Fort Hood questions

Bill Bennett writes on the fall of the Berlin Wall and the attack on Fort Hood. Questions, like Hasan's "red flags," abound:

But there are questions to be asked and I suspect many of the answers will be unsatisfying — I also suspect we will see memos or some kind of paperwork on Nidal Hasan that will prove embarrassing to officials in the FBI, our intelligence services, or the military. There are many stories to relay relating to Hasan — here’s just one, reported by the AP: “Fellow students of Hasan in a military training course complained to the faculty about Hasan’s ‘anti-American propaganda,’ but said a fear of appearing discriminatory against a Muslim student kept officers from filing a formal written complaint.”

Maybe so. But given the long chain of other stories about Hasan, there had to be paperwork. There had to be knowledge. And if nothing else, nothing else, questions as to why a formal investigation was not opened up on him after the FBI tracked Internet postings about suicide bombings by someone with his name remain. Questions as to why he would cite his nationality as Palestinian when he was born in Virginia remain. Questions as to why colleagues stated they were uncomfortable referring patients to him remain. Questions as to how you can have a member of the U.S. military’s fellow doctors recount that they were repeatedly harangued by Hasan about religion and that he openly claimed to be a “Muslim first and American second” remain. Questions as to how a member of the U.S. military can speak of infidels deserving to have their throats cut and have boiling oil poured down their throats and can stay in the military remain.

Questions as to why all this can at once remain true and he can be quoted as saying he wanted a discharge from the military and nothing was done remain.

Add to that the revelation that our intelligence agencies knew that Hasan had tried to contact Al Qaeda. I agree that the answers to these questions are not likely to be "satisfying."

What's of special interest is Bennett's calling attention to these portions of the Military Code of Conduct which are strictly relevant to Major Hasan's behavior:

I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country or its allies or harmful to their cause.

I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Hasan's lawyer is already saying he won't be able to get a fair trial. Islamic justice would no doubt be swifter.

h/t: Abe T.

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