In a case of trying to find liberal angles on a tragic shooting, switching the focus of blame and judgment from the mass murderer to the military, Newsweek's Andrew Bast asked on the magazine's blog The Human Condition: "Is Fort Hood A Harbinger? Nidal Malik Hasan May Be A Symptom of a Military On the Brink."
So the shooting is the Pentagon's fault? And they may inspire more shootings to come? Newsweek is going there:
Details remained murky, but at least 13 are dead and 30 wounded in a killing spree that may momentarily remind us of a reality that most Americans can readily forget: soldiers and their families are living, and bending, under a harrowing and unrelenting stress that will not let up anytime soon. And the U.S. military could well be reaching a breaking point as the president decides to send more troops into Afghanistan.
It’s almost humorous to watch Bast write "details remain murky," but I’m going to venture forth and start spinning the MoveOn.org anti-war line:
It's hard to draw too many conclusions right now, but we do know this: Thursday night, authorities shot and then apprehended the lone suspect, Major Nidal Malik Hasan. A psychiatrist who was set to deploy to Iraq at the end of the month, Hasan reportedly opened fire around the "Readiness Center" at Fort Hood, where troops are prepared for deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. And though this scene is a most extreme and tragic outlier, it comes at a time when the stress of combat has affected so many soldiers individually that it makes it increasingly difficult for the military as a whole to deploy for wars abroad.
Bast isn’t being very subtle. Our warmakers are causing our soldiers to kill themselves, and others:
Hasan's perspective is unknown. He had yet to fight abroad. But the accusations against him can't help but bring to mind the violence scarring military bases all over the country after the duration of two long, brutal wars.
It’s also not too early in the story for Andrew Bast to mock conservatives as "morally bankrupt" for their speculation:
And yet, some are already suggesting that Maj. Hasan's lack of combat experience precludes us from assuming the crimes were at all influenced by the stress of war. "They weren't in Iraq," author Dinesh D'Souza said on television Thursday night, analyzing the culprit. "They were living a normal, everyday life." But he is wrong. In the midst of two wars, those living as military and military family experience a different, often more distressing, everyday experience of 'normal.' And forgetting that, either in understanding this singular case, or making a decision about more deployments, is dangerous at best, and morally bankrupt at worst.
To Bast, conservatives are merciless in "pushing a thumb down on an already stressed-out military" and guaranteeing a repeat of the "homegrown terror on display" in Texas:
The U.S. is drawing down troops in Iraq at a quick clip, but General Stanley McChrystal has requested tens of thousands more to fight in Afghanistan. Though President Obama has made no decision about the way forward, some suggest that as many 80,000 more could be sent in as reinforcements. That would put nearly 150,000 American soldiers in country for at least the foreseeable future, pushing a thumb down on an already stressed-out military. Of course, the vast majority of those under that stress, no matter how brutal, will not pick up a gun and shoot indiscriminately, like Hasan did. But the situation is bad, and getting much worse. From there, it isn't much of a leap to argue that the to further tax our military would do as much as anything to guarantee that the homegrown terror on display today could well repeat itself in the future.
This is just another case of an anti-war blogger pretending they're for "the troops" because they want them removed from war zones.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
i followed this story on
November 6, 2009 - 11:32 ET by chad komorowskii followed this story on democraticunderground.com as it was unfolding...seems as though thats where many of the talking points were worked out...the most amazing(aside from the military on the brink aspect which was pervasive and almost instantaneous) was the cal to "DISARM THE MILITARY"!!!..... these people are truly insane.
I was prescient....I made
November 6, 2009 - 12:24 ET by motherbeltI was prescient....I made this comment a couple of hour ago:
I'm expecting another round of liberal hand-wringing, whining that we
have to bring our troops home and stop this "war-mongering"....this is
another indication that they are cracking under the pressure.
this murdering muslim bastard-
November 6, 2009 - 11:32 ET by JIMMY1660has never been deployed to anywhere but college.
how is he stressed?how about the warriors who are wounded and want to get back to the fray, joining their team mates.
this piece of goat dung has been sitting back waiting to harm America.
it might be time to get the internment camps ready for muslims.
BHO- THE PROGRESSIVE PIRATE
be politically correct...
November 6, 2009 - 12:35 ET by CCsteelcityYou shouldn't say goat dung... it's camel dung. Get it right!
