Tuesday
Nov172009
Texas Republican Calls Fort Hood Shooting An 'Enemy Attack On American Soil'
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 4:30PM
By Leah Valencia, University of New Mexico- Talk Radio News Service
Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) introduced a bill Tuesday that would recognize the victims of the Fort Hood shooting as combat casualties and, if approved, could strengthen the argument that the incident should be considered a terrorist attack.
Carter, whose district includes the Fort Hood military base, said in a press conference that the bill would grant concessions for beneficiaries of all the military officers killed or wounded.
The status would also allow military victims to receive a Purple Heart and non-military victims to receive the Secretary of Defense Medal of Freedom, which is the civilian equivalent.
"They were basically taken out early in the combat," Carter said. "As far as I'm concerned, this was an attack by an enemy upon American troops on American soil."
Though Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who was charged on Thursday with killing 13 and wounding 29, has been rumored to have ties to a radical Muslim group in Yemen but many lawmakers have criticized the accusations, calling them premature.
"I think we should call things what they are," Carter said. "I don't think we should worry about hurting people's feelings. No one is saying the term 'terrorism' has the word Muslim in it."
Lawmakers say they do not expect much opposition to the bill since it’s main focus is helping the victims.
Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) introduced a bill Tuesday that would recognize the victims of the Fort Hood shooting as combat casualties and, if approved, could strengthen the argument that the incident should be considered a terrorist attack.
Carter, whose district includes the Fort Hood military base, said in a press conference that the bill would grant concessions for beneficiaries of all the military officers killed or wounded.
The status would also allow military victims to receive a Purple Heart and non-military victims to receive the Secretary of Defense Medal of Freedom, which is the civilian equivalent.
"They were basically taken out early in the combat," Carter said. "As far as I'm concerned, this was an attack by an enemy upon American troops on American soil."
Though Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who was charged on Thursday with killing 13 and wounding 29, has been rumored to have ties to a radical Muslim group in Yemen but many lawmakers have criticized the accusations, calling them premature.
"I think we should call things what they are," Carter said. "I don't think we should worry about hurting people's feelings. No one is saying the term 'terrorism' has the word Muslim in it."
Lawmakers say they do not expect much opposition to the bill since it’s main focus is helping the victims.
Reader Comments (3)
"No one is saying the term ‘terrorism’ has the word Muslim in it.”
This is one of the most hypocritical and ridiculous comments so far, made by anyone about this incident.
Why?
Because this is exactly what they are saying. There are no proven ties to any terrorist organization, yet the man has been accused of "being a terrorist" and we should "see him for what he is".
Why? After all he was an American soldier. So why call him a terrorist rather than a psychopath? Because he was a psychiatrist? No because he was Muslim! That is the one and only fascist reason for this inflammatory insult.
Being a terrorist requires to be linked to a "terrorist group". So if we consider the US army a terrorist group, I guess we can call the guy a terrorist, rather than a psychopath.
This is another knee jerk reaction to another tragic event.
This bill lessens the sacrifices of those that did and unfortunately will die in actual combat against enemy combatants, and will actually give credence to the individual that perpetrated this ghastly crime.
By passing this bill we are saying the enemy has infiltrated our military, so everyone is now suspect.
Will the accused be tried as an enemy combatant? Taking justice out of the hands of the State of Texas, and the US Army.
I feel for those families, but this was not combat, certainly any more then the 9/11 attacks (which the fallen did not receive to my knowledge these entitlements.) If anything it was fratricide which it certainly wasn’t.
We cannot pick and chose one tragedy over another.
Good Intentions, Bad Idea, Worse Execution
Conservatives are calling Hasan an Islamic terrorist.
But has anyone else noticed the key missing piece here? No terrorist group -- not Al Queda or any other -- has claimed Hasan as its own. Not so after other major attacks. They post on their websites that they are the cause of the carnage. Absolutely nothing like that here.
It's the urge to keep the fear factor in front of the American public -- much like the McCarthy years. Only the uninformed and uneducated will fall for this ploy.