The Military's Blinders

The New York Post ^ | November 7, 2009 | Paul Sperry

[khnyny]

Why did the US military ignore the clear warning signs that Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the suspected Ft. Hood shooter, had embraced radical Islam -- and thus become a danger to all around him?

It wasn't an oversight, it was policy -- one the Pentagon has been doubling down on ever since 9/11.

This summer, Hasan was overheard cheering the shooting death of a Little Rock Army recruiter by a Muslim. His patients complained about him proselytizing about Islam. He gave his nationality as "Palestinian" even though he was born in America. He apparently blogged about the glory of suicide bombings.

His superiors put up blinders to all these red flags because Hasan -- who wore traditional Islamic robe and kufi and prayed five times a day -- practiced the "religion of peace." And they're not supposed to make a connection between that religion and terrorism, even as they prosecute a war on Islamic terrorism.

The Pentagon has made well-publicized moves to show the military does not equate Islam with terror, and is making efforts to accommodate more Muslims in the military, whose ranks now exceed 15,000. It recently dedicated a new Muslim prayer center at Quantico, commissioned the first Muslim chaplain at the Air Force Academy and inaugurated the first Muslim prayer room at West Point.

Good and decent Muslims certainly serve admirably. But how does the military know which Muslims will put allegiance to country ahead of allegiance to Allah as interpreted by radical Islam? A conflict obviously exists for soldiers like Hasan -- and for Sgt. Hasan Akbar, the Muslim convert who in 2003 fragged commanding officers at a military camp outside Iraq, killing two and wounding 15 others.

[khnyny]

Within months of Akbar's traitorous 2003 attacks, the Defense Intelligence Agency issued an internal report warning that Muslim soldiers pose a possible security threat -- which the Pentagon by and large ignored.

Then, in 2005, after the FBI broke up a Muslim spy ring at Gitmo that involved Muslim military personnel, the Pentagon's counterspying unit, the Counterintelligence Field Activity, warned brass that Islamic legal doctrine was compromising devout Muslim soldiers' loyalty:

"Recent examples of a Muslim FBI agent and other Muslim law-enforcement personnel declining to investigate their fellow Muslims, the flawed translation process in Guantanamo and the controversy surrounding an Army Muslim chaplain and his relationship with Muslim detainees in Guantanamo are very probably concrete expressions of conscientious decisions rooted in a clearly articulated religious and legal doctrine," the declassified briefing states.

[Carley]

Obama rules call for muslims to be considered a protected specie.

[Graybeard58]

What to do? The simplistic answer would be to not allow muzzies to serve but some are American citizens. Some may be loyal to our country. How do we discern the decent from the evil?

[Paladin2]

Send the muzzies to South Korea.

[Don Corleone]

This summer, Hasan was overheard cheering the shooting death of a Little Rock Army recruiter by a Muslim. His patients complained about him proselytizing about Islam. He gave his nationality as "Palestinian" even though he was born in America. He apparently blogged about the glory of suicide bombing

Bucking for General in Obama's new military?

[Bulldawg Fan]

Unbelievable. What has gotten into the heads of America’s military leadership? I can tell you: Their careers are more important than doing what is right for our country and military. Their career will end if they complain about diversity or danger coming from diversity. And soldiers die when they dont say anything or the brass ignores their observations.

[Ingtar]

How could they do anything with him? He was on Obama’s Security transition team.

[Oldexpat]

The Muslim’s the the French armed forces has severely compromised their security. When my son served with SF in Afghanistan..they would not share anything with the French..not even their real names. They had been briefed that the French muslim’s were leaking info the the enemy.

[PhiKapMom]

All the signs were there on Hasan as he was reported numerous times for his radical remarks. What kind of Department of Defense is Gates running where political correctness towards Islam trumps common sense when a man is touting Islamic Law over the US Constution.

The Army’s answer seems to have been to send him to Fort Hood to be deployed. Some heads should roll on this one, and they need to drop this PC crap. When they have reports of anyone spouting support of terrorists, they need to investigate and get them out of the Army immediately if the reports are found to be true.

