As soon as the name of the shooter in Fort Hood was released, my first thought was that it would start a veritable witch hunt for Muslims in the military. During one of the live broadcasts, a soldier on the scene was quoted as saying it’s a shame “his last name wasn’t Smith.” Even as I said it, though, part of me wondered if I wasn’t being unfair. After all, the military isn’t calling this a terrorist act, and his actions certainly do appear more like someone who snapped from personal strain rather than a calculated act against the military.
Apparently, I was giving people too much credit.
“Do you think it’s time for the military to have special debriefings of Muslim Army officers, anybody enlisted? Because if I’m gonna be deployed in a foxhole, if I’m gonna be sitting in an outpost, I gotta know the guy next to me is not gonna wanna kill me,” [FOX's Brian] Kilmeade said.
Geraldo Rivera commendably pointed out that there are several million Muslims in America, and that many serve in the military and are highly valued. Another host, Gretchen Carlson, interrupted in order to point the blame at “political correctness.”
“Could it be that the military was also exercising political correctness, even though he had a poor performance report and even though he spoke openly about being a radical Muslim and had those supposed postings online?” she asked.
Allow me to an extend a rather fine “fuck you” to not only these two individuals, but everyone who follows their line of thought.
This is no doubt only a sample of the reaction, a free preview, as we’re at 6:11pm EST as I write this and the full sphere hasn’t had the chance to whip itself into a frenzy. I won’t be surprised if calls for outright banning of Muslims in the military isn’t endorsed by some from the truly crazy quarters.
I bring all this up because it’s going to become the next phase of the “9/12″ crusade, proving that these animals can’t be trusted and what have you. A rational person might point out that these are the same people who didn’t seem to think that the maniac who shot cops for fear of Obama taking his guns or the woman who was strapped with AK’s outside a FEMA camp were in any way evidence of a larger problem with right-wing radicals, but I think we all know what good that would do.
What will be the true test will be how Obama and Congress respond. If they pass new legislation, we’re in trouble. If they don’t, maybe there’s hope after all.
