The American Spectator

ECM| 11.9.09 @ 5:57AM

It begs repeating: when you are kind to the cruel, you are cruel to the kind.

sagman888| 11.9.09 @ 6:27AM

PC will be the death of us if we don't get a handle on it.

It is nuts when you think about it. When's the last time you saw a poll about what people think of PC? Can't think of one? Maybe it's because the opinion shapers don't want the rest of us to realize that PC is poison to the vast majority of Americans.

A tiny minority of liberal watchdogs is tyrannizing the rest of us, monitoring "hate speech" and inhibiting free speech. The only good thing that's coming out of this horrific incident is that people are saying, "Damn PC" and speaking their minds about the murderer and the belief system that drove him to commit the atrocity.

Ken| 11.9.09 @ 7:27AM

Good article. Political correctness and excessive accommodations have made our social lives on-going land mines.

Pete2| 11.9.09 @ 7:32AM

article on FOX mentions this major frequented strip clubs. Islamic men do stuff like that, it's acceptable according to their viewpoint of Islam. Sex slaves are also kept in Islamic countries.( concubines). Hardly a religion of peace that subjugates it's women like that. That aside, it is quite eveident now that this was terrorist attack in the true sense of the word. PC'ism is another form of terrorism also.

E. Patrick Mosman| 11.9.09 @ 7:47AM

Mr. West is absolutely correct as more will die as our PC leaders hide Islamic terrorism while dithering and offering excuses for the perpetrator. Had Major Hasan walked into the hall with a suicide explosive filled vest on and committed suicide while taking 13 lives and injuring 30 while hollering 'Allah Akbar', or similar, some would still be searching for motives.
Political correctness when it comes to Muslims or Islam is the order of the day. Another prior example among many:
On October 31, 1999 the reserve pilot of Egypt Air Flight 990 from Los Angeles to Cairo via New York saying "Tawakkalt ala Allah," translated as "I rely on God." more than 10 times as he deliberately put the plane into a vertical dive, fighting the Captain who had returned to the cockpit for control and shut off the engines to insure that the plane could not be brought out of its death dive. More than 200 people , including many Americans died. A political correct investigation and the official report by the NTSB called it a suicide but did not call it an Islamic terrorist act. The Egyptian official report blamed the plane not the pilot.
The Crash of Egypt Air 990
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200111/langewiesche
Any Islamic mullah can issue a Fatwa, an Islamic license to kill, on anyone for any perceived slight of Islam, the Prophet or whatever reason he thinks justifies a death sentence. In the real world, issuing an order to or soliciting for someone to kill another person is a criminal offense and subject to arrest and trial but political correctness allows Muslim clerics to order killings without fear of punishment and the Western world cringes at the idea that a fatwa might be issued for an author, publisher, movie director, actor, historian, or even a University, Yale is the most recent example, et al, and so practices self-censorship and political correctness.
Until the first arrest order is issued for a mullah who declares a fatwa against anyone for any reason, the rest of the world is under the control of radical Islam.

Tim| 11.9.09 @ 8:26AM

It's gonna be tough when this bastard gets up in court and starts giving the Allahu Akbhar...tough on the media and the pols who want to make every excuse imaginable including blaming the victims of his assault.
It may turn out that his survival was a good thing.

irene| 11.9.09 @ 9:21AM

Can someone explain how ONE MAN can be in two places at once. We keep hearing that he was in the building when he fired over 100 rounds before anyone could get him, including woundin 4 SWAT members, and in Sunday's paper it tells of the police barricading off the grassy knoll at the post where it is believed he fired off those over 100 rounds with one weapon! Witnesses said there were two shooters but now they were mistaken. We are not being told the truth.

Melinda| 11.9.09 @ 9:37AM

Do soldiers routinely attack innocent Muslims when jihadists hit US bases? Army Chief of Staff General George Casey's concern is that some of his soldiers will attack innocent men and women.

pete2| 11.9.09 @ 12:42PM

Casey needs to go if he thinks that.

