"This Time We Did Not Bring Our Guns" - Sign at Atlanta Anti-Health Care Rally

[RamboLiberal]

AJC: In a piece calling for a more civil dialogue on health-care reform, my colleague Jim Galloway posted a photograph taken at this weekend’s rally at Centennial Olympic Park opposing President Obama’s health-care reform plan.

Let me point your attention to the man literally if not figuratively to the far left, the man holding a neatly printed sign that reads:

“THIS TIME WE DID NOT BRING OUR GUNS”

This time?

It’s hard to misinterpret the message that sign is intended to communicate.

http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2009/08/17/the-barely-veiled-threat-of-violence-sometimes-not-veiled-at-all/

[donco6]

1. It looks photoshopped to me.

No?

[Fridays Child]

2. Me, too.

[NYC_SKP]

4. It does.

Too-perfect lettering on too-white a background.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. Concur, hope the SJC checks for that now

[anigbrowl]

8. Not especially

Just heavy compression settings I think.

Edit: I ought to explain. I just opened it in Photoshop; it was shot with a Nikon D3, a 200mm lens at f2.8 and a 1/800 shutter. The other signs also show flat-looking backgrounds. But if you kick the contrast way up (or narrow the high/low levels) you can see none of the signs are flat-colored at all, they just look that way because they're in the upper brightness range.

Photographer info:

090815 Atlanta: James Newman, dressed as George Washington, shouts supports during a rally against the proposed health care reform in Centennial Olympic Park Saturday August 15, 2009. Brant Sanderlin, [e-mail]

ajc is Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

[donco6]

13. Possible. But there's shadowing problems as well.

Wouldn't the compression have sharpened the handwritten letters too? But they appear graduated around the edges, where the white board appears finely pixelated. I dunno . . .

[anigbrowl]

14. (I added more info above, but...)

Really it looks pretty coincidental to me. You could equally well ask why the US flag umbrella in the foreground has such neat alignment with the frame of the photo.

[RamboLiberal]

16. I would think the Atlanta Journal Constitution would not

photoshop a pic like this. Here's where it originally appeared in the newspaper in Jim Galloway's column. Email the photog and ask him if he photoshopped.


James Newman, a.k.a. George Washington, during a rally against health care reform proposals in Centennial Olympic Park. Brant Sanderlin, [e-mail]

Immediately afterwards, in Centennial Park, firebrands stoked a Saturday afternoon crowd that had already made up its mind about changes to the nation’s health care system now contemplated in Washington.

They promised more confrontation. “We will not be quiet!” was one of many slogans tested for effect. Most of the signs carried by demonstrators spoke to the issue. One fellow was deliberately provocative. His read, “This time we didn’t bring our guns.”

At times, the angry words are enough to make you long for Richard Nixon and his Silent Majority.

At least one Republican thinks the harsh language and disruptions we’ve seen at town hall meetings across the country constitute a blunder — both moral and strategic — that could hurt the conservative cause in the long run.

http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2009/08/16/health-care-reform-and-a-plea-for-civility/

[blondeatlast]

3. since when did loving your country mean threatening its leader?

I take that shit very seriously--I alerted a buzzen times on people who even veiled threatened *.

[Cleita]

5. I have no words. It's just sad.

Today when I went to the market there was a group of three men in ragged military type wear collecting funds to help war veterans. There were no guns. I gave them a couple of dollars but asked them who they were affiliated with? They said Veterans of the Foreign Wars, but these men were very young in my view. Should we bring back the draft so the Rambo wannabes can get their fill of guns and war? I don't think the boys who were begging would agree with those fellows.

[Statistical]

6. I would be suspicious.

More likely a bunch of homeless or street kids realized they can get 10x as much donations by pretending to be vets.
The VFW never wears ragged military clothing.

If they hadn't said VFW and simply had a sign as a Iraq war vet I might buy it (still more than likely a scam) the combination of them saying VFW but wearing ragged uniforms = 100% scam.

[Cleita]

10. I agree. I was suspicious too, but if they are homeless as well they are

welcome to my couple of dollars.

[Statistical]

15. Agreed I am however less likely to give someone money if they are dishonest about having served.

Watching a buddy bleed out in the dirt overseas makes me jaded like that.

[Cleita]

18. We don't know if they were dishonest about serving.

Like I said they seemed young to me, but I'm almost seventy so everyone under fifty looks young to me.

[sharesunited]

9. We're done voting? From now on we'll let our smoking barrels do our talking?

Thanks Second Amendment! You are such a treasured "right."

[HughMoran]

11. Bah

Let them vent. We can identify them due to the pictures, they ain't doin' nothing.

[spanone]

12. angry white folks

[Liquorice]

17. These nuts apparently come in all colors. nt

[spanone]

19. yep

[lunatica]

20. There's a fella there who is really behind the times

I don't quite get the connection between the war of independence and health care reform. Am I being naive and dense?