Pajamas Media

60 Comments

1. Javelin:

No, I blame the Army, this is just another cheezy “blame it on PC & liberals” cop out which is the staple of this blog and talk radio in general. Since you boneheads worship the military, any time they screw up you have to blame someone else, like one of those brie eating, sherry drinking evil liberals who spend their whole lives tormenting such godly goodly simple folk like you.

You remind me of those diehard Communists who as they were being tortured, imprisoned or shot for some imaginary crimes based on Stalin’s orders, praised him and felt, “If only Iosef knew, he would free me!”

Nov 12, 2009 - 1:10 am 2. genghis:

Yes, the military must accept responsibility. And a lions share must go to the politicians and their PC indoctrinated minions. But the most culpable group of all are the lawyers who fatten themselves scamming the political correctness golden goose. The tort attorneys who manipulate and distort truth in their quest for more lucre.

ps JAVELIN: I have difficulty accepting that the US military is sworn to defend and protect a little pimple such as yourself. Bless the Constitution, twerp.

Nov 12, 2009 - 2:56 am 3. carla:

JAVELIN

It is not considered appropriate to drink sherry while eating brie. Even us yahoos know that. And, by the way, us boneheads don’t think that liberals are evil, just plain dumb-assed stupid. And a bit ignorant, arrogant, otherworldly, unrealistic, impractical, effete, cowardly, craven, narcissistic and immature; much like yourself. The evil label is usually applied to conservatives by convinced liberals. In the past, it was mainly the wacko leftwingers that tossed it aobut, but more recently the mainstream liberal corpus has adopted it. But, go ahead and drink your sherry and scarf down some brie. Is that a piece of arugala stuck between your teeth? Gasp.

Nov 12, 2009 - 3:11 am 4. Sioux Lady:

Javelin, can you explain to this bonehead why you and other trolls who regularly comment here read this blog or listen to talk radio of the same persuasion. The old adage “know thine enemy” doesn’t quite seem to cover the inordinate amount of time you must spend doing so. I don’t waste my time reading The Daily Kos or The Huffinton Post because I know what their position will be on 99.9% of the issues and I know that any comment I might post to one of their blogs will be dismissed out of hand like yours are here. Is there some deep-seated, masochistic need trolls have to make themselves miserable? A “will to pain?” Or is it a trollesque need to bully – usually anonymously? I’d truly like to know what motivates y’all.

Nov 12, 2009 - 3:22 am 5. Old Soldier:

General Officers are politicians. Non-PC Colonels don’t get stars regardless of their battlefield skills.

Nov 12, 2009 - 4:22 am 6. anton:

Maybe I’m just old-fashioned but I blame Hasan. If he believed that he needed to fight against the US he should have resigned his commission, given up his US citizenship and moved to one of the countries that are currently supporting terrorism, After having accepted citizenshiop there he would have been free to act on his beliefs. In staed he chose to get a gun and then run around shooting unarmed people, that is treason, that is cowardly, but again, that is radical Islam.

PC was the enabler (either in the political climate or the military structure), Hasan was the murderer.

Nov 12, 2009 - 6:03 am 7. Dwight:

The author writes: If the nation doesn’t want a repeat of Fort Hood or other terrorists shooting up malls or neighborhood schools, then a sustained, unapologetic, no-holds-barred campaign needs to be mounted against the authors and defenders of political correctness.”

Well, golly, I’m glad that we can now solve this problem. If we just declare war on “political correctness” then we will all be safe. What am I missing here? That line just sounds dumb.

Let’s declare all-out war on “politics” while we are at it, and then we can end sin in the world as we know it.

The problem with a lot of stuff at this site and almost everywhere else these days is that people exaggerate to make their point, and as a result almost everything is hyperbole and devolves to blather. One does not just disagree with Obama’s policies, but he is a Marxist, charlatan, scam-artist, fraud, spineless, blah, blah, blah.

This stuff has to kill brain cells.

Nov 12, 2009 - 6:05 am 8. macko:

Don’t forget the president is against anything the previous administration did to protect us from the likes of hasan. No more renditions or torture(atleast what you will hear about). He even wants to mirandize the taliban when captured. The FBI new about this guy for a long time but probably didn’t act because they didn’t feel they could get a conviction which is what led to 9/11. We have come full circle.

Nov 12, 2009 - 6:07 am 9. anton:

“…his beliefs. In staed he ..”
should read, ” ….his beliefs. Instead he..”

One of these days I’ll learn to type properly

Nov 12, 2009 - 6:08 am 10. David Thomson:

“I’d truly like to know what motivates y’all.”

