Uechi-Ryu.com

From The Wall Street Journal



There's no reason to make a big deal about the details of this horrific act. Killing innocent people is killing; the reasons are just excuses.

There is however reason to applaud the actions of this single individual. While most flee danger, a rare few have the calling from within to confront it - at their own peril. I am in awe. She has my deep respect, and my wishes for a speedy recover.

My thoughts go to all victims and their families.

- Bill

This is Sergent Munley's photo from Twitter.



A bigger image can be found here

- Bill

More from WSJ

- WSJ

I hope she heals quickly. What I've read so far does credit to her courage, her spirit, and her training. While her gender makes good reading and fits nicely in this forum, her actions derive from who she is and her training not her second X. That said, she is on my current list of women to admire!

_________________
Live True, Laugh often
Shana

You have to admit, Shana, that woman has some serious... ovaries!

She's quite the pocket pistol. Duty before fear. Very little sense of self preservation in the face of a better-armed, larger, and more sociopathic adversary. It's the classic case of the sheepdog facing off the wolf - the type of paradigm spoken about by Grossman in On Combat.

On that subject... Here's a bit of trivia you may not be aware of. Remember my Ridgeback Maverick? Well check this out.



My belief? Gender does matter, in that we each bring something unique to a situation. The smart thing to do is acknowledge and take advantage of all the many differences among us.

- Bill

On the second X thing...

I've been following the comment sections on various stories about the actions of Maj. Hasan.

Within the Wall Street journal "Comments" community, there has been quite a battle raging the past few months. Much of it has been around the Pakistani military's actions against the Taliban, who have attacked military, government, and civilian facilities in the past few months in and around Islamabad. There's a very large Hindu Indian readership who have been deriding individuals sympathetic to the Taliban and their ISI supporters. The ISI and the Taliban were the folks within Pakistan who plotted and executed a major terrorist raid within India. They've also been supporting the battle against NATO troops within Afghanistan. And now the chickens have come home to roost within the borders of Pakistan. I can name names now of posters on all sides of this online battle. And the posts are not at all pretty.

It appears that there might have been an opportunity for cackling in the radical Muslim world with Maj. Hasan's attack within our own military. As the story unfolds, it appears Major Hasan had been posting on various websites about how Muslims should rise up against their aggressors, and such actions should be considered heroic. Allegedly this was a prequel to Hasan's sick homicidal binge against unarmed men and women of the armed services about to be deployed to Afghanistan after Christmas.

But there's one problem with the finish to this story. Mr. Hasan was probably supposed to die a martyr, and be rewarded in heaven for his actions. Instead, he was stopped cold in his tracks by... (gasp) a tiny woman who was a better shot and a braver soldier than he.

Oops...

It appears the script didn't quite play out as it should have. And there are many online who are reminding misogynist sympathizers of the Taliban just how bad this all came out for them.

Can you say poetic justice? It's difficult to tell if there is (or should be) any diety we should thank for how things finally ended within Fort Hood. But one thing is for sure; you can't write a more interesting finale to this script.

- Bill

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/06/for ... index.html

http://www.muslimmilitarymembers.org/

At least six months ago, Hasan came to the attention of law enforcement officials because of Internet postings about suicide bombings and other threats, including posts that equated suicide bombers to soldiers who throw themselves on a grenade to save the lives of their comrades.

From what i understand, was sympathetic, but doesn't outright talk about an uprising.

Also, many terrorists themselves, with the exeption of little abudou or whatever his name was in Palestine who tried to be a suicide bomber and failed basically said the 72 virgin excuse, but Margolis talks about his talks with Mujahideen, and they laugh and joke about the 72 virgin thing as much as we do, same with Olivetti and his research on extremists.

Also, seems alot of people, including the army say it was one of many factors. Apparently he was going nuts too. Alot like Mr. Cho, and Cho had god talk as well. Ive been teetering in my views of his motives. Strong evidence for both views over his motives. I think it was a combination of factors, something broke the camels back however. He did work as a shrink, with soldiers suffering from PTSD seeking his counsel. Some say he went nuts.

"I die like Jesus Christ to inspire generations of the weak and the defenceless people." -Tech kid.

Contrary to my arguements, i do think it was mostly religiously motivated, but not an organized terrorist strike.

"They wouldn't treat him as if he is one of them. He was a major in the Army and other majors wouldn't treat him equally as a major should be treated," the cousin said. " 'Yes, you are a major in the U.S. Army, but you are still an Arab, a Muslim, you have your own traditions and values and we have ours.' He was bothered by that a lot. He wasn't respected as he should have been."

One of his officer peers (in an interview) spoke of this. If it was in print, I'd quote it. Alas it was a radio interview. But it wasn't necessarily a group uprising per se that he spoke of.

That's a good characterization.

FWIW, his parents were Jordanian, but he grew up in northern Virginia. On his army records, he listed himself as Palestinian. Figure out that one...

I don't know what branch of the Muslim faith he associated himself with.

Nobody knows for sure the whole deal about him, Adam. But I think it's fair to say that anyone who engages in this kind of suicide/homicide mission is one way or another a bit off. Most of the kids who strap bombs on their bodies are disenfranchised and brainwashed. I put somebody like Hasan in the category of a Timothy McVey.

I don't see him suffering from PTSD, Adam, as he's missing the "T" part. Yes he treated people suffering from depression. But he never saw combat, never was in a combat zone, and didn't suffer any indignity that you and I didn't also experience when going through adolescence. He joined the military early and they paid for all his education. He had nothing to complain about, and hadn't (yet) been deployed.

Short, bald, and round, and no girls to love you? Get over it. Join a club, get a mail order Muslim wife, and get on with your pampered counselor life with military bennies.

- Bill

P.S. Think I'm being harsh? Talk to the families of the deceased.

Oh, I agree!

As for the differences in Gender, I'm not saying there aren't some differences, and I wholly agree we should take advantage of the differences among us....

...but taking that a step farther....that is the case completely disregarding gender. Everyone brings different things to the table, that is why one method does not work for all students.

In this case, her honorables are because of who she is, not because she is female...although, as you mention, it does add a bit of sweet irony to the whole story.

Our differences are what make us individuals....just like everyone else.

_________________
Live True, Laugh often
Shana

Updated my info on this, yeah it was not PTSD, though why would he join the army?