Fellow Americans are more trustworthy (poster)

[Oleg Volk]

I had to reverse the historic image left to right, but I hope that won't much matter to the viewers.

Hi-res

Next variant should show Waco in the background...or maybe I will add it to this one. Trying to decide is a series or a single poster would work better (i.e. complete picture at once or repetition leading to memory retention?)

PS: Did I ever mention that I take this topic personally?

 

[Kaylee]

Sharp!!!!

(great picture of Betty to!)

Hrmm.. only thing I can think of -- the Nazi photo is so posterized, it's kinda hard to tell what's going on unless you already know the photo.

I like the balance you get using similar Mausers in both panes.

Finally, I'd like to see something to show the fence-sitters WHY "your fellow Americans are more trustworthy" to ease fears of the "radical militia types who want to overthrow the gov't."

Maybe references to Rosewood or the TN post-WWII election incident.. maybe something along the lines of "XXX assault rifles killed noone today," maybe a more friendly/family picture of Runt, still with rifle in scene (like maybe with you, all lovey-dovey like y'all get ), not sure.. but Runt lookin' mean ain't gonna convince many that we're harmless.

-K

PS -- I like the series idea. Something else to consider dealing with say -- the Weimer Republic of the 20's. Drive home the "it can't happen here" think is an illusion. Perhaps cross-referenced to our Nippon internment camps of the WWII era, or even our modern encrouching security.. say, ghosted-out text from some of the more spooky bits of the PATRIOT act as a background.

 

[Marko Kloos]

Maybe references to...the TN post-WWII election incident...

The Battle of Athens...an incident that is not nearly as widely known as it should be.

Nice rifle, by the way.

 

[Oleg Volk]

hi-res
Here's a more concrete image. I like it less visually but it might work better. Need higher-resolution originals of the historic photos.

Harmless? I didn't way harmless, just trustworthy. Harmless is for household pets.

 

[George Hill]

If there is anything I dispise more than bigotry... are the Nazis.
Maybe I'm just a puss - but those photos choke me up. I get enraged. I get freaking green and huge and rip up my shirts.
My DEFEND THE INNOCENT engine kicks up to full throttle.
I look at my kids and think of that happening to them... I remember the history of the Church I am a part of and how mobs drove my ancestors out of thier homes... killing, beating, torturing, raping. I get furious.

Takes two Pink Floyd albums to chill me down.

 

[Oleg Volk]

I think that the next poster needs to show all the uniformed (Soviet, German, domestic and others) scum side by side and have a caption stating: "No gun control proposal ever disarmed the real monsters."

 

[Marko Kloos]

Well, you know already what the blissninnies have to say to that:

"That was then, this is now. Stuff like that can't happen anymore in this day and age."

 

[Oleg Volk]

Anyone got photos from Bosnia, Rwanda or Waco, Texas?

 

[Kaylee]

Oleg -- I think the new photo does help the point..

Harmless? I didn't say harmless, just trustworthy. Harmless is for household pets.

Point taken. I reckon I was just trying to find away around the "you're trustworthy, hunh? You're all bloodthirsty minority-hating rednecks!" reaction we're all so tired of getting. Which, of course, makes Betty the perfect model.


Hrmm...

"In 1943, restricted government-issue rifles were used to slaughter unarmed civilians"

"Today, those same rifles stand ready to prevent it from happening again."

Could use some work.. but maybe?

-K

 

[Mark D]

"That was then, this is now. Stuff like that can't happen anymore in this day and age."

Tell that to all the sleeping homeowners who have been killed by SWAT teams in the last decade... "Ooopsie! Wrong address. Sorry 'bout that."

Or:

"Those damn whacked-out kids at Waco deserved what they got. They should have submitted to the governement."

Or:

"Vickie Weaver should have surrendered to that FBI sniper when she had a chance."

 

[Ceol Mhor]

Oleg - I don't think the Nazi photo is quite clear enough to make out what's going on. You might try the photo of the Fenchman kneeling above his grave with a Nazi holding a pistol to his head. You know the one I mean? I think it's easier to understand, and Runt's Mauser barrel wouldn't obstruct it (if I remember it correctly). The photo clarity aside, I think the concept is really good. And your idea for the next one sounds excellent.

 

[Kaylee]

"That was then, this is now. Stuff like that can't happen anymore in this day and age."

Agree.

I'd love to see a 2x2 four-pane pic... for example --

Pane 1 --
1923, Passover, Weimar Republic.
Happy family at home, inside celebrating the holiday.


Pane 2 --
1943, Germany
jeez.. plenty of awful things for here.

Pane 3 --
2002, family dinner in a family room. Pick your family..

Pane 4 --
Just a big question mark.

Caption --
one of the many first-person quotes out there to the effect of "we never thought it could happen to us."


-K

 

[foghornl]

Mr. Volk:
Superior work, again. I suspect that it may be difficult to find "crisper" photos for use in your posters.

My long-deceased father was a US Army Infantryman in WW2, serving under Gen Patton, fighting Rommel's Afrika Korps. He earned a Silver Star at some point, but I don't know exactly when. (One of my older brothers has his records). Like Mr. Hill in his post, I get enraged over how things are going in the USA. Tonight, I am going to call my brothers, and see if they have any of Dad's old WW2 pictures. I don't know if I will have anything of value, but will be glad to forward a scan of anything that might be of value.
Warmest regards, and keep the great works going.

 

[Don Gwinn]

I like the use of that picture. The Mauser is a link between Runt and the soldier in the picture, and I like how it looks as if it were aimed directly at his gut. I'm not sure it would work better if the killer had a pistol and Runt kept the Mauser.

 

[Oleg Volk]

Some German (or German-used) gear came out of storage recently, I think that some commentary will be in order.

Request to all: I need historic and current photos. Main subject of interest: military or police of various countries, documents (such as passes, IDs, ration stamps), also images of modern police/ninja/gestapo employees in training or at work. Hi-res images of our least favorite people, too. The larger the scans or photos, the better. Illustrations also helpful.

The picture you mention has usually been labeled as Kovno (sp?) ghetto in the Baltics. I think that showing women in the foreground and the background ties them closer together.

 

[Zundfolge]

When I saw the title of this thread I expected to see a poster saying that police officers are something like 5 times more likely to shoot the "wrong" person then a law abiding gun owner.

That might make a nice project down the road

 

[Mikul]

The Elian photo may be good too unless you think people are already jaded by it.

 

[mnnelson]

You know Oleg, as the pic was slowly loading on my decrepit machine, and I could only see the top half, I fully expected the bottom caption to say something like "but your government is different, right?".

Somewhat different meme, but maybe worth saying nonetheless.

MN

 

[nascarnhlnra]

Once again nice work Oleg ! Gotta love those women with guns

 

[Gewehr98]

As a self-described Mauser fanatic...

That looks a lot less like any of the Mauser variants, and a lot more like an 8x50R or 8x56R straight-pull Mannlicher Model 95, probably an Austrian variant.

Still a striking image as used in the poster. I had thoughts earlier about having my 5'2" wife hold her 6.5x53R Dutch Steyr cavalry carbine in a similar pose. Very nice work, Oleg!