These lefties are well aware that indirectly, if not even directly, they will be well compensated financially. George Soros could even be paying them at this very moment. One understands nothing about the Progressive movement and Obama-ism until they realize that this madness greatly increases their political power—and fattens their wallets. These individuals fully expect ample compensation. Ever heard of a guy named Al Gore, Jr?

Nov 12, 2009 - 6:09 am 11. howiem:

There is plenty of blame to spread around. Let’s start with those of us who have allowed ourselves to become brainwashed by the PC media. As parents we have failed to see that our children learn to think for themselves. At our schools and universities (with few exceptions) PC is the only accepted mentality. The military has too many rules and regulations directed by politics, not by mission requirements. In the end it is the politicians, because they are the ones we elect to make the rules, and they inevitably make bad rules. Thus it comes full circle – back to we the people who make such poor choices at the ballot box, re-elect politicians who are totally incompetent at anything except getting re-elected.

Nov 12, 2009 - 6:41 am 12. anton:

@7. Dwight:

Are you suggesting that the atmosphere of PC had nothing to do with this?

Do you truly believe that the FBI dropped it’s investigation into what were clearly treasonable acts because they had a desire to see Hasan succeed or just didn’t give a damn?

What operative factor in the military/law-enforcement environment would have contributed to this event other than the strictures placed on them by the PC culture?

Nov 12, 2009 - 6:54 am 13. Don51:

“I (insert name), having been appointed a (insert rank) in the U.S. Army under the conditions indicated in this document, do accept such appointment and do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God”

At what point did those around him know that he was unable to fulfill that oath ‘without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion’? Oaths had better mean something because they’re the last defense between the Republic and a Caesar.

Nov 12, 2009 - 7:04 am 14. Koblog:

Institutions adopt standards of speech. It’s true of the private sector as well as Government institutions like the Army.

At my company, they put up posters commanding us to “celebrate” sexual perversion.

The Army was commanded to “celebrate” having Muslims in its ranks. George Bush “celebrated” having a Muslim as one of his personal Secret Service agents.

The command structure in the Army had no choice but to look the other way until the bullets started flying to screams of “allahu akbar!”

Nov 12, 2009 - 7:11 am 15. pst314:

Every day we see more evidence that people knew about Hasan’s dangerously extremist beliefs, but were afraid to do anything for fear that PC “tolerance” rules could cost them their jobs.

And yet Dwight and Javelin want us to believe that PC ideology had nothing to do with the Fort Hood atrocity. Not just liars but transparent liars.

Nov 12, 2009 - 7:17 am 16. Anonymous:

Our society is worm-eaten with political correctness, but it’s worse in Europe. Bobbies have been instructed not to say “good morning” anymore for fear Muslims will find something to object to hidden in the salutation. We’ve got a ways to go in this country, but we’re making good time in catching up.

Nov 12, 2009 - 7:22 am 17. blotto:

Okay Dwight, what is your answer? How do we protect American soldiers and citizens from the murderous Islamic jihadists we have living in our midst?

Why is having a war on totalitarian speech codes and thought so dumb? And if you can prove Obama is not a marxist then show us. We neanderthals would like to know. also show us his college transcripts, his law review articles, hell anything with his name on it that shows what he has done before being coronated.

See us on the right will accept facts and truth; it is you on the left that have to resort to speech codes, marixism and totalitarian authority in order to advance your agenda.

Nov 12, 2009 - 7:23 am 18. dan:

It is both incoherent and illegal to ‘remove’ someone because they are a jihadi; it is certainly illegal and incoherent to remove someone because, ‘well, they might go on a rampage.’ Under its regulations, without several serious infractions of standing policy the Army could have done little more than it did when it transfered Hasan from Walter Reed to Ft. Hood, where it hoped Hasan would pass into oblivion.

The responsibility rests with Hasan. People who indulge in the reflexive ‘who should have caught this?’ are succumbing to the kind of criticism which is instinct with the Left: it’s not their fault, it’s Our fault.

No, it isn’t. It’s their fault. That’s the end of the story.

I personally though believe the CIA or other intel may have had evidence that Hasan was a sleeper. This is just based on quasi-educating guessing. And even in that case, sometimes it’s better – in the interests of justice and national security – to watch and learn and control. Well, the guy bought a couple of guns and shot up the mess hall. I do not want to live in a society – i.e. the USSR – in which individual behavior is controlled to the extent that such a thing is almost literally impossible. The first step toward such a society is to blame the authorities, not Hasan. It is Hasan’s fault. Make your peace with it.

Nov 12, 2009 - 7:25 am 19. Assistant Village Id:

Dwight, many of those aren’t exaggerations. That’s why they’re being said. Joe Lieberman is someone I disagree with, but he’s not a charlatan. Ben Nelson is someone I disagree with, but he’s not a fraud. Obama is a charlatan and a fraud – it goes deeper than mere disagreement, to his root character and how that affects his decisions. Marxist is pushing it, sure. But “socialist,” which is considered an hyperbolic insult when applied to an American Democrat, would be in the name of any European party which Obama belonged to.

