Alleged Ft. Hood shooter Hasan awaits decision; officers face discipline

The US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs produced the report "A Ticking Time Bomb" after the Ft. Hood shootings.A new commander is taking over at Ft. Hood and attorneys for Maj. Nidal Hasan want Lt. Gen. Robert Cone to refrain from ruling on Hasan’s court martial and whether the alleged shooter will face the death penalty. Cone was at Ft. Hood on Nov. 5, 2009 when 13 people were killed and more than 24 others were wounded.

Hasan’s attorneys claim they doubt Cone’s ability to be impartial; the attorneys want a decision by the new commander.

The Houston Chronicle said, "Cone has been nominated to be a four-star general and to lead the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, Va."

Hasan isn’t the only member of the military to face consequences for his actions. The Military Justice Gazette said, “[N]ine officers who failed to recognize and report that Hasan presented a danger or was otherwise unfit for military service face disciplinary action.” [MJG, April 1, 2011; pg. 2]

MJG noted a recent Senate report that confirmed Hasan’s colleagues knew about his extreme religious views and his poor performance. Despite the colleagues’ awareness, the major got favorable performance reviews and he was promoted.

The report MJG cited was prepared by the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. The report is lengthy, but the content suggests an approach that may trickle down from Washington—elevating political correctness while shoving common sense and national security aside.

Military affairs are a direct result of policy set by the nation’s commander-in-chief.

The report is titled “A Ticking Time Bomb”—an understatement typical of bureaucracy.

The report said the officers who kept Hasan in the Army and continued to advance him “knew full well of his problematic behavior.” The report said, “As the officer who assigned Hasan to Ft. Hood (and later decided to deploy Hasan to Afghanistan) admitted to an officer at Ft. Hood, ‘You’re getting our worst.’”

The report also said the “public and private signs of Hasan’s radicalization to violent Islamist extremism” were known. Somewhat amazingly, the report said a string of failures prevented officials from intervening. Hasan’s radicalization was glaringly obvious, but the report said the information was “sanitized” in evaluation reports that praised Hasan because the Army thought the major was researching violent Islamist extremism.

The committee report implies a complete dismissal of reality in the interest of political correctness, leaving the nation vulnerable.

The Senate report said Hasan’s actions before the shooting took place were “clearly out of bounds for a military officer.”

 MJG said, “The special court-martial convening authority recommended a capital general court-martial, and the case is now on the desk of the general court martial convening authority.”

 Almost one and one half years have elapsed since the shootings at Ft. Hood, yet the US government still appears to be unclear on how and when to proceed in delivering justice for innocents slain in a mass murder.

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 (Commentary by Kay B. Day/April 1, 2011)

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