Ryan Price's Soapbox

ABC News is reporting this morning that the CIA knew Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan was attempting to make contact with al Qaeda – months ago.  This isn’t something that just came up.  The CIA is refusing to brief the intelligence on just what’s been going on, an indication that they either failed to communicate this information to the Army properly, or they simply don’t know yet and are fact-gathering.

Regardless of which reason the CIA has for not briefing Congress, we do know that Administration policy (as well as the previous administration, to a lesser extent) affects the sharing of this kind of information as well as actions that might take place later.  The politically correct, blame America first mentality is destroying our country from the inside out.

There were plenty of signs that something should be kicked out of the Army (and certainly not promoted).  Hasan was part of a radical mosque in Virginia, headed up by a jihad promoting leader named Anwar al Awlaki.  There was the CIA intelligence issue of electronic communications with terrorists.  And, more glaringly, Hasan’s co-workers said he was growing increasingly radical in recent months and years.  He was an officer in the military, yet he told his fellow officers that he was a Muslim first and an American second.  Still, he was promoted through the ranks in the Army.

General George Casey, Jr., the Army chief of staff, has more pressing concerns on his mind.  More precisely, he’s worried that there will be a backlash against Muslims in the Army.  General Casey started off the spin machine for his bosses at the Whitehouse when he said it would be a “greater tragedy” to risk diversity in the Army.  Really? Worse than 13 people dead?  13 families destroyed? Diversity is worth more to liberals than those folks?  Holy cow.

The Obama Administration, of course, will not call this the terrorist attack that it was.  Instead, they will say it was just a crazy gunman who had a gun he shouldn’t have been able to purchase.  I can hear the Brady Campaign crazies coming.  Of course, they can’t seem to understand that these attacks almost always happen in “sterile” zones where concealed weapons aren’t allowed.  Such was the case here, as well.  A crazed gunman (or a terrorist) might be able to kill a few people, but just one or two concealed carry license holders (or citizens practicing open carry, in those states that allow it) would prevent the death toll from climbing higher.  This happens time and time again.  It is repeated all throughout history.  An armed society isn’t just a polite society… it’s a safer, freer, more civilized society.