Then the blade goes into action—though several news networks announced they had no intention of showing the actual knife-work, in a “That’ll show those terrorists” tone. Yes, the media is doing its part to fight terrorism—by giving it a bigger buildup than bikini week during the sweeps, then doing a classic tease-cut before the X-rated stuff.

Absolutely knew he would make this point before I read this, and of course he didn't disappoint. If only Brecher was the sole voice of the media in the middle east.

Finally, you’re hoping that some Kurdish and Shia Iraqi fighters will see or hear about the video, because you want them terrified of you. It was that terror that led many Iraqi Army units to bug out before they ever even saw the black flag of IS up close. As Brando intoned while the sweat dripped from his fat face in Apocalypse Now, “Terror is your friend…” When you’re a relatively small conventional fighting force like IS, terror is your best weapon.

Vividly reminded of stories of Northern Alliance soldiers fleeing en masse when confronted with even a handful of Chechen foreign nationals, who've cultivated their reputation as the most dangerous troops in the world.