"But a constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever." - John Adams
It's a dietary variance and perfectly acceptable.
November 6, 2009 - 12:43 ET by Willis_Leon_JohnsonAlso included in their menu is donkey dung as well as mislabeled pig dung.
http://gjresult.com
Terrorism by any other name
November 6, 2009 - 13:04 ET by ptsonTerrorism by any other name kills just the same. WHY is the media and the nation afraid to call terrorism what it is when it happens. We would then have to acknowledge that just saying the war on terror is over, DOES NOT make it so. NO EXCUSES! Just terrorism, hang him high and publically! The response of our supposed commander-in-chief was pathetic. Jokes and banter before an announcement of 12 killed and 30+ wounded? Is that worthy of a President? Or the actions of a man-child?
obama's actions.....
November 6, 2009 - 19:54 ET by pantryman...were totally inappropriate and the actions of a POS.
Remember in November 2010
Then the answer is...
November 6, 2009 - 11:32 ET by Red Jeep...bring all our troops home from everywhere, even Germany and Japan. Announce to the world in our withdrawal speech from the UN that the world is on its own now, and any attacks on the U.S with result in the attacking country (or region) being nuked without notice. Then wish the UN members a good day and good luck.
Then wish the UN members
November 6, 2009 - 12:13 ET by ricklailThen wish the UN members a good day and good luck
As they are packing their things to leave NYC!
Semper suprene nitens
OBAMACARE: If it ain't good enough for my Congressman then it ain't good enough for me.
Packing?
November 6, 2009 - 12:27 ET by Willis_Leon_JohnsonNo, as they treat refugees from war zones around the world, so shall they be treated.
The denizens of the Un can leave empty handed with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Out of the goodness of our pea pickin' little hearts, we can liquidate all their bank accounts and other worldly goods and dispense the proceeds to the refugees from war zones that have been ignored or USED for their political agendas.
http://gjresult.com
I'd prefer to see them
November 6, 2009 - 12:38 ET by RowaneI'd prefer to see them prosecuted for all the crimes committed under "Diplomatic Immunity"
******************************************************************************
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)
So, newsbleak had an opinion.
November 6, 2009 - 11:40 ET by Willis_Leon_JohnsonDo the editors still think anybody cares?
http://gjresult.com
I guess this is at least a
November 6, 2009 - 11:50 ET by Chris NormanI guess this is at least a partial answer to the Open Thread question of the day.
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
Clueless Bast---
November 6, 2009 - 12:14 ET by rammingspeedBast has no idea what an idiot he is making of himself. Only the most radical and naive people would begin to accept his premise. Once again, NB is here to blow him and his type out of the water.
"Morally bankrupt?"
November 6, 2009 - 12:08 ET by SickofLibsSo was the pre-election Obama morally bankrupt when he said he the right war is Afghanistan and not Iraq?
And PS, psychologists don't "fight abroad."
i have a viable solution to relieving our 'stressed military'
November 6, 2009 - 12:12 ET by larry on LIreinstitute the draft, that would likely scare the crap out of alot of kos kids, move oners and loose liped liberals. oh yes, no deferments for any reason except for loss of limbs.
It also ensures a well informed,
November 6, 2009 - 12:44 ET by Willis_Leon_JohnsonWell trained militia of the "Whole Peoples" that fully understand the Constitution, the REAL history of this nation, and damned few politicians that do not have military experience and family members on active duty somewhere.
I'm in favor of the 'first' family putting some "skin in the game" bu enlisting michelle into the Marines, running her through bootcamp and deploying her to Afghanistan.
The decision to give the Generals the support they need would be forthcoming instantly.
Unless he doesn't care about her any more than he cares about active duty personnel in war zones.
http://gjresult.com
michelle in-country....
November 6, 2009 - 19:59 ET by pantrymanbootyshade:
"Alright all you men in these two batallions in front of me, move to the rear of michelle's ass and get out of the sun..."
Remember in November 2010
I lived "as military and military family" for 20 years.
November 6, 2009 - 12:13 ET by JWFI am feeling a very different 'normal.' I still have access to bases as retired military. I see it too in others. A pride. An esprit de corps. Honor. Whatever it was this guy was talking about, no not so much...
