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Deadly shooting @ Ft. Hood TX


eric2281

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I don't want to be accused of "dancing in the blood". My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and families of vitcims. I've not read this entire thread, but I picked up that a poster here has family on Ft. Hood but that they are OK. I pray that is true, and hope you are reunited with them soon.

 

Before the details are forgotten, here's some thoughts that have come to mind in the last 12 hours that seem pertinent to our cause:

 

1. Ft Hood is a giant "gun free" zone. Firearms are allowed to those other than "security" only when on training exercises.

 

2. Ft Hood is a "secure area" in that those coming and going are subject to security before entering.

 

3. This crime was committed with "civilian weapons" as reported by the news agencies I watched and read last night. They were brought onto base through military security.

 

4. The "P.R." officer on TV last night was almost indignant when asked if soldiers were allowed to have weapons when on the base. His answer, paraphrased, was "Of course not! This is our home!! We have a highly trained post security police department for our protection. And by the way, those patrols have been increased." (I have several comments about this statement, but I'll let you develop your own thoughts.)

 

5. It is being reported this morning that some of the victims may have been wounded by "friendly fire" from the security force that came in after the shooting started, the incident had escalated and panic had set in. (My thinking here is that a single bullet from a "troop" on the scene would have stopped this madman before the situation got completely out of control. Again, when seconds count,,,,,, etc.)

 

6. Just down the road from Ft. Hood, in Killeen is Luby's Cafeteria. Scene of the mass murder that prompted Suzanna Hupp to campaign for changes in the Texas CCW law. Civilians of Texas are more secure on the street than our soldiers are on the streets of Ft Hood.

 

7. While this may not have been a "planned attack by organized terrorists" it appears to be an act of a person who is a member of a group which has factions that are openly hostile to Americans. My point is not to vilify that or any other group. My point is to say that we do not know where our enemies are, and must be alert to our surroundings. People are attacked in schools, hospitals, churches, homes and now military bases. There is no such thing as a completely secure area!

 

Just my idle ramblings and thoughts on a heinous and terrible crime. Again, my thoughts and prayers to the victims.

 

AB

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The big question is how will the Obama Administration treat it?

 

Well, here is one take on it ... "Obama's Frightening Insensitivity Following Shooting"

 

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/politics/A-...-President.html

 

I understand the White House is "checking into it."

 

 

I happened to catch that Presser on radio. Couldn't believe what I was hearing. BHO was all bubbly and upbeat and actually used the words "give a shout out" in his speech. I was screaming at the radio asking him if he had any idea how insensitive and elitist he sounded. He didn't hear me, but made me feel somewhat better.

 

I can't wait to hear the spin that the MSM will put on it.

 

AB

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I think the 'cousin' on FoxNews was just some clown calling in.

 

Shep Smith got owned on it, IMHO.

 

Kind of like that guy that called Dan Rather after some disaster, claiming to be related to someone and made Rather look like a fool live on national TV.

 

John

 

Well, then WLS has been duped also because they are saying:

 

......it is being reported that the shooter exclaimed "Allah Akbar" before opening fire.
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The big question is how will the Obama Administration treat it?

 

Well, here is one take on it ... "Obama's Frightening Insensitivity Following Shooting"

 

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/politics/A-...-President.html

 

I understand the White House is "checking into it."

 

 

I happened to catch that Presser on radio. Couldn't believe what I was hearing. BHO was all bubbly and upbeat and actually used the words "give a shout out" in his speech. I was screaming at the radio asking him if he had any idea how insensitive and elitist he sounded. He didn't hear me, but made me feel somewhat better.

 

I can't wait to hear the spin that the MSM will put on it.

 

AB

 

I too was angry at that. Then i read an article on Msnbc and they were saying how the poor shooter got teased for bieng muslim and he couldn't bear to go to iraq because of this horrible war. The goverment run media is already trying to deflect this away from Obozo. Also, no mention that he converted to islam and started making crazy comments about american soldiers getting killed.

 

Link:

 

Hasan was ‘mortified’ about deployment

Relatives: Ft. Hood suspect upset over being harassed about being Muslim

 

By JAMES DAO

 

updated 1 hour, 42 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Born and reared in Virginia, the son of immigrant parents from a small Palestinian town near Jerusalem, he joined the Army right out of high school, against his parents’ wishes. The Army, in turn, put him through college and then medical school, where he trained to be a psychiatrist.

