Proxy War Inc.
July 11, 2008, Matthew Good What am I doing up at this hour? I have no clue. I went to bed at 10:30 and my eyes thrust open at 3am and I haven’t been able to go back to sleep. So I ordered up some tea and thought I’d write a bit.
The United States has said that it will allow the Israelis to use US airbases in Iraq and Iraqi airspace in the event of a strike against Iran. It would seem that the Iraqi government has absolutely no say in the matter, despite the fact that it’s supposed to be their country, not to mention that Iraq’s National Security Advisor, Mowaffak al-Rubaie, confirmed Tuesday that the government of Mr. Maliki will be demanding a timetable for a complete US withdrawal.
As was the case in 1981, when the Israelis hit the Iraqi facility at Osirak, they will most likely be gifted the use of Saudi and Jordanian airspace, though one can’t say for certain that its use will be permitted them without some US back channeling involved. Being that they have since lost their base at Etzion, it’s more than likely that the Israelis would have to stage any such operation primarily from their airbase in Netavim.
Added to this is a recent statement made by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the United States is committed to help defending their allies, not to mention that they also plan to increase their own military presence in The Gulf.
As far as the recent Iranian missile tests are concerned, it seems that the Iranians may have digitally altered the image of four rockets shooting skyward that was published globally. While the primary photo used by news agencies shows four missiles climbing skyward, the Associated Press has released another photo that contradicts it. Agence France-Presse was the first to officially retract the use of the image, after concluding that it had been altered…
1) The initial image used by the media throughout the world…
2) An image of the same launches obtained by the Associated Press…
3) A little ‘John Madden’ provided by The New York Times…
I am now going to stare at the ceiling and see if I can’t fall back asleep.
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its like that game. can you spot the differances between the pictures..
Madden: BAM! He’s not getting up after that one!!
I could probably add a pretty convincing looking Millennium Falcon too in there…
Funny how super powers act like high school teenagers. First Israel with the flying bit and now Iran with this. It’s like kids flexing their muscles or taking their shirts off before a fight.
If Israel can get a really good Photoshopper, Man , Look out Iran, Israel has a Death Star.
If you’re still in T.O. I’m sure the soothing sounds of yet another thunderstorm helped you stay awake.
Maybe you should draft a response to the pin heads that will again blame you if your show in Paris is cancelled because of weather. I say if the weather sucks it’s Blue Rodeo’s fault this time?
Do they have Photoshop CS3 available in Iran? It’s got some great layer masking features that are virtually seamless. With all of the money they saved by not firing that fourth missile, you’d think they could have at least hired someone with a little practical knowledge of Photoshop.
I’m no CS3 wizard but come on! Even on my crappy, low res monitor at work I can see the differences in the tone of the sky to the right of the added missle.
That’s just sloppy.
They should post their altered shot in the Flickr Group for CS2/CS3… http://www.flickr.com/groups/photoshop_cs2/discuss/ and check out some of the discussion threads for some advice next time they want to add a uranium enrichment facillity in the background.
I’m not some sort of army guru or artillery expert - wait, yes i am - but what’s the huge difference of 4 versus 3 rockets in the photo?
Iranian manufactured rockets launchers include the Haseb, an Iranian 12 tube 107 mm MRL that is a variant of a Chinese 107 mm rocket, as well as variants of Chinese and Russian 122 mm rockets such as the Noor and Hadid 40 tube 122 mm MRL systems and the Arash version of the 122mm Katyusha MRL.
Much of the Iranian artillery and rocket family can fire multiple payload projectiles.
So what’s one extra rocket between friends in a photo?
Well then, if the US can claim weapons of mass destruction being produced in Iraq while there actually weren’t any, why shouldn’t Iran claim having tested 4 missiles while actually it had been only 3? And then who tells that it wasn’t the media that altered the footage? Questions, questions, questions…
He’s not very good in PhotoShop is he? Spot the cloning straight off…
Interestingly enough, Mark Fitzpatrick, a former State Dept. official, said of this photo that it is typical for Iran to exaggerate the missiles and nuclear programme. Which is it then? Are they a serious threat or a complete fraud? At this point, it doesn’t really matter what they say because what the general public believes is irrelevant. It seems that the spin doctors aren’t even trying to be creative anymore.
I’m with Patrick– one extra rocket was worth Photoshopping?
Between that and the brazenly shameless ’shopping being done over at Fox “News”, it seems you can’t trust anything you see these days.
But.. why photoshop another rocket into the picture.. what’s the point?
[quote comment="58056"]If you’re still in T.O. I’m sure the soothing sounds of yet another thunderstorm helped you stay awake.
Maybe you should draft a response to the pin heads that will again blame you if your show in Paris is cancelled because of weather. I say if the weather sucks it’s Blue Rodeo’s fault this time?[/quote]
I’m in Guelph for the rest of the summer and I forgot how frequent and loud the thunderstorms are around these parts. I’m a super light sleeper, so the storm definitely kept me awake last night.
i agree with the above comments, what’s the point of the extra rocket?
and now that i look at it closely (as a junior graphic designer)….it should of been an easy give away. the positioning of that extra rocket is too ‘perfect’, plus you can see the cloning a mile away.
but really, i just want to understand the whole reasoning behind the Photoshopping.
I suspect the addition of the 4th rocket was probably more of an effort to cover up the what could be considered to be a mis-fired rocket in the original picture. Regardless I suspect it’s hard to apply logic to a group of people who thought photos-shopping a picture of their military exercises was a good idea in the first place. “Ooo…add a forth rocket firing..no one will ever know!”
Here’s my theory: the reason Iran didn’t want the image of three launched rockets going out there is because three (3) is a symbolic and significant number in the Judeo-Christian tradition (trinity, Christ was dead three days before rising, etc.).
Also, I get eleventy-billion points for turning this into a religious debate.
Also, that’s not really my theory.
[quote comment="58068"]I suspect the addition of the 4th rocket was probably more of an effort to cover up the what could be considered to be a mis-fired rocket in the original picture. Regardless I suspect it’s hard to apply logic to a group of people who thought photos-shopping a picture of their military exercises was a good idea in the first place. “Ooo…add a forth rocket firing..no one will ever know!”[/quote]
How can you divine it’d be misfire, just because it hasn’t fired at the time of snapshot? That’s a stretch, more to the point, as far as intel goes, G2 would have thier finger on the pulse of the reliability of the delivery system in question.
Here’s the real question:
Who doctored those photos and why. I see alot of assumptions that it was the Iranians, which to me seems to be devoid of critical thinking, let alone logic.
With the rhetoric that both the US and Israel have been spewing concerning Iran’s capabilities and intentions, this seems to be part and parcel of their propoganda campaign. It’s origin seems to be from AP. This is not the game they’re in, their credibility is paramount, and doctoring photo’s doesn’t extend that credibility in any constructive way.
I’ll put cash on the idea this came from the Pentagon.
Mr. Gonzo has a good point. If this was a serious attempt from the Iranian government, wouldn’t the photoshop job be almost near perfect?
In my best John Madden voice..
“Ok here’s a missile that when fired into the air it goes up fast & then comes down with the force to possibly kill many inoccent people…..wait a minute, am I seeing double???”
Question: Why would Iran alter the picture while in iranian state television everyone is provided video footage of the missile test showing 3(!) rockets being fired?
Aha…