GUEST EDITORIAL: Don’t rush to judgment

Editorials

November 12, 2009

Anonymous The Lockport Union-Sun %26 Journal Thu Nov 12, 2009, 02:57 AM EST

Theories will undoubtedly run rampant the next few days and even weeks, as officials try to piece together what led an Army psychiatrist to go on a shooting rampage, killing 13 people and wounding 30 others at Fort Hood in Texas.

This is a horrendous incident, believed to be the worst mass shooting at a U.S. military base, and, at this point, there are more questions than answers.

The suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, may have been distraught about facing deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. He had been counseling scores of returning soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder, initially at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington and then at Fort Hood. Chillingly, authorities have not ruled out the possibility Hasan was acting on behalf of some unidentified radical group. There also are some disturbing reports that, as a Muslim, Hasan was harassed by other soldiers and subsequently had doubts about whether he should stay in the military. Authorities also reportedly are investigating Internet postings by a man calling himself Nidal Hasan that referred to suicide bombings and other threats.

The public should withhold any rush to judgment. And some important context should be kept in mind. Whether Hasan’s religious beliefs enter into what happened, Americans should realize thousands of Muslims are proudly serving in the U.S. armed services. The mid-Hudson Valley knows all too well that some have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. In 2008, 26-year-old Newburgh resident Mohsin Naqvi, a second lieutenant with the U.S. Army, was among a group of five soldiers killed while on patrol in Afghanistan. Before this tour of duty, he served in Iraq.

Regardless of Hasan’s motives, the military will certainly redouble its efforts regarding security at all bases, and background checks on individuals serving in sensitive areas also most likely will be ramped up. It is, indeed, ironic that Hasan was treating military personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other ailments as a result of war. One also must consider the types of weaponry Hasan might have had access to and whether these massive killings could have been even worse. The base quickly went into lockdown, and a Fort Hood civilian police officer is being credited with responding to the scene quickly and wounding Hasan with several gunshots. Hasan was in stable condition Friday.

President Barack Obama has vowed to “get answers to every single question about this horrible incident.”

That task will be as considerable as it is critically important. Emotions are running high. But let’s hope a methodical investigation will provide answers to temper all the speculation.

— The Poughkeepsie Journal

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