Black Ops Jungle: The Academy of Military-Industrial-Complex Studies

News: Spy High

By Chris Colin

September/October 2007 Issue

TOOLS

E-mail article
Print article

BACKTALK

E-mail the editor

[image]

Dedicated to everything from architecture to sports medicine, "career academies" claim to offer high school kids focus, relevancy, and solid job prospects. Now add a new kind of program to the list: homeland security high. In late August, Maryland's Joppatowne High School became the first school in the country dedicated to churning out would-be Jack Bauers. The 75 students in the Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness magnet program will study cybersecurity and geospatial intelligence, respond to mock terror attacks, and receive limited security clearances at the nearby Army chemical warfare lab.

The new school is funded and guided by a slew of federal, state, and local agencies, not to mention several defense firms. Officials say it will teach kids to understand the "new reality," though they hasten to add that the school isn't focused just on terrorism. School administrators, channeling Cheneyesque secrecy, refused to be interviewed for this story. But it's no secret that the program is seen as a model for the rest of the country, with the Pentagon and other agencies watching closely.

Students will choose one of three specialized tracks: information and communication technology, criminal justice and law enforcement, or "homeland security science." David Volrath, executive director of secondary education for Harford County Public Schools, says the school also hopes to offer "Arabic or some other nontraditional, Third World-type language."

The school's main goal is to get its grads jobs in the booming $24-billion-a-year homeland security industry. It's certainly in the right location: Northeast Maryland has become a mecca for the military-industrial complex. The Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground is the county's biggest employer, and all manner of defense contractors have set up shop nearby, including weapons maker Northrop Grumman.

However, it's not clear how many Joppatowne grads will be on track to join the upper echelons of the intelligence community and how many will wind up as airport screeners. "We do want to encourage higher education," Volrath says. "We also want to be realistic. Some of these defense contractors will have huge security needs, and the jobs won't require four years of college."

Critics see the school as a troubling landmark: a public school, possibly the first of many, that is an active participant in the war on terror. Jonathan Zimmerman, director of New York University's History of Education Program, says that if it offered students an "intellectually curious" curriculum, "I'd send my daughter there. But my fear is that they will instead teach a series of predigested truths about keeping our country safe."

Volrath maintains that Joppatowne High will remain above the fray. "The school's built around the marketplace that surrounds the defense industry," he explains, "but the program's not involved in war or peace. Still, there are some realities about good guys and bad guys that will surely be discussed."

Comments:

This is horrifying.

Posted by:paz loveSeptember 10, 2007 12:08:58 AMRespond ^

Glad I do not live in America

Posted by:wowSeptember 10, 2007 11:31:51 AMRespond ^

No Child left behind tags all the kids so that they will not escape the draft (wh/ the GOP would love to re-instate). Now they are working to brainwash our kids over to their agenda for the "war on terror." EDUCATION is what we need - both here in the USA and for the poor people of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran & Iraq (etc) so that there is no population from which to recruit terrorists*. *Read 3 Cups of Tea.

Posted by:SumthinSmellsSeptember 13, 2007 10:49:48 AMRespond ^

This is what you can call a Madrassah of the US military-industrial complex. The "good guys" are obedient to the omnipotent state. The "bad guys" are the ones who dissent.

Posted by:SteveSeptember 13, 2007 5:52:59 PMRespond ^

Core text: 7 Pillars of Wisdom! Like the Iliad, only more relevant to questions of the "clash of civilizations" and asymmetrical warfare, as well as the specific historical narratives of imperialism and the Arab revolt. Seriously, if you happen to be connected with Joppatown High, you should be reading this.

Posted by:Bill in DCSeptember 14, 2007 7:18:23 AMRespond ^

"have behavioural problems? parents too stressed out to parent? really good at online combat games? well, we've got a career for YOU" BlueBerry Pick'n can be found @ ThisCanadian.com

Posted by:BlueBerry Pick'nSeptember 17, 2007 1:29:44 PMRespond ^

You people seem content on laying down and being slaughtered by the bad guys... you don't want to raise a generation of warriors to fight this war.. I guess we ARE dead as a country, if you have your way... Very Sad...!!!

Posted by:billSeptember 17, 2007 3:05:18 PMRespond ^

It's all about false choices: either you are for anti terrorist training or you are a supporter of Al Qaeda and approve of its mayhem. Welcome to the bipolar world of the future where you get to choose between authoritarian evil and anti authoritarian evil. If you are inclined towards righteousness you will be labeled as a sympathizer to those who do evil.

Posted by:JT BarrieSeptember 18, 2007 6:39:34 AMRespond ^

You've got to be kidding! Where is this going to stop?