 

But Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the 39-year-old man accused of Thursday’s mass shooting at Fort Hood, Tex., started having second thoughts about his military career a few years ago after other soldiers harassed him for being a Muslim, he told relatives in Virginia.

 

He had also more recently expressed deep concerns about being sent to Iraq or Afghanistan. Having counseled scores of returning soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder, first at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington and more recently at Fort Hood, he knew all too well the terrifying realities of war, said a cousin, Nader Hasan.

 

“He was mortified by the idea of having to deploy,” Mr. Hasan said. “He had people telling him on a daily basis the horrors they saw over there.”

 

Disturbing postings

The Federal Bureau of Investigation had earlier become aware of Internet postings by a man who called himself Nidal Hasan, a law enforcement official said. The postings discussed suicide bombing in a favorable light, but the investigators were not clear whether the writer was Major Hasan.

 

In one posting on the Web site Scribd, a man named Nidal Hasan compared the heroism of a soldier who throws himself on a grenade to protect fellow soldiers to suicide bombers who sacrifice themselves to protect Muslims.

 

“If one suicide bomber can kill 100 enemy soldiers because they were caught off guard that would be considered a strategic victory,” the man wrote. It could not be confirmed, however, that the writer was Major Hasan.

 

Major Hasan was wounded and taken into custody by the Fort Hood police after the shooting spree, in which 12 people, many of them soldiers, were killed, and at least 31 others were wounded. The shootings occurred at a readiness center where soldiers are put through a series of medical, dental, legal and other paces in preparation for being deployed.

 

Though Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas reported that Major Hasan was to be deployed later this month, that could not be confirmed with the Army Thursday night.

 

Family shocked at news

Nader Hasan said his cousin never mentioned in recent phone calls to Virginia that he was going to be deployed, and he said the family was shocked when it heard the news on television Thursday afternoon.

 

“He was doing everything he could to avoid that,” Mr. Hasan said. “He wanted to do whatever he could within the rules to make sure he wouldn’t go over.”

 

Several years ago, that included retaining a lawyer and making inquiries about whether he could get out of the Army before his contract was up, because of the harassment he had received as a Muslim. But Nader Hasan said the lawyer had told his cousin that even if he paid the Army back for his education, it would not allow him to leave before his commitment was up.

 

“I think he gave up that fight and was just doing his time,” Mr. Hasan said.

 

Nader Hasan said his cousin’s parents had both been American citizens who owned businesses, including restaurants and a store, in Roanoke, Va. He declined to confirm reports that they were Jordanian, but said the parents, who are both dead, had immigrated from a small town near Jerusalem many years ago.

 

His mother’s obituary, published in The Roanoke Times in 2001, said she was born in Palestine in 1952. It described her as a restaurant owner “known for her ability to keep sometimes rowdy customers out of trouble and always had a warm meal for someone who otherwise would not have anything to eat that evening.”

 

Successful family

Records show that Major Hasan had received his undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech University and his medical degree at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md.

 

He did his residency at Walter Reed Medical Center and then worked there for several years before being transferred to the Darnell Army Medical Center at Fort Hood earlier this year.

 

Major Hasan was not married and had two brothers, one living in Virginia and another in Jerusalem, his cousin said. The family, by and large, had prospered in the United States, with various members working in law, banking and medicine, Mr. Hasan said.

 

Nader Hasan, 40, a lawyer living in Northern Virginia, described his cousin as a respectful, hard-working man who had devoted himself to his parents and his career.

 

He said his cousin had been a practicing Muslim who had become more devout after the deaths of his parents, in 1998 and 2001. But he said he had not expressed anti-American views or radical ideas.

 

“His parents didn’t want him to go into the military,” Mr. Hasan said. “He said, ‘No, I was born and raised here, I’m going to do my duty to the country.’ ”

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I don't want to be accused of "dancing in the blood". My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and families of vitcims. I've not read this entire thread, but I picked up that a poster here has family on Ft. Hood but that they are OK. I pray that is true, and hope you are reunited with them soon.

 

Before the details are forgotten, here's some thoughts that have come to mind in the last 12 hours that seem pertinent to our cause:

 

1. Ft Hood is a giant "gun free" zone. Firearms are allowed to those other than "security" only when on training exercises.

