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Almost overnight, U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, only suspect in the Fort Hood killings, has been transformed from a soldier gone mad to an Al Qaida operative. Suddenly his crime appears to be his religion, not the deaths and injuries he inflicted.
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Who speculates that Hasan's deed was a "terrorist act"? Joe Lieberman, a Jewish senator who is routinely judged for his socio-religious identity. Read through descriptions of Hasan, and he's tried and convicted: Worshiped at a mosque with two terrorists. Reported by fellow students for his anti-American views. Gave a presentation "that justified suicide bombing."
Lieberman would have Hasan condemned for saying Islamic law trumps the Constitution, but Christians too have chosen their faith over their national identity. Why did immigrants travel here, far from their native countries and families, to rebuild their lives in an unfamiliar land? Why did my Catholic family leave Germany to escape the Prussians? They were persecuted. Instead of converting to the religion du jour, they chose their God over their country.
In America, we co-exist. That's why we separate religion from state. That's why my grandfather (and every other worker) said his mealtime prayers to himself when he worked in a logging camp in the early 1900s. God and country are the very things men are willing to die for; focusing on differences obscures similarities.
I think of Shylock, in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice": "I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?"
Hasan's motives are not yet readily apparent. Yes, he could have gone terrorist. Or, under tremendous pressure, he might have snapped, as Sgt. John Russell did in May (Russell killed five comrades at Camp Liberty in Iraq). Russell was on his third deployment; Hasan was frustrated about an upcoming deployment.
Russell's religion was never discussed.
Lieberman's comments function as a red herring, a device to distract from other issues. Wars in Afghanistan, the country "where empires go to die," and Iraq, a colossal waste of life founded on mythological weapons of mass destruction, continue to suck the breath out of the men and women of our military.
A few questions Lieberman should ask: Are we meeting the needs of our troops? What are we fighting for? And why are we so eager to condemn a man for his religion when his real crime was opening fire on a group of people?
If Hasan tells someone he infiltrated the military for the sole purpose of killing Americans, I will applaud efforts to prosecute and punish him. If he lost his mind, I hope efforts will be made to ease pressure on soldiers before history repeats itself.
Either way, Hasan is one man, not representative of all Muslims. Lieberman's statements only serve to engender hatred against people for their religion-about as anti-American as it gets.
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©The Chetek Alert 2010
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Bill Warner |
Nov, 24 2009 |
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Jeff, Dee and Terry.....good points by all. In my mind, Timothy McVey is a Terroist, I don't care what his relgion is. Major Hasan is a Terrorist who was being "observed" for his views by the military and FBI but due to Political Correctness nothing was done until the carnage occurred. He should have been railroaded out of the Military at that point when his views were being expressed. The military can not coddle people in its ranks with the views he held. Life is not fair, especially in the Military. We have become a weak kneed society fearful of doing the tough things that need to be done to stop this insanity for fear of "offending" certain individuals and groups. The next thing you know, there will be those who will want the Ten Commandments or Christmas decorations removed from public places because some find it offensive.....oh, wait...thats already been done. So much for majority rule. You can't have traditional Christmas music at a school "Holiday" program but they can teach your kids the science of evolution. I wont even go into the area of Sex Education. The world can be a harsh, ugly, dangerous and scary place at times and we must deal with these things in reality and not feelings. To me it is amazing at how much "Hope and Change" people put in our Politicians this day and age. Personal responsibility is lost....truely sad.
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Dee Borcherding |
Nov, 18 2009 |
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Here's something to consider: Major Hasan was a psychiatrist trained by the military. He was counseling returning service members. It's possible he could no longer deal with all the horrors his patients were describing to him. I don't mean to make excuses for the terrible crime he committed, but there were signs that he wasn't stable for a long time. He should have been removed from his position and given treatment or incarceration.His problem started quite some time ago. He's but one of many mental health counsellors who are walking a thin line be-
tween sanity and insanity due to their jobs, and the suicide rate is very high.
We can expect more of such horrific incidences.
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