Yea, it is the wars people. We got the European theater taking on Hitler. We have the Pacific theater taking on the Japanese empire. Nearly every able bodied male is in the fight. Talk about your stress. What? Everybody handled that pretty well? What about the Civil War? Surely, we had lots of stressed out vets then? No? Spanish-American? Mexican-American? Korea? Vietnam!
Now, hold on a second, are you telling me this stressed out insane vet talk only came out after liberals took over the media and Hollywood? Odd. So it is not stressed out vets but liberals wishing for stressed out vets.
Janet should have seen this guy coming a mile down the road. Remember Janet Napoleanic Ice Cream?
Un - be - leeeee - vable
November 6, 2009 - 12:16 ET by Candance MooreI saw that online and right away I was like "this is so going to end up on NB."
IMO he had a pscychotic break
November 6, 2009 - 12:16 ET by c5thenDue to the cognative dissonance that he's been trying to live with. Being muslim and serving in the armed forces of the "Great Satan". Now he was about to be deployed where he could not escape first hand eye witness to his fellow muslims ( the religion of peace) killing and maiming their own in an effort to show displeasure about all the infidels that are present in their country trying to help them.
The human psyche can not long endure having it's bedrock principles shown to be wrong and in fact exactly the opposite of observed reality.
I'm not a psychiatrist, I just play one on blogs...
Throw 'da bums out!!!
Before it's too late.
www.loyaltoliberty.com
Are you kidding???
November 6, 2009 - 13:20 ET by Secret ConservativeNot sure if your post was serious or tongue-in-cheek. Whatever, this guy VOLUNTEERED for the Army. He was born and raised in the U.S. so it's not like he didn't know that the ARMY is more than just another college scholarship program. And once he completed the education, internship and residency he was "deployed" to that war-torn hellhole... Washington, DC. So did he become a pacifist and a devout Muslim (and terrorist sympathizer) once he was informed that he was going to be deployed to...the Middle East???
And for all the liberal media whiners, saying that this guy had PTSD because he worked in WASHINGTON is truly an insult to our fighting men and women who really DO suffer from PTSD because they were actually fighting a WAR!
This seems like a fine
November 6, 2009 - 12:20 ET by BuffNBoneThis seems like a fine example of Rorschach reporting. The one thing we can count on is that there will be more of it in days to come.
"Fighters are fun but bombers make policy"
Nidal Malik Hasan couldn't
November 6, 2009 - 12:29 ET by mattmNidal Malik Hasan couldn't possibly be a jihadist, could he?
wasn't asleep anymore
November 6, 2009 - 12:40 ET by jon_torlinHe was a sleeper agent, someone woke him up, there's no other way to look at it. God(not Allah!) knows how many more of them are out there.
-Jon
Of course not, matt...he was
November 6, 2009 - 13:11 ET by motherbeltOf course not, matt...he was a "disaffected soldier" (to take a line from the "disaffected youths" in France), cracking under the pressures of the American war machine!
"It's hard to draw too many conclusions right now..."
November 6, 2009 - 12:34 ET by stage9um...actually we can draw a plethora of conclusions right now:
- He was a muslim
- He screamed "Allah Akbar!" before he started shooting
(And "allah" is NOT the same as Jehovah God of the Bible!)
- He didn't want to fight muslims
- He pushed islam on patients
- He argued with US soldiers about fighting the wars against terror
- His name appears on radical internet postings
- He had some "difficulties" that required counseling and extra supervision
- He said, precisely, that maybe the Muslims should stand up and fight against the aggressor'
- He came to the attention of law enforcement officials because of Internet
postings about suicide bombings and other threats, including posts that
equated suicide bombers to soldiers who throw themselves on a grenade
to save the lives of their comrades.
"If God is dead, somebody is going to have to take his place. It will
be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for
pleasure, the clenched fist or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Hefner."
— Malcolm Muggeridge
But But But...
November 6, 2009 - 12:39 ET by JWFBut Aunt Janet said just a scant six months ago that military guys are susceptable to Right Wing chatter and groups.
He went so against type. He was supposed to go on a hippie killin' spree. Aunt Janet told us so.
Sincerely,
a Veteran of a 1000 psychic wars.
Twinkies are to blame...
November 6, 2009 - 12:36 ET by upcountrywaterAloha sanckbar
holy sh*t! thats pretty freakin funny!
