Mainstream networks ignored, denied or downplayed the Islamic terrorism angle
Notwithstanding the mounting evidence of contacts with known terrorists, the "Soldier of Allah" business cards and everything else uncovered about terrorist Hasan, nearly all mainstream network news editors, reporters and publishers have ignored, denied or downplayed the Islamic terrorism angle and continue to do so. Progressive liberals including the majority party and "Dear Leader" MaoBama refuse to acknowledge that the terrorists' bastardized belief system is a direct threat to the security of the US and that Nidal Hasan was indeed motivated by that sick ideology.
According to the FBI, Hasan first came to their attention in December of 2008, during an unrelated Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation. Unless and until the contents of Hasan's email communications become public, we won't know for certain, but it would seem to me that any communication of this nature to a known associate of terrorists in Yemen should be considered cause for alarm. But, the blame for alleged missed signals is widespread; Nidal Hasan also came to the attention of his military colleagues, who should have definitely known something wasn't right.
Hasan made numerous statements to colleagues that some considered jihadist propaganda and glorification of suicide bombers. A 2007 PowerPoint presentation by Hasan questioning the morality of Muslim military service has also surfaced. The FBI also maintains that the suspect emails from Hasan to Anwar al Awlaki were properly turned over by the FBI to an Army JTTF investigator, who never forwarded them up the chain of command, nor initiated an investigation. The question Americans want answered is why?
The US military, the Army in particular, has been infected by political correctness for the better part of two decades. Diversity training has been instituted Army-wide. In response to a search on the word "diversity", the Army website returned 650 unique articles. The Army's website also has an extensive collection of documentation on how the service is taking great pains to be part of the solution of global climate change.
On April 1, 2009, Army Secretary Peter Geren, Chief of Staff General George Casey and Sgt. Major of the Army, Kenneth O. Preston signed an Army Diversity Memorandum that calls for the Army to be the "national leader in embracing the strengths of diverse people in an inclusive environment." Call me crazy, but I always thought that the US Army was supposed to be the foreign policy stick for the president and protect the national security interests of the United States, but I digress.
General Casey, who has a long history of strategic silence as well as making asinine public statements also labeled the many reports of Hasan's suspicious activities "anecdotes", despite having been brought forward by multiple sources. Casey and Obama have both used words such as "unimaginable" and "incomprehensible" to describe Hasan's terrorist rampage. The media is calling it a "tragedy", "murder spree", an act of "workplace violence" or "mass-killing". But, very few people have the courage to call this what it was: An act of terrorism committed by a Muslim US Army Major against his fellow soldiers on their post. This coordinated refusal by major media outlets to refer to the Fort Hood shootings as a terrorist act has completely destroyed the last shred of credibility that these networks and publications once possessed. The fact that The Army Chief of Staff refuses to acknowledge it, is even more frightening.
The public grieving and the political correctness around the memorial service for those killed isn't helping either. A military funeral should never be turned into a media circus, but seems to be a recurring theme with this administration. This was nothing more that a tightly controlled photo opportunity by Barack Obama, whose prepared speech, while meant to extol the virtues of this generation of soldiers, actually denigrated all previous generations, if one listened carefully enough. While Obama went to great lengths to show Fort Hood how much he cares, their comrades are stuck in a quagmire and dangerously exposed for the winter in Afghanistan without the support they need.
Not to minimize the Fort Hood bloodshed, but to put the media portrayal of this event in perspective, consider that there have been several ambushes and helicopter crashes in Iraq and Afghanistan, each of which had individual death tolls just as high the Fort Hood shootings. None of these incidents evoked such emotional responses or media coverage.
There used to be a time when public displays of affection and emotion were against military regulations and decorum, and for good reason. Video footage of hugging, weeping soldiers in uniform may make some feel better but they also fill our enemies' hearts with joy for their cause and disdain for our nation every time they are broadcast.
Military bases are some of the safest places in America, with little to no crime. The military forces that man them and the men and women killed that day were specially trained to fight the enemies of the United States. They were given the tools, weapons and orders to do so, and were preparing to do just that. Had they managed to deploy to Afghanistan and Iraq, they would have faced many dangers, but would have at least had weapons and fully loaded magazines, along with a fighting chance to defend themselves. Instead, they were corralled and shot like fish in a barrel until civilian help arrived.
I have no objections to a diverse military that represents the best that America has to offer. But that is best achieved by maintaining our military as an all-volunteer force, not through the institution of politically correct quotas and federal diversity regulations. Teaching Soldiers to respect the cultures of the countries they're deployed to and understand the cultural perceptions of their enemies and foreign civilian populations is absolutely critical. But, forced diversity within the ranks just for diversity's sake is hogwash and entirely un-American. It has no place in our armed forces.
Similarly, I harbor no objection to the Army's attempts to be more environmentally conscious. They deal with many harmful substances and chemicals, such as vehicle, jet and rocket fuels, lead, white phosphorous and depleted uranium. The responsible thing for the Army to do, would be to leave their combat environments unpolluted. Nor do I have a problem with Army leadership wanting to learn how to better respond during floods, hurricanes or other natural disasters. But, these occur regularly and have, ever since the planet's birth, which makes the Army's adoption of "climate change" language a purely political statement. The Army can further adapt their all-weather capabilities without using Al Gore's talking points.
The only way we can ensure that terrorists are unable to perpetrate this sort of operation ever again is to adopt the war footing that we should have been on for the last eight years, stop denying that a large segment of the Islamic world is out to kill us, and purge the institutions charged with protecting this nation of the plague of political correctness. Contrary to George Casey's denial, the only thing unimaginable or incomprehensible about the Fort Hood shootings was that the US Army ever allowed a Muslim Major to decompress US soldiers returning from battle against other Muslims.
Army Chief Diversity Officer, Brigadier General Belinda Pinckney has said: "Diversity is an enabler. It enables us to benefit from a pool of different skills and move beyond preconceived notions to look at new procedures, processes, methods and structures." Ironically, in this case, it does appear that Major Nidal Hasan's killing spree was enabled by this kind of political claptrap.
Diversity is an enabler, indeed.
As more information trickles out regarding the cold-blooded, terrorist killing of 12 US Army Soldiers and one civilian and the wounding of dozens more at Fort Hood by US Army Major Nidal Hasan, it is becoming increasingly clear that the insidious disease of political correctness that has erased our borders, diluted our language and stagnated our culture is one of the major contributing factors to this terrorist rampage.
Reflecting back at us in the many pools of blood spilled that day is the chilling reality that political correctness has also been infecting the nation's law enforcement agencies and armed forces, to such an extent that those who fill their ranks are now paralyzed into silence out of fear of appearing discriminatory.
