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The Spectacle Blog
A recent item in the New York Times (January 23) highly critical of the NYPD’s use of a documentary film, “The Third Jihad,” produced in large measure thanks to Frank Gaffney and Daniel Pipes, did not, evidently, receive the usual Bronx cheers in the conservative press. This may be an argument to put an end to the undemocratic primary system with its gotchas and sound bites caricaturing serious debates and discussions of ideas and public issues, which hogs all our attention. Or it may be that finally Republicans in general and conservatives in particular are fed up with calling out the Times and the rest of the unconscious media for their sins of commission and omission and sheer stupidity.
The Times got exercised over “The Third Jihad,” which documents the Islamist fighting style and discusses the overall aims of this radical movement, already in January 2011; but the Great Grey Lady let the matter rest when the NYPD assured her it was merely testing different teaching materials. A year later, the Times discovers that, actually, New York’s Finest continued to use the doc film. The paper of record assures its readers that it is a nasty and Islamophobic film. It shows terrorists killing children, as well as grownups.
Perhaps to assure its readers of the terrible effect “the Third Jihad” is bound to have on policemen charged with foiling attacks on New York and its residents — including its many Muslim residents — the Times mentions that the board of the sponsoring foundation, the Clarion Fund, includes a former deputy defense secretary in the Reagan administration and a wealthy supporter of Israel who supports Newt Gingrich. QED, in Timesland.
Not a word in the Times piece about NYPD’s success in preventing a repeat of 9/11. However, it quotes someone at the Brennan Center for Justice, a think tank associated with the New York University School of law which promotes such causes as democracy and which got the poop on the Department’s use of the film through a FOIA request, as saying, “The training of the world’s largest city police force is an important question.”
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More Blog Posts by Roger Kaplan
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/01/25/ny-times-obsesses-over-police
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Mike | 1.25.12 @ 5:45PM
Anybody here heard about Seal Team 6's latest rescue? Another victory for the President, who unlike his predecessor and the neo-cons, knows how to fight the war on terror.
albert constantine jr.| 1.25.12 @ 7:29PM
I've seen the film in training, and have great respect for Mr. Jadder, who is a Muslim whose love for his country (the USA) has persuaded him to inform his countrymen what Islamism and jihadism is about.
I found it curious that the Times does not seem to be disturbed that the Southern Poverty Law Center is a significant contributor to law enforceemnt intelligence training. If one were to follow the trail from the 2010 DHS bulletin warning about returning veterans being drawn into "right wing terror", it would likely lead to the front door of the SPLC.
Richard Keefe | 1.26.12 @ 9:18AM
Much of the language in the infamous 2009 MIAC report was lifted directly from SPLC fund-raising materials.
The report, as many people are now aware, instructed the Missouri Highway Patrol that a great way to identify "domestic extremists" was to look for Ron Paul, Bob Barr or other third party bumper stickers on their cars.
The SPLC claims it has identified 1,002 "hate groups" in the US, but it can't seem to locate 262 of them on its own "Hate Map" fund-raising tool. That's 26% right off the top.
http://wp.me/pCLYZ-8u
When asked about such wild discrepancies last October, the SPLC's $147,000 dollar PR guru Mark Potok admitted on camera that his map was "anecdotal," "a very rough estimate," and "an imperfect process." In short, he pretty much makes it up as he goes along.
http://wp.me/pCLYZ-bc
Fortunately for Mr. Potok, it really doesn't matter what ridiculous claims he makes or what spurious numbers he pulls out of his... imagination. The so-called media will lap it up obediently, without ever asking what's in it, and regurgitate it on demand as "fact."
All American American| 1.26.12 @ 8:43AM
Can someone tell me what a "radical" muslim is?
GordAcuh| 1.26.12 @ 3:14PM
A 'radical' muslim is one who cannot tolerate coexistence and would rather kill.
Occam's Tool| 1.26.12 @ 10:35AM
So, truthful, accurate training is a problem for the American Communist Liars Union. Not surprising.
Shane| 1.26.12 @ 5:10PM
The liberal NY Times and Obama are too timid to state that there is a link between Islam and the terrorists. This cowardice is unacceptable. The people we are fighting are devout, fundamentalists Muslims who are killing infidels in the name of Islam. They are engaged in a Jihad against the USA, Israel, and the West. It is foolish to not properly identify the enemy in order to not offend Muslims. I give Gingrich credit for telling the truth about our Islamic terrorist enemies.
Al Neuman| 1.30.12 @ 6:56PM
One of the biggest stories of the last couple years is the near-complete abdication of objectivity and fairness by the "mainstream" media. The formerly highly respected NY Times has (justifiably) slipped tremendously in credibility and prestige, mainly because of its relentless and sometimes really stupid pursuit of political correctness.
Their concern about this film is just 1 more small example of how distorted the Times' view of the world has become--it seems clear to many that they're more concerned about largely imagined "Islamophobia", than the 3000+ Americans murdered on 9/11 or the more than 10,000 innocent civilians who have been murdered by jihadists worldwide SINCE 9/11.
And the Times wonders why their circulation continues to dwindle?!