Shades of intelligence failures past? Blame game percolating
The shooting rampage that killed 13 people at Fort Hood in which a Muslim Army psychiatrist is the suspected gunman has set off a chain of inquiries into who knew what when.
In the post-9/11 era, government officials want to show that they are doing everything they can to protect the public and, when something happens, that they will get to the bottom of it.
The FBI says there is no information that Major Nidal Malik Hasan was involved in a “broader terrorist plot.”
But that hasn’t stopped questions about whether authorities missed signs that could have somehow prevented the shooting.
U.S. officials say intelligence agencies learned that Hasan contacted an anti-American cleric in Yemen who was sympathetic to al Qaeda and relayed the information to law enforcement authorities, but it’s unclear whether any action was taken.
President Barack Obama has ordered an inventory of all intelligence in U.S. government files related to Hasan, and a review of how any intelligence was handled by government agencies.
Members of Congress are talking about launching congressional investigations.
General Casey: diversity shouldn’t be casualty of Fort Hood
General George Casey, the Army’s top officer, is concerned that diversity will become a casualty of the Fort Hood tragedy.
The religious beliefs of suspect Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a Muslim Army psychiatrist, have led to speculation about motive in the shooting rampage that killed 13 people.
“I’m concerned that this increased speculation could cause a backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers. And I’ve asked our Army leaders to be on the lookout for that,” Casey told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” whether Muslim soldiers are conflicted in fighting wars in Muslim countries like Afghanistan and Iraq, Casey said: “I think that’s something that we have to look at on an individual basis. But I think we as an Army have to be broad enough to bring in people from all walks of life.”
The bottom line is the military benefits from diversity, he said.
“Our diversity, not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength. And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse,” Casey said.
President Barack Obama also mentioned military diversity in his Saturday radio address which was focused on Fort Hood.
General Casey should be court marshalled. He has placed political correctness before the lives and well being of our soldiers. That mentally ill dirt bag, Hasan was treating soldiers with serious mental and physical problems. Just what kind of care did they get. Two time Medal of Honor winner General Smedly Butler wrote ‘WAR IS A RACKET.’ Casey is a racketeer.
The First Draft: Jobs (not), Jobs (not), Jobs (not)
The October employment report is in and it’s a shocker.
The unemployment rate jumped to 10.2 percent, the highest since April 1983 when it was also 10.2 pct. If you don’t want to do the math, that was 26 years ago. It was worse than expectations for 9.9 percent.
This is not good news for President Barack Obama who is struggling to pull the economy out of the worst recession since the Depression.
The employment numbers were also worse than expected with October payrolls falling 190,000, a bigger drop than the 175,000 decline expected.
It’s a day of mourning at Fort Hood in Texas after an Army psychiatrist went on a shooting rampage that killed 12 soldiers and one civilian and wounded 30.
“It’s difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans in battles overseas. It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil,” President Barack Obama said yesterday.
“I was saddened to learn of the tragic incident at Fort Hood. Laura and I are keeping the victims and their families in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” former President George W. Bush, who lives in Texas, said in a statement.
It would help if George Bush would go on TV and apologize for ingnoring the impending economic crisis. Bush ignored the impacts of 9/11, and two hurricanes, and missed the opportunity to mitigate this economic downturn.Bush deliberately ignored this impending economy destroying sunami in his last two years. Bush should either aplogize, or proclaim that he intentionally sought to facilitate this downturn.Bush shouldn;’t just hide in the shadows, pretending to be infantile–we know better.
Major Nidal Hassan is a psychiatrist whose main prescription is counseling, not full course medicines. An excellent psychiatrist will listen to any patient to get the proper mental torments of the patient in order to treat him by counseling. Such psychiatrist will not be shaken by the horrible incidents he is about to listen to. His profession does not allow him to be moved by such things. If it so, he is not fit for that profession. In that context, if Nadal’s such failure was earlier notified to the concerned, he should have not been allowed to continue his duty. The man who is susceptible to religious fanaticism has already offered his brain for brain washing by fanatics. His profession seems to be a mask here.
The subject of terrorism should not get any lame excuses. As we can see, those actions have not defeated terrorism. Instead, they have bred and encouraged more terrorism.Evil will not go away by itself, it has to be driven away by iron fist. It can be done, if peace favourites take a firm step for isolating them outright.