Not all anger leads to blind rage and inability to make distinctions. Sometimes anger is the proper response. People make lots of unfair generalizations about PC speech, but this situation is one where the it is indeed one of the culprits.

Re: arguing with javelin. He clearly puts his energy into the cleverness of the insult rather than the thinking behind his statements. Don’t bother.

Nov 12, 2009 - 7:33 am 20. J:

In case you were wondering how advanced the PC cancer really is:

“And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse”

- Gen George Casey, US Army Chief of Staff

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33752275/ns/meet_the_press/page/2/

Unbelievable. For the record General, you’re wrong; loss of “diversity” would not be worse than mass murder of your own troops.

I don’t want harrassment to go unpunished, but the unbalanced nature of our handling of the issue has led to a situation where people are afraid to speak out for fear of being accused of some sort of prejudice. We need to move to a zero sum system, in which people who make accusations that subsequently prove unwarranted are punished at least as severely as people against whom the accustions are valid, perhaps by legislation defining an unwarranted accusation itself as harrassment. And the decision about validity should be made by the employee’s peers, not some HR hack.

Nov 12, 2009 - 7:34 am 21. Lynn:

My son within a year of boot camp completed infantry training, qualified airborne, went through the Ranger Indoctrination Program and within a few weeks of graduation from RIP, was shipped off to Iraq. When he was got in trouble after leave, his psychologist began his counseling with his feet propped up on a table munching a sub while he explained my sons “options”. From that point on every person he came across was a machine going through the motions and holding the future of a nineteen year olds life in their hands and not really giving a Crap. They DID NOT CARE. He was just another kid in their giant bureaucracy and the fact he served in the military in combat did not make one GOD DAMN bit of difference. He was a kid up against a giant machine that churned and churned and was not too particular about who got chewed up. I suspect that in their hurry to wind down the war, the bean counters were in a hurry to get rid of as much soldiers as they could before they hit that magic number of two years and would be eligible for full veterans benefits.

I still fly that American Flag on Veterans Day and still have great respect for those who serve and put their life on the line for this Country, but I do not live under the illusion that the Army is some Big Family where once you join they will be there for you through thick and thin. That is what is expected from the soldiers but not particularly what they will get back.
And I do not live under the illusion that all those who move up the chain merit it, and those who are pushed aside are deserving of that fate.

The man who slaughtered those other soldiers was allowed to prosper in the Army despite the many warnings about his behavior and his beliefs. My son who went in to the Army, nineteen years old and fought in combat within a year of his induction was rolled over by the Army steamroller.

The Army should have to explain itself in this situation where all the alarm bells were sounding and no one was paying attention. A man who had combat veteran’s life in his care was the same guy with his feet up on his desk shoveling a sub in his mouth, and the same JAG lawyer who had too many papers to shuffle through so she didn’t see my son.

The Army should not be immune from criticism or they will just be and has become another bureaucracy where young soldiers lives are just a piece of paper coming in the in box and going out the out box, another day another dollar.

Nov 12, 2009 - 7:35 am 22. Bohemond:

PC has infected the military for a long tome. What pinheads like Javelin don’t understand (one of many, many things they don’t understand about the military) is the enormous divide between combat units and the Pentagon (which the warfighters despise). The Pentagon is a snakenest of bureaucrats and politicians, a world of gladhanding and apple-polishing and yes-manning and, especially, toeing the ideological line.

The PC infection of the Pentagon goes way back. Does the name Kara Hultgreen ring a bell? She was the Navy’s First Female Fighter Pilot. Well, the First Female Fighter Pilot killed herself and just missed killing many others one night, botching a carrier landing. Turns out the First Female Fighter Pilot was utterly, completely unsat in flight training, but the Pentagon Powers had decreed that the First Female Fighter Pilot would not, could not be washed out, no matter how bad she was.

Oh, and then the Navy’s original investigation report tried to whitewash it and blame it on “mechanical failure.” It took a lot of pressure to have the case re-opened and have the Navy admit the truth.

Nov 12, 2009 - 7:42 am 23. Beauxdog:

What happens now?

He needs a fast, fair trial. I vote for tomorrow.

He needs a fast, fair punishment. I think a firing squad of the buddies of the dead would be appropriate. Again, I vote for tomorrow.

Nov 12, 2009 - 7:45 am 24. U.:

The technically correct conclusion strikes a resonant false note:

“For liberals, the military is a smart diversion from their own culpability in making the nation less safe through the odious doctrines of political correctness.”

