What's that Gen. Casey? We can't hear you!
Posted on 11/11/2009 7:43:51 AM PST by Responsibility2nd
FORT HOOD — One of the most sensational allegations stemming from last week's shooting spree at Fort Hood was a claim that Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan shouted “Allahu akbar!” before firing into scores of soldiers at a large post processing center.
A day after Army chief of staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. expressed concern over potential anti-Muslim reaction in the wake of the mass shooting, Fort Hood appeared to distance itself from the controversy.
A spokesman for the post, asked to clarify comments made last week by Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, the Fort Hood commander, who suggested that Hasan issued the jihadist battle cry, called it “speculation.”
“The supposed shouted quote is still a matter of speculation and under investigation by CID,” Bruce E. Zielsdorf said. “Lt. Gen. Cone is correct in saying he'd heard such reports, but without audiovisual documentation of the incident, it is still an issue to be addressed through the investigative process, and we will do nothing to jeopardize that effort.”
The post has offered no hard evidence that Hasan uttered those words or shown that witnesses have confirmed it independently of each other before word spread around the post and in the media.
Cone told the CBS “Early Show” on Friday that “there are reports, unconfirmed, that he was saying ‘Allahu Akbar.'”
In an interview Friday on NBC's “Today” show, Cone said there were “first-hand accounts here that are similar” to reports of Hasan using those words.
One of the wounded, Pfc. Joseph Foster, told CNN that he was doing paperwork for his deployment in January to Afghanistan when said he heard a cry and then nearby gunfire.
“I was sitting in about the second row back when the assailant stood up and yelled ‘Allahu akbar' in Arabic and he opened fire,” Foster told CNN's “American Morning”
In an interview that aired Monday, Foster, who refused to discuss the incident in a news conference Sunday, said he couldn't be certain the shooter said those exact words, explaining that “with that much adrenaline, you tend to forget things.”
Americans across the country have reacted in anger, and media reports worldwide have drawn a tighter focus on Hasan's opposition to the war in Iraq and ties to a mosque used by two 9-11 hijackers.
One conservative Web site, Pajamas Media, ran a column Monday in which the writer, Ron Radosh, denounced efforts by the Army to play down religion as a factor in the attack. “Any objective observer would think it a tragedy if the Army swept the motivations of someone like Hasan under the rug,” Radosh wrote.
But both Casey and Fort Hood's commander continued to express concerns that people were rushing to judgment. Casey worried in a Sunday television appearance of a backlash against Muslim soldiers, while Cone dismissed the notion that Hasan was waging a holy war on his fellow soldiers.
“I would say this in my view did not have to do with religion,” Cone said in a “town hall” televised Monday night on a Killeen-area PBS affiliate.
He also alluded to concerns that the Army has long held about the toll that multiple deployments have taken on soldiers and their families.
“In many ways, it was for many of us one of our worst fears, that this would happen and it would be one of our own that is suspected of conducting this attack,” he said.
Cone briefed viewers on today's memorial ceremony featuring President Barack Obama. Earlier in the day, he met with the media and promised that the Army would take a “hard look” at what, if anything, could have been done to prevent Thursday's shooting.
“We are going to take a very hard look at ourselves, and anything that might have been done,” adding that the examination would be “a big look.”
Hasan remained in Brooke Army Medical Center. The Associated Press reported that family members Monday had hired a former military judge, John P. Galligan, to act as Hasan's attorney.
The AP reported Monday night that Galligan met with Hasan briefly, and that the attorney said law enforcement would not be questioning Hasan at this time.
Earlier in the day, Galligan avoided specifics about the case, saying, “There's a lot of facts that still need to be developed, and the time for that will come in due course.”
But he cautioned that the intense publicity surrounding his client had complicated efforts to try him at Fort Hood. The Army said Sunday that 328 media organizations from several nations were reporting the story from the post.
Typically, the trial would be here, with legal proceedings initiated by Hasan's commanders.
“You've got his commander-in-chief showing up tomorrow,” Galligan told the AP. “That same kind of publicity naturally creates an issue as to whether you find a fair and impartial forum, whether that's in the military or even if it were in a federal forum.”
