It is the morning of November 5, 2014, and Republicans and conservative activists are overjoyed with last night’s election results which, among other things, saw the GOP take over the Senate, Wisconsin’s Scott Walker winning his third election in four years and Republicans regaining the Governor’s mansion in Massachusetts (subject to a possible recount).

But this morning, the joy is tempered by both sadness and anger. For it was five years ago today, that 12 soldiers, a civilian, and an unborn child were slaughtered in an act of both treason and terrorism by Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan. As Hasan killed his fellow soldiers, he shouted “Allahu Akbar!!!” over and over again. In his possession were business cards bearing the inscription “S of A,” meaning Soldier of Allah.

The Fort Hood shootings represented the most significant act of Islamic fundamentalist terrorism on American soil since September 11, 2001. And yet, from the beginning, President Obama has sought to deny what is staring right into our faces. He set the tone only hours after the shootings. Obama gave an address to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and saw fit to give shout outs to officials before abruptly changing his tone and addressing what had happened in Texas. “We don’t know all the answers yet,” he exclaimed. “And I would caution against jumping to conclusions until we have all the facts.”

More than two years later, the Department of Defense concluded the Fort Hood shootings were an act of “workplace violence.” If Fort Hood was an act of workplace violence, what does that make the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon? Because of this designation, the Pentagon would determine in March 2013 that the families of the soldiers who died at Fort Hood would be ineligible to receive Purple Hearts and compensation. At the time it was argued that giving the Purple Hearts would compromise Hasan’s right to a fair trial. Well, Hasan had his fair trial and has been sentenced to death. And yet the Fort Hood families are still being denied their Purple Hearts. President Obama could have spared these families so much pain if he had called what happened the afternoon of November 5, 2009, by its real name.

When it comes to soldiers murdered by Muslim terrorists, contrast the behavior of President Obama to that of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In the space of 48 hours, two Canadian soldiers were killed by recent Muslim converts. The first attack took place in St. Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, the second at the Canadian War Memorial in Ottawa. The assailant in Ottawa would then proceed down to Parliament Hill where he was gunned down by Sergeant at Arms Kevin Vickers. In a televised address to the nation, Harper told like it was:

Fellow Canadians, in the days to come, we will learn more about the terrorist and any accomplices he may have had, but this week’s events are a grim reminder that Canada is not immune to the types of terrorist attacks we have seen elsewhere around the world.

To remove any sense of ambiguity, Harper even referred to the St. Jean-sur-Richelieu attacker as an “ISIL-inspired terrorist.” These words would never be uttered by President Obama’s forked tongue. Curiously, Thomas Mulcair, leader of the NDP and Canada’s official opposition, made a point of stating the Parliament Hill shooter was not a terrorist. When it comes to denying Islamic terrorism, the socialists are in solidarity with one another.

For President Obama, it’s as if Fort Hood never happened. In his crusade for more gun control, Obama consistently spoke about the victims at Tucson, Aurora, Colorado, Oak Creek, Wisconsin and Newtown, Connecticut, but never Fort Hood. Aside from the fact that Hasan was subdued by gunfire from two police officers, mentioning it would only raise questions as to why Obama refuses to call it an act of terrorism. From where Obama sits, the less said about Fort Hood the better. Just call it workplace violence and move on.

Now that Republicans will control both Houses of Congress, it is incumbent upon the new Congress to see to it that the Fort Hood families get the Purple Hearts they deserve. Furthermore, any Republican who seeks the White House ought to vow that upon taking office that he or she will officially recognize the shootings at Fort Hood to be an act of Islamic terrorism. The Fort Hood families have waited long enough. So have the rest of us.