For the word “safe” substitute words like “levelheaded, thoughtful, commonsensible” to glimpse the worst damage, which is to the country’s ability to accurately see and know itself. Implicit elevation of “safety” above those values incorporates a judgment that I don’t accept. For some psychological reason I prefer “danger” if it means that I have the liberty to think for myself. “Ignorance may be bliss, but bliss isn’t everything.”

Nov 12, 2009 - 7:56 am 25. John "birther" Samfordc:

Both. The actually tactical failings are the fault of the US Army, in particular the Commanding General.
This wasn’t the first time such an attack was attempted, just the first time it worked. ALL base commanders must realize they are in the front line trenches, so to speak. Any group of Soldiers larger then a Squad should have the means to defend themselves. Soldiers don’t carry weapons on base because it makes their commanders nervous. Commanders will have to get over that.
The Strategic failing lies at the feet of the political class. For some reason the politicians won’t face the fact that there is one war, it spans the globe and there are no safe havens.
Afghanistan, Iraq, Philipines, Yeman, Israel, Spain, Britian, the USA, it’s all the same war, just different parts/fronts/theaters.
Once the political class accepts that fact, then the citizens will become aware and vigilant. At that point the war is about half won. Wars are fought in the mind. War is about the will to win. Weapons are just the tools used to affect that will.
Our enemy understands and embraces this fact.
Until our political class does too, we will be in danger.

Nov 12, 2009 - 7:59 am 26. Beauxdog:

And Hasan will be off to be with his 72 virgins. Don’t these people realize this is a curse, not a blessing?

The problem with a virgin is, once you have used it, it ain’t a virgin anymore. Given that, if you have sex only once a week, 72 virgins will only last a little more than a year.

A year versus eternity? A year of bliss, but then you have 72 gripey, complaining, and competitive females to support for eternity. Worse, females tend to sync their monthly cycles, so one week a month is going to be absolute hell.

And you think that because you are a man that you are going to dominate in a household with 72 women? I think not.

Hasan will get what he deserves in “heaven”.

Nov 12, 2009 - 8:00 am 27. Dougf:

Well since this is a thread on the subject of PCness and its vile effects on society in general and the Army in particular, I think I can bring this to the table.

If you want to see a perfect example of PC in action and the effects it has on otherwise quite intelligent people, I point you to O’Reilly’s interview last night with Sally Quinn. It was a classic TV segment.

Now I personally have thought that O-Reilly had seen his best days and that he was just ‘phoning it in’ for much of the past year. But the Fort Hood situation seems have re-ignited his ‘interest’ as well it should . It combines all the PCness he hates, with a situation that requires absolute adherence to ‘words’ and what they REALLY mean. And to boot a clear and distinct ACTION which requires analysis of the completely OBJECTIVE type. He was not bullying except in a purely ‘intellectual’ way. The way that was decidedly needed by the sheer depths of the self-imposed ignorance.

Anyhoo if you have not watched the Quinn segment, please try to catch it when it is posted to the wider web. It was frankly amazing to watch someone literally dance ALL around the topic in ever decreasing but increasingly frantic circles for literal fear that her World View was being destroyed right in front of her eyes. She FINALLY had to admit that Hasan was not only a terrorist (that was like pulling teeth in itself) BUT that he was a MUSLIM TERRORIST motivated by JIHADISM. That was like performing open-heart surgery while the patient fought you every literal step of the way.

Anyhoo just watch it. You will be amazed at the depth of the STUPIDITY in the supposed elites. These people are not just saying this stuff for ‘effect’. They REALLY believe it. And THAT’S not a pretty sight. Nor is it a ’safe’ one.

Nov 12, 2009 - 8:27 am 28. Tolbert:

“Is the military really to blame for this development, or are politicians the culprits?”

Flag Officers are politicians so why make the distinction? /sarcasm off

Let’s not forget Sharifa Zuhur the instructor at the United States Army War College (USAWRC) who authored a paper published by the War College that pushed for a “dialog” between the U.S. military and Hamas.

The mindless obsequience to diversity must stop. Don’t piss down my neck and tell me it’s raining.

Nov 12, 2009 - 8:53 am 29. M. Report:

@ 22. Bohemond: PC pilots

Sorry to hear about Hultgreen (AKA The Hulk);
Reminds me of Valentina Tereshkova, 1st female
Cosmonaut.

There was an interesting interview between a PC
reporter and a competent female combat pilot:

R: Well, yes, it is war, but still, don’t you
feel _any_ compassion for your enemies ?

P: No, but I feel _really_good_ when I see my
ordnance land on target.

@ 26. Beauxdog: Blessings and curses

Actually, things are perfect in Paradise;
Virginity, both physical and psychological,
is miraculously restored each morning after.

