Nursery children monitored for signs of radicalisation

[Magda Hassan]

Nursery children monitored for signs of radicalisation

Children as young as four should be monitored for signs of brainwashing by radical extremists, counter terrorism police have warned.



Published: 8:00AM GMT 12 Dec 2009


Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said the scheme ran the risk of 'alienating even more people' Photo: PA


Specially trained officers in one area have already begun visiting nurseries in order to identify youngsters who could be vulnerable to radicalisation.
In the West Midlands on officer with the counter terrorism unit wrote to community groups warning: "I do hope that you will tell me about persons of whatever age, you think may have been radicalised or be vulnerable to radicalisation ... Evidence suggests that radicalisation can take place from the age of four."

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Arun Kundnani, of the Institute of Race Relations, who contacted the officer, said he explained how members of his unit had visited a number of nursery schools.
Mr Kundani told the Times: "He said the indicators were they [children] might draw pictures of bombs and say things like 'all Christians are bad' or that they believed in an Islamic state. It seems nursery teachers in the West Midlands are being asked to look out for radicalisation."
But politicians have criticised the move warning that it could do a lot of damage to community relations.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said the scheme ran the risk of "alienating even more people".
Chris Huhne, Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman added that it was a "complete waste of police time".
The West Midlands counter-terrorism unit confirmed that its officer had visited a nursery attached to a primary school and had spoken to staff.
A spokesman said: "We have been trying to bring counter-terrorism work out of the shadows."
Last year in Birmingham, Parviz Khan, who was jailed for plotting to kidnap and behead a British soldier, was heard on tape indoctrinating his five-year-old son.


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[Keith Millea]

I'm having a hard time finding the right words to convey my feelings about this.I think I'll just puke instead........:puke:

[David Guyatt]

I just joined you Keith...

[Jan Klimkowski]

MK-ULTRA aimed, in part, to "correct" thinking which was judged as dangerous, radical or flawed. Its aims are timeless.

Here's how Dr Ewen Cameron, President of the World Psychiatric Association, proposed to reprogramme the human mind (my emphasis):

America Journal of Psychiatry. CXII, 1956: Psychic Driving. D. Ewen Cameron. Pp. 502-509.

................

The procedure consists of insuring extended and repeated reaction by the patient to his own verbal cues ('autopsychic driving') or cues verbalized by the therapist, but based on the patient's psychodynamics ('heteropsychic driving'). Since this compels a continued response within a field largely limited by the cue material, it has been termed 'psychic driving'. Selection of a satisfactory key statement for psychic driving requires awareness of the patient's major problems. Autopsychic driving has as its primary value the penetration of defenses, elicitation of hitherto inaccessible material, and the setting up of a dynamic implant. Its purpose is usually achieved within thirty minutes of driving. Heteropsychic driving is best carried on over extended periods (ten to twelve hours daily in hospitalized patients or during sleep). Its primary uses are changing of attitudes and setting up a dynamic implant.

Psychic driving has been used in many ways: with pillow and ceiling microphones, presentation of the same theme in different ways, isolation of patient, etc. Purely mechanical variations seem of little importance. The responses to psychic driving include immediately constructive reactions, partial blocking, rejection and later acceptance, and rejection and escape, among others. By this method, the patient is shielded from the full implication of his own verbal communications. The voice sounds different. One's own voice is heard ordinarily as a synthesis of air and tissue conduction. Defense against hearing what one does not wish to hear is organized against the synthesis of tissue and air conduction.

...........

There are continuing effects of psychic driving. Striking continuously at a given community of action tendencies produces intensification of the individual's behavior. He becomes tense or anxious and this provides the persistent driving force of the implant. Efforts at freeing himself from this intensification cause continuous reactivation of the area concerned and thus further recoganization of the area is brought about. Psychic driving invariably produces responses which tend ultimately to be therapeutic.

I have interviewed several people who claim to have been "treated" by Cameron when they were children.

"Catching 'em when they're young" is another elite wet dream...

[Peter Lemkin]

The evil terrorist propagandists would be, for the most part, parents.....who can think for themselves and pass that ethos of thinking for oneself on to their children.....perhaps they can waterboard the whole family. My family would have qualified. Why does this seem like something out of Nazi Germany?....perhaps because it is.....:bird:

[Helen Reyes]

Hey, why the narrow focus on militant Islam? What about anarchist parents, or Argentinians who refuse to replace Las Malvinas with Falklands? Must just be an initial trial project I guess.

[David Guyatt]

Cuz me dearie, when you create the perfect (meaning enduring-cum-long- running) enemy, you want to play it for all its worth. 'Bout a century's worth is my guess. That's nearly how long those nassy ol' communist critters lasted for and they were a fine enemy, uh-huh.

[Ed Jewett]

Well, I don't know what to say anymore. We live in an upside down world.

I'll leave it to more punditry-qualified folk than I to determine if this story belongs it here or how it relates.



