Reply #6: This might be a REAL guy who was later imitated at a FAKE rally...

[Ian David]

Significant edits and additions were made after originally posting.

Short answer:
1) The hoax Moran was allegedly done on a cold, blizzard-like day.
2) The Moran in this picture was on a bright, sunny day.
3) There is some doubt that the original event even took place, let alone that there was a snowy day on April 4th.
4) None of the signs described as appearing in the hoax rally start with the phrase contain the letters "Fri.. Ri.."
5) My conclusion: More research is necessary, but I give this a 75% chance of being an actual right-winger.


According to the article, the fake Moran guy (who imitated the real one) was engaged in a hoax demonstration, "...on April 4th in near blizzard."

This is also corroborated by this statement:

<snip>
UPDATE: As indicated in the first comment, this picture wasn't taken in a blizzard, even if his sign matches one of the ones described above. I also can't find mention of an April 4 peace protest here. The dates are also wrong; the Moran picture is from sometime before March 26. Of the two Moran signs, we know that one was fake, and I'd bet that the other one is as well. If it helps any, I think the "We support our troops when they shoot their officers" sign might have been a fake as well.

However, there is a statement that muddies the waters even more:

UPDATE 2: A reliable source informs me that a) there was no blizzard anywhere near April 4th, and b) that if something like this fake protest had happened, he would have known about it.

More:
http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/000472.html

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Plus, the real Moran is wearing a St. Louis Cardinals shirt, which isn't the most likely thing for someone from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to wear.

I've tried to unravel the riddle of Moran guy myself, and spent a couple hours doing it.

I posted my findings and questions here on DU somewhere, but didn't get much response.

Check the other photos of Moran Guy that aren't cropped as closely. You'll see details in the background like a tire shop, TV news van, etc. Look at the t-shirts the other people are wearing.

My image software doesn't enlarge it clearly enough for me to make out enough detail.

Now, notice the girl standing next to him. Her sign says, "Fre(?) Ri(?)"

If it says, "Free Ripublic," I'd declare this to be a hoax.

But it can say lots of things. The first word isn't even necessarily "Free."

Let's all write to Snopes.com and ask them to evaluate this.
http://www.snopes.com/cgi-bin/comments/submit.asp

I hope we aren't disappointed by the answer, but remember this: Real or not, he is still an icon that represents a very real Freeper Archetype.