High school apologizes for ‘think like a Nazi’ assignment after backlash from English students...

[shockedcanadian]

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/04/12/think-like-a-nazi-albany-school-apologizes-after-writing-assigment-asked-students-to-argue-why-jews-are-evil/


The reason I post this in this section is two fold. 1. Obviously, on the surface it is a disgusting assignment which should not be in a high school setting, 2. One might want to be suspicious of its intent, it should at least be questioned what the motive was of this assignment beyond what they are stating publicly. Might the NYPD be going on a "fishing expedition"? I cannot say with any absolute certainty, but there are good reasons why I ask.

In the 1990's similar entrapment tactics were used in Ontario schools to try and drum up support from the security establishment for their "Heritage Front" initiative. If you can believe it, CSIS partially funded and had a second-in-command infiltrate a Neo-Nazi organization, the organization was then put to the task of finding "business" for this covert Canadian operation everything from a hotline to join the group, to them visiting schools and trying to grow the membership. In the end, not only did CSIS arbitrarily paint young men and women inaccurately, but in the cases in which there were radical Neo-Nazi's in the group, CSIS in effect armed them and made them more dangerous. This initiative reached classroom assignments.

Just a few months ago there was an article regarding the CIA working with the NYPD to work in spying on potential Muslim threats. The CIA determined after a year long operation that there was nothing there, they had nary one person who was deemed a threat. As someone who studies intelligence operations and organizations I would say with confidence that the CIA's opinion and findings would be FAR more accurate and genuine than the findings that the NYPD might drum up (usually with orders from above); basically the more "business" one generates the better their career prospects. CIA and military intel don't rely on B.S or people lose their lives so they don't entertain these tactics preferring instead with dealing with the real, not the imagined or "optics" as I call them. These organizations realize there are enough real threats out there to keep them from chasing rabbits...

Ironically, some time after the CIA left this joint operation there was a mole that came out who stated that the NYPD encouraged him to essentially entrap and manufacture threats at the local mosque; something that wasn't going on while the CIA were involved, for reasons as I suggested above. This undercover quit the police stating that his conscience wouldn't allow him to misrepresent and ruin other people for his own gain; I can state from personal experience (see my posting in the National Security section titled "Why Canada Can't be Trusted&quot that in Canada this has never been a problem. I also posted the link many months ago regarding this undercover blowing the whistle.

How does a typical student act in a classroom setting when given such instructions? It seems that 66% went ahead with the assignment so is there a reason to fear a secret cult of Neo-Nazis? Furthermore, even if someone chose such an assignment willingly, would it say something about them? Could one state, "without a doubt that person is a radical White Supremist Nazi". In Canada, in the 1990's, this tactic was used in a more subtle and individual manner, probably to avoid the obvious problems they might walk into when they realize a whole bunch of students might still do their assignment even if it is as reprehensible as this.

Food for thought.

Regards.

[ZombieHorde]

1. I think a better assignment, for the stated goal,

would be to pick currently controversial topics for their region (US would be guns, abortion, gay marriage, wolves, etc.) and make arguments for different sides of each issue.