Free Republic

Merry Christmas MSM! As our calendar year draws to a close, we have many MSM blunders to laugh about. Most have been "purged from the corporate archives" except those who helped expose the original blunder (FR included). This MSM Blunder of the Year Candidate hit in early February 2005.May we never forget John Adam and the MSM who so eagerly brought him before us.

Special Ops Cody isn’t a regular GI, and he’s no ordinary Joe. Special Ops Cody is a star. The $39 action figure apparently kidnapped in an insurgent hoax to drum up American alarm has done well for himself: He’s selling on eBay anywhere from around $100 to more than $230, and he’s even scarce to be found downrange. A blurred photo posted on a Web site Tuesday by a group called the Mujahedeen Brigades was alleged to be military man John Adam, whom Iraqi insurgents pledged to behead if coalition-held prisoners weren’t released. The U.S. military, however, denied that a...

I can't help seeing a connection between the election and the "GI Joe" hoax. In 3 days, the Iraqi attitude toward the "insurgents" has gone from fear to defiance to ridicule (assuming the hoax is getting the play over there that it's getting here.) That can't be good for recruiting. Meanwhile, Iraq's police and army seem to have turned a corner as well, in the opposite direction.

By now, you've all seen the horrible atrocities Iraqi insurgents are willing to do to U.S. soldier dolls. But checking through my archives, I've uncovered evidence that dolls previously thought to be "defectors" may have actually been kidnapped by DUmmies in an attempt to sway US elections. This disturbing photo is from the web site, "Sorry everybody," purporting to show a US soldier mourning JFKerry's loss in November:

ALBUQUERQUE, NM (Talon News) -- A photograph posted on an Islamic web site is apparently that of an action figure and not a U.S. soldier being held hostage. Liam Cusack, the marketing coordinator for Dragon Models USA, said the figure pictured on the web site is believed to be "Special Ops Cody," a military action figure the company manufactured in late 2003. "It pretty much looks exactly like the same person," Cusack told CNN. On the Islamic web site, CNN reported, a group calling itself the Al Mujahedeen Brigade, posted a photograph of a man it claimed was a captured...

Saddam Hussein and his murderous regime were symbolically toppled with this week’s free vote in Iraq. Meanwhile, back in America, Democratic Party sweetheart, Senator Hillary Clinton, fell down and went boom at an event in Buffalo, New York. No doubt, it’s been a pretty tough week for terrorists, Saddam, and their liberal cheerleaders. The terrorists pulled off their only pre-election homicide bombing by strapping a bomb to the back of some guy with Downs Syndrome. I think this is the terrorists’ way of giving a shout-out to all the liberal infidels in America, by demonstrating that they’re committed to non-discriminatory...

Did anyone catch this moment last night?

A militant group's claim that it had kidnapped a U.S. soldier in Iraq and planned to behead him was suspected of being a hoax Tuesday, after a California toy manufacturer said photos of the purported captive on an insurgent Web site appeared to show one of its collectible dolls. A group calling itself the Mujahedeen Brigades posted a photograph that appeared to show a stern-faced U.S. soldier sitting at gunpoint before a black banner with Arabic script. The posting called the soldier "John Adam." U.S. military authorities said aspects of the photograph raised doubts: The soldier's vest, for instance, resembled...

Photo just released!

^URGENT< ^U.S. military: No soldier missing in Iraq< ^Eds: LEADS throughout to RECAST with doubts over photo's authenticity; UPDATES with details of similarities between image and action figure, quotes from official from Dragon toys. Mispellings and repetitions in the Arabic text. ADD photo< ^AP Photo NY118< BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) _ A Web site posted a photograph of what it claimed was a kidnapped U.S. soldier, but doubts were quickly raised about its authenticity and the U.S. military said no soldiers were missing. A toy manufacturer said the figure in the photo resembled one of its military action figures, originally produced...

DUBAI (Reuters) - A little-known Iraqi insurgent group said on Tuesday it was holding a U.S. soldier and threatened to kill him within 72 hours if Iraqi prisoners were not released, according to an Internet statement. "Our mujahideen ... have managed to capture the American soldier John Adam after killing a number of his colleagues," said the Mujahideen Squadrons in the undated statement. It carried a picture appearing to show a U.S. soldier sitting in front of a black banner with a rifle pointed at his head. The authenticity of the claim, which did not say where the man was...

Iraqi militants claimed in a Web statement Tuesday to have taken an American soldier hostage and threatened to behead him in 72 hours unless the Americans release Iraqi prisoners. The U.S. military said it was investigating, but the claim's authenticity could not be immediately confirmed.

Euro scum!

<p>Tommy when he gets home from school."</p>

New shocking Hostage Photos surface!!

