I am not sure whether this was designed to further damage Blair or give him a smokescreen to hide behind...living all the way over here in the US, it is difficult to gauge how it is being perceived...

[poopyhead]

of course al jazeera is still posting it as though it is true

[QUOTE/] Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper last week printed photographs apparently showing troops urinating on a prisoner and beating him. The authenticity of the pictures has been questioned, but the paper has since published evidence from a soldier who said he had witnessed savage beatings of Iraqis. [QUOTE\]

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/078654B0-F538-43F1-8BC6-F764A7BAA8DE.htm

in my opinion beating (which I do believe did occur and was probably rampant) does nothing to substantiate the allegation that british soldiers urinated on a prisoner

[skunk]

I understood this...but as above posts have noted, I am not sure whether this was designed to further damage Blair or give him a smokescreen to hide behind...living all the way over here in the US, it is difficult to gauge how it is being perceived...
It's not going well for Blair. This is a distraction, and may well result in the editor of the Mirror having to go, but the focus is still on Blair and Hoon (Defence Secretary), and both of them are looking pretty shaky.

[blackfox]

It's not going well for Blair. This is a distraction, and may well result in the editor of the Mirror having to go, but the focus is still on Blair and Hoon (Defence Secretary), and both of them are looking pretty shaky.
I know this is taking my own thread off-topic...but what will the repurcussions of this be come election time (in the UK)? Has Blair done well as PM (leaving out the War)? Who will face him in the elections? Will there be another Tory PM? Just Curious? Cheers...

[skunk]

I know this is taking my own thread off-topic...but what will the repurcussions of this be come election time (in the UK)? Has Blair done well as PM (leaving out the War)? Who will face him in the elections? Will there be another Tory PM? Just Curious? Cheers...
God knows. They're all as bad as each other. Michael Howard (aka Dracula) is the leader of the Tory party. Enlightened he is not. I'm afraid our choice is as poor as yours. Blair will probably go, and his place will probably be taken by Gordon Brown, the present Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister). He may well win the next election, as he has managed to keep his nose comparatively clean.

[toontra]

.... as he has managed to keep his nose comparatively clean.

In fact, he's been practically invisible throughout the past 18 months. He's not stupid. He must be loving Blair having backed a looser! (BTW, for overseas readers, it's no secret that these two are bitter enemies, Blair having stitched Brown up in the early days over an agreement about leadership.)

[blackfox]

To Skunk and Toontra:
Do you think that these developments will have the effect of pushing the UK away from the US and towards the EU? Will this have any effect on the ill-advised referendum to adopt the Euro? Towards putting France in its' place (coudn't resist...I was brought up that way)?

[skunk]

To Skunk and Toontra:
Do you think that these developments will have the effect of pushing the UK away from the US and towards the EU? Will this have any effect on the ill-advised referendum to adopt the Euro? Towards putting France in its' place (coudn't resist...I was brought up that way)?
Brown is not pro-Euro, and the referendum is not about the Euro anyway: it's about changes to the European Constitution. I should think Brown will want to be just as much of a transatlantic bridge as Blair, but he might be more choosy about whom he jumps into bed with.

[blackfox]

Brown is not pro-Euro, and the referendum is not about the Euro anyway: it's about changes to the European Constitution. I should think Brown will want to be just as much of a transatlantic bridge as Blair, but he might be more choosy about whom he jumps into bed with.
Thanks for the info...I'm a little nostalgic for home...I like to 'keep my hand in' as they say...as far as the choosy comment...it is about bloody time. How about 'Dracula'?

[skunk]

Thanks for the info...I'm a little nostalgic for home...I like to 'keep my hand in' as they say...as far as the choosy comment...it is about bloody time. How about 'Dracula'?
Doesn't look good. Has a history of being devious, but then, he's a lawyer (like most MPs are) so what can one expect? Not enlightened, nor very courageous. Brown might actually be rather good.

[Sayhey]

God knows. They're all as bad as each other. Michael Howard (aka Dracula) is the leader of the Tory party. Enlightened he is not. I'm afraid our choice is as poor as yours. Blair will probably go, and his place will probably be taken by George Brown, the present Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister). He may well win the next election, as he has managed to keep his nose comparatively clean.

LOL, I was unaware that was Howard's pseudonym! :p Fitting.

Isn't it Gordon Brown? I just saw a piece on him outlining the British "red lines" in the Finance Ministers meetings in the run up to the EU constitution talks. I hadn't known he was against the Euro, only that he had set quite a few criteria for moving for its adoption.

[skunk]

Isn't it Gordon Brown?
Sorry, I was confusing him with Harold Wilson's Chancellor back in the seventies! Shows my mind is going fast!
He has deliberately created movable goalposts so he can sidestep the issue indefinitely.

[Sayhey]

Sorry, I was confusing him with Harold Wilson's Chancellor back in the seventies! Shows my mind is going fast!
He has deliberately created movable goalposts so he can sidestep the issue indefinitely.

Ahh! Thanks for the heads up. I will bear that in mind when I next read something by him.

[Neserk]

Yeah, give us a link, Neserk! :D

www.sexinwar.com

EXTREMELY GRAPHIC!!!!!!!!!

[blackfox]

www.sexinwar.com

EXTREMELY GRAPHIC!!!!!!!!!
That is sooo wrong...goddam*.

[skunk]

www.sexinwar.com

EXTREMELY GRAPHIC!!!!!!!!!
I didn't mean it.
How long will it take Al Jazeera to link to this? A few sick individuals, huh? :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[pseudobrit]

www.sexinwar.com

EXTREMELY GRAPHIC!!!!!!!!!

Just in case no one "gets it," these photos are not really from Iraq. It's just porn.

If you can't tell in about 5 seconds you don't know much about the deployed forces. Or you could just read the disclaimer at the bottom of the page.

[blackfox]

Just in case no one "gets it," these photos are not really from Iraq. It's just porn.

If you can't tell in about 5 seconds you don't know much about the deployed forces. Or you could just read the disclaimer at the bottom of the page.
That is not the point...still very poor taste, and it does reflect something about our culture (not flattering)...and I like most porn...

[skunk]

Just in case no one "gets it," these photos are not really from Iraq. It's just porn.

If you can't tell in about 5 seconds you don't know much about the deployed forces. Or you could just read the disclaimer at the bottom of the page.
This whole "war" is pornographic.