Shooting at Fort Hood

[Michael]

Fort Hood Gunman Who Killed 12, Wounded 30 Survived Gun Battle

Twelve people have been killed and 30 wounded in a shooting spree at a Texas military post in a murderous rampage that officials believe was carried out by an Army psychiatrist who was about to be deployed to Iraq.

The suspected gunman was identified by ABC News as Major Nidal Malik Hasan. An Army official confirmed that Maj. Hasan would have been deployed to Iraq later this month. Sources tell ABC News that this would have been his first deployment.

The shooter was initially reported to have been killed, but Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone told a late night news conference that the suspect was wounded and in custody. Cone would not say what Hasan's medical condition was, but said the suspect was not in danger of dying.

Hasan is not talking to authorities, said Cone.

Two other soldiers were taken into custody, but were later released.

Source (http://abcnews.go.com/WN/soldiers-killed-fort-hood-shooting/story?id=9007938)

I'm not sure if there is anything here to discuss - just shocking news.

I'm sure the talking heads on cable news are going 7/24 on this one and I'm sure they will conclude that Obama must be to blame. :rolleyes:

[drgoodtrips]

So far, from a political perspective, all I've noticed is right-wingers clamoring for Muslims to be barred from the US military, at the least, and more draconian measures in some cases.

I often wonder how they propose to implement such a thing. Given that religion is impossible to peg short of asking the person and hoping for honesty, what could they do? Short of armbands and/or identification tattoos, how does one go about identifying religious 'undesirables'?

[Michael]

Yes, it does seem to be stirring up some anti-muslim comments on the rightwing blogs.

Apparently Geraldo Riviera had a good comment (I can't remember where I read it today). He said when he was growing up, whenever there was some mass shooting, he remembers his father praying it wasn't a Puerto Rican shooter - because of the inevitable backlash against the ethnicity of the shooter (if they aren't wasp).

[Americano]

Looks like a media dream. Military distress, Islamic murderer, lots of bodies and national security implications are always an enduring media event.

[Zarquon]

Improper military mental-care, would've been my reply, if it wasn't for the fact that the Major in question was a psychiatrist.

[Americano]

Improper military mental-care, would've been my reply, if it wasn't for the fact that the Major in question was a psychiatrist.

You are aware that many shrinks in the private sector have ongoing contact with other shrinks as a patient to retain their professional objectivity? This guy seems to have snapped due to ideological differences with his orders to deploy in Muslim Afghanistan in support of an army of intervention. I'm sure every Muslim serving in the US military will now be under an ideology microscope by our police state.

[Michael]

Improper military mental-care, would've been my reply, if it wasn't for the fact that the Major in question was a psychiatrist.

That particular profession is rather well known for alcoholism, drug abuse and a divorce rate that is off-the-charts.