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Lessons from Fort Hood
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The man who shot 13 soldiers dead at Fort Hood, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, was the ultimate sleeper cell. He was not on any Al Quaida roster. He didn’t have any co-conspirators. He was a Muslim who believed that it is righteous for “good Muslims” to attack U.S. Soldiers and that he would be rewarded in Heaven for doing so.
He did not take direct orders from superiors. His beliefs were reinforced by clerics, including Anwar al Awlaki, an imam in Yemen with whom he exchanged emails. He waited for his opportunity. He decided what to do and when to do it.
There were warning signs. Some of the Major’s fellow soldiers reported his statements in support of the shooter in Little Rock who gunned down a young man in front of a recruiting station. The FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Forces were aware of the email exchanges. Hasan was even attempting to be let go from the Army. For some reason, he was not. Task force members concluded that he posed no threat.
At present, major media outlets as well as administration officials are primarily concerned that Hasan’s actions don’t lead to suspicion of others who may be in similar situations. They would like everyone to consider this a single isolated act of a madman, perhaps driven to his actions by undue stress placed upon him by the Army.
The order of the day seems to be that we are not to assume anything, we are not to suspect anything and no action need be taken against anyone, unless/until they actually harm someone. Since the Muslim Jihadist believes he/she will receive the ultimate reward for dying in their endeavors, there are no consequences for the perpetrators. Our government cannot or will not protect against this mode of operations. They will conduct ceremonies and express regret after the fact.
More info: LA Times