Mike Constitution| 11.9.09 @ 10:47AM

Two points: First, it seems to me thereal danger to Muslim soldiers is from other Muslim soldiers like Major Hasan.

Second, I am not aware of any Muslim soldiers that have been harmed by non-Muslim soldiers but plenty of non-Muslim soldiers have been harmed by their fellow Muslim soldiers.

It is clear where the problem lies, General Casey.

Liberal Reader| 11.9.09 @ 11:06AM

Using this crime at Ft. Hood as an excuse to stoke, stir up, provoke, or inflame hatred against Muslims -- especially against Muslims in the military -- is un-American and morally insane.

McCain -- like most reactionary on the proto-fascist right wing fringes -- seems ready, even eager, to try to turn anger and grief into rage and violence.

Anti-Muslim bigotry, while understandible in ignorant hicks, is shocking an unacceptable when coming purporting to be a spokesman for the conservative movement.

And just to be clear: there are THOUSANDS of Muslims serving in the military and in intelligence agencies. Their work is very important to our success abroad. They sacrifice life and limb, just as Christians and people from other faiths do.

The notion that because this one, bad man --who clearly was deeply screwed up -- was Muslim is no reflection, NO reflection, on other Muslims.

To say otherwise, plain and simple, is bigotry. It's bigotry.

Campy| 11.9.09 @ 11:25AM

Okay, I wasn't going to bite, but LR, this is SO unintentionally laughable, no one could have written it better than you! What ARE you trying to say, man??

"Anti-Muslim bigotry, while understandible in ignorant hicks, is shocking an unacceptable when coming purporting to be a spokesman for the conservative movement."

Interested Conservative| 11.9.09 @ 11:56AM

I'll bite too - OK LR, what is the connection between this act and Islam? The question seems simple enough.

As a Quaker, I understand the answer to the question of what is the connection between this act and Quakerism, but I'm interested in other connections.

pete2| 11.9.09 @ 12:44PM

Do you live in Vermont? You sound like some of the flaming idiots we've been run over with here.

Campy| 11.9.09 @ 1:06PM

Now pete2...
Dear Grz lives in Vermont... they're not ALL wacky! :-)

COnservative Bob| 11.9.09 @ 6:40PM

Did anyone else anyone else hear the echo hear the echo or is it just me just me?

Campy| 11.9.09 @ 11:12AM

Col. West is absolutely right and yet pc continues to 'explain away' these types of incidents over and over again.

What's disturbing is not that Hasan was Muslim per se, but the notion that BECAUSE he is Muslim there is some form of nebulous justification or explanation. Due to the current PC climate, he already got the benefit of doubt (or fear), rather than the serious scrutiny ANY OTHER MAN would have deserved.

Frankly, am glad Hasan survived; a quick death would be too easy and would martyr him; as is, he's already being praised by a radical American imam publicly.

MSM is more concerned that the 'deeply-sensitive introvert was picked on and called names', as well as fears of retaliation. And even Gen. Casey is 'concerned' about backlash?? Tell me, show me... where has there been one single incidence of backlash in response, now 4 days out, a demonstration that Americans are far more tolerant than generally given credit for (thanks MSNBC and HuffPo.)

Aside from the fact that there has been no retaliation, what ethnic group in America, or anywhere for that matter, has not at some time been the target of verbal digs, physical assaults, and discrimination? It is NOT unique to Muslims—or even in America. Racism exists throughout the entire world. But to continue to foster an insidious form of racism, that Americans are somehow lone at fault, is appalling.

Why is it that we look for the worst in our own people, but the best in everyone else? Our soldiers did NOTHING to this man to deserve what happened to them.

At what point will we drop the pretension and cowardice? Even 9/11 didn't wake us up??

PS... Irene, get a grip. If someone is shooting off 100 rounds, there is going to be confusion.

KarlinPhoenix| 11.9.09 @ 12:12PM

Thank you, Col. West, for your thoughts in words.

Islam's intention today is world domination, just as it was in the 7th Century, under Muhammad.

Muslims come to America as Jihadis, support structure or as population builders, "breeder cows" (Islam encourages polygamy, which IS practiced in America by this subversive group).

