U.S. can't talk the talk

[razors edge]

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061018/OPINION02/610180321

IN AN astonishing admission of dereliction, the FBI has revealed that five years after Arab terrorists attacked the United States, the bureau's proficiency in Arabic is negligible at best. Even more stunning is the fact that none of the 33 agents with even limited proficiency in the language is involved in coordinating the investigations of international terrorism.

It is as though the law enforcement agency that fumbled so spectacularly in connecting the dots to 9/11 aims to stubbornly retain the culture that crippled it in fighting terrorism five years ago. An essential transformation of mission from domestic crime-fighting to preventing terrorist attacks has not significantly occurred at the FBI.

Let that sink in. According to its own statistics, just 1 percent of the bureau's 12,000 agents have any familiarity with Arabic or other languages of the Middle East where terrorist groups are primarily centered. Astonishingly, the bureau's two International Terrorism Operations Sections (ITOS) that coordinate all foreign terrorism investigations do not require any agents to be fluent in Arabic - and not one of them is.

The FBI says it relies on the work of linguists who can translate documents or interviews. Agents in the field rely on translators who speak Arabic and other foreign languages.

[ShortnFiery]

1. That's because the FBI only recruits "Virgins"

Well, Virgins, in that, they are the "cleanest of the clean" with regard to their background. It's like having Priests run Police Work. Because they recruit mostly a** kissing yes-men (women), you can bet that the vast majority of native Arabic Speakers (Naturalized or USA Citizens by Birth) are automatically ruled out from the pool of recruits.

I don't know what has happened since the CIA was purged of mostly all but a** kissers, but it used to "not rule out" people with more colorful backgrounds.

The FBI needs to get off it's pedestal and recruit some men and women with integrity but also with "street smarts." As long as they demand ONLY lily-white backgrounds from their potential hires, the major F**k-ups will continue.

[magellan]

2. We don't need no steenkin' Arabic translators

We got BOMBS and TROOPS, and foreign contractors in places like Syria to interrogate the survivors.

[MuseRider]

3. You mean they don't

speak English over there? Well I'll be. I guess they had better start learning like everyone else. Why should we have to learn another language? :sarcasm:

[indepat]

4. A microcosm of the cabal's response to terrorism: enriching favored

corporations and crony corporations is their goal (not the war of terrorism) and trillions of dollars in oil for the big four, empire, and hegemony over this region rich in natural resources the prize. Now that wasn't too hard.

[Swamp Rat]

5. They are too busy investigating 12 yr olds who wear anti-Bushler t-shirts

:eyes:

Meanwhile, George W. Bush has officially become the Dictator of the United States of America.