November 6, 2009 - 12:42 ET by chad komorowskilol
Liberal spin
November 6, 2009 - 12:37 ET by irishguyThis mantra about the Military "at the breaking point", "stressed out" or being "stretched too thin" has always ticked me off. Didn't Clinton make some large cuts in military manpower as part of his "peace divedend"? They're trying to have it both ways, trim the budget, cut the military, them complain they don't have enough, weapons, armor, equipment, or manpower to do the job.
Liberals always want to eat
November 6, 2009 - 13:24 ET by rockyracoonLiberals always want to eat their cake and have it too. Just like the healthscare scam they're trying to shove down our collective throats, and saying that our taxes won't go up, and will have better care; all while balancing the budget; expanding employment etc.
Facts are like kryptonite to the liberal.
Its Newsweek
November 6, 2009 - 12:38 ET by John53Its Newsweek, a propaganda rag, not worth the lining of a birdcage and smells worse. They quit being a news organization a very long time ago. The articles thay print are so bias it would have embarrassed Pravda at the hight of the Soviet era. They have nobody there with any creditability and their distribution is only to the Obamabots.
They more or less announced
November 6, 2009 - 13:03 ET by Chris NormanThey more or less announced last year that they were dropping all pretense of neutrality.
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
Great news: Hasan paralyzed and on ventilator
November 6, 2009 - 12:42 ET by SickofLibsSo I assume suicide is out.
May he live a very loooong and static life staring at the ceiling.
SoL... Good... I hope
November 6, 2009 - 12:56 ET by Jack BauerSoL... Good...
I hope the degenerate fucker (again excuse my French) stays like that till they strap him to Old Sparky.
He murdered a pregnant woman. Does he think God is going to forgive THAT.
Jack -
November 6, 2009 - 13:10 ET by SickofLibsI at least hope he gets to spend several decades as a wide-awake potato while the ACLU delays his ultimate reunion with allah.
I feel really sorry for the doctors and nurses who will be tasked with keeping the scumsucker alive.
The pregnant woman......
November 7, 2009 - 00:44 ET by pantrymanwas an infidel (a non-believer), so as far as this murderer is concerned, fair game, and was added to his point score.
Remember in November 2010
We've been at war with
November 6, 2009 - 12:43 ET by rbosqueWe've been at war with terrorism even before 9-11. This shows how Islam has been at war with us . Piss on Islam.
You're right! Whether the
November 6, 2009 - 13:28 ET by rockyracoonYou're right! Whether the Pravada media wants to admit it or not the Islamofacists have been at war with the west since at least '79, and over 2000 years against the Jews and Israel.
Facts are like kryptonite to the liberal.
Overstretched Military on Brink
November 6, 2009 - 12:50 ET by acumenHmmm. Something else to add to the list of things CIC Obama hasn't fixed. Thanks Newsweek!
something to add to that so-called headline
November 6, 2009 - 14:34 ET by jon_torlinSomething they need to add to that headline is that this was an infiltrator of the military. Yes, he enlisted and etc, but considering he's a muslim(oh yes, call it the M word), the beliefs of a muslim are in violation of taking the oath of the constitution, or in this case the military oaths(both enlisted and officers). You can't really be a soldier of the US Military and still be a muslim, it just doesn't work that way!
Just like we have that muslim who's a congressman from Minnessota who swore on the Koran, he should be drummed out instead of being celebrated for this. A muslim's beliefs conflict with the American way of life and that's the bottom line as long as they practice a class system the way they do.
-Jon
Mark Steyn (standing in for
November 6, 2009 - 12:54 ET by Jack BauerMark Steyn (standing in for Rush) just expressed an opinion I was writing below...
Could someone explain to me why a soldier who publicly expresses rabid anti-American opinions to FELLOW officers (and other ranks, by the sound of it) and he ISN'T IMMEDIATELY DRUMMED OUT THE SERVICE?
But, instead is fracking PROMOTED. Excuse my faux French.
Jack
November 6, 2009 - 13:02 ET by ricklailI was in a combat unit. We got pissed at the Army a lot of times but it went in one hear and out the other of our commanders. Do you remember in Saving Pirvate Ryan, Tom Hanks character talking about griping? That was pretty much the way it was. It seems like the farther one got behind the front lines the more bitching went on. I don't understand either why they let it continue especially if it was anti-American.
