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Question: Who Can Explain This Senseless Gundown Of So Many Of Our Nation’s Finest By Someone Supposed To Be Within That Same Fold?
ANSWER: You can’t. As I watched this tragedy unfold on Fox News (yep — Fox, can you believe it?) today, and it became apparent the murdering bastard who gunned down so many of our fine troops today (ABC News — H/T to MemeOrandum for The Pull) at the nation’s largest military installation — Fort Hood, Texas — I was astonished to hear FNC anchorman Shepard Smith as he confirmed with his interviewee, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), the suspect had a Muslim name and surname.
Paraphrased…
Shepard Smith: “Wow, ma’am. We now have the name of the suspected gunman and while we at FNC are too classy to reveal it (even though our sister organizations are doing so), this is beginning to make more sense, isn’t it?”
Senator Bailey Hutchinson: “Unfortunately, Shep — yes, yes it is and thank you for exhibiting such class in the aftermath of such a disturbing tragedy.”
The suspected killer’s name is U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan. Major Hasan is a Muslim, of course. Major Hasan didn’t wish to go to war and he gunned down over forty of his fellow Soldiers who were about to deploy. This can mean only ONE THING, right? WRONG.
What it means is there are many other questions to be answered, and shame on Fox News and shame on self-professed “liberal”, Shepard Smith and shame on Senator Bailey Hutchison for jumping to such a conclusion that this horrendous act had a damned thing to do with terrorism and/or an al-Qaeda sympathizer lurking within our own ranks. While in the end, it is conceivable to learn this supposition is true, it is a classless supposition to make prematurely while no less than forty families and hundreds of others within the victims’ circle of influence are either gathered together in prayer and/or mourning the loss of their loved ones.
Sure, the Major was a Muslim. Sure, the Major was “anti-war” (at least at the time of the shootings). Sure, he was a psychiatric medical professional. Sure, he set his sites upon and fired his weapons into the bodies of United States military troops. And this all leads up to… what again? Nothing more than what has been previously stated. He was a crazed lunatic of a military psychiatrist who was an anti-war religious guy. That’s it — unless and until we learn there is more to the story. Until anything more is confirmed, let’s try to refrain from becoming bigotted racists, shall we?
As longtime readers of The Gun Toting Liberal™ already know, I’m a current non-commissioned officer in the United States military. I’m additionally a disabled (no, nothing “heroic”; far from it) Operation Iraqi Freedom (“OIF”) veteran. I despise al-Qaeda and its sympathizers. I wish death upon all of them. I also have many personal friends who are anti-war, Liberal Muslims who would NEVER, EVER consider such an act to be honorable, nor would they EVER consider committing such horrendous acts. In fact, more than one of these fellow Americans of whom I speak are serving in our military and I’m HONORED to be acquainted with them.
Let’s not jump to conclusions, folks. Let’s just bow our heads in prayer for those of us who pray and for those of us who don’t, let’s just innundate this crazy universe we live in and coexist in with GOOD THOUGHTS.
May the fallen Rest In Peace; may justice be done and may the truth be learned.
***
Other bloggers weigh in on this tragedy (please read in their entirety): Andrew Sullivan of The Daily Dish urges us to wait until tomorrow before jumping to conclusions; My fellow Airman, Greyhawk of The Mudville Gazette is keeping us updated and also offers the hotline for friends and families of Fort Hood Soldiers; The Raw Story emphasizes the ignorance of a FoxNews host and a United States Senator nodding in agreement the shooter’s name “tells us a lot” (see the live video HERE); Drudge Retort is reporting Major Hasan is still alive…
Pretty terrible situation GTL, and I agree.
The temptation for jumping to cause in this 24 news media world is great. I was watching PBS (Lehrer hour) at 6:00 yesterday. While they “tried” to hold back as well, PBS’s Jeffrey Brown talked with a guy was doing research on stressed out troops and had recently visited Ft Hood. Like FOX, a very subtle (or not so subtle?) hint at what angle they were ready to run with.
We definitely need to give our investigators time.
Did you watch all of the coverage GTL.
I watched quite a bit of it. Shep was interviewing the cousin of Nidal and he asked him “When was he converted to Islam?”
“He was born Muslim.”
“Oh we had heard he was a convert to Islam”
“Let me say this to everyone, Nidal was born in this country he is a good American.”
Well let me say this….A lot of mass murderers were born in America. I don’t consider anyone who murders dozens of people…….”"”GOOD AMERICANS”"”"…..perhaps its just me. Maybe Im missing something in my hard ass Conservative approach to life but with being a good american comes just a few basic responsibilities…Like not being a mass murderer and I dont know maybe a couple others.
@Doomed, I did watch hours and hours of the coverage, Doomed. Absolutely glued to the TV set. My heart was heavy all day…
“He was making outlandish comments condemning our foreign policy and claimed Muslims had the right to rise up and attack Americans,” Col Lee told Fox News.