 

2. Ft Hood is a "secure area" in that those coming and going are subject to security before entering.

 

3. This crime was committed with "civilian weapons" as reported by the news agencies I watched and read last night. They were brought onto base through military security.

 

4. The "P.R." officer on TV last night was almost indignant when asked if soldiers were allowed to have weapons when on the base. His answer, paraphrased, was "Of course not! This is our home!! We have a highly trained post security police department for our protection. And by the way, those patrols have been increased." (I have several comments about this statement, but I'll let you develop your own thoughts.)

 

5. It is being reported this morning that some of the victims may have been wounded by "friendly fire" from the security force that came in after the shooting started, the incident had escalated and panic had set in. (My thinking here is that a single bullet from a "troop" on the scene would have stopped this madman before the situation got completely out of control. Again, when seconds count,,,,,, etc.)

 

6. Just down the road from Ft. Hood, in Killeen is Luby's Cafeteria. Scene of the mass murder that prompted Suzanna Hupp to campaign for changes in the Texas CCW law. Civilians of Texas are more secure on the street than our soldiers are on the streets of Ft Hood.

 

7. While this may not have been a "planned attack by organized terrorists" it appears to be an act of a person who is a member of a group which has factions that are openly hostile to Americans. My point is not to vilify that or any other group. My point is to say that we do not know where our enemies are, and must be alert to our surroundings. People are attacked in schools, hospitals, churches, homes and now military bases. There is no such thing as a completely secure area!

 

Just my idle ramblings and thoughts on a heinous and terrible crime. Again, my thoughts and prayers to the victims.

 

AB

 

My thoughts exactly.

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The man was mentally distraught, if not permanently mentally ill.

And a shrink. I think those two tend to go together, a lot.

 

The fur will fly, the Muslims in America will all get painted with a broad brush.

 

I'm afraid you're right Mike, and that's a shame as I'm sure there are those that follow Islam that are as patriotic to this country as any of us. I guess that's the point of #7 in my post above. We must realize that there are those that want to do us harm. That person may be Muslim, Catholic, Jewish, Christian or a "good old boy redneck". We do not know and must always be cognizant of our surroundings. We must also give up the idea of being PC at the risk of increasing the threat to ourselves. It appears that more than one person heard this shooter make "anti-American comments" and statements that should have been reported to his superiors. But that wasn't done, possilbly because those people didn't want to be labled as being guilty of "profiling". Good Lord,, profiling is when you disparage someone because of the color of their skin or which God they pray to or what their name is. Reporting threatening remarks and comments that encourage violence against innocents is called "Prudent"!!

 

AB

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The terroist's own statement on Scribed.

 

"There was a grenade thrown amongs a group of American soldiers. One of the soldiers, feeling that it was to late for everyone to flee jumped on the grave with the intention of saving his comrades. Indeed he saved them. He inentionally took his life (suicide) for a noble cause i.e. saving the lives of his soldier. To say that this soldier committed suicide is inappropriate. Its more appropriate to say he is a brave hero that sacrificed his life for a more noble cause. Scholars have paralled this to suicide bombers whose intention, by sacrificing their lives, is to help save Muslims by killing enemy soldiers. If one suicide bomber can kill 100 enemy soldiers because they were caught off guard that would be considered a strategic victory. Their intention is not to die because of some despair. The same can be said for the Kamikazees in Japan. They died (via crashing their planes into ships) to kill the enemies for the homeland. You can call them crazy i you want but their act was not one of suicide that is despised by Islam. So the scholars main point is that “IT SEEMS AS THOUGH YOUR INTENTION IS THE MAIN ISSUE” and Allah (SWT) knows best."

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The man was mentally distraught, if not permanently mentally ill.

And a shrink. I think those two tend to go together, a lot.

 

The fur will fly, the Muslims in America will all get painted with a broad brush.

 

I'm afraid you're right Mike, and that's a shame as I'm sure there are those that follow Islam that are as patriotic to this country as any of us. I guess that's the point of #7 in my post above. We must realize that there are those that want to do us harm. That person may be Muslim, Catholic, Jewish, Christian or a "good old boy redneck". We do not know and must always be cognizant of our surroundings. We must also give up the idea of being PC at the risk of increasing the threat to ourselves. It appears that more than one person heard this shooter make "anti-American comments" and statements that should have been reported to his superiors. But that wasn't done, possilbly because those people didn't want to be labled as being guilty of "profiling". Good Lord,, profiling is when you disparage someone because of the color of their skin or which God they pray to or what their name is. Reporting threatening remarks and comments that encourage violence against innocents is called "Prudent"!!

