Review of Hot new Sheepherding Genre: Beheadings

[Idaho Kid]

Beheading videos represent a new genre of terror productions superior to the previous short-lived "liver-and-lung eating" videos. The Islamic Lung and Liver (ILL) Fundamentalist cannibal videos were a box office flop in the terror genre. They did not inspire terror in the targeted market but only shock and disgust, which is why soon after release they were re-marketed to a narrow (niche) demographic labelled Pica/Paraphilia/Eating Disorders.

Beheadings — A Review
See original for all links - http://www.boldfacenews.com/beheadings-review/

Beheading videos — a new terror genre deserve attentive reviews. This is actually a review of reviews but since only two reviews were included I call it a mini-meta-review.

Reading a theater critic's review of, say, a certain staging of "Richard III" one does not expect to read his opinions of 15the century England or where he comes down on the Wars of Roses. I wish to make it perfectly clear from the outset that this review does not deal with the alleged beheadings by the so-called "Islamic State" variously acronymed a IS, ISIS, or ISIL, but with the videos presenting them.

Beheading videos represent a new genre of terror productions superior to the previous short-lived "liver-and-lung eating" videos. The Islamic Lung and Liver (ILL) Fundamentalist cannibal videos were a box office flop in the terror genre. They did not inspire terror in the targeted market but only shock and disgust, which is why soon after release they were re-marketed to a narrow (niche) demographic labelled Pica/Paraphilia/Eating Disorders.

Not all beheadings inspire terror, however. Saudi Arabia practices beheading but the idea of marketing those videos was dead on arrival for two obvious reasons: first, the Saudi Wahhabis give good beheadings and they are authentic fundamentalists but they are our fundamentalists, and second Westerners may be repelled by the Saudi beheadings but do not experience terror.

It became clear that to experience terror the viewer must identify with the beheaded, and who identifies with the Saudis? Only some Saudis.

So the new terror genre was born: high-quality videos showing beheadings of Americans by IS/ISIS. CNBC stated that "ISIS is displaying a deft command of varied media." Their message is strong and clear, but for good measure intelligent US senators (i.e., members of the Senate Intelligence Committee) explain it to us:

    "What further proof do we need that this terrorist organization is intent on killing Americans? It is long overdue for the Obama Administration to present to the Congress, the American people, and our allies around the world a comprehensive strategy to respond to the horrific threat ISIS poses," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee."

The message is echoed by the MSM:

"profound threats abroad – threats that could also reach American soil," says the Christian Science Monitor, in an article impressive in its visionary vaticination:

    "The 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the US – and the second anniversary of the attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya – comes in nine days, an annual marker that will only heighten the attention to terrorist threats against Americans."

President Obama took notice: during Tuesday's State Dept. briefing, Psaki said that Pres. Obama has so far authorized at least 100 air strikes in Iraq against the Islamic State.

There are, however, subtle touches in the protagonists' performance that appear elusive, like why do the IS/ISIS executioners have British accents? Does that tie in with the threat made in the Sotloff video to kill British aid worker David Cawthorne Haines next? The Independent predicts that,

    "Were that to happen, British public support for joining airstrikes in Iraq and Syria could grow, the British paper The Independent suggests. As of now, the British public does not favor joining the air strikes."

I came across two reviews that are worth reading for different reasons. The first is by Dawn Perlmutter in the Counter Jihad Report, the most trustworthy publication to consult on such topics as "Sharia — A Threat to America," "Unmasking the Muslim Brotherhood in America,"and "Sharia War on Women."

Dawn Perlmutter (also a Contributor to Front Page, another of my 'must read" publications) is described as "Director of the Symbol Intelligence Group and one of the leading subject matter experts (SME) in symbols, symbolic methodologies, unfamiliar customs and ritualistic crimes. She designed and developed Jihad-ID, a symbolic database of the signs, symbols and identifiers of global jihad." When in doubt about their signs and symbols, the Database (English for AlQaida) know she is the go-to-girl. Without any false modesty she says,

    "Last week at the Annual International Association for Identification (Crime Scene) Conference I presented a three hour lecture titled Beheading Epidemic and it was not nearly enough time to cover the forensic and investigation aspects of this widespread global phenomenon." 

