Yes, the person who forwarded me the photos apologized. I thought they could be real because he really did used to work in aerospace stuff, but I guess anyone can create a hoax, no matter what their position.

Noah, your moralizing was very frightening to me because that's not at all how I'm learning to deal with people "professionally." While I haven't thought about it enough to form a coherent code of interaction, the rules go something like this:
1) Cover yourself at all times
2) If they can hurt you, don't give them the ammo to do so
3) If they can help you, be nice, help them when you can (but still don't expose yourself)
4) If they can't help you or hurt you, be nice because you don't want a bad image
5) If you're planning on hurting them, don't be too nice to them beforehand. It just makes things more difficult in the end.
6) Be loyal to your people, don't hurt them unless you absolutely have to
7) Keep your commitments, and don't make a commitment you can't keep
8) Cover yourself at all times!

These rules apply to political infighting, which really just boils down to power and influence. My job is spent sitting in a bunker fighting political fights, putting out fires, and helping political friends. As a team, my office is very nice to each other. When we have to deal with the outside world, though, we put on our armor and present a united and formidable front. It's a weird world. And if this post scares you into thinking I've become evil and corrupt, let me know about it. I want to be able to defend myself in a snakepit, but I don't want to be evil and corrupt.