As they should. He doesn’t represent all Muslims…anymore than fanatical Christians represent all Christians.

Thank goodness.

We are a long way from understanding with reasonable certainty why he did this but I’m reading it probably had some to do with his learning from returning soldiers, whom he counseled, of their experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Fortunately we are somewhat getting out of Iraq, where we should never have gone, after spending hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars going there and with thousands of our dead and injured and badly traumatized, not to mention Iraqi dead and injured and traumatized, all to kill one man and trade a secular but functioning dictatorship for a religious and so far not functioning ??
Now the president, and we, need to think about what to do in Afghanistan. I never opposed going there since that’s where the 9/11 plot was hatched. And I understand we might have won there if Bush and his Republican chums had kept their eyes on that ball instead of diverting our forces for the Iraq invasion which
a) we didn’t need to do then in any case and
b) we didn’t need to do; he’d rigged the evidence and our press ignored that.
But we are in Afghanistan. Some will say we need to win, whatever “win” means there and at whatever the cost. I’ve had mixed feelings, not sure what we should do, but I’m beginning to think
a) it’s not all that important since Al Qada and such have metastasized all over the world, partly due to our heavy handed actions in Iraq and Afghanistan and
b) we just can’t afford the expense. There’s a whole Republican industry talking about our growing national debt which studiously ignores the costs of our wars and our military-industrial establishment which is breaking us. If we cut those costs by, say, just a third we could probably pay for medical coverage for us all and all sorts of other things we really need.
Anyway this is a big issue we probably all need to educate ourselves about (remember, Fox News and education are mutually destructive) and get involved in.

nnmns you I agree mostly but I notice it is hard for you to admit that Obama sending our boys to Afghanistan is a big fat mistake also. I know you think that all conservations backed Bush but I didn’t and although I did vote for Obama he has made some really big mistakes too. We cannot ever occupy or control Afghanistan history should have made it apparent to Obama but his misjudgment has cost us millions and many lives and I am sure to save face (stupid pride) will keep us on both fronts far too long. As much as we would like to think that it is safe to accept all of our American Muslim friends in good faith this incident shows us of a mentality that may have a larger presence than we think. There is much American stupidity at work here.

Certainly “leading Republicans” are trying to drive him into upping the troops a lot, a pretty sure sign it would be a mistake. And here’s an OP-Ed piece by Bob Herbert on the stress Iraq and Afghanistan repeated postings have put on our troops.
I hope he can take a clear-sighted look and make a wise decision not governed by “stupid pride” but that can be hard.

cknuck, and others, you will find interesting informative opinions on Afghanistan and other issues, some you may even agree with, at TomDispatch.com.

This is so sad, all of it for all envolved.
Radical Religion that is lived doesn’t help anyone. Both the Bible and the Q’ran contain scripture that can me misinterpreted and murder follows. They are not in their right minds, whether it be from being taught, mental problems with logic suffering, physical problems affecting their thinking process. I hope Hasan lives so more can be known about his rationalizing.
I heard on the news last night that he never had visitors, never, until the day before his killing-spree. It was another Muslim, according to neighbors. So, was this a minister of some sort giving him the last rites? Or was this a terrorist plan?

Henrietta22: “I heard on the news last night that he never had visitors, never, until the day before his killing-spree. It was another Muslim, according to neighbors.”
How did they know? Did he tell them his name?
“So, was this a minister of some sort giving him the last rites? Or was this a terrorist plan?”
Wow…you know, I hardly have visitors myself. Could I have a few hours to straighten up before the FBI raids my house?
Now let’s see how many posts it takes before I’m labeled a member of the “PC police”.

It’s sad you never have visitors mordred.

Mordred8, I didn’t mention that the man said the visitor was wearing religious garb and had a beard. That must have been why he called him a muslim.

I’m getting tired of this knee-jerk reaction every time someone does something violent: that it’s some far-reaching conspiracy. Yes, there are violent fanatical Muslims out there. Nobody is denying that. What’s nauseating is the disturbingly popular belief that the entirety of the Muslim community is out to get us. Or that anyone that doesn’t agree with this nonsense is really on “their” side. And that’s generally the impression I’m getting from some of these blogs I’ve been reading.

13 dead and 30 wounded and you talk about knee jerk reaction? Mordred how much more fanatical can it get? No one is saying “the Muslim” community but certainly things like this is not just spontaneous. How dare you minimize this situation, you really should think before you talk.

Did you really read what I said, cknuck? Don’t tell me no one’s blaming the Muslim community for this. Rod Dreher over at Crunchy Con has made maybe 5 posts in 2 days, full of comments holding Islam itself responsible for this. One of the commenters advocated putting Muslims in “concentration camps” (his exact words). Because, of course, no one has a mind of their own. Blaming these attacks on religion ignores the fact that people have free will to accept or reject violent teachings. And if Islam is so inherently violent, why don’t we see attacks like this everyday in America, like we do in Iraq and Afghanistan? Did it ever occur to you that maybe the Muslims who are here now came here because they want nothing to do with that? Maybe this guy didn’t, but even then we’re still talking about one person out of a few million.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the wounded the families of those killed at Fort Hood.
The tragic irony is that this psychopath, far from helping his fellow Muslims, has only made life about a thousand times more difficult for any of them serving in the Armed Services. If he thought he had it tough as a Muslim in the Army, I would hate to think what life is like for those still in uniform.

mordred you are one extreme pointing at another while the truth lies in the middle just out of your reach. My brother is Muslim both of his sons were killed in a Muslim sect struggle here in America. My neighbors are America and we share meals and time together. There is a reality in the fact that their are Muslim extremist here in the states and this man rather than serve in Afghanistan choose to kill here. No matter how much emphasis folk put on his psychotic state if you know anything about killing this was very planned/rehearsed to be at this level of effectiveness especially on an military base.

I meant to say my neighbors in the next condo are American Muslims and we share meals and conversation many times. When a earthquake hit our area we comforted each other. Most Muslim families only want to work and achieve the American dream but there are some who only desire to destroy America and Americans.

“Most Muslim families only want to work and achieve the American dream…….” cknuck
Just like everyone else.

yeah the one man one woman wife and husband American dream. I doubt if you are going to sell your homosexual stuff to Muslims pagan.

No sales pitch needed. I’m sure there are some Muslims that are homosexual too.(just like there are homosexuals in all walks of life and all religions). Homosexuality isn’t new on the planet, chnuck.

pitch pitch pitch pagan passion

Yes cknuck, there are gay Muslims. My partner being one.
Then again, you probably don’t believe in gay Christians either.

“pitch pitch pitch pagan passion”. cknuck
Now all I need to do is add music.
Wannabe Theo:
cknuck doesn’t believe in homosexuality…it is a chosen life style, didn’t you know?? I mean, golly, where have you been? )

wanna, why don’t you marry him in a Muslim church?
pagan of course I believe in homosexuality I just believe it is a sinful practice.

But do you believe homosexuals are born or choose to be gay, cknuck? I thought you weren’t convinced that gays are born just like heterosexuals are. “Sinful practice”? Is it sinful if heterosexual do the same thing?

How did this turn into a gay discussion?

Nov. 9,1:14 PM, Mordred 08. That is chnuck’s post. The one under it is my response, which he took to think I was talking about homosexuality, which I wasn’t. Just went from there! )