Thursday, November 05, 2009

War and the Soul


Just what we need, another homicidal maniac on a killing binge. I'm reminded of other deadly incidents at other military installations in the USA and overseas over the last several years (and one involving British soldiers in Afghanistan just days ago), of the Virginia Tech massacre (April 16, 2007) and the Amish West Nickel Mines school shootings (October 2, 2006). And let's not forget the grisly Anthony Sowell, demented Cleveland rapist-killer now under arrest, who killed his victims one by one and then hid their bodies around his crumbling house.

At Fort Hood today, not that far from the site of the 1991 Luby's Cafeteria massacre in Killeen, Texas, Major Nidal Hasan -- a psychiatrist specializing in post traumatic stress -- opened up with two sidearms and killed twelve people, wounding thirty-one. As with Seung-hui Cho at Virginia Tech, Sowell in Cleveland and others, it's already evident there were plenty of red flags in Hasan's case. Combine that he is a practicing Muslim with his being disgruntled about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and clearly did not want to be deployed to Iraq later this month, one has to wonder. On the other hand, why didn't he just shoot himself in the foot? This is the deep end part of the equation, unless he was in fact a deliberately scheming Benedict Arnold or self-styled martyr. Who knows? More will most definitely be revealed. As with all those other incidents and people, it's sad and also sickening.


Today's Rune: Wholeness.

5 comments:

the walking man said...

This is one of those occasions (Fort Hood) where I recognize the gut reaction is not the right one so I will hold off comment.

As for the other killings listed...it is hate, pure and simple hate for all mankind.

Charles Gramlich said...

considering the fact that he killed 12 people and wounded many more with a couple of pistols, he's exactly the kind of soldier we needed to send to war. Just as long as he was killing the enemy instead. can't imagine how he managed to kill so many folks on a military base where people routinely have access to weapons.

Middle Ditch said...

Saw you on Ivan and thought to say hi. Hi!

All those killings are just too sad. Deranged minds. Warped and (probably) manipulated.

Johnny Yen said...

I remember the Luby's massacre well. Reading about it, I wondered what I would have done in the situation.

Reading more about the Fort Hood killings, there were an amazing amount of red flags. Why didn't he just resign his commission? Obviously he went off the rails somewhere.

jodi said...

Erik, sigh. Another very sad day...