Legislation to prevent violent offenders from receiving wages
For the nearly four years since Army Maj. Nidal Hasan allegedly gunned down more than a dozen American servicemen, U.S. taxpayers have continued to pay his salary -- to the tune of around $300,000 so far. But new legislation, called the "Stop Pay for Violent Offenders Act" and introduced Monday in the House of Representatives, would authorize the military to suspend pay for Hasan and other members of the military for any capital or sex-related offense.I think some legislation is needed to require the army to provide benefits to victims of crime in their employ too, regardless of whether it's an act of terrorism.
Current law allows the military to suspend the pay of civilian employees, but an Army spokesperson told ABC News last month that it cannot stop paying Hasan, who is still officially in the Army, at his usual pay grade unless he's convicted. Hasan has admitted to shooting his fellow soldiers, saying in June that the Nov. 5, 2009 attack on Fort Hood in Texas was done in the "defense of others," in his case, the Taliban. Hasan has repeatedly refused to enter a plea, so earlier this month the military pleaded "not guilty" for him.
While Hasan continues to draw about $80,000 per year, many of the Fort Hood victims say they've been denied financial and medical benefits due to the military's refusal to categorize the massacre as an act of terrorism, instead discussing it as "workplace violence."
Labels: anti-americanism, dhimmitude, islam, jihad, military, misogyny, Moonbattery, political corruption, racism, terrorism, United States, US Congress, war on terror