Unfortunately, Hasan can, according to his
rules, look forward to another fate entirely;
Go to the Onion, and search Mohammed Atta. :>

Nov 12, 2009 - 8:54 am 30. Old Soldier:

dan – The guy was trying to correspond with the enemy in order to help their cause. This is called Treason and, according to the Constitution, is punishable by death.

If I had written letters offering my services to the Soviet Union in the ’80’s, I would have been locked up, as would a GI sending love-letters to the Nazis in the ’40’s. Actively helping the Soviets or Nazis (espionage or sabotage – which the Fort Hood attack can be called) would have meant an appointment with a firing squad.

Nov 12, 2009 - 9:01 am 31. uncledip:

Let’s go back further than just his psych residency:
Was he a good college student? Did his pre-med advisor like what he saw?
Were his college grades marginal?How about his med school grades?
Did he attract favorable interest during the internship-matching program
after med school graduation?
Can we rule out the possibility that he got a PC push at every step of the way?

Nov 12, 2009 - 9:01 am 32. Bohemond:

M.Report:

I have nothing at all against female pilots, many of whom are very, very good. Google Kim Campbell USAF for an example.

What I can’t abide is PC doctrine which coddles *in*competent pilots (or any other job) because they belong to a Certified Victim Group.

Nov 12, 2009 - 9:08 am 33. genghis:

It is interesting to note that those who have the least to lose, who are the least threatened personally are invariably the ones who stake out the most politically correct positions. The self same who proudly display their love of humanity, deep sensitivity, empathy, and solidarity with our avoed enemies.

Nov 12, 2009 - 9:10 am 34. willis:

“If he believed that he needed to fight against the US he should have resigned his commission, given up his US citizenship and moved to one of the countries that are currently supporting terrorism…”

Anton, you’ve been drinking sherry while eating that brie again, haven’t you. Terrorists don’t wage war honorably. Their buddies would laugh them out of the club. In fact, look for a lot more terrorists to enlist and slaughter American soldiers with little risk of mission failure. The army has made it quite clear that they consider diversity more important than the lives of their troops.

Nov 12, 2009 - 9:10 am 35. Dwight:

#27 Dougf I did see it and thought that it was dumb how important it was to either of them to say or not say the words. O’Reilly loves to tweak them because he see that they WON”T say it, but the larger point..is..pointless. We will (I hope) find out what the guy did and did not do, what maybe should have happened to stop this, but we need to find out whatever it is, not label in a PC way or an ideological way.
O’Reilly is getting squeezed because he sees (unlike Hannity) that what Obama says and does is not that unreasonable from a centrist point of view, but the Fox base hangs around because of the red meat, so he dangles the red meat out there, sometimes let’s you gobble it, sometimes pulls it back. He has had to admit that Obama’s speech was at least OK, but he can’t afford to spend much time on that because guys like you would be saying that he is mailing it in.

By the way I agree that a lot of PC stuff is rigid, ponderous, and dumb, but I see just as much of that on the right, (only it is CC stuff;Conservatively Correct) making their particularly rabid critiques of PC or Obama not particularly reliable.

Nov 12, 2009 - 9:23 am 36. jdkchem:

“One does not just disagree with Obama’s policies, but he is a Marxist, charlatan, scam-artist, fraud, spineless, blah, blah, blah.”

Which of those is not true?

@javelin – You’re a coward.

Nov 12, 2009 - 9:33 am 37. anton:

34. willis:

Take it easy there fella, brie maybe, sherry never (I am a port man).

I should have prefaced my statement with: “If he were any sort of an honorable man….”. As we all know terrorists by their very nature are craven, slimy, hog-droppings that are only capable of playing at being brave when shooting up little kids or defenseless women.

Hasan (of human sewage fame) drove past the armed guards to get to defenseless people. I find it deliciously ironic that a female police officer dropped him, he should be reminded of this each and every day for the few days he is allowed to continue to pollute this planet.

Perhaps getting a little OT here but does anyone else sense a rising tide of outrage amongst the enlisted ranks? Many of my friends in the service are dissillusioned with the muted response the Brass Monkeys at the Pentagon have displayed.

Nov 12, 2009 - 9:44 am 38. Berlet98:

Terrible Terror, Terrible Terrorist: Part Three

This final installment of “Terrible Terror, Terrible Terrorist” was postponed in deference to the obsequies for the casualties conducted at Fort Hood and the commemoration of Veterans Day. I chose not to pollute either with the evolving, sickening details surrounding the senseless Muslim murders in Texas which made the Texas Chainsaw murders almost child play.

That evolution becomes more sickening by the day.

Our president, with wife Michelle in tow, made a duty-appearance at those services on Tuesday appearing very somber as he read the names of the 13 dead, declaring them heroes, promising “the killer will be met with justice–in this world and the next.”