 

AB

 

I also would like to offer my condolences to all those effected.

 

That being said I am also quite concerned. Why? Because as recently as October Barack Obama signed a new defense bill. And I'm sure it was not to support our military. No...He signed it to greatly expand the power of the federal government to prosecute hate crimes. The new law expands federal hate crimes to include those committed against people because of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It also loosens limits on when federal law enforcement can intervene and prosecute crimes, amounting to the biggest expansion of the civil-rights era law in decades.

 

Who anymore dares speak up about anyone...even in their own family! This law and this attitude will make it even worse! White, christian middle class people are now the only class of people that are NOT protected by law. We have been completely excluded by the letter of the law!!

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The man was mentally distraught, if not permanently mentally ill.

And a shrink. I think those two tend to go together, a lot.

 

The fur will fly, the Muslims in America will all get painted with a broad brush.

 

I'm afraid you're right Mike, and that's a shame as I'm sure there are those that follow Islam that are as patriotic to this country as any of us. I guess that's the point of #7 in my post above. We must realize that there are those that want to do us harm. That person may be Muslim, Catholic, Jewish, Christian or a "good old boy redneck". We do not know and must always be cognizant of our surroundings. We must also give up the idea of being PC at the risk of increasing the threat to ourselves. It appears that more than one person heard this shooter make "anti-American comments" and statements that should have been reported to his superiors. But that wasn't done, possilbly because those people didn't want to be labled as being guilty of "profiling". Good Lord,, profiling is when you disparage someone because of the color of their skin or which God they pray to or what their name is. Reporting threatening remarks and comments that encourage violence against innocents is called "Prudent"!!

 

AB

 

I also would like to offer my condolences to all those effected.

 

That being said I am also quite concerned. Why? Because as recently as October Barack Obama signed a new defense bill. And I'm sure it was not to support our military. No...He signed it to greatly expand the power of the federal government to prosecute hate crimes. The new law expands federal hate crimes to include those committed against people because of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It also loosens limits on when federal law enforcement can intervene and prosecute crimes, amounting to the biggest expansion of the civil-rights era law in decades.

 

Who anymore dares speak up about anyone...even in their own family! This law and this attitude will make it even worse! White, christian middle class people are now the only class of people that are NOT protected by law. We have been completely excluded by the letter of the law!!

 

I agree that these hate laws serve no legitimate purpose. The acts are already illegal under state laws. That said, doesn't it sound a little childish to say white christians are completely excluded by the letter of the law and are not protected by law? You should have posted 6 :D after those statements.

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I keep seeing the media stress that he was disturbed by being harassed by other soldiers for being a muslim. While I agree that you should never have to catch flak for your religion, you should also be ready and able to defend your beliefs when challenged. The military has very strict rules about harassment. As an MP I saw a lot of incidents involving harassment, and every one ended up with an article 15 for someone. He had proper channels he could use to take care of that problem once and for all. Also I would like to know exactly what kind of soldiers they were to feel that they could harass a major in the army. I was a colonels driver for 8 months while doing phys therapy, I interacted with a lot of officers in that time and never once felt inclined to make any kind of personal comments to any of them.

 

Simple fact is he was a panzy a$$ who thought he could use the US gov to pay for his schooling in a career he thought would never get deployed. From what I can tell he figured simple grunts go to war, they come home with PTSD and he "fixes" them.

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The man was mentally distraught, if not permanently mentally ill.

And a shrink. I think those two tend to go together, a lot.

 

The fur will fly, the Muslims in America will all get painted with a broad brush.

 

I'm afraid you're right Mike, and that's a shame as I'm sure there are those that follow Islam that are as patriotic to this country as any of us. I guess that's the point of #7 in my post above. We must realize that there are those that want to do us harm. That person may be Muslim, Catholic, Jewish, Christian or a "good old boy redneck". We do not know and must always be cognizant of our surroundings. We must also give up the idea of being PC at the risk of increasing the threat to ourselves. It appears that more than one person heard this shooter make "anti-American comments" and statements that should have been reported to his superiors. But that wasn't done, possilbly because those people didn't want to be labled as being guilty of "profiling". Good Lord,, profiling is when you disparage someone because of the color of their skin or which God they pray to or what their name is. Reporting threatening remarks and comments that encourage violence against innocents is called "Prudent"!!