Iraqi militants have threatened to behead, what appears to be a toy soldier, if American troops do not release all Iraqi prisoners within 72 hours.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi militants claimed in a Web statement Tuesday to have taken an American businessman hostage and threatened to behead him in 72 hours unless the Americans cancel this season of American Idol. The posting, on a Web site (http://www.reuters.com/) that frequently espouses terrorist propaganda, included a photo of what appeared to be an American businessman in a black tuxedo seated with his hands splayed inanimately in front of him. CBS News has confirmed the authenticity of the photo, or at least has not failed to not confirm that it has not been doctored in any way,...

Dan Rather was lucky he wasn't on the air when it occured because surely he would have breathlesly relayed the details. Many mainstream media outlets were duped by a picture of a toy soldier that was purported to be an American troop held hostage by terrorists in Iraq. Media outlets such as MSNBC and the Associated Press relayed the claims of the terrorists for two hours before they were shown to be false. As with Memogate, it was online message boards that found the evidence: At 2:20pm EST, a poster on Militaryphotos.net posted an image of the GI Joe action...

10. "If the UN does not immediately withdraw support for the US occupation of Iraq, the Jihad Brotherhood will cut off one of Papa Smurf's three fingers" 9. "We have captured Rainbow Brite, and we will hang her as an infidel at dawn" 8. "Al-Zarqawi is pleased to announce new reinforcements in his jihad-- COBRA Commander and Megatron of the Decepticons (also, we may get that completely useless robot who can turn into a freaking tape-recorder)" 7. "If the American infidels do not depart Iraq immediately, the streets will run black with the ink of a thousand Etch-a-Sketches" 6. "I...

Just thought you guys would enjoy this: (2005-02-01) -- Just hours after Islamic militants in Iraq threatened to behead a kidnapped U.S. soldier doll, the camouflaged action figure was rescued in a daring nighttime operation by a toy George W. Bush action figure. The nine-inch-tall replica of the president left Andrews Air Force Base in a scale model of Air Force One within minutes after the Pentagon learned of the kidnapping from a picture on an Islamic website. The top-secret flight was reminiscent of the life-size president's Thanksgiving visit to Baghdad in 2003. During the long trip, the presidential doll...

Just hours after Islamic militants in Iraq threatened to behead a kidnapped U.S. soldier doll, the camouflaged action figure was rescued in a daring nighttime operation by a toy George W. Bush action figure. The nine-inch-tall replica of the president left Andrews Air Force Base in a scale model of Air Force One within minutes after the Pentagon learned of the kidnapping from a picture on an Islamic website. The top-secret flight was reminiscent of the life-size president's Thanksgiving visit to Baghdad in 2003. During the long trip, the presidential doll was programmed to say intimidating things in Arabic, and...

19 January 2005: The Slinky betrayed us. I should have known. I never trusted him. He was an unstable character, always going back and forth, back and forth, never showing a shred of backbone. "Come, senor, I know the way to the insurgents' headquarters," he rasped. The fact that he was an Arab toy speaking with a stereotypical Spanish accent should have tipped me off. But hindsight is always 20/20. Literally. I can turn my head 360 degrees I only knew my men by their code names, but even in that short space of time we shared a bond...

Psy-Ops Behind "kidnapped" toy soldier?

By now we're sure you've heard about the Doll taken hostage by the terrorists, who threatened to behead it. This shows me the terrorists aren't very smart. They should have taken a French doll hostage. If they did they'd be occupying Paris by now and the French people would be assembling Peugeots to be used in suicide bombings at a record pace.

February 01, 2005 US GI hostage story and photo faked; MSM falls for it--again Looks like this was a fake, now that we've seen the photo, and kudos are due to A Small Victory, Wizbang and Free Republic for calling it. It looks like this was a GI Joe-type doll on sale on the internet. Note the face, plus the gun and the fact that you don't see anyone's hands in the photo. In addition, the Pentagon has verified that no soldiers are missing presently. Score another one for the new media, as the MSM gets scammed again. Posted by...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A Web site posted a photograph of what it claimed was a kidnapped U.S. soldier, but doubts were quickly raised about its authenticity and the U.S. military said no soldiers were missing. An American toy manufacturer said the figure in the photo resembled one of its military action figures, originally produced for sale at U.S. bases in Kuwait. The statement appeared on a Web site where militants' statements are often posted and was in the name of a group that has claimed previous kidnappings, the Mujahedeen Brigades. The Arabic text, however, contained several misspellings and repetitions....

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi militants claimed in a Web statement Tuesday to have taken an American soldier hostage and threatened to behead him in 72 hours unless the Americans release Iraqi prisoners. The posting, on a Web site that frequently carried militants' statements, included a photo of what appeared to be an American soldier in desert fatigues seated with his hands tied behind his back. A gun barrel was pointed at his head, and he is seated in front of a black banner emblazoned with the Islamic profession of faith, "There is no god but God and Muhammad is...