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filthy
SFN Die Hard

USA
14408 Posts

Posted - 03/29/2006 :  04:38:02  Show Profile Send filthy a Private Message
What is it with these clowns? Is there some sort of competition with a trophy to be awarded to the mendicant who can get away with the most idiotic fabrication? A sort of an Ig-Noble Award for political punchinellos?

I mean, really, this falls into the, How Dumb Can You Get? category.
quote:
Can you spot the mistakes in this photo?



This is a picture that Howard Kaloogian, a conservative Republican candidate in San Diego's upcoming congressional special election to replace disgraced GOPer Duke Cunningham, has placed on his Web site. It is billed as a photo that Kaloogian and his party took on a recent trip to Iraq. Here's his provocative caption:

We took this photo of downtown Baghdad while we were in Iraq. Iraq (including Baghdad) is much more calm and stable than what many people believe it to be. But, each day the news media finds any violence occurring in the country and screams and shouts about it - in part because many journalists are opposed to the U.S. effort to fight terrorism.


I'm not gonna give it away. Study the pic and think about it before you read the comments -- does that look like Baghdad? Or anywhere in Iraq? Hmmmm?

Skepticism is alive and well at Attytood!





"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)

"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres


"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude

Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,

and Crypto-Communist!


Edited by - filthy on 03/29/2006 04:45:33

Valiant Dancer
Forum Goalie

USA
4826 Posts

Posted - 03/29/2006 :  05:56:11   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Valiant Dancer's Homepage Send Valiant Dancer a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by filthy

What is it with these clowns? Is there some sort of competition with a trophy to be awarded to the mendicant who can get away with the most idiotic fabrication? A sort of an Ig-Noble Award for political punchinellos?

I mean, really, this falls into the, How Dumb Can You Get? category.
quote:
Can you spot the mistakes in this photo?



This is a picture that Howard Kaloogian, a conservative Republican candidate in San Diego's upcoming congressional special election to replace disgraced GOPer Duke Cunningham, has placed on his Web site. It is billed as a photo that Kaloogian and his party took on a recent trip to Iraq. Here's his provocative caption:

We took this photo of downtown Baghdad while we were in Iraq. Iraq (including Baghdad) is much more calm and stable than what many people believe it to be. But, each day the news media finds any violence occurring in the country and screams and shouts about it - in part because many journalists are opposed to the U.S. effort to fight terrorism.


I'm not gonna give it away. Study the pic and think about it before you read the comments -- does that look like Baghdad? Or anywhere in Iraq? Hmmmm?

Skepticism is alive and well at Attytood!








What is "none of the signs are in arabic"?

I'll take glaringly obvious errors for $200, filth.

Cthulhu/Asmodeus when you're tired of voting for the lesser of two evils

Brother Cutlass of Reasoned Discussion
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Starman
SFN Regular

Sweden
1613 Posts

Posted - 03/29/2006 :  05:57:11   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send Starman a Private Message
Checking date... ...nope 3 days left.


I hope the Daily Show pick this one up so it gets good exposure.
Already in wikipedia.

Sayonara sucker!

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filthy
SFN Die Hard

USA
14408 Posts

Posted - 03/29/2006 :  06:37:20   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send filthy a Private Message
Yeh, how 'bout the Turkish mini-police station? It's that white box on the corner with the windows. I've seen them in Ismir.

I am all but convinced that Kaloogian believes that just because he'd buy this sort of pig in a poke, everyone else will as well. I wonder if he plays poker....




"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)

"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres


"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude

Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,

and Crypto-Communist!

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Ricky
SFN Die Hard

USA
4907 Posts

Posted - 03/29/2006 :  08:24:36   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Send Ricky an AOL message Send Ricky a Private Message
Does Baghdad have cell phone coverage? The guy in the white shirt on the bottom left is most definitely on one.

Why continue? Because we must. Because we have the call. Because it is nobler to fight for rationality without winning than to give up in the face of continued defeats. Because whatever true progress humanity makes is through the rationality of the occasional individual and because any one individual we may win for the cause may do more for humanity than a hundred thousand who hug their superstitions to their breast.
- Isaac Asimov
Edited by - Ricky on 03/29/2006 08:32:12
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filthy
SFN Die Hard

USA
14408 Posts

Posted - 03/29/2006 :  08:51:33   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send filthy a Private Message
The yellow umbrella sorta looks like it might be on an NYC dog-wagon. Do they gots foot-longs in Baghdad?




"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)

"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres


"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude

Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,

and Crypto-Communist!

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marfknox
SFN Die Hard

USA
3739 Posts

Posted - 03/29/2006 :  11:41:58   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit marfknox's Homepage  Send marfknox an AOL message Send marfknox a Private Message
People discussing this at the Democratic Underground provided tons of evidence that the pic is from Istanbul, Turkey. They even found a photo of the exact same place on the street. And one of the people reported it to the media, so hopefully there will be more public exposure of this fraud.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x776401#776657

"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong

Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com

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marfknox
SFN Die Hard

USA
3739 Posts

Posted - 03/29/2006 :  11:45:00   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit marfknox's Homepage  Send marfknox an AOL message Send marfknox a Private Message
In the news already:

http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m22044&l=i&size=1&hd=0

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/themix/34195/

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/backbencher/story/0,,1742258,00.html

"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong

Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com

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filthy
SFN Die Hard

USA
14408 Posts

Posted - 03/29/2006 :  12:17:14   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send filthy a Private Message
Another fraud gutted like a catfish. It do warm the cockles of the heart, don't it?