Posted by:RobertSeptember 18, 2007 9:18:28 AMRespond ^

This is light years beyond Eisenhower's worst nightmare.

Posted by:sabinaSeptember 18, 2007 11:35:09 AMRespond ^

This is terrible. The kids should be taught valuable skills, like applying for welfare or something else more noble.

Posted by:RaulSeptember 18, 2007 12:33:18 PMRespond ^

How about a well-funded magnet prgram focusing on ecological science and conservation training?!

Posted by:Phillip in NCSeptember 18, 2007 8:06:14 PMRespond ^

Economy is determinant in the last instance.

Posted by:L. AlthusserSeptember 19, 2007 5:32:23 AMRespond ^

I hope this country is still around in 8-10 years. I'm going to start making babies again just so I can do my part in keeping the country safe!

Posted by:Kevin HoggardSeptember 19, 2007 8:27:57 AMRespond ^

This confirms, if there was still any doubt, that public education is not about intellectual development and independent thought. It is about indoctrination. This school embraces that fact without admitting it. The "market driven" aspect of the school's curriculum ensures the prevalence of "predigested truths". This is absolutely shameful and embarrassing.

Posted by:tcSeptember 21, 2007 8:41:32 AMRespond ^

Posted by:tcSeptember 21, 2007 9:07:14 AMRespond ^

Do they dress up in jack boots and sing goose step marching songs?

Posted by:ahahSeptember 21, 2007 11:22:03 AMRespond ^

I'm going to major in Fascism, and minor in Interrogation Techniques! I'm also going to make some money after school making brown armbands for my classmates.

Posted by:USA Terror Factory!September 21, 2007 12:36:19 PMRespond ^

“Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.” Joseph Stalin

Posted by:Parson JimSeptember 22, 2007 4:00:17 PMRespond ^

Around 1950, scholars noted stirrings: “At the present time, the hatred of the Islamic countries toward the West has become hatred against Christianity itself. Statesmen are now taking it into account that there is a grave danger that the temporal power of Islam may return on a broad scale…,and affirm itself as a great anti-Christian world power. Moslem writers say, "When the locust swarms darken vast countries, they bear on their wings these Arabic words, "We are God's host, each of us has 99 eggs, and if we had 100, we should lay waste to the world and all that is in it." What may “the hundredth egg” be?

Posted by:toddyoSeptember 24, 2007 10:15:17 AMRespond ^

Posted by:toddyoSeptember 24, 2007 10:16:28 AMRespond ^

great, kids being told to pidgeon-hole their futures even more tightly into the Mil Industrial complex

Posted by:meSeptember 28, 2007 8:28:59 AMRespond ^

Oh my God, this is TERRIBLE! Fighting for the rottten imperialist and corrupt America is so yesterday and so not-progressive... Did you hug a terrorist today?

Posted by:IncitatusSeptember 30, 2007 8:49:36 AMRespond ^

I'm in the program we learn about natural disasters and we do table top drills

Posted by:arcticwolfOctober 10, 2007 3:28:12 PMRespond ^

Colin's assertion that HSEP will not guarantee college grads is really at the heart of the problem of "career training", and he is on point in mentioning airport screening as a viable option. The program's draw for media attention has clouded a much larger problem for Joppatowne, Maryland schools, and schools nationwide. Career training is only as good as the literacy of its participants. When gym teachers instruct social studies classes as a result of a budget shortcomings,how can the salary for a "Program Director" be approved? It's an insult that such a select group be singled out to receive monies better spent on after-school tutoring, field trips, and enrichment for all.

Posted by:MaharaCareyDecember 12, 2007 9:45:00 AMRespond ^

From Kurdistan to K-Street How Ford Lost Focus Let's Go Europe Cleaning House

What About the Dirty Jobs? The Truth About Green Jobs The Science Project Big Green Brother

Jail.org - Inmate Search
Criminal records, instant public records & people search & current court records. www.jail.org

U.S. Public Records Search
Search County & State Court Records, Criminal records, Vital and Adoption Records www.PublicRecordsInfo.com

Records.com - People Search
Public Records and Background Checks. Instantly Search Criminal Records, Addresses and Court Records www.Records.com

Court Records & County Records
Find Instant Public Records, Criminal Records as Well as County Property Records Search. www.PublicRecordsIndex.com

Real Viagra, Cialis Levitra Deal
Dare to compare our competitive prices. Free overnight delivery to new patients in the US. No catch 22!

Bob's Red Mill Organic Flaxseed Meal
In addition to its great nutty flavor, our flaxseed meal is high in fiber and packed with essential Omega-3 Fatty Acids.

European Beret $10
100% wool. One size fits all. 22 colors available. We are a complete headwear source. 1-866-855-4976