Galligan oversaw a case 12 years ago in a small post courtroom on Fort Sam Houston that involved Robert Shapiro, the defense attorney in the O.J. Simpson murder trial. As the judge, Galligan began court early, and it generally ran into the evening each day. He even brought the jury back on a Saturday night to hear additional testimony.
“I thought he was a very, very intelligent judge,” Shapiro said. “I found that he paid very close attention to the evidence, that he researched the law and he actually made some very unprecedented rulings that allowed polygraph evidence to be entered in our case, so I found him to be a terrific judge, obviously very, very hard working and very dedicated.”
One veteran military attorney said publicity in the case cuts another way — at witnesses who have claimed they heard Hasan cry “Allahu akbar!”
A decade ago Frank Spinner represented Marine Capt. Richard Ashby, accused of killing 20 people by flying his jet into an Italian gondola cable.
Ashby was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter in the 1988 incident.
One key to the defense was impeaching eyewitness testimony. Spinner raised questions about what the witnesses actually saw by showing that their minds might have been influenced by media reports after the tragedy.
In Italy, Spinner said, “we found there were a lot of witnesses that saw immediate reports about what was going on, and we were able to show that they incorporated into their memory what they saw on TV. So they might have seen the plane fly nearby, but we had testimony to show that they may have been contaminated or influenced by what they saw in media reports.”
The issue is likely to come up, especially because there are hundreds of potential witnesses and little way to avoid publicity over the shooting, which has been the dominant news story since Thursday.
As of Monday evening, Foster, 21, of Ogden, Utah, and 26 other wounded troops had been discharged from area hospitals. Fifteen remained hospitalized, with six of those in intensive care units.
Hmmm. My headline (Gen. Casey again) might be wrong. Maybe it should read (Gen. Cone again).
Ahhh, whats the difference?
It sounds like the Army is going to “convince” witnesses that they did not hear what they heard.
Casey is a little dhmini stooge for Islam. 8 years ago Muslims murdered 3,000 Americans. A year ago - fools in this country elected one.
If anyone can ever crack the meaning of that mysterious “Allahu akbar!”, the mystery of his motive will be solved.
Frank Spinner??? How apropos.
I think the fear the EO department the most.
What's that Gen. Casey? We can't hear you!
I hope somebody documents all of the “Allah Ahkbar” shouts, because these assholes are going to whitewash this.
I know I’ve read at least 3 different accounts from soldiers and another 2 from parents of soldiers. Wish I would have resourced each one.
They are going to coerce these young soldiers into stating they are not positive what the heard....Bank on it.
What a freaking shame we have people like Casey and a myriad of other PC politicos “leading” our brave troops...and on Veteran’s Day to boot.
I really miss Peter Pace. He would have reached out and smacked someone for talk like this.
“I would say this in my view did not have to do with religion,” Cone said in a “town hall” televised Monday night on a Killeen-area PBS affiliate.
____________________________________
What???? General Cone DARES to claim that Islam is not a religion?
Or is he being sutpid and ignoring the obvious signs that this was a MUSLIM terrorist act?
In either case, he is an good little Obama-bot.
This is part of their strategy, to put all the attention on this battle cry then debunk it. This will then magically debunk the entire terrorism argument by default.
It’s one piece of evidence and should be treated as such. Hasan’s beliefs, contacts, writings, etc. should also be taken individually. Then, and this is where the gov’t doesn’t get it, you connect the dots and get the big picture. If done that way, it doesn’t change much if one piece can’t be substantiated.
The same political group cautioning about inflammatory language, constantly refers to American soldiers as ‘torturers’, ‘baby killers’, ‘murderers’, and ‘terrorists’. While taking a break from spitting on returning soldiers, or urinating on Old Glory, they cringe at any recognition that yet another POS is muslim.
casey is a PC chicken sh*t a-hole! He’s more concerned that muslim soldiers might feel uncomfortable than he is with muslim soldiers killing American soldiers and their families. He is less than worthless and a disgrace to his uniform and country.
Gates..this happened under your command and I want your resignation. I have lost confidence in your ability to lead. Signed..citizen.
General Casey, we have your number.
I-800-WE COWER BEFORE ISLAM
I see you read the comments too.
That’s good.
Casey is doing what he is told, he is a dunce.
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