 

AB

 

I also would like to offer my condolences to all those effected.

 

That being said I am also quite concerned. Why? Because as recently as October Barack Obama signed a new defense bill. And I'm sure it was not to support our military. No...He signed it to greatly expand the power of the federal government to prosecute hate crimes. The new law expands federal hate crimes to include those committed against people because of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It also loosens limits on when federal law enforcement can intervene and prosecute crimes, amounting to the biggest expansion of the civil-rights era law in decades.

 

Who anymore dares speak up about anyone...even in their own family! This law and this attitude will make it even worse! White, christian middle class people are now the only class of people that are NOT protected by law. We have been completely excluded by the letter of the law!!

 

I agree that these hate laws serve no legitimate purpose. The acts are already illegal under state laws. That said, doesn't it sound a little childish to say white christians are completely excluded by the letter of the law and are not protected by law? You should have posted 6 :D after those statements.

 

No - I don't feel it is childish to complain that every form of human being other than white, christian, heterosexuals are protected by more stringent penalties mandated by federal law. I find it rascist, discriminatory, totally unacceptable.

 

And you should know FF,....I seldom speak with emoticons.

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OMG!!!

 

Obama speaks for less than a minute on the Fort Hood murders, says he has ordered U.S. flags to fly at half mast until veterans day......

 

AND THEN SAYS HE HAS SIGNED ANOTHER BILL TO ADDRESS THE JOBLESSNESS IN AMERICA!!!!

 

HE STARTS SPEAKING ABOUT JOBS!!!!!!!!!!

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OMG!!!

 

Obama speaks for less than a minute on the Fort Hood murders, says he has ordered U.S. flags to fly at half mast until veterans day......

 

AND THEN SAYS HE HAS SIGNED ANOTHER BILL TO ADDRESS THE JOBLESSNESS IN AMERICA!!!!

 

HE STARTS SPEAKING ABOUT JOBS!!!!!!!!!!

 

I am not speechless at this moment, but what I'm saying is not fit for this or any other forum!!

 

AB

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The man was mentally distraught, if not permanently mentally ill.

And a shrink. I think those two tend to go together, a lot.

 

The fur will fly, the Muslims in America will all get painted with a broad brush.

 

I'm afraid you're right Mike, and that's a shame as I'm sure there are those that follow Islam that are as patriotic to this country as any of us. I guess that's the point of #7 in my post above. We must realize that there are those that want to do us harm. That person may be Muslim, Catholic, Jewish, Christian or a "good old boy redneck". We do not know and must always be cognizant of our surroundings. We must also give up the idea of being PC at the risk of increasing the threat to ourselves. It appears that more than one person heard this shooter make "anti-American comments" and statements that should have been reported to his superiors. But that wasn't done, possilbly because those people didn't want to be labled as being guilty of "profiling". Good Lord,, profiling is when you disparage someone because of the color of their skin or which God they pray to or what their name is. Reporting threatening remarks and comments that encourage violence against innocents is called "Prudent"!!

 

AB

 

I also would like to offer my condolences to all those effected.

 

That being said I am also quite concerned. Why? Because as recently as October Barack Obama signed a new defense bill. And I'm sure it was not to support our military. No...He signed it to greatly expand the power of the federal government to prosecute hate crimes. The new law expands federal hate crimes to include those committed against people because of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It also loosens limits on when federal law enforcement can intervene and prosecute crimes, amounting to the biggest expansion of the civil-rights era law in decades.

 

Who anymore dares speak up about anyone...even in their own family! This law and this attitude will make it even worse! White, christian middle class people are now the only class of people that are NOT protected by law. We have been completely excluded by the letter of the law!!

 

I agree that these hate laws serve no legitimate purpose. The acts are already illegal under state laws. That said, doesn't it sound a little childish to say white christians are completely excluded by the letter of the law and are not protected by law? You should have posted 6 :D after those statements.

 

No - I don't feel it is childish to complain that every form of human being other than white, christian, heterosexuals are protected by more stringent penalties mandated by federal law. I find it rascist, discriminatory, totally unacceptable.

 

And you should know FF,....I seldom speak with emoticons.

