Massacre at Fort Hood

Americans have choices about how they react to the terrible, tragic massacre that took place yesterday. They can simply condemn it and feel morally superior that they would never do such a thing; or they can try to understand why it might have happened.

Those in the second category might begin by reading this story in today's Washington Post. And possibly also this one about the high suicide rate at Fort Hood.

More shooting. This time in Orlando, Florida. Looks bad. I wonder when anyone will publicly raise the issue of gun control, or rather how guns are out of control. Don't hold your breath.

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4 Comments

Joanna Bryson said…
AFP says that if the Army's suicide rate stays on its current course this year it will be its highest in recent history -- and for the first time, higher than for the general population.

I hadn't realized before reading that that it wasn't already higher than the normal population's. Funny what articles don't mention. Not that increasing suicide rates (and murder and domestic abuse) aren't cause for concern anyway.
Anne Gilbert said…
I don't exactly know how to respond to this horrible tragedy. The man was clearly troubled; the way the Washington Post describes him, he was really reserved and kind of a loner. Being a Muslim isn't going to help him any. But it really sounds like he was holding something inside, for a very long time. And finally, it all just blew up. Why didn't the military recognize this? Why didn't they just let himg tet a discharge? I wish I knew. Because f they had, this could all have been averted. I hope they know that now.
Richard Parker said…
"Being a Muslim isn't going to help him any."

Won't help other Muslims much, either

Coiuldn't he have been a Jehovah's Witness?
Richard Parker said…
Anne, you should understand that the American military/industrial complex is very over-stretched in its recruitment of cannon fodder.

Most Americans now know what cannon fodder means, and don't want to be part of it.

And, I think, this was this man's problem, after a few years of dealing with returned soldiers with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders.

All the psychiatry in the world can't fix those things.

At the end, the day before he was to be deployed, he broke.

In the circumstances, I might have done so too. But I would have targetted the Fort Hood HQ.

Blowing out a few fat-slappy colonels would get better press coverage.