Mass. school denies suspending student for drawing
By ERIC TUCKER (AP) – 1 hour ago
TAUNTON, Mass. — A Massachusetts school district is rebutting a father's claims that his son was suspended from school after drawing a stick figure of Jesus on a cross.
The Taunton School District said in a written statement Tuesday night that the second-grade student was never suspended over the drawing. It also said a drawing circulated to reporters by the boy's father, Chester Johnson, is not the same one that was discovered by the teacher.
The district says the boy's teacher never assigned students to draw something that reminded them of the holiday season, as Johnson told reporters Tuesday.
Johnson earlier said the boy made the drawing Dec. 2 after witnessing a holiday lights display. He said his son was suspended and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation over concern about the drawing.
Johnson did not return a phone message from The Associated Press on Tuesday night.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
TAUNTON, Mass. (AP) — An 8-year-old boy was sent home from school and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation after he was asked to make a Christmas drawing and sketched what appeared to be a stick figure of Jesus on a cross, the child's father said Tuesday.
Chester Johnson said his son made the drawing on Dec. 2 after his second-grade teacher asked children to sketch something that reminded them of the holiday. The assignment came just days after the family had visited the holiday lights display at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in Attleboro, where Johnson said his son seemed taken with the religious statues he saw there.
"When he seen the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross, that's what he drew," Johnson said. "He liked that. That drew his eye."
Johnson, who works at the school as a janitor on a per diem basis, said administrators were concerned the boy drew Xs for Jesus' eyes, and particularly worried when his son said he'd drawn himself on the cross after officials pressed him about who he'd drawn.
Johnson said his son might have been worried about getting in trouble if he said he drew Jesus. "If he said it was him, it was more like a cartoon," Johnson said.
Superintendent Julie Hackett said she could not discuss an individual student and did not address the drawing specifically or the teacher's reaction to it, but did say the school has safety protocols in place that were followed.
Hackett did not return multiple calls from The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Johnson said his son gets specialized reading and speech instruction. He showed a reporter an evaluation that said the boy was not a threat to himself or others. The boy has been back in school since Dec. 7.
Johnson said he assured his son that he didn't do anything wrong, but he said his boy was traumatized by the incident and demanding an apology from school officials. Johnson said he's also looking to have his son transferred to another school.
"You can't walk back in an establishment that didn't have confidence in you ... and continue to do business with them," he said. "He's been excluded from all the other kids, man."
In June 2008, a Taunton fifth-grade student was suspended for a day for a stick figure drawing that appeared to depict him shooting his teacher and a classmate.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/arti...wD9CK40A84


Taunton Public Schools Response To Recent Allegations

POSTED: 8:14 pm EST December 15, 2009

The following is a statement from Taunton Public Schools in regard to a second-grade student's drawing at the center of controversy.

It has been reported in the media that a student was suspended over drawing a rendering of Jesus Christ on the cross. This report is totally inaccurate, and the student was never suspended. This incident occurred nearly two weeks ago, it was handled appropriately, and the school staff and family had been working together in a cooperative and positive manner.
The drawing published in various media outlets is not the same drawing that was discovered by the teacher. It has not been established whether the drawing was actually completed in school. Contrary to what has been reported, there was no request or assignment by the teacher for students to sketch something that reminded them of Christmas or any religious holiday.
The inaccuracies in the original media story have resulted in a great deal of criticism and scrutiny of the system that is unwarranted.
In this case, as in any other case involving the wellbeing of a student, the administration acted in accordance with the school department’s well-established protocol. This protocol is centered upon the student’s care, wellbeing and educational success. The protocol includes a review of the student’s records, discussions with staff, central administration, school psychologists and other community resources. Decisions were made only after this protocol had been completed, including a consultation with a veteran staff member with a background in clinical psychology and a Ph.D.
It is unfortunate that the actions of our district staff have been classified as “religious” in nature when, in fact, they were based solely on the wellbeing of the student. At this time of year, Christmas is one of many religious and secular holidays. Taunton, known as The Christmas City, takes pride as a community in celebrating this Christian holiday together with Hanukah, Kwanzaa, and many others. In the school district, it is our goal to provide the opportunity for all students to be well-rounded, and it is our responsibility to help them attain their social, emotional and academic goals regardless of their religious affiliation.
Administrators in the Taunton Public Schools have an open-door policy and a willingness to discuss and examine any parental concerns and/or actions taken by the teachers, administrators, and other staff. It is difficult for us to address issues when they originate in a media news story, and it is unfortunate that this is the path that was taken in this case. As with any issue involving a child, regardless of a parent’s choice to discuss it in the media, it is the school district’s responsibility to act first in the best interests of the student and family, which we will continue to do in this matter. We will not now, nor will we ever, compromise our obligation in this regard.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/219...etail.html

[Helen Reyes]

Thanks for posting that, Ed. I heard it in passing on the radio and wondered what the fuller story was. Sounds like the school district are lying their asses off. You have to wonder what kids are supposed to do with all the images they're bombarded with daily, from shootings on television to religious iconography. Making art out of it seems like the healthiest response to me. And if they start controlling children's use of the iamgery, there's the prospect they will ban it among adults later. Twin sides of a false problem: media violence and censorship.