Obama incorporated brief and touching biographical notes on each victim, including a newlywed and a pregnant mother, whose death brought the body count to fourteen.

He lamented “the twisted logic that led to this tragedy. But this much we do know: No faith justifies these murderous and craven acts.”

His very presidential speech omitted 2 significant references. There was no mention of the dreaded T-word, Terrorism, nor of the suspected perpetrator of those “murderous and craven acts:” http://bit.ly/XBMIE

Obama out of pique had passed on attending the celebrations in Berlin remembering “the fall of the wall” and had postponed his jaunt to China in order to squeeze in his trip to Fort Hood but his omissions of the T-word and any reference to Hasan’s Islamic-terrorist connections were very telling.

They were in line with his efforts to play those connections down even as the facts continue to pile up. . . .

(Read the rest at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1318)

Nov 12, 2009 - 9:44 am 39. John Burke:

This is a silly argument. Of course the Army — and even more the FBI — bear a large share of ther blame for skipping past glaring warning signs and, more importantly, failing to “connect the dots.” After 9/11, the latter failure — for whatever reason, political correctness, fear of politicians, or just incompetence — is not acceptable and, as the Fort Hood Massacre plainly shows, fatally dangerous.

Railing at pols, pundits, and academe about PC may make you feel better, but the fact is that no one at the Joint Counterterrorism Task Force, where the FBI is king, or at Walter Reed Hospital, needed to ask the White House or Congress what to do about Hasan. Fortunately, 20 terror plots on US soil have been broken up since 9/11. This one was not. We need to find out exactly where and why the key decisions were made that allowed this one to get through.

My own strong suspicion is that the key failure was not at the Army but at the FBI (notwithstanding the Bureau’s furious leaking about the DoD analyst at the Task Force who looked at Hasan). We’ll see, but only if we demand a full probe.

Nov 12, 2009 - 10:06 am 40. wannabe:

Republicans Blaming Obama For Ft Hood Only Make It Harder To Un-PC the Leadership.

Hasan was there talking all his poop all through the Bush years.

BUSH was too PC fighting this war and we should make THAT point rather than taking cheap shots blaming Obama for it (which it seems so many want to do).

Maybe if we provided Obama a little cover by blaming Bush MAYBE his pathetic ass would allow some common-sense to be injected into the “how do we deal with obvious jihadis in our military” debate.

What a sad and stupid situation…

Nov 12, 2009 - 10:10 am 41. Will:

Don’t blame the military,they’re hands are tied. Blame political correctness.

Nov 12, 2009 - 10:13 am 42. anton:

The toxic tide of PC has been rising for decades, it has risen throught he educational system and now forms a part of every American’s conciousness. It perverts the way we speak and think, creating an endless mood of self-censorship and double-think. Any thinking person can see the Orwellian dimensions of the problem. It is now difficult to find the words to express the problem without “offending” some special citizen.

For a co-worker, or even a supervisor, to say; “This guy is a dangerous, traitorous S.O.B.” is verboten. It is also gauranteed to land the person saying as much in more trouble than the criminal gets into.

The same stupid nonsense demands “random” searches at airport security, as if little old retired Jewish women had taken over an airliner and slaughtered thousands.

PC is an extension of the Left’s inability to accept responsiblity for it’s actions, and by extension, to hold anyone else accountable for theirs. Theives are not criminals they are “disadavantaged”, murderers can’t be blamed because “they has terrible childhoods”, rapists are not to be held to account because “they had a mean/absent/criminal father” and so forth.

We now live with the product of forty years of this bile.

God help us all.

Nov 12, 2009 - 10:32 am 43. ken in sc:

Something that has gone unmentioned in this case is this. So-called Profession rated officers, such as doctors, nurses, lawyers, chaplains, and some others I probably don’t know about, do not receive the same training and military indoctrination that regular troops and line officers receive. The military part of their training is very abbreviated. If they internalize the military virtues of duty, honor, loyalty, courage, and endurance, it is strictly a result their upbringing or osmosis from others. They did not get it through basic training or officer training programs. By and large, these people are commanded and supervised by people who went through the same program. In other words, they are not real officers. This fact is recognized by regulations that specifically exclude them from being appointed temporary troop commander during a troop movement/mobility operation. They are not allowed to command anyone except others in their same profession. Hasan was an officer, but not a real officer.

Nov 12, 2009 - 10:35 am 44. blotto:

dwight35: Not answering questions does not a good debate make. So regarding you last lame comments, just what rigid CC rules/policy are there? Nice try to equivocate your PC madness with something you just made up whole cloth that is meaningless.

I am trying to help you build some credibility but you are becoming tedious.