IMHO PC got our soldiers killed last week and the Pentagon brass owe the families of the victims an explanation why this man was kept in the Army after all the signs pointed to him being a radical Islamist.

[Sacajaweau]

Obama gonna throw him under the bus soon.

[Dick Bachert]

[TWhiteBear]

Any decisions on Major Hasan would be kicked up to the White House for political review.
The intel community did their job of flagging the Major, but it is the job of the military high command to solve the problem of Major Hasas.
The real question is ‘What did the White House know and when did they know it?
Republicans should be demanding an investigation.
TWB

[khnyny]

You’re right.

Our intelligence services warned the military over a period of years and made recommendations - those recommendations were ignored. I’d like to know why and I’m sure I’m not the only one. What happened to these victims was totally preventable and that is one of the real tragedies in this horrible situation.

I heard on the radio today as I was driving that a senior military officer said that there were other Muslim soldiers similar to Hasan that “were at risk”. What does that mean? It sounded like he was saying there are others out there who are potential terrorists.

[kg_mobster]

Bulldawg Fan,you are 100% on the money. Today’s military officers are all so worried about their careers that they will compromise their personal integrity for the sake of advancement. Officers used to question stupidity. Now they just implement it. It definitely made my last few years of service less enjoyable.

[Nosterrex]

The signs were deliberately overlooked BECAUSE he was a Muslim and a minority. The military has been transformed into a social experiment run by liberals and the politically correct. The military is not about being fair. It is about killing people and breaking things. Would it be “fair” to not allow Muslims into the military? Probably not, but it would be the right thing to do. No one serving in the military is going to trust totally a Muslim, and trust is essential for unit integrity. If the Muslims want to blame someone, blame their Islamic brothers.

[jersey117]

He was on Obama’s Security transition team.

This hasn't been getting enough attention. We must keep it in the spotlight. It should be part of the investigation.

[Conservative Vermont Vet]

This did not just start recently.

Sadly under W, there was a similar PC effort NOT to offend moozies within and outside the military.

No one has ever been willing to admit that we are at war against Islam and its ideology

W was bamboozled by CAIR and other terry-supporting Islamic groups and was called on the carpet by them for using Islamic Terrorist and stopped using those terms

Of course O'Bozzo has kicked it up notches unknown

Why is it that we could work to keep Commies (even sympathizers) from our Military as we realized their interest were inimical to ours but can not (or will not) do the same toward Islamist?

What to hell happened to Background Security Investigations which EVERY military personnel used to have to undergo?

As someone who used to conduct same for the AF, I can only imagine that there has been a change of policy and someone is being instructed NOT too look closely at these Muslims and their allegiance, or there is no way Hasan's true beliefs would not have been uncovered.

Lastly we don't have to "profile" them. If information is uncovered which shows they can not be trusted, simple: You refuse to give them a Security Clearance which in affect ends anyone's career toute suite!!!

[khnyny]

Typically, people care and are motivated by their own self interests even if that means ignoring “the right thing”. Doing the right thing becomes even more increasingly difficult in large bureaucracies with a CYA mentality and a fuzzy view of even what IS the right thing.

That being said, the military needs to totally rethink the way they are doing things in order to survive. We are paying their salaries and all their perks just like we do for Congress, etc., and they are accountable to the American people. Heads should roll on this one.

[Conservative Vermont Vet]

The real question is ‘What did the White House know and when did they know it?

Republicans should be demanding an investigation.

Yeah, did anyone notice how many Republitards are screaming for an investigation?

Crickets chirping!!!

What a bunch of ball-less bastards (and beeatches)!!!

[Jacquerie]

There is no right to serve in our Armed Forces.

Volunteers can be denied for various reasons from prior drug use, criminal record, age, weight, etc. The Islamic “faith” should be a disqualifier for service in our armed forces. Not gonna happen, but it should.

It is a form of national suicide to encourage this rabid, barbaric, social and political system which is hostile to our traditions and Constitution to flourish in our beloved United States.