American Trooper Talks Back

Redstate credits this photo to AP with the tagline that the Associated Press, after a number of discredited photos and stories, is no longer highly thought of by our soldiers.

Not so.
I'd like to think that the real story is that the photographer had just said,

"Smile, soldier, this is for Senator Reid back home."

According to Confederate Yankee, this photo was modified. The soldier in question, Staff Sgt. Patrick Lockett, was using correct discipline, keeping his trigger finger outside the trigger guard. No message was intended. No message was sent.