Did political correctness play a role in Fort Hood shootings?

  AP-Nidal Malik Hasan

As events continue to unfold in the tragic massacre at Fort Hood, questions are emerging as to the behavior and warning signs exhibited by the suspect far in advance of the actual shootings.

According to a foxnews.com report, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the alleged perpetrator of the 13 killings, exhibited unusual and consistent anti American behavior in numerous incidents leading up to the shootings. In one of those instances, Hasan made a presentation at Walter Reed Medical Center during his senior year as a psychiatric resident. Instead of adhering to the curriculum guidelines, Hasan made an elaborate presentation on suicide bombings, Islam and the danger in compelling Muslims to engage in combat against other Muslims.

Lt. Colonel Val Finnell was a classmate of Hasan’s at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. “The issue here is that there's a political correctness climate in the military,” he said. “They don't want to say anything because it would be considered questioning somebody's religious belief, or they're afraid of an equal opportunity lawsuit.

"I want to be clear that this wasn't about anyone questioning his religious views. It is different when you are a civilian than when you are a military officer," said Finnell, who is a physician at the Los Angeles Air Force Base.

It has now also come to light that U.S intelligence agencies knew of communications between Hasan and a radical anti-U.S cleric in Yemen substantially earlier than was previously believed.

The New York Times is reporting that Hasan sent 10 to 20 messages to Anwar al-Awlaki, an Islamic spiritual leader at a suburban Virginia mosque that Hasan attended. Although acknowledging that they were aware of these messages, intelligence and military officials were quick to dismiss their significance saying that the communications seemed to be consistent with a research project Hasan was carrying out at Walter Reed Medical Center on post traumatic stress disorder.

The FBI later issued a statement that said, “At this point, there is no information to indicate Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan had any co-conspirators or was part of a broader terrorist plot,” and that investigators believed, “Major Hasan was not involved in terrorist activities or terrorist planning.”

Despite these assurances, serious questions regarding Hasan’s activities prior to the shootings remain. It now appears that Hasan had relationships with several people with terrorist ties while attending the Dar al-Hijrah Mosque and Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, including Nawaf al-Hamzi and Hani Hanjour, two of the 9/11 hijackers, as well as numerous other individuals with exceedingly questionable reputations.

Senator Joe Liberman has called for an investigation into Hasan and the shootings. “"If Hasan was showing signs, saying to people that he had become an Islamist extremist, the U.S. Army has to have zero tolerance," Lieberman said on Fox News Sunday. "He should have been gone."

Besides the incredible loss and human tragedy in this horrific event, the question of whether there was any motivation for ignoring Hasan’s provocative and clearly anti American actions prior to the killings must be answered. If in fact our societies penchant for apology and respect for the “rights” of others no matter how extreme or destructive has now invaded the military, then western civilization may be in a much worse condition than many have believed.

Political correctness continues its relentless assault against the Truth, and so far it is winning. How outrageous the act, how destructive the tragedy, before defenders of the tradition of honesty and truth strike back at this scourge?