“He said Muslims should stand up and fight the aggressor and that we should not be in the war in the first place.” He said that Maj Hasan said he was “happy” when a US soldier was killed in an attack on a military recruitment centre in Arkansas in June. An American convert to Islam was accused of the shootings.
Col Lee alleged that other officers had told him that Maj Hasan had said “maybe people should strap bombs on themselves and go to Time Square” in New York.
Additionally GTL this was the type of stuff that Shep was hearing as the story unfolded. His unbiased reporting turned to being a human being.
Additionally last night I watched Greta who is usually very reserved and does not tend to use blunt words and tries hard to be politically correct…….she was visibly angry over this.
If an American kills Muslims is that an Indictment on all Americans? Usually yes. If a Muslim in a war thats against MUSLIM extremists goes into a Military base and kills a dozen and wounds 30 more….Id say its probably highly influenced by his religion given many….many different people have come out saying things about this man and that even the FBI was watching this guy and his blog BEFORE this happened.
Guns, there is no sense to be made from it. He was skiddding out of control like a car on an icy hill. I’d be as likely to blame it on his being a pshrink as anything else. Maybe more likely.
My first thought, when the story hit, was “sleeper.” Now I’m more inclined to think “guy who went off the deep end.” Deep in debt, got a bad performance report, going from Reed to TX to the war zone, feeling picked on and filing harassment suits, and didn’t want to be in the army anymore.
So we are at war with folks who have twisted the Muslim religion to the point of glorifying atrocities such as the shooting at Ft Hood. But to even mention that it was a Muslim that committed the murders makes you a bigoted racist? To deny that this mans religious believe factored in to his motivations is taking PC to a dangerously naive level. You can damn well bet that if this fella was Jim Bob the Christian from Texas the media would have the entire conservative movement on trial this morning.
Pray the Lord give comfort to the families of the stricken in their time of grief.
If, as some say, he was shouting “allahu akbar” before or as he was shooting, does that make this a hate crime? Would those enhancements apply?
Or, would it be seen as free exercise, since the koran charges muslims to kill unbelievers?
@Joe Lovell, I detest the concepts behind “Hate Crimes enhancement”, a crime is a crime. But in a case like this, how can you enhance the death penalty anyway? Perhaps give a leathal injection then electicute them? That would work for me.
@Mike 300 Spartans, Oh, I think the whole ‘hate crime’ concept is bovine excrament too. But, if they are going to be on the books, how about we use them in cases where they are merited, not just when a white cop hits a black man?
How to enhance the death penalty? Go old school on it:
Then Sentence was passed, as followeth, viz. That they should return to the place from whence they came, from thence be drawn to the Common place of Execution upon Hurdles, and there to be Hanged by the Necks, then cut down alive, their Privy-Members cut off, and Bowels taken out to be burned before their Faces, their Heads to be severed from their Bodies, and their Bodies divided into four parts, to be disposed of as the King should think fit.
@Joe Lovell, OUCH
@vegofish, Yeah, sometimes you just can’t improve on the classics.
@Joe Lovell,
Hey,
You heard our Commander in Chief, Don’t jump to conclusions Joe!
(If the crime was committed by a white catholic police officer, then you would be ok)
Steve
@SJ, What, you don’t think it is covered by the free exercise clause?
I wonder if the boy president will invite Officer Munley and Hasan to his place for some beers to work out their differences. After they get out of the hospital, I mean.
@Joe Lovell,
Nice.:) Tell you what, she needs a promotion and a big fat pay raise! Who knows how may of our troops she saved?
I don’t blame Obama for his inappropriate “shout out” or using the shooting to advance his political agenda. Or going to Camp David instead of Fort Hood… I blame the Amercan people who voted him into office and giving him the power to do so.
It was funny. At work someone mentioned at the gym. They watched CNN and FOX to see both sides. CNN never mentioned the killer was Muslim at all, like it was an unimportant factor. Of course its something to factor. FOX mentioned the word Muslim over and over like it was the most important factor. Reality is that it is a factor period. Not something to ignore, but not something to conclude as the major influence until all facts come out.
Probably the best way for anyone intelligent to do is to watch both sides. I don’t know of any news station that truly gives both sides. However, even as a conservative, I have to give NPR some props for doing the most balanced reports on this particular news.
@Jay, Kudos to you, brother. AMEN. There again, the Truth is hard to decipher during too many “wedge” issues and one must surf the cable news channels and the Blogospheres to form their own opinions when it comes to things like this.
Enjoyed speaking to you on the phone again, bro. And I look forward to meeting you face-to-face soon
@The GTL™,
I don’t have cable and, IMHO, PBS is better than the big 3 (CBS, ABC, NBC). Although they tilt left (IMHO), they have much more real news and minimal fluff. I then do what GTL said and surf the internets.