July 21, 2011

MPAC asks concerned citizens to send thank you letters to Anderson Cooper and the production and reporting team at the CNN’s “AC360” for their July 14 investigative report by Drew Griffin exposing fraudulent behavior of self-proclaimed terrorist expert Walid Shoebat.

SEE: “Terror Training Fraud?” Part 1 and Part 2 (CNN)

Claiming to be an ex-terrorist turned conservative Christian, Shoebat uses these credentials to train law enforcement (for a profit) around the country, including the Department of Homeland Security, on how to combat Islamic terrorism.

Griffin’s piece shows none of his claims or credentials can be verified, making his "training" nothing more than hate speech and unadulterated bigotry, with lecture titles such as “Prophecy 101: Islam and Satan.”

TAKE ACTION

MPAC is asking you to thank CNN, Anderson Cooper, David Griffin and “AC360” for their excellent piece of investigative journalism that has exposed Shoebat as a fraud and that his hate speech has been partly funded by both federal and state tax-payer dollars. Visit the AC360 Contact Us page and send them your notes of support.

SUGGESTED TALKING POINTS

Commend them for:

• A piece of excellent investigative journalism that has brought a serious and important issue into the national spotlight
• Being a voice of courage and conscience on a controversial but poignant issue that others have shied away from discussing
• Making our country safer by exposing a fraud who trains our first responders and law enforcement

SUGGESTED SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

Tweet @AC360 and @AndersonCooper: Thank you for exposing Walid Shoebat. Investigative journalism at its finest! No room for hate speech. #Shoebatfraud #Accountability

Facebook AC360 and Anderson Cooper: Thank you for your excellent piece of investigative journalism in exposing Walid Shoebat and his foundations as fraudulent. Your work in this area has brought light to what appears to be a real and important problem in our law enforcement vetting process. Your piece was insightful, well crafted and a step in the right direction to making our country safer.

SUGGESTED LETTER FORMAT

Dear CNN, Anderson Cooper and Drew Griffin:

Thank you for your excellent piece of investigative journalism in exposing Walid Shoebat and his foundations as fraudulent. Your work in this area has brought light to what appears to be a real and important problem in our law enforcement vetting process. By exposing Shoebat, hopefully others like him will be exposed and the government will do its due diligence to ensure that something like this will not happen again. Your piece was insightful, well crafted and a step in the right direction to making our country safer.