"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)

"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres


"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude

Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,

and Crypto-Communist!

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filthy
SFN Die Hard

USA
14408 Posts

Posted - 03/29/2006 :  14:52:29   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send filthy a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by marfknox

People discussing this at the Democratic Underground provided tons of evidence that the pic is from Istanbul, Turkey. They even found a photo of the exact same place on the street. And one of the people reported it to the media, so hopefully there will be more public exposure of this fraud.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x776401#776657

It's got legs! And they look like they might be long ones. From the site referenced at AmericaBlog:
quote:
By E&P Staff

Published: March 29, 2006 2:30 PM ET

NEW YORK How far will critics of media coverage of the Iraq war go to prove reporters are wrongly focusing on the negative?

One answer came this week, in a shocking if amusing episode featuring one Howard Kaloogian, a leading Republican running for the seat in Congress recently vacated by indicted Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham.

He posted on the official Web site for his campaign a picture taken in “downtown Baghdad,” he said, during his visit to the city, which supposedly indicated that the media was wrong about the level of violence in the city. “We took this photo of downtown Baghdad while we were in Iraq,” he wrote. “Iraq (including Baghdad) is much more calm and stable than what many people believe it to be. But, each day the news media finds any violence occurring in the country and screams and shouts about it - in part because many journalists are opposed to the U.S. effort to fight terrorism."

I do not think that Mr. Kaloogian will continue his campaign for much longer.




"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)

"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres


"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude

Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,

and Crypto-Communist!

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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard

USA
3834 Posts

Posted - 03/29/2006 :  15:06:26   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send beskeptigal a Private Message
OK, so he claims he just used the wrong photo. Where's the right one? Was he even in Baghdad outside of the Green Zone which Americans apparently aren't venturing into lately.
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filthy
SFN Die Hard

USA
14408 Posts

Posted - 03/29/2006 :  16:32:16   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send filthy a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by beskeptigal

OK, so he claims he just used the wrong photo. Where's the right one? Was he even in Baghdad outside of the Green Zone which Americans apparently aren't venturing into lately.

B'gal m'dear, I'll make you a small wager: betcha if he comes up with another photo, it won't be one that he took, assuming that it's actually of Baghdad.

Of course, the question now becomes: if the pic was put up by accident, does anyone want someone that careless, not to come right out and say stupid, writing legislation for the country?

I don't think that he has any more chance of being elected than I do because, at long and painful last, people are starting to (shudder) think.




"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)

"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres


"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude

Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,

and Crypto-Communist!

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trogdor
Skeptic Friend

198 Posts

Posted - 03/29/2006 :  17:02:21   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send trogdor a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by filthy

quote:
Originally posted by beskeptigal

OK, so he claims he just used the wrong photo. Where's the right one? Was he even in Baghdad outside of the Green Zone which Americans apparently aren't venturing into lately.

B'gal m'dear, I'll make you a small wager: betcha if he comes up with another photo, it won't be one that he took, assuming that it's actually of Baghdad.

Of course, the question now becomes: if the pic was put up by accident, does anyone want someone that careless, not to come right out and say stupid, writing legislation for the country?

I don't think that he has any more chance of being elected than I do because, at long and painful last, people are starting to (shudder) think.







It would appear as though he has changed it. the pic now is a zoomed out picture of a neighborhood. no people in it. I can't find it again. I think it was at his web site?

all eyes were on Ford Prefect. some of them were on stalks.
-Douglas Adams
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Starman
SFN Regular

Sweden
1613 Posts

Posted - 03/30/2006 :  01:09:06   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send Starman a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by beskeptigal

OK, so he claims he just used the wrong photo. Where's the right one?
From wikipedia:
quote:
Once it was established that the photograph was actually of a streetcorner in suburban Istanbul, Kaloogian's campaign attributed the error to an unidentified "webmaster."[9] The photograph was replaced by another one taken from what appears to be an upper floor of some structure.[10]
New image:
http://www.kaloogianforcongress.com/support/pagepics/BaghdadCityView.jpg

Does not give his claims of calm and stability much weight does it?
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard

USA
3834 Posts

Posted - 03/30/2006 :  02:01:14   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send beskeptigal a Private Message
Kaloogian's site claims the photo is of "downtown". It looks a little more on the outskirts to me. I can't find it on Google Earth but there aren't any real landmarks to go on. But Kaloogian also claims the over stated bad news is because "many journalists are opposed to the US efforts to fight terrorism"! What a bunch of crap that is.
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Starman
SFN Regular

Sweden
1613 Posts

Posted - 03/30/2006 :  02:09:25   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send Starman a Private Message
Kaloogian made 3 place on Keith Olbermanns's worst person in the world list.

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