Tel-Chai Nation

Hot Air brings up the challenging question of why Malik Nidal Hasan was still in the army even after his poor grades in the psychiatry profession, and his internet postings in which he condoned jihad. As told in this report from AP Wire:

While an intern at Walter Reed, Hasan had some “difficulties” that required counseling and extra supervision, said Dr. Thomas Grieger, who was the training director at the time.

[...]

At least six months ago, Hasan came to the attention of law enforcement officials because of Internet postings about suicide bombings and other threats, including posts that equated suicide bombers to soldiers who throw themselves on a grenade to save the lives of their comrades.

They had not determined for certain whether Hasan is the author of the posting, and a formal investigation had not been opened before the shooting, said law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the case.

[...]

On a form filled out by those seeking spouses through a program at the mosque, Hasan listed his birthplace as Arlington, Va., but his nationality as Palestinian, Khan said.

“I don’t know why he listed Palestinian,” Khan said, “He was not born in Palestine.”

Because, as Golda Meir once said, there is no palestine! But aside from that, why did the army continue to allow him to function and not investigate him themselves after the disturbing information that came up about his web activities? Why didn't they put him on probation?

USA Today reports:

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican from Austin, was briefed by military officials and said Hasan had taken some unusual classes for someone studying about mental health.

“He took a lot of extra classes in weapons training, which seems a little odd for a psychiatrist,” McCaul said.

McCaul said Hasan had received poor grades for his work at Walter Reed and was not happy about his situation in Fort Hood, where Hasan apparently felt like “he didn’t fit in.”

“He’s disgruntled because he had a poor performance evaluation, he doesn’t believe in the mission, he’s looking at getting transferred to Afghanistan or Iraq,” McCaul said. “He’s not happy about all that.”

McCaul added that officials planned to interview Hasan to try to determine for sure that he was not working with foreign agents.

“From an intelligence standpoint, that’s key, finding out if he talked to anyone overseas,” McCaul said.

That too would surely be reason to suspend him from military service, if not discharge him altogether. So why again wasn't he dealt with properly? I think the army is going to have a lot of explaining to do.

On a related note, here's another AP Wire report that features some sob-storying from his relatives:

Authorities accuse Hasan of firing more than 100 rounds Thursday in a soldier processing center at Fort Hood, killing 13 and wounding 29 others in the worst mass shooting on a military facility in the U.S. At the start of the attack, Hasan reportedly jumped up on a desk and shouted "Allahu akbar!" - Arabic for "God is great!" Hasan, 39, was seriously wounded by police and is being treated in a military hospital.

The military has said Hasan was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan, but family members suggested he was trying avoid serving overseas.

Hasan's relatives who live in the Palestinian territories have said they had heard from family members that Hasan felt mistreated in the Army as a Muslim.

"He told (them) that as a Muslim committed to his prayers he was discriminated against and not treated as is fitting for an officer and American," said Mohammed Malik Hasan, 24, a cousin, told the AP from his home on the outskirts of Ramallah, a Palestinian city in the West Bank. "He hired a lawyer to get him a discharge."

The Army major also had previously questioned the U.S. war on terror.

A former classmate has said Hasan was a "vociferous opponent of the war" and "viewed the war against terror" as a "war against Islam." Dr. Val Finnell, who attended a master's in public health program in 2007-2008 at Uniformed Services University with Hasan, said he told classmates he was "a Muslim first and an American second."

In that case, I would think there'd be another reason why the army should be careful about allowing someone like him to continue with his work there! Note also how Hasan and/or his relatives resorted to sob-story tactics, something quite typical of characters like these. The man is definitely dangerous, especially given that one of his victims was a pregnant woman. He should receive the death sentence for his savage crime.

Update: according to this NPR article (via Jihad Watch) he taught the Koran when he was supposed to be giving medical lectures.

Update 2: most astounding: he even attended a Homeland Security event.

Update 3: and now, most disturbing of all: new info from the UK Telegraph reveals that Hasan had ties with 3 of the 9-11 terrorists:

Hasan, the sole suspect in the massacre of 13 fellow US soldiers in Texas, attended the controversial Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Great Falls, Virginia, in 2001 at the same time as two of the September 11 terrorists, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt. His mother’s funeral was held there in May that year.

The preacher at the time was Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born Yemeni scholar who was banned from addressing a meeting in London by video link in August because he is accused of supporting attacks on British troops and backing terrorist organisations.

Hasan’s eyes “lit up” when he mentioned his deep respect for al-Awlaki’s teachings, according to a fellow Muslim officer at the Fort Hood base in Texas, the scene of Thursday’s horrific shooting spree.

This is one more reason why this vile, disgusting filth deserves to be sent to the chair or the lethal injection chamber.

Update 4: according to this Washington Post item (via Hot Air Headlines), the Feds didn't follow up on investigating Hasan's internet postings, and the Northern Command has not raised the alert level at US Army bases, because they only view it as an isolated incident. That is irresponsible, and they're going to have to do much better than that, because many soldiers could be feeling very unsafe now if the same threat Hasan posed could occur at other locations.

Others on the subject include Atlas Shrugs, Ann Althouse, Booker Rising, The Jawa Report (plus, another one), Debbie Schlussel, Israel National News, Phyllis Chesler, American Power, Little Miss Attila, Ed Driscoll, Red State, Fire Andrea Mitchell, The Force of Reason.

Labels: islam, jihad, military, msm foulness, United States