Most people do not know what the "penalty" is for leaving Islam: DEATH! To leave Islam is Apostasy and the penalty for Apostasy it DEATH. Any Muslim can walk up to you and KILL YOU and it is not a sin for them to do it.

Islam is not so much a religion as it is a political ideology and a cult (The Cult of Death). Allah is not the God that all people worship, contrary to what the liars of Islam like to say. Instead, Allah is the PAGAN Moon God of the ancient, pre-Muhammad Arabian Peninsula. Muhammad repackaged the old PAGAN Moon-God Cult and called it Islam. The Moon God is a blood-thirsty devil and Muhammad was an apt "Prophet" for this Moon God. Muhammad was a child-raping, caravan robbing, slave taking, murderer of bound captives (he personally killed by chopping-off the heads of many hundreds of bound captive men and boys, right in front of the wives and children).

The Cult of Death (Islam) should be outlawed by America, not coddled and bowed-down to by our military and government. Will the next military member who "GOES JIHADI" ram a passenger-filled Civilian airplane with his military jet? Will an artillery crew suddenly start shelling a nearby town or city (20 miles away)! Will the "turned Jihadi" use one of our artillery missiles to kill hundreds of us, here in America?

It is only a matter of WHEN not "IF" for this evil to take place.

KarlinPhoenix| 11.9.09 @ 12:14PM

Look at this stratfor briefing: http://www.stratfor.com/weekly.....ng_who_how . Muslims are being "instructed" to perform acts of individual Jihad with ANY means available (knives, clubs, cars, guns, poison) and kill the non-Islamics worldwide. Get ready, America, the day is here NOW when these enemies among us have been given the "word

Liberal Reader| 11.9.09 @ 2:47PM

Anyone who can write "Islam's intention today" by defenition doesn't know what the hell he or she is talking about.

Imagine the same line as "Christianity's intention today."

There is no single Muslim intention, and again, these claims are simple bigotry, and the people making them -- that is, YOU -- are bigots.

Like all bigots, you are anxious to fix blame that one man deserves on an entire group. Like all people whose instincts are basically fascistic, you are eager to turn this minority group into a scapegoat, on which you can project your fears and impotent anger.

Nick| 11.9.09 @ 4:33PM

Marxist Reader,

How about "Wahhabi's intention today"?
Does that work for you?

Interested Conservative| 11.9.09 @ 5:07PM

LR - Again - I understand the relation of Quakerism to this atrocity, but do you deny any relation of Islam to it? Any?

Liberal Reader| 11.9.09 @ 5:46PM

Interested --

This man took two hand guns and shot at unarmed soldiers and civilians.

Only GOD knows why he did it.

However, even if HE claims he did it for Allah, or whatever, that does NOT mean that Islam had anything to do with what went so terribly wrong in this man's head.

To believe so is to make the error of attributing false causes.

Why did the man at Virginia Tech. shoot people? He was teased for being Asian?

People are teased all the time. People disagree with the war in Iraq all the time. They don't shoot people.

I know the RATIONAL thing is the difficult thing: we must live with uncertainty.

It's difficult to do that. We'd like to give a name to our pain, our loss, and our fear.

But we mustn't. It's not fair to tarnish the religion of a BILLION people, many thousands of whom serve honorably in our military, because of the actions of one crazy man.

Liberal Reader| 11.9.09 @ 5:49PM

Now --

We may find he had Al Quaeda connections. If so, he's guilty -- I think, I'm not a lawyer -- of treason as well as murder. He may well be guilty of treason anyway.

I know he violated his oath; I know he committed murder. His motivations may very well have had some jihadist bent to them. I still insist that blaming "Islam" for that is wrong headed and morally stupid.

The traitor Hansen was a devoted Roman Catholic. I don't remember anyone asking whether Catholicism should be viewed with more suspicion.

Conservative Bob| 11.9.09 @ 7:01PM

Please show me where the Catholic Church calls its members to commit suicide and commit murder in the name of Christ. Please show me the example where the act of killing non-believers will insure his place in paradise in catholic doctrine.