Nov 12, 2009 - 10:50 am 45. ken in sc:

I guess I left off my point. If Hasan had been a line officer, I feel sure he would have been identified and weeded out. When I was on active duty, I had dealings with both military lawyers and doctors who’s un-military attitudes interfered with me carrying out my command responsibilities. I had a guy who deliberately injured himself to get out of duty in Saudi Arabia. I tried to charge him with malingering under the UCMJ and these so-called professional officers would not cooperate. Without their testimony, I could not move forward. He lost his security clearance and everyone else had to take up the slack by doing his job. He got off pretty much scott free.

Nov 12, 2009 - 11:28 am 46. debbie:

The only one responsible for this act of terrorism is the terrorist himself, Major Hasan. That said, his co-workers have much to answer for. NPR reports that he was widely thought to be mentally unstable (possibly psychotic), and one anonymous co-worker is quoted as saying that everyone was in agreement that no one would want to share a foxhole with him. Yet they stood by and did nothing as he was sent to a line unit, where it was virtually inevitable that he would be deployed. That was the point at which concerted action should have been taken, PC blowback be damned. But it apparently didn’t matter to any of these REMFs that someone else was going to have to share a foxhole with Hasan.

Nov 12, 2009 - 11:56 am 47. Dave Surls:

“Is the military really to blame for this development, or are politicians the culprits?”

Liberals have been engaging in treason and sedition and getting away with it for decades, so now it’s totally acceptable. Big shock that somebody got away with it in the army…and then went all the way and pulled the trigger.

Ask Jane Fonda about how easy it is to get away with treason.

Want to put a stop to it? Take people like Jane Fonda, charge her with treason and execute her.

Take liberals like Daniel Ellsberg, charge him with treason and espionage and execute him.

When people like Hasan start talking about how great it is that suicide bombers kill American troops, throw themn out of their government jobs, arrest them for sedition and put them in jail.

You’ll still have traitors sneaking around and doing what they do on the sly, but at least it won’t be as common, and it won’t be out in the open.

If you’re going to keep letting liberals/Democrats and “anti-war” (i.e. pro-our enemies) scum get away with the crap they pull…then you got nothing to bitch about when it comes to guys like Hasan.

Tolerate treason…and traitors will flourish.

Start executing traitors, start putting people who help our enemies in jail, and traitors won’t flourish.

Nov 12, 2009 - 12:28 pm 48. TMC:

As much as I love the Army I have to agree that the Army owns a lot of the blame for the Muslim attack at Ft. Hood. I believe there are to many “ticket punchers” in the military and a large number of them are in the D.C. area. I really believe that Walter Reed’s problem was passed off to Ft. Hood and Ft. Hood was in the pricess of passing the problem off the the sand box. Did this Muslim idiot act alone? Maybe. BUT his religion had to be a major factor in his actions. Now the terrorist’s best friend ( spelled lawyer ) get a turn at bat. JUST REMEMBER THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NOT GUILTY AND INNOCENT.

Nov 12, 2009 - 2:35 pm 49. Charles Kirtley:

The question is why did the FBI, military bureaucracy, and others fail to act on Hasan. P.C. is only one part of the failure. Had anyone made a move against Hasan grandstanding politicians would be all over the media decrying the injustice. CAIR, the ACLU and similar organizations would have filed lawsuits. The media would begin investigating and criticizing anyone who “discriminated” against him.

Sure, the dots were there to be connected, but there were too many obstacles to anyone who would try.

Nov 12, 2009 - 2:41 pm 50. Xiaoding:

Let’s put the blame where it belongs, on the lazy, fat, overfed, ignorant, whiny, know-nothing and proud of it American people, who sat on their fat asses while all this PC crap took, and still takes, place.

Can we get some Soviet people over here? They knew how to take care of situations like this, base commander on up, heads off!

If democracy cannot protect us, then democracy must go!

Nov 12, 2009 - 5:08 pm 51. Dwight:

Blotto writes: So regarding you last lame comments, just what rigid CC rules/policy are there? Nice try to equivocate your PC madness with something you just made up whole cloth that is meaningless.

I am trying to help you build some credibility but you are becoming tedious.”

I appreciate your effort to build up my credibility.

A politically correct conservative MUST NEVER EVEN CONSIDER raising taxes, approving any form of gun control, accepting gay marriage, rejecting any weapons system, or encouraging any kind of union activity. Don’t even think about it; it will get you ostracized by your conservative brethren. These all may be good policy at any given time, but they also may not be…or so this centrist thinks.

Nov 12, 2009 - 6:34 pm 52. Pat8:

Response to Dan (#18)
The primary responsibility was Maj. Hasan’s. But he easily could have been separated from the service years or months ago under AR 600-8-24. The separation action is based on substandard performance of duty, misconduct, moral and professional dereliction, the interests of national security, or any combination of the foregoing. No malfeasance or criminal act need be alleged or proved.

