(This is an email sent by a Canadian police officer training Iraqi police recruits. It was shared with Prime Time Crime by a recipient. We are happy to share it, verbatim, with you to give you some perspective without the spin.)

Hi everyone,  First I would like to say greetings to all and I am representing Canada and the Edmonton Police service with distinction as expected.  I am hoping all is well on the other side of the planet.  I am nine hours in your future.  I consider myself more enlightened over this very short period of time...And some of you guys, I said enlightened not light in the loafers enlightened, Yuk Yuk......I am doing this generic email so that  I don't have to repeat myself.  Just finished instructing our firearm portion of class #13 mostly Shiites from the Tariq area of Iraq.  Not a bad bunch but since a majority of them have never handled pistols you have to be very articulate and keep the narrative very simple and keep in mind that the information is going through a language assistant.  The one I work with Sammi, is a great guy and we make a good team both in class and on the line where it is essential that the mechanics are explained.  The Iraq people are a physically weak people that in many cases do not have the strength to work the slide, lock it back etc.  it can be very dangerous on the line.  Two of the students have shot themselves.  The one who shot himself in the leg as he extracted the pistol from his holster finished shooting and actually qualified.  I think it was shock more than anything, good on him.  Some of the recruits are very sharp but others do not want to be here and are here just for their $140 American for each of their two months ( which is probably 18 months worth of wages-back in Iraq) and when they get back to Iraq some just disappear.  Right now in Iraq there is supposed to be some ware in the area of 130,000 Iraq policemen but they can only account for about 90,000.  Where are the others?  Who Knows.  Of the classes that have been trained at the facility in Jordan the fatality rate is in the area of 20 %.  Very scary for them.  You have to give them credit...................On a lighter note, a bunch of got together and traveled to the dead sea and obtained spa passes to the Marriott Hotel on the shore of the Dead Sea.  A world class resort, Nine pools, beautiful...Just to put it in perspective, a rum and coke is 5.4 Jordanian Dinars, in Canadian terms about $10....Impressive.( I am having trouble sending pictures because I only shoot pictures at the 6.1 mega pixel setting, the files are huge)  The dead sea is simply that, Dead, because of the 30 % salt content.  When I got there of course I was the first one in the water and I can describe the water as heavy and oily.  You are so buoyant that you have to work at keep ing your legs down into the water or you pop up and float on top of the water. A heck of an experience.  I also smeared the mud of the dead sea all over my body which is supposed to have therapeutic benefits.  We will have to see what the results of the treatment will be.  A unique experience none the less.  We also have been to a number of sites that reflect the birth of Christianity, thousands of years old.  you think to your self when will I ever get back to see these sights....well likely never so it is important to take them all in...................I will let you all go for now ...........Take care and be safe.......Tom  Gon