Semper suprene nitens
OBAMACARE: If it ain't good enough for my Congressman then it ain't good enough for me.
Jack... I'm listening as
November 6, 2009 - 13:05 ET by bigtimerJack...
I'm listening as well...he's still speaking about this.
Who promoted him in May and why.... because real people are dead.
This inquiring mind wants to know.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
My inquiring mind wants to
November 6, 2009 - 13:36 ET by rockyracoonMy inquiring mind wants to know as well! I have a feeling that a lot of skeletons will be tumbling out, the more this story unfolds.
Facts are like kryptonite to the liberal.
Hasan's promotion was automatic
November 6, 2009 - 14:00 ET by BlondeDoctors in the Army are commissioned as Captains, rather than 2nd Lieutenants. Once they have been board certified, the promotion to Major is automatic.
I believe the same is true in the JAG corps.
I hope he fails, too.
Spot on. His reviews, which
November 6, 2009 - 14:10 ET by celatorSpot on. His reviews, which I understand were not very complimentary, should have reflected his issues and his failings.
There should have been notations in the comments section about his behavior, public statements, interview musings. They were well known to his peers.
Yes, medical people get an easy, almost automatic promotion to major, unless there are mitigating circumstances, as there clearly were with this guy. Then it should be, "Here's your hat, get lost." It does happen, not often, but it happen. Should have been the case here. Easy to do Monday morning quarterbacking, and I hope the Army learns to cull people like him.
No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.
Suicide, it's coming...
November 6, 2009 - 13:06 ET by slickwillie2001I suspect that we will also hear the 'suicides in the military' meme shortly, making the claim that Hasan committed 'suicide by cop'. The bogus data from last year claiming high rates of suicide in the military will be recycled. At that point I will have to dig though my bookmarks for the links debunking the nonsense claim that the rate of suicides in the military is significantly higher than the general population corrected by sex and age.
yup..front page of wall street journal...
November 6, 2009 - 13:10 ET by chad komorowskirupert murdoch IS NOT what he appears to be.
the way to crush the bourgeosie is to grind them between the millstone of taxation and inflation-v.i.lenin
the best way to destroy capitalism is to debauch the currency-v.i.lenin
the goal of socialism is communism-v.i.lenin
America's soldiers
November 6, 2009 - 13:44 ET by cajun2I have to admit I have been impressed by the posts by you ex-military and I can understand your anger. I feel sorrow today at the deaths of our brave men and women who come home to rest and are dead because they were betrayed by one of their own. They and their families have my prayers.
This article angered me as well. Isn't it typical of liberal wussies who sit on soft cushions to decide our troops are "overstressed"? I found these comments insulting to all our troops. Their jobs and training is to deal with stress. They rest, they go back to work. They are not weak little wussies that live in LA or NY drinking lattes and pondering the world. Our soldiers actually do something out in the world. Weak and apologetic leadership is to me the greatest stressor for our troops.I have had 5 generations of men and women in my family serve in 4 wars, some were highly decorated. Idiots like this one denegrate all that my father and brothers have done for this country.
I hope he fails, soon.
Footsoldier
November 6, 2009 - 14:04 ET by ZuccoZoidThis killer is just one of Barry Hussein's footsoldiers in the war against America.
Wonder if he'll get the Black Panther treatment (ie, a total pass).
Re Complete Pass
November 6, 2009 - 14:36 ET by slickwillie2001By the way, the SEIU goons that beat up Kenneth Gladney appear to be getting a complete pass. Nothing happening. Gladney needs to go civil.
Speaking of Free Pass
November 6, 2009 - 14:45 ET by Patrick MichaelGreat, kind of like whoever shot at Lou Dobb's house. Imagine if it had of been Keith Olberman's house, there would not have been any police available to go anywhere else as they would all be pursuing the shooter.
Stay Free!!!
The progressive's prayer
November 6, 2009 - 14:43 ET by Patrick MichaelI was on The Hill website this morning and this story about Fort Hood actually made some brillant mind post the comment "When will Republicans quit contributing to this behavior" (WTF???) I can only imagine these Regressives upon hearing of the shootings in Florida praying "Please let the shooter be a Republican"
Stay Free!!!