| Morning Jolt
. . . with Jim Geraghty August 20, 2014 The Islamic State, Killing Americans Now Look who thinks they can intimidate the United States of America: The Islamic State militant group claimed Tuesday to have beheaded an American photojournalist in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes in Iraq. A video posted on YouTube, later removed, purported to show the execution of James Foley after he recited a statement in which he called the U.S. government "my real killers." A second prisoner, said to be Steven Joel Sotloff, like Foley an American journalist who disappeared while covering Syria's civil war, then appears in the video. | | Demote Harry Reid This Fall | | | | The masked executioner, speaking in English with what sounds like a British accent, identifies Sotloff and says that "the life of this American citizen, Obama, depends on your next decision." U.S. intelligence officials said they were still evaluating the video and could not immediately authenticate it. It sounds like that aspect of the story is just a matter of time: "two U.S. officials told The Associated Press Tuesday that they believed the video showed Foley's death." "If genuine, we are appalled by the brutal murder of an innocent American journalist and we express our deepest condolences to his family and friends. We will provide more information when it is available," National Security Council spokesman Caitlin Hayden said in a statement. On CBS This Morning, former deputy director of the CIA Michael Morrell said this was the Islamic State's first attack on Americans. So, what are going to do about this "JV team"? One More Unfortunate Contrast Over there: "U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron cut short his summer vacation to return to London and chair urgent meetings on the threat posed by ISIS in Iraq and Syria, calling the video 'shocking and depraved.'" Over here: President Obama went back to his vacation on Martha's Vineyard Tuesday evening following less than 48 hours in Washington, leaving people puzzled over why he came back in the first place. Obama's two days in Washington were mostly quiet, and concluded with the president receiving his daily national security briefing in the morning, and joining Vice President Biden to huddle with members of his economic team in the afternoon. Administration officials have insisted for weeks that the president just wanted to return to the White House for a series of meetings, but the explanation was met with a healthy dose of skepticism, since Obama rarely interrupts his vacations. Lead item on Whitehouse.gov right now: HUD Secretary Julian Castro is sworn in. 
No statement from the president on the alleged Foley murder yet. Continuing Our Discussion about the 'Militarization' of America's Police Continuing our conversation on the militarization of police, Morning Jolt reader Eric Ivers, president of RoboteX, Inc., wrote in: I'm president of a robot company, and our main customer base is SWAT teams. I deal with them every day. These are some of the finest people I have ever met. They do not consider themselves to be "in a war zone" when dealing with the public at large. They are highly respectful of Joe Average Citizen. They are "militarized", if people insist on calling it that, for self-defense, not for offense. The military supplies them only with things they could buy on their own. There are police versions of APCs, grenade launchers, etc. As opposed to letting surplus equipment sit around and rust, taxpayers are saving money by not having to buy the same things a second time. In the last decade or two, police have had to deal with heavily armed and armored adversaries. "Demilitarizing" them would put them back at the same old disadvantage that was getting them killed before. SWAT teams act like military forces when the situation calls for it. Yes, some departments go overboard, but the vast majority don't. The rest of the police force, outside of SWAT, still dresses the same old way, and carries the same arms and armor. The SWAT guys are not chosen by who is meanest. They are chosen as much for psychological profile as anything. SWAT is a brutal and dangerous assignment, and not everyone can handle it, mentally and physically. The bullies and misfits either never make it in, or seldom last long on the team if they do. The real danger here is not militarization of the police, it's militarization of the criminal element that police have to deal with. It is a bit of an arms race, but the police didn't instigate it. They are still playing defense. These are fair points, worth consideration. But I'm glad Eric acknowledged that at least a few departments are not using their equipment in a way that reassures the public. On a related note, this opinion piece in the Washington Post from Sunil Dutta, a professor of homeland security at Colorado Tech University and an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department for 17 years, seemed to be a Rorschach test: Even though it might sound harsh and impolitic, here is the bottom line: if you don't want to get shot, tased, pepper-sprayed, struck with a baton or thrown to the ground, just do what I tell you. Don't argue with me, don't call me names, don't tell me that I can't stop you, don't say I'm a racist pig, don't threaten that you'll sue me and take away my badge. Don't scream at me that you pay my salary, and don't even think of aggressively walking towards me. Most field stops are complete in minutes. How difficult is it to cooperate for that long? Some people read that and saw good advice and indeed, confronting a cop will rarely turn out well for you. But the tone is more than a little unnerving, as "if you don't want to get shot, tased, pepper-sprayed, struck with a baton or thrown to the ground, just do what I tell you" does not sound like the philosophy of anyone who claims to respect the rights of American citizens. ADDENDA: Last night's appearance on Greta's show was bumped by breaking news . . . Thursday is a possibility. . . . over on the NRO home page, I have a piece dismantling the inane "we are all responsible for the events in Ferguson, Missouri" argument . . . . . . For those paying attention to NFL Preseason: "[Manziel is] not even remotely close to being ready," Esiason said on the Tuesday edition of his WFAN morning show. "If he opened as the starting quarterback at Pittsburgh in Week 1, he would get his [butt] kicked." Esiason, who also appears on CBS's NFL Today pregame show, said NFL teams already "hate" Manziel. He used the Browns' first two preseason opponents -- the Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins -- as examples. He suggests the Steelers linebackers are basically chomping at the bit for a chance to sack Manziel on the first Sunday in September. The longtime Bengals quarterback also mocked Manziel's "wreck this league" draft-night text to Cleveland's QB coach by saying "you're gonna get wrecked son." We need your help to give Harry Reid a demotion and send Washington a message! Click here to join our effort, and spread the word to your friends! Visit DemoteReid.com today.
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