"How We Train Our Cops to Fear Islam"

[jcustis]

Not surprisingly, there are nut jobs who can get a job doing about anything they choose, and enough sheep gullible enough to buy the silly they are selling. It tends to take a while before the wheat can be separated from the chaff.

Who remembers the ominous "RECONDO" training camps advertised in the back of SOF Magazine?

[tequila]

An interesting economic question here: is this a supply problem, as in the lack of qualified experts who can give a good presentation, or is it a demand problem, as in the lack of informed chain of command who can separate out the kooks?

From my own limited experience, I think that this is at least as much a demand-side problem. I've had to endure two presentations where SLA Marshall's theories on WWII GI refusal to fire was cited as authoritative, as well as the mass-rapes-in-Beslan-as-tool-of-Muslim-warfare trope was bandied about as well. These were speakers specifically hired and endorsed by our COC.

And this is not just a problem related to cultural or religious education. As our COC changed, we also got different training presentations from different companies that taught completely contradictory TTPs for things like unarmed combat and CQC. One guy tried to sell everyone kubatons.

Thankfully the troops tend to view this sort of thing with a grain of salt. Awful classes are part and parcel of training, unfortunately.

[Rex Brynen]

Fortunately, Air Force counter-terrorism training successfully identifies the real Muslim terrorism enemy: Harvard and Columbia universities.

[Majormarginal]

Some "experts" are able to sell to the upper echelon of an organization. The cops on the beat understand what is BS and what is not.

I have been to classes taught by state, local, or national agencies that were excellent.

I have also been to classes taught by the feds that were more sales and PR fronts. What is being sold is that we are now "one happy family" in the war against tooth decay.

[Rex Brynen]

The cops on the beat understand what is BS and what is not.

It would be nice if that were always true. In my experience, however, it isn't.

[Bill Moore]

There has always been a market for snake oil salesmen, and despite having some of the best universities in the world our nation's popular culture is largely shaped by various forms of media that present stories for profit, not to provide a non-bias study for intelligent consideration of the audience.

The view above represents the extreme view that every Muslim is a potential terrorist, and then makes some stupid acquisitions about head banners being an indicator of being a terrorist. Some of his points on body language on the other hand were correct, so don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. Hopefully both Police and Soldiers can tell the difference between legitimate advice and BS. I guess we could use he same line of logic for the Italian Mafia. To be a member of the Italian you need to be Italian. Any Italian who discusses family matters in an airport must be referring to the Mafia and should be reported. Sadly, I'm sure that kind of logic would find a market somewhere. The views represented by this kind of extremist play into AQ's strategy of creating them versus us mindset.

On the opposite end of the extreme scale we have those who blindly embrace the philosophy of political correctness where no behavior is wrong, except for those who condemn someone else's views. Accuse a Muslim extremist who promotes violence to establish sharia law and abuse women within the U.S., then you are biggot in their eyes. Somehow in their perverse logic the Muslim extremist isn't? This group of PC extremists would leave our country vulnerable if it was up to them.

The reality seems to be that we do have a growing homegrown threat that needs to be addressed wisely, which doesn't mean over reacting which will only accerlate the spread of radicalism, nor does it mean ignoring the problem as the PC crowd would propose.

The responses also have to appease to the voters in a democracy, so it is important to pull the media into the role of informing insteading of entertaining the public so appropriate decisions are supported. I could make some comments about Congress, but rather not waste my time with that den of radicals.

[Pete]

... various forms of media that present stories for profit, not to provide a non-bias study for intelligent consideration of the audience.

Could be, but U.S. Army Public Affairs truly outdid itself in 2003 when it made up the story of Jessica Lynch's valiant resistance out of the whole cloth. Which is worse, "liberal bias" in the mainstream media or outright fabrications by people who ought to know better?