The Lone Gunman
Ok, that’s two X-Files references in the last couple of postings… Either I’m getting more paranoid than usual, sharper at spotting the lies in our society or watching too many re-runs of “The X-Files”.
Have a look at these two pictures, taken from a local area newspaper. This is not a national publication, but specific to the area in which Gjuddy and I found it. The first one has not been altered from my scan other than a change in resolution. The second one has the flaws pointed out in its’ not-so deceptive layout. Gjuddy and I spotted these fairly quickly since we use Photoshop on a regular basis whereas the general public we “polled” couldn’t tell what was wrong with the front page photo.
The signs:
1. The man standing on the left is clearly clasping his hands - the gun seems to be hovering in mid-air in front of him.
2. The man’s left shoulder line is drastically sharper than his right, meaning he has been cut out from a separate source and placed in this photo.
3. Julian Fantino’s left arm line is also suspect, possibly indicating he has also been taken from a secondary photo source and placed into this one.
4. The table of guns in the forefront of the picture are massive in comparison to the guns on the table in front of the podium. Note the drop shadow of the gun in the back in relation to the gun boxes which appear to be sitting directly in front of the conference’s backdrop.
5. The backdrop is at an odd angle and the ride side of the backdrop is far sharper than the right. Note the flags in relation to one another.
6. This one is a bit trickier. It seems as if the police woman is either a very small lady or the perspective seems a bit off considering how close Fantino is to the backdrop. Depth of field illusion or police cover-up?! You decide.
There’s really only two conclusions to come to here, not that either of them are surprising;
1. The journalistic integrity of our community “news” outlets has sunk to the calibre of “Bat Boy” and the Weekly World News.
2. The question of just how many guns were seized is really up for debate and this photo is being used for some unknown political agenda in the city area from which it was culled.
Overall, though, it underlines how much of what people are being told is true, by supposed trusted sources, compared to what they are to believe about those stories. It could also mean that Gjuddy and I were drunk on St.Paddy’s and decided to amuse ourselves. I think my favorite part is the credit, “photo by”…singular.
“Okay Mulder…” you’re probably saying, “Crack open another bag of sunflower seeds and keep your wacky conspiracy theories to yourself.”