I’m ex Army JAG. I’m angry and embarrassed the Army did not do its job to separate Maj. Hasan before he massacred 13 and wounded others. The reason for the Army’s inaction is the overall policy of Political Correctness and the cowardice of officers who covered their asses by not asking questions and keeping their mouths shut.

In the aftermath of Ft. Hood, Gen. Casey exemplified the Army’s PC policy–and don’t think all the officers down the line don’t get the message. The message from Casey was clear: PC trumps security (and he virtually used those words). He was backed up by Obama.

The barn door is open; the pendulum has swung too far to the PC side. We need a rational balance–but the impetus will not come from Obama or Casey. The last thing the administration wants is to realize THE EVENT AT FT. HOOD WAS A RADICAL ISLAMIST TERRORIST ATTACK ON AMERICAN SOIL, ON OBAMA’s WATCH!

Nov 12, 2009 - 8:42 pm 53. Joe in TX:

National suicide by political correctness.

Nov 12, 2009 - 8:51 pm 54. algie:

There’s enough blame in this CF for all
When it came time to stand none stood tall
When you come to assess
The heart of this mess
You’ll find those who PC’s held in thrall

….nnnn..’o.o’..uu!u….algie
Illegitimi nOn carborundum

nb: For you REMFS and Draft Dodgers
CF stands for the fine old military
acronym ‘CHARLIE FOX’ which is another
way of saying ‘CLUSTER F**K’

Nov 12, 2009 - 9:19 pm 55. Jackson:

Dan, you are 100% wrong about Army regulations. An officer can be removed simply by a “show cause” board, without any infraction of any rules or regulations. The Army system did not function as it should have.

The blame for the murders is Hasan’s. But the emphasis on political correctness at all levels from the President on down contributed to the tragedy. Had Hasan been separated from the Army when he exhibited his views, the loss of the 13 lives would have been prevented. Shame on the personnel at Walter Reed who acted cowardly, and shame on the politicians who over the years have made political correctness reign supreme in the Pentagon.

Nov 12, 2009 - 9:59 pm 56. Dave Surls:

“Republicans Blaming Obama For Ft Hood”

The reason why people like Hasan are able to get and keep government jobs is because of people LIKE Obama. Liberals have been protecting the disloyal, sympathizers with the enemy, and even out and out traitors, ever since Joe McCarthy’s day….and liberals have basically been running America since 1933, so what they want the federal government to be, is how it is.

Hell, the Dems themselves will turn traitor at the drop of a hat, if they think it will serve their own interests, as they proved beyond any doubt in 1860, and to a lesser extent and less blatantly during the Vietnam War (AFTER a Republican got elected president), and while George Bush II was president.

The Dems rule during wartime is simple, if one of their boys is running the country (FDR, JFK, whoever), then they’re loyal Americans…if someone from the other party like Dick Nixon or George Bush are running the country, then they do everything in their power to sabotage the war effort and help the enemy…and, that’s almost always the way it is, even in Vietnam, a war the liberal Democrats got us into.

If the party that usually controls America, and that shapes the government has no regard for loyaty to the country, and often protects the disloyal, then how can you expect loyaty from the employees of the government?

As for what’s going to happen now, do you really think that a commander in chief who hangs out with America-haters like Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright is going to crack down on America-haters in the Army?

If you do…you be fooling yourself.

Nov 12, 2009 - 11:01 pm 57. Dave Surls:

“The message from Casey was clear: PC trumps security”

Did you know they had to invent a whole new MOS just to accomodate Caey?

99A – Combat Avoider.

Nov 13, 2009 - 2:18 am 58. bandit:

I blame Hasan

Nov 13, 2009 - 7:59 am 59. Pat8:

To Dave Surls: MOS 99A – Combat Avoider. Hit the nail on the head.

How dumb does Obama think we are? Oh, yea, that’s right–we elected him.

Nov 13, 2009 - 3:26 pm 60. John "birther" Samford:

Willis, there is NOTHING honorable about war.
Talking some nut job into strapping a bomb on or opening fire in a large room full of unarmed people is just a tactic. As is sitting inside a box made of 4″ of composite armor and machine gunning people.
War is about winning and losing, honor has nothing to do with either. The Definition of winning varies depending on how involved in the war you are. If you are up front where violent things happen at irregular but to frequent intervals, then winning is staying alive. As you get farther from the place where people are actually killing each other, winning changes. Honor might mean something to a General sitting in the Pentagon. I wouldn’t know, never having been a General.

War is sometimes necessary. That is the best that can be said about it.

Nov 14, 2009 - 10:56 am

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