snapped shot

When I first saw a photo like this earlier today, I could've sworn that there was something wrong with the photographer's camera. Or, perhaps, that I was reliving some of the excitement out of The Grudge:



Oh, if only it could be something as simple as that:—For it to be such a simple explanation would certainly be far less depressing. When will our government officials stop feeling the need to reach out and be "inclusive" with everyone in the world, and start standing up for American things again? For all of the "inclusiveness" we've sewn in the world over the past 10 years, I have yet to see one single shred more "peace" shown towards Americans as a result. Well, other than from the French, that is.

(h/t LGF for the timely reminder)

original content redacted (On second thought, I don't think any commentary on my part is necessary for this particular item. Judge for yourself, fair reader!)

It seems that a series of supposedly spontaneous demonstrations have broken out around the world. Reports are coming in from places as far and wide as London and Indonesia. Here are some of the pictures sent across the wire—if there are any language experts out there, I'd definitely be interested in seeing the translations of some of the banners shown here. My hunch is that, far from being spontaneous, we'd instead discover that these protests are carefully coördinated. If that's the case, the question then becomes, "By who?"

As an aside, when viewing these pictures, keep in mind:—other than in London, very few of the people pictured are likely to speak English. This means that their signs were written for them by someone who does, and that the messages on those signs are intended strictly for a Western audience. The native-language posters may differ significantly in their message, but we generally don't have any way of knowing that, as the wires only send translations along on occasion.

In any case, I'm sure that Tehran has its hand in these protests. The messages are too similar for this to be "spontaneous" protest.

Indonesian protesters hold posters of world leaders considered opposition to the U.S. during an anti-Israel demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Aug. 11, 2006. More than a hundred people in the capital of the world's most populous Muslim nation demonstrated against Israel's ongoing military campaign against Hezbollah guerillas in Lebanon and demanding an end to the violence. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

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