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McCook Gazette

Our opinion

Editorial

Military officials felt compelled to overlook the obvious

Friday, November 6, 2009

Hindsight is always 20-20, but the Army seems to have had plenty of warning something was amiss with Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, now hospitalized with four gunshot wounds after allegedly yelling "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire inside Fort Hood, leaving 13 people dead and 30 wounded.

His name appeared on Internet postings about suicide bombings and other threats. He argued with fellow soldiers who supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and had been harassed after September 11, 2001, someone once scratching "Allah" on his car.

Working with service people traumatized by their service in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hasan dreaded his own upcoming deployment, and wanted out of the Army, even offering to repay the cost of his medical degree.

Yes, Hasan had sworn an oath of loyalty to the military, but he apparently felt he was responding to a higher loyalty on Thursday. He never should have been put in the position of being forced to choose between the two.

Officially, the military must be inclusive, accepting qualified people regardless of personal religious persuasions.

But Thursday's events are a jarring reminder of the danger of allowing political correctness to blind us to the obvious.

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  • I think it is time to keep people of the muslim faith out of our military and other sensitive areas of government. I believe sooner or later they will show their true colors and act in violent matters

    -- Posted by bnsf on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 6:13 PM
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  • Yeah SW Nebrasks(especally McCook) is very racesist and closed minded and judgmental...dont wait for the facts....just judge in the most harsh of ways. Ignorant brainwashed christian views are the norm here. Judge before learning truth.Condem before learning any of the truths. So typical. No compassion.No understanding...just condemnation.

    I do not condone what this man did but I am unwilling to judge him. I leave it to THE GREAT SPIRIT (GOD)to do that and all of you would do well to do the same.

    PEACE

    -- Posted by Free Spirit on Sat, Nov 7, 2009, at 8:17 PM
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  • Facts are facts....they moslems in middleeast hate us all in USA....They announce that they want to kill/destoy all americans and our way of life......and who is closed minded, racists, and everything else you idiots need to wake up and smell the coffee before another Pearl Harbor happens being led by all moslems who hate us......are all moslems bad?? no but neither was all Nazi's in World War II....and they killed hundreds of thousands of our troops before we put them down....for good

    -- Posted by Cornwhisperer on Mon, Nov 9, 2009, at 11:46 AM
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  • It's a sad state of affairs when people bash other people for viewing a murderer in a negative light. Even worse considering that, by calling other people judgemental and closed minded, they are also being judgemental.

    It'd be appreciated if hypocritical people like FreeSpirit would show a little backbone, instead of trying to take up some feeble "higher moral ground" to make themselves look bigger. Emotional invertebrates who feel that an opinion article in the paper is "judging in the most harsh of ways" are of no use in intelligent and meaningful debate, any moreso than people who only pop up to fight for their elephant or donkey deities.

    GazetteFail, I'm so glad you feel the need to read and comment on "two-bit" OPINION articles on a paper you don't like. Is somebody twisting your arm, or do you have so much free time that you can spend it slinging mud for the glory of your political higher power?

    -- Posted by bjo on Mon, Nov 9, 2009, at 12:44 PM
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  • Leave it to the "great spirit" to judge him? Since when do we need a great spirit to tell us that murdering 13 innocent people and maiming dozens of others is wrong? He will be afforded a trial like any other citizen (judged) and, if found guilty, will be punished.

    -- Posted by heymicahs mom on Mon, Nov 9, 2009, at 8:32 PM
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