 

The point is, if you or I were murdered, the State of IL would press charges and try our murderer (if found) and hopefully convict him/her. We are protected by law. This law does not make our murder more illegal, as it does for 'protected classes', true. But that does not mean we are fair game.

 

The original intention of these hate crime laws was to allow the Federal Govt to try murders, etc. that were not being handled by various states due to racism issues, etc. I think we are beyond those times, so such laws are not needed.

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I have been on a couple of military installations since both of my kids are in the military. Security at many of these places is in the hands of civilian rent a cops. While all of the bases where my kids are have been gun free zones no cars or persons are searched prior to entering. In all of these places there are civilians working in the base exchange/px and all of the fast food places on the base as well as the gas stations/c-stores. Weapons are allowed on Ft. Hood if you are hunting. My son was planning to hunt out there this fall. He has to "declare" the weapon to bring it on the base and then they will take him out to the hunting area. Again security is a joke at most bases.

 

I don't want to be accused of "dancing in the blood". My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and families of vitcims. I've not read this entire thread, but I picked up that a poster here has family on Ft. Hood but that they are OK. I pray that is true, and hope you are reunited with them soon.

 

Before the details are forgotten, here's some thoughts that have come to mind in the last 12 hours that seem pertinent to our cause:

 

1. Ft Hood is a giant "gun free" zone. Firearms are allowed to those other than "security" only when on training exercises.

 

2. Ft Hood is a "secure area" in that those coming and going are subject to security before entering.

 

3. This crime was committed with "civilian weapons" as reported by the news agencies I watched and read last night. They were brought onto base through military security.

 

4. The "P.R." officer on TV last night was almost indignant when asked if soldiers were allowed to have weapons when on the base. His answer, paraphrased, was "Of course not! This is our home!! We have a highly trained post security police department for our protection. And by the way, those patrols have been increased." (I have several comments about this statement, but I'll let you develop your own thoughts.)

 

5. It is being reported this morning that some of the victims may have been wounded by "friendly fire" from the security force that came in after the shooting started, the incident had escalated and panic had set in. (My thinking here is that a single bullet from a "troop" on the scene would have stopped this madman before the situation got completely out of control. Again, when seconds count,,,,,, etc.)

 

6. Just down the road from Ft. Hood, in Killeen is Luby's Cafeteria. Scene of the mass murder that prompted Suzanna Hupp to campaign for changes in the Texas CCW law. Civilians of Texas are more secure on the street than our soldiers are on the streets of Ft Hood.

 

7. While this may not have been a "planned attack by organized terrorists" it appears to be an act of a person who is a member of a group which has factions that are openly hostile to Americans. My point is not to vilify that or any other group. My point is to say that we do not know where our enemies are, and must be alert to our surroundings. People are attacked in schools, hospitals, churches, homes and now military bases. There is no such thing as a completely secure area!

 

Just my idle ramblings and thoughts on a heinous and terrible crime. Again, my thoughts and prayers to the victims.

 

AB

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The man was mentally distraught, if not permanently mentally ill.

And a shrink. I think those two tend to go together, a lot.

 

The fur will fly, the Muslims in America will all get painted with a broad brush.

 

I'm afraid you're right Mike, and that's a shame as I'm sure there are those that follow Islam that are as patriotic to this country as any of us. I guess that's the point of #7 in my post above. We must realize that there are those that want to do us harm. That person may be Muslim, Catholic, Jewish, Christian or a "good old boy redneck". We do not know and must always be cognizant of our surroundings. We must also give up the idea of being PC at the risk of increasing the threat to ourselves. It appears that more than one person heard this shooter make "anti-American comments" and statements that should have been reported to his superiors. But that wasn't done, possilbly because those people didn't want to be labled as being guilty of "profiling". Good Lord,, profiling is when you disparage someone because of the color of their skin or which God they pray to or what their name is. Reporting threatening remarks and comments that encourage violence against innocents is called "Prudent"!!

 

AB

 

I also would like to offer my condolences to all those effected.

 

That being said I am also quite concerned. Why? Because as recently as October Barack Obama signed a new defense bill. And I'm sure it was not to support our military. No...He signed it to greatly expand the power of the federal government to prosecute hate crimes. The new law expands federal hate crimes to include those committed against people because of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It also loosens limits on when federal law enforcement can intervene and prosecute crimes, amounting to the biggest expansion of the civil-rights era law in decades.

