This is Going to Get Very Dark

[DearAbby]

Multiple news organizations are reporting that one of the suspected gunman, apparently the one who fired most of the shots, at Fort Hood is Major Malik Nadal Hasan, 39. He was shot dead during the shooting.

Late Update: The most recent statements seem to cast some doubt over whether there were multiple shooters or whether Hassan may have been the only assailant.

Latter Update: The fact that the primary assailant has an Arabic name and is presumably, though we don't know this yet, of Muslim extraction if not a practicing Muslim, is going to be the focus of attention. That is an issue that speaks for itself. And I'm sure it will be the focus of much discussion over the coming days. But in some ways what's more shocking to me is that the assailant was an Army Major. Whatever the motivation -- ideological, religious, nationalist, mental instability, etc. I would far more expect something like this to done by a young soldier, perhaps an enlisted person. Needless to say this is no knock on enlisted personnel. But a lot of people cycle through the Army. Many have only been in service for a relatively short period of time. A major though is a lifer, usually I would think someone who's been in for a couple decades or near to it, who's risen very high in the ranks.

--Josh Marshall

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

[tekisui]

1. He was set to be deployed to Iraq and was angry about it.

It seems, for now, that his motive may have been not wanting to go to Iraq.

[Xenotime]

7. Can you blame him?!

That would suck to have to go fight your own people. So sad nobody reached out to him before this tragedy happened.

[tekisui]

9. I believe he is of Jordanian descent.

[Pirate Smile]

15. You can blame him for killing 11 people and wounding 30. Yes, you can blame him.

He is not the victim here.

[seabeyond]

16. He is not the victim here.... kill 11/wound 30 ya, i can blame him too.

[Island Blue]

21. Yup. I can blame him.

As others have said, he is not a victim.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

25. He's a victim!

:crazy:

[Dreamer Tatum]

27. Fuckin' A right I can blame him. nt

[Dorian Gray]

29. For real?

Of course I blame him. He killed people because he didn't want to be sent to Iraq? He could have fled to Canada or refused his orders and dealt with the punishment. You don't murder people because you don't want to follow orders.

[Xenotime]

31. Maybe you do when those people are going to kill your countrymen.

It's really simple if you think about it. Fleeing to canada would not have stopped them from going over there. Maybe he sacrificed himself knowing he was going to be killed to stop them from going over.

Maybe some good will come from this and more troops will be brought home. This could be the turning point in bringing an end to the war.

I'm just saying.



:shrug:

[Throd]

32. He murdered his own countrymen today. Americans

Your theory is by far the stupidest I have heard today. Considering the competition, that is quite an achievement.

[krabigirl]

20. Gee, I wonder why! It's been going on forever...someone was bound to snap.

[lildreamer316]

2. Someone in another thread said he was originally from Virginia and a convert.

I don't know where that info came from.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

8. That was just reported on Faux

and they said that they contacted people at the fort who said he had repeatedly expressed his displeasure at his forthcoming deployment in the war zone.

[Robb]

13. As opposed to everyone else who was tickled about deployment. nt

[HipChick]

26. He went to school at Virgina Tech, and did some residency in Washington DC

prob where that came from

[babylonsister]

3. I wonder how often this major had been deployed? Very sad. nt

[DearAbby]

4. Yes it is.

[SpiralHawk]

5. doubleplusungood

all around.

[jwirr]

24. Exactly. My nephew has been deployed 4 times and knows he will

have to go again.

[Ignis]

33. That's just too many tours.

We're grinding these soldiers down. :thumbsdown:

[jonnyblitz]

6. wow, I automatically assumed it would be lower rank enlisted

NOT a high ranking officer! :wow:

I wonder what the ranks of the others were, if there were others.

[Mz Pip]

10. I hope someone asks

the Obamahaters how ending torture and pledging to pull out of Iraq caused this tragedy. If we still tortured and kept bombing this guy would have kept it together?

[get the red out]

11. I am worried about the right

The right will increase their Muslim hate rhetoric. I hate this. He was probably PTSD and needed help, but it will be made out to be an Iranian orchestrated attack or some such.

[Thickasabrick]

28. Me too. I took a peek and they want to automatically discharge

all muslims from the service and start internment camps.

[spanone]

12. ya betcha

[Irreverend IX]

14. The "three shooters" thing seems implausible.

Those early reports were probably due to a fog of war effect, where witnesses saw the shooter at different places or saw MPs with guns going after the shooter and reported that there were other shooters. Could be wrong though.

[BootinUp]

17. WTF is going on here, tv stations reporting 3 shooters?

Is this another case of reporting wild stories before any facts are really known?

[DearAbby]

18. Media speculating isnt making the situation any better

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6937358
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6936138
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6936611

[CatWoman]

19. they are reporting he was a mental health specialist

:(

[Junkdrawer]

22. Link him to Iran and it would be a perfect Casus Belli...

I'll bet Faux News and the New York Times are working the story now

[Number23]

23. Muslims and Arabs have had 8 years of this mess to deal with. This will be nothing new for them

This is the f*cking racial reality of this country.

[Odin2005]

30. Uh-Oh!

:(