While I sm generally not a fan of white supremacists, I am even less of a fan of airbrushing history to please the precious little snowflakes.

If this sort of idiocy is allowed to continue, we will be chipping Jefferson and Washington off the side of Mount Rushmore because they were both slave owners.

Good to see they are practicing safe Fascism by using safety approved non drip touches

What no screaming? No burning police cars? No covered faces throwing stuff?

Must not be Democrats.

Isab: "we will be chipping Jefferson and Washington off the side of Mount Rushmore because they were both slave owners."

And Lincoln and Roosevelt when the snowflakes find out they were Republicans.

And wait til they find out who wrote the Declaration of Independence. Wait. Do they know that there is a Declaration of Independence?

And wait til they find out how few women and minorities participated in creating the Constitution.

They're going to freak out.

And shame shame shame on those white people for thinking that it's OK to be white.

Well, at least they showed those fascist mosquitoes who's boss.

I feel like I'm with Isab on this one. I'm pretty ambivalent about these confederate statues being removed but I am worried about the airbrushing and sanitizing of history and wonder who's next after these guys.

Both the confederacy and slavery were abolished 150 years ago. The symbols and ideology of both should be stored away in a museum to be studied and remembered as a skeleton in our historical closet. But neither should be used today as a tool to advance a present day agenda.

OK Nick, please explain how inanimate statues were advancing agendas today

The best way to create an angry opposition is to refuse to allow them a voice.

Not to quibble, but Spencer, et al., are white nationalists, not white "supremacists." There is a significant difference.

I once took a photo of a cupcake with a candle to send to my boyfriend (who was traveling for business on his birthday), and the flame on the dinky little candle came out looking like the night Sherman burned Atlanta. I tried a few times, and all the photos came out that way, so I just went with it. Ditto when I've taken photos with bonfires in them.

If the photo was airbrushed to make it look worse, I agree it's ridiculous. However, based on my own experience photographing flames, it may just have been the way the torches photographed (particularly when there were a bunch of them massed in a crowd).

I do not think this was a KKK rally. That said, in light of KKK history, I think it was bad optics and a silly decision to rally with torches (of any size) to protest removal of statues that are connected with the Confederacy, and therefore slavery.

I note for the record that I'm personally opposed to removing the statues; I see them as part of history. If they wanted to put up a nearby plaque discussing slavery and a truthful account of that historical figure's connection to it, though, I'd support it.

...and come on, they weren't all holding torches just to ward off mosquitos. I've attended a zillion outdoor night events in mosquito-prone places where everyone in the crowd chose a manner other than torches to ward off mosquitoes. Coincidence that every person in the crowd chose torches? Yeah, I kinda doubt it. it was likely intended to make a statement and get a reaction, and people played right into it.

It would be silly to airbrush it, if that's what happened, but it's also silly to pretend no statement at all was intended by pretty much every member of a protest crowd carrying a torch.

https://pjmedia.com/parenting/2017/05/11/sjw-mom-triggered-by-confederate-rug-shows-us-how-not-to-fake-a-hate-hoax/

This is what giving in to these people looks like. We will never see the end of it.

Still waiting Nick

@lujip: I said, "...symbols AND ideology should be..."

Here is an example of the ideology of slavery driving today's agenda: " My people were slaves over 150 years ago. Therefore, white America now owes us reparations."

A "symbol" as I used it could be a statue, but it never occurred to me that a reader of this blog would link an inanimate statue to some political agenda.

Hope this clears that up.

"Good to see they are practicing safe Fascism"

Because violence-free demonstrations not seeking to shut down the free speech rights of their opposition is fascism, eh?

Compare and contrast to the violent antifa demonstrators in Berkeley and their demand that no one speak but people they agree with.

I once took a photo of a cupcake with a candle to send to my boyfriend (who was traveling for business on his birthday), and the flame on the dinky little candle came out looking like the night Sherman burned Atlanta. I tried a few times, and all the photos came out that way, ~ Gail

To photograph fire, you'll need a fast shutter speed and, possibly, an additional light source (flash, strobe, etc.), depending upon the effect you want.

Cool stuff, Conan. Thanks. I guess I need a better camera.

I guess I need a better camera. ~ Gail at May 16, 2017 8:39 PM

Perhaps not. Photography is all about light. Even the cheapest camera can be used to take great shots if you understand how light will affect the final product.

Also, there's post processing. Several free photo apps (for Windows or Mac) will enhance a photo or areas of a photo.

I got started at 8 with a cheap camera my mother got for free when she filled the car up with gas. She refused to buy me lots of film so I had to learn to make each shot count. Trust me, whatever you have is way better than that.

If I can borrow a concept from the concealed carry crowd, the best camera is the one you have with you. If you buy a big, expensive camera and leave it at home, it won't do you much good. Most modern smart phones have great point-and-shoot capabilities coupled with large sensors to capture detail. And you usually have it with you. Not to mention, there is a plethora of apps available for post processing on smart phones.