Please show me where Hansen's Priest praised his acts of espionage.

Please give me a list of Catholics that were encouraged to commits acts of espionage against their country or murder and carried it out.

Sura 5:33| 11.20.09 @ 1:25AM

LR,

Sir you are entirely mistaken, Islam has everything to do with this type of crazed behavior. Have you read the Qur'an? Please allow me:

5:33. The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the and is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter;

This belief system, when taken at face value is dangerous yet when practiced will produce what you wish to defend here.

Please do not call concern of the folks here bigoted, but rather take a look at your position in light of the belief system we are dealing with globally.

There are several terrorists that have spoken out against this belief system, I urge you to become informed.

-- Walid Shoebat
-- Zachariah Anani
*the above are just two.
**If you wish, look up the USC web site for an english version of the qur'an.

Sincerely,

Concerned for LR

Nick| 11.9.09 @ 5:52PM

Marxist Reader/Mr. Hyde,

When were in the Army? What units?

Liberal Reader1| 11.9.09 @ 6:46PM

Nick --

Are you capable of responding to any actual points I make?

I'm not going to play this game of trying to prove to you -- on an anonymous site -- something about myself.

And I wouldn't give out personal information on a site where I'm regularly referred to as a Nazi and a traitor.

Nick| 11.9.09 @ 7:40PM

I thought so.

You weren't in the Army. Why do liberals always lie?

John| 11.16.09 @ 8:01AM

Oh, you mean this "allowed to resign from the Army in disgrace rather than face court-martial for war crimes in Iraq" lieutenant colonel?

LTC Allen West still gets national attention based on his having lost his temper a few years back, when he mock-executed an Iraqi prisoner by firing live pistol rounds past his ear, after watching his men spend an hour trying and failing to beat a confession out of the prisoner (that's at least two separate war crimes by my count). The Army's final investigative report on the incident states that LTC West's senior sergeant finally stepped in to stop the abuse, after which LTC West reported himself to military authorities and was allowed to resign his commission to avoid court-martial. LTC West lives on in military urban myth as a two-fisted leader who stood tall and saved his men's lives by "doing what had to be done" to extract a confession out of a stubborn Iraqi insurgent. In fact, he got no information, accomplishing nothing but a war crime and the ruin of his own career.

OK, so maybe that's all ad hominem. So let's look at LTC West's actual argument that international jihad is gaining traction in the U.S. armed forces: Of course MAJ Hasan's murderous and cowardly massacre was jihad by any reasonable definition. Of course our jihadist enemies wish more U.S. Moslems would follow his lead. Now, by LTC West's own examples, in eight years of war and with a few _million_ servicemembers having cycled in and out of the armed forces since 2001, perhaps five U.S. Moslem servicemembers have killed other U.S. servicemembers out of religiously motivated hatred. Sorry, I just don't see how that represents an organized Islamic fifth column. What other categories of murder in the military or in civilian life (drugs, robberies, stalkings, crimes of passion, financial disputes, etc.) have only five (5) examples to point to, out of the entire U.S. population?

I won't even get into the multiple fabrications and whoppers LTC West trots out ("vicarious PTSD?" Give me a break, Allen. You made it up) to make his case about treasonous liberals siding with the terrorists. I guess if you're mad and scared enough, you get to substitute shaky-finger-pointing outrage for facts and common sense, eh, Colonel?

I dare anyone on this forum to show actual links to mainstream media "defending" (as opposed to trying to understand, the better to prevent next time) Hasan's actions.

It deeply offends me, both as an Army veteran and American citizen, to see LTC West, of all people, being treated as though his poorly spelled, ungrammatical, ignorantly sanctimonious opinion were worth anything at all on this topic. Oh, and I served 15 years as an Army NCO and officer, and deployed three times to Iraq and Afghanistan, twice since LTC West was allowed to resign from the Army in lieu of court-martial for conduct unbecoming an officer--but I guess I can't be a real American or care about our country, since I didn't vote Republican--right, Allen?