The attack at Fort Hood was a tragedy, leave no doubt about it. Now, as the dust settles, the pundits are out in force with their opinions on how it happened, was it a terrorist attack, did the shooter go crazy, so forth and so on. Does any of it really matter? From my perspective, some things are obvious:
1. The military blew this one, missed major warning signs that could have kept this tragic event from happening in the first place. The shooter was not a happy camper, and did not agree with America’s occuption of Iraq and Afghanistan. If reports are too be believed, he even tried to terminate his relationship with the military, end his own military career.
Has the time come to create a mechanism whereby VOLUNTEER soldiers can OPT OUT when their personal convictions and beliefs fall far out of line with the direction the militar is heading? Think about it, how many careers were ended, how many people were wounded for life, how many people lost their lives because the military wanted to RETAIN one bad apple.
2. We must be careful not to let the actions of one man taint our image of an entire community. Yes, this man was Muslim, practiced the Islamic faith, but his actions are those of a man who snapped under the pressure of his job, and his life, much in the same way the man snapped the very next day in Florida.
That said, there is a concept of mitigating one’s risks…there are only about 3,000 Muslims in our entire Armed Forces. Has the time come to give every one of them their walking papers? Can we really risk that even one of them is a terrorist or a saboteur? Not all Muslims are terrorists, but it seems as if all terrorists are Muslims. Since they (Moderate Muslims) seem incapable of policing their own, can we as a nation, can our military afford the risk that Muslim troops represent?
3. There seems to be a movement by the military, and by the press to paint those whowere injured,who lost their lives at Fort Hood as heroes…they were not heroes, they were VICTIMS. If they are going to get the help they so richly deserve, they need to be seen for what they are…victims of a cruel and senseless act of violence.