In this review she provides an expert critique of the beheading videos, highlighting, among other things, the "high production values, the talented cinematography and the symbolism she understands better than the protagonists themselves:

    "Differences in the ISIS beheading video of James Foley [compared to previous releases] include the high production value, outdoor scenic space and slick editing. Instead of an interior space decorated with terrorist group banners, it is a stark outdoor scene with just blue sky and desert as background placing all focus on the two men and the message to America. Instead of a flag hanging on the wall behind several terrorists, the ISIS black flag emblem is flying in the top left corner occasionally displaying the al-furqan media emblem underneath. Instead of nasheeds playing in the background, the quiet emphasizes both Foley's scripted speech and the Jihadists threat to kill more Americans. Significantly the sound of screaming, the image of blood gushing out of the wound and the praising of Allah has been edited out. The only bloody graphic is a quick screen shot of the head placed on the center of the back of Foley's body, proof of death and the classic Islamist Jihadist forensic signature. The impact of the film immediately cutting to and ending with the image of Steven Sotloff, another American journalist dressed in the same orange jumpsuit, the obvious next victim if President Obama does not meet their demands, is exceedingly powerful."

Perlmutter predicts: "This message will most likely resonate with many Americans and illustrates the media savvy of ISIS."   

Another review, by Greg Bacon, obviously not a videophile, is an example of how not to do a review. He does not focus on the cinematography or the symbolism of the videos but instead takes issue with the producers and distributors, in essence questioning their artistic qualifications. He also errs by endorsing some conspiracy theories, such as casting doubt upon the veracity of the Bin Laden saga. In my opinion this is a serious fault in a reviewer who confuses the literary character with whatever physical person inspired the said fiction.   

Returning to the point I made in the preamble, this kind of non-sequitur is not different from an opera critic's review of a Tosca performance that natters about the fact that  Tosca could not have thrown herself into the Tevere from Castel Sant'Angelo because it was too far. Judicious criticism of some of the Bin Laden's videos are acceptable: the sound was poor, the lighting amateurish and the acting subpar. And it is probably through learning from those early mistakes that the high quality of today's beheading videos was arrived at, but let's stay focused on the essentials, Mr. Bacon. Here is his review, reproduced in full:

Rita Katz folds S.I.T.E. Institute and opens SITE Intelligence Group. Can another Bin Laden tape be in the making?

by Greg Bacon

From the now deceased web page: S.I.T.E. Institute

After several years of public service, the SITE Institute, a non- profit organization, has ceased its operations. Its assets have been sold and the proceeds transferred to other non-profit organizations consistent with the educational and charitable mission of the SITE Institute. Some of the activities formerly conducted by the SITE Institute will now be carried out by the SITE Intelligence Group, a for-profit entity.

To learn more about the SITE Intelligence Group, please visit www.siteintelgroup.org.

Whatsamatter, there, Rita Babe? All those doctored up "Bin Laden" videos catch up to your old SITE Institute to the point that a name change was needed to keep attention away from your past antics?

And why did you scrub away pertinent info from your new web page? Or did you lose your STAFF of ONE, Josh Devon and just don't have the time for those tedious details?

BTW, Rita dear, it looks like everyone's fav war monger and war criminal at large, GW Bush, is having a little trouble pushing thru his latest "Endless War for Peace" bill thru the US Congress.
Guess it's time to dig up–figuratively and literally–Bin Laden and produce one of your videos in which the dead guy threatens us infidels.

Pssst. Here's a hint: This time, don't use an actor faking the
dead BL that has recently dyed his beard. Devout Muslim men DON'T use hair dyes.
Gotta keep this "War on Terror" narrative on script, dear, so this time, be a bit more discreet in choosing actors from MOSSAD's central casting.

And the next time you just happen to "discover" the latest AQ/BL tape, try and be a bit more discreet in announcing the release of the tape.
After all, when you best out the world's intelligence agencies on a regular basis in "finding" these tapes, people tend to be a bit suspicious.

P.S. One more suggestion: It might make your latest incarnation of SITE more believable if the IP address wasn't the same as another MOSSAD asset, MEMRI. See, you both have the same 67.19.162.130 IP address.

Checking with Whois one can easily find IP addresses, so having the same IP number as another MOSSAD asset, well, let's say that some might find that a bit more convenient than necessary.

Kudos to your move to a new location, away from the hustle and bustle of D.C.
An added bonus of being located in Fort George G. Meade, Maryland means your only 30 minutes away from the world's largest spy agency, the National Security Agency.

But, you probably knew that when you moved SITE.

With that said, here's hoping you and your MOSSAD buddies the best in your future aL-Qeada and Bin Laden video productions.

Oooh, and BTW, say hi to everyone's favorite "Jewish Jihadist" for me, Adam Pearlman.

[maz]

We need more articles written in this tone/context!