 

Who anymore dares speak up about anyone...even in their own family! This law and this attitude will make it even worse! White, christian middle class people are now the only class of people that are NOT protected by law. We have been completely excluded by the letter of the law!!

 

I agree that these hate laws serve no legitimate purpose. The acts are already illegal under state laws. That said, doesn't it sound a little childish to say white christians are completely excluded by the letter of the law and are not protected by law? You should have posted 6 :D after those statements.

 

No - I don't feel it is childish to complain that every form of human being other than white, christian, heterosexuals are protected by more stringent penalties mandated by federal law. I find it rascist, discriminatory, totally unacceptable.

 

And you should know FF,....I seldom speak with emoticons.

 

The point is, if you or I were murdered, the State of IL would press charges and try our murderer (if found) and hopefully convict him/her. We are protected by law. This law does not make our murder more illegal, as it does for 'protected classes', true. But that does not mean we are fair game.

 

The original intention of these hate crime laws was to allow the Federal Govt to try murders, etc. that were not being handled by various states due to racism issues, etc. I think we are beyond those times, so such laws are not needed.

 

Then I am guilty of exaggeration - so be it. What is the federally enhanced and mandated punishment for protesting 'protected classes'?

 

Death?? Double Death??

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Soldier from Bolingbrook among Ft. Hood dead

 

November 6, 2009 11:09 AM | 25 Comments

An Army private first class from southwest suburban Bolingbrook was one of the 13 people killed in the rampage at Fort Hood, his family said.

 

Michael Pearson, 21, joined the Army slightly more than a year ago and was training to deactivate bombs, said his mother, Sheryll.

 

"He was working for a furniture company and felt like he wasn't going anywhere," she said this morning.

 

"He felt he was in a rut. He wanted to travel, see the world. He also wanted an opportunity to serve the country." She said he also wanted to further his education after graduating from Bolingbrook High School.

 

Sheryll Pearson and her husband, Jeff, heard the news about the shooting while at the home of another son.

 

But they figured Michael was safe. The reports said the victims were in an overseas deployment processing center. Michael, they knew, had received his anthrax shot two days before in preparation for deployment to Iraq. He thought he would be sent out sometime in January.

 

Thirteen people were killed and 30 wounded when suspected gunman Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who was reportedly reluctant to go to Iraq, opened fire at the Soldiers Readiness Processing Center, according to Army officials. But a list of the dead and wounded has not yet been released.

 

"We thought it was going to be okay, because we thought it was another building," Pearson's mother said. "Mike won't be there because he already he got his inoculations ... He shouldn't be in that part of that building. Since we weren't contacted, we felt we were okay."

 

But as they were driving home about 6:30 p.m., they received a call on their cell phone from Mike's sergeant at Ft. Hood. Mike, he said, had been shot three times--in the spine and chest. He said Mike had lost a lot of blood.

 

About 10 p.m., an Army surgeon called to say that Mike hadn't made it. He said doctors had brought Mike back to life twice on the operating table but were unsuccessful the third time.

 

"His father is still in shock and very angry," Sheryll Pearson said. "We're all very angry."

 

"He would do anything for us," she continued. When Jeff Pearson was laid off from his job, Mike sent home money to buy new tires for the family car.

 

She said she last talked to her son two days ago about him coming home for Christmas. She told him she had already gotten his room ready. She was particularly excited because she hadn't seen her son in a year. He had been training for a year in the Mojave Desert.

 

"He was always upbeat and looking forward to coming home," she said. "He was bringing his guitar home." Mike, she said, loved music and his guitar. He and his father often played together.

 

"He was the poster child of what any mother wanted in a son," she said.

 

One of Pearson's older brothers, Kristopher Craig, now a member of the Illinois National Guard, was stationed at Fort Hood in 2001.

 

"I couldn't imagine something like that going on .. attacking another soldier," he said emotionally. "It's just ridiculous. I don't understand it."

 

Jessica Koerber, a family friend, was with the Pearsons when they received the phone call about Michael's death and said she was outraged.

 

If his killer didn't want to ship overseas, "he should have killed himself and not taken out other people," she said.

 

Koerber, 26, said she was surprised by Pearson's decision to enlist. "It shocked me because he'd be so far from his family. His family is his life," she said, adding that his nieces and nephews "loved their uncle Mikey."

 

"Michael was someone who never did anything wrong in his life," Koerber said. "So we all thought he's going to pull through, (that) God's not going to take him."

 

Besides his parents and brother Kristopher, Pearson is survived by another brother, Jason Craig, and a sister, Julie Craig.

 

At Bolingbrook High School today, from which Pearson graduated in 2006, the American flag hanged at half staff and grief counselors were at the ready to help students if necessary.

 

Principal James Mitchem described Pearson as a good student who simply tried to blend in with his classmates.

 

Pearson, Mitchem said, carried at least a 3.0 grade point average in high school and at B.J. Ward Middle School, where Mitchem had been principal while Pearson was a student there.

 

"He was a good kid, well adjusted, who wasn't involved in a lot of extracurricular activities at school," Mitchem said. "He was a model student."

 

Pearson was involved in ROTC for a time at high school, Mitchem said, and had a strong interest in music.

 

When Mitchem found out Pearson was among the soldiers killed at Ft. Hood via an e-mail from a colleague Thursday night, he said he immediately began preparing staff for the inevitable questions from students and the media, he said.

 

On Friday morning, an alert went out to students and faculty over the school intercom about Pearson's death.

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If one suicide bomber can kill 100 enemy soldiers because they were caught off guard that would be considered a strategic victory. Their intention is not to die because of some despair.

 

 

In his own words he this is not out of dispair but a terrorist attack designed to kill as many Americans as possible.

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If one suicide bomber can kill 100 enemy soldiers because they were caught off guard that would be considered a strategic victory. Their intention is not to die because of some despair.

 

 

In his own words he this is not out of dispair but a terrorist attack designed to kill as many Americans as possible.

 

I will disagree a TINY bit with that statement. It was a mass murder in my opinion. The word "terrorist" reflects the goal of influencing policy, opinion, and action by instilling terror in hearts of others through fear. This man was (as far as I can tell) not a member of a group who had the goal of instilling fear in his fellow soldiers, but rather he was a man who felt he was being asked to go to another country and aid and abet the murder of his brothers. My thinking is that he felt that he could either go overseas and kill his own or stay here and even the score a little.

 

What ticks me off aside from the deaths of the soldiers, is how this injures the reputation of legitimate patriotic muslim American fighting men and women. There are many who are firmly on our side in this, and his actions will only cause them more heartache.

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I've been thinking about this and it's really not much different from the old Bible story of Daniel in the lions den. Regardless if one believes the story, the story itself is about a guy who has to decide between following a government order or remaining true to his faith. The same applies to Hasan.

 

For those who are religious (any faith), chances are they will choose faith over government if put in the situation where there is a conflict between the two. How they go about that varies from person to person.

 

To his credit, Hasan tried to get out of deployment using legitimate means. When it came down to the wire he was left having to make a very difficult decision.

 

In the Bible story, Daniel was willing to endure whatever consequence was imposed upon him alone for his decision to disobey government. Hasan could have done the same thing and remained true to his faith. He would have been subject to negative consequences he probably could have lived with, such as jail time, dishonorable discharge, loss of funds for education expenses, etc.

 

But Hasan fit the profile of others who have committed mass murder: Depressed, lonely, introverted, unliked by others, etc. This is not to say everyone who fits the profile will do this kind of thing, but they are more prone to it especially when put into a situation like Daniel or Hasan. Unfortunately, Hasan decided on an answer which allowed him to remain true to his faith, relieve him of personal consequences of disobeying the order (he didn't expect to survive since he gave away his possessions in advance), and harm others who put him in this moral dilemma.

 

I would say it's not PTSD or terrorism, but one of many options Hasan considered as he contemplated his personal situation. It happened to be the most violent, but to an angry man who felt pressured, fearful of consequences, and vengeful; this shooting was a way to accomplish everything at once.

 

That's just my take on it and none of this conflicts with abolts 7 points with which I totally agree. I think there is something to be said about being wary of those who might have split allegiances, which is basically abolts 7th point.

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http://www.gwumc.edu/hspi/old/PTTF_Proceed...rt_05.19.09.pdf

 

Title of the Homeland Security Policy Institute report:

 

Thinking Anew—Security Priorities for the Next Administration

PROCEEDINGS REPORT OF THE HSPI PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION TASK FORCE

April 2008-January 2009

 

Task Force Event Participants

From page 32:

 

Nidal Hasan

Uniformed Services University School of Medicine

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