The Telegraph is digging into the Ft. Hood gunman’s past public remarks:
Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the gunman who killed 13 at America’s Fort Hood military base, once gave a lecture to other doctors in which he said non-believers should be beheaded and have boiling oil poured down their throats.
He also told colleagues at America’s top military hospital that non-Muslims were infidels condemned to hell who should be set on fire. The outburst came during an hour-long talk Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, gave on the Koran in front of dozens of other doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Centre in Washington DC, where he worked for six years before arriving at Fort Hood in July.
Colleagues had expected a discussion on a medical issue but were instead given an extremist interpretation of the Koran, which Hasan appeared to believe.
One Army doctor who knew him said a fear of appearing discriminatory against a Muslim soldier had stopped fellow officers from filing formal complaints.
Another, Dr Val Finnell, who took a course with him in 2007 at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Maryland, did complain about Hasan’s “anti-American rants.” He said: “The system is not doing what it’s supposed to do. He at least should have been confronted about these beliefs, told to cease and desist, and to shape up or ship out. I really questioned his loyalty.”
If Dr. Finnell is telling the truth (and there must be some record of a complaint somewhere) it certainly seems that a serious error in judgment was made.
The thing about political correctness is that it’s only purpose is to hide the truth. That’s what distinguishes it from simple politeness. If there is any organization on earth that needs to be focused entirely on the way things actually are, as opposed to what they wish were true, it’s the military.
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I’ve had patriotic, capable friends who have been kicked out of the military for gaining weight, having health conditions, etc., but this joker got accepted and was allowed to roam free on an Army base? WTF?
Because they don’t have a problem, you do.
I agree Mike: The military should be the last place where political fantasies should reside.
We live in a world now where most would rather die than offend. I don’t get it.
It goes back to the Dr. Seuss’ The Butter Battle Book and other forms of childhood indoctrination. Most Americans are certain in their deepest hearts that we have no real enemies. There are only misunderstandings. If someone makes war on you, you must have misunderstood them. There must be some simple little miscommunication, that if you sat down and discussed it, you’d get it all straightened out and you’d all have a good laugh. So it’s not a question of life or death, you see. It’s just a delay in making ourselves understood. Don’t make it worse by fighting back. That would cause escalation.
Excellent point, Lars.
Hey man, don’t mess with Dr Seuss.
Just kidding, that book annoyed the heck outta me.
That’s at the bottom of all of this. Some of us get that this is not an exercise in communication technique, we are actually viewed as dangerous enough to be obliterated. The left gives themselves away every time they are astonished that people ACT on their belief systems.
In his Impromptus today, Mr. Nordlinger told a story about two liberals walking down the street. They come across a poor man who had been beaten and left moaning in the gutter, barely conscious. The liberals look at each other, aghast.
“We’ve got to find the person who did this!” one said to the other. “He needs our help!”
Oh, I love that.
I know I posted this link before, but this thread legally requires that I post it again:
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/obama_to_enter_diplomatic_talks
I’m glad you did. I hadn’t seen that before—very good!
I hadn’t seen it either, Mike! .
Thanks, T.
I think there’s a distinction to be made between regular military and docs at the NNMC, Walter Reed and USUHS. The Navy at NNMC in Bethesda is very different from the Navy in Norfolk, at least that’s my experience. Those docs wear scrubs more than uniforms. I’ve heard one story that a bunch of docs share one uniform – they keep it at work and borrow it when they need it. That’s how little they are in uniform. Many have more of the mentality of civilian docs. We have a couple of friends that went to USUHS with Major Hasan. I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to them about it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were aware of Hasan’s views. So, it might be worth considering what the reaction to Hasan’s views would be at a non-military medical school/hospital. People that serve in the Armed Forces are a cross-section of society, so don’t expect them to think with a single mind on everything. Plus, the military had great deal of money and resources invested in this guy, I doubt they were willing to let him walk away without paying back his years just because he’s a nut. Of course, they are rethinking that now, and I’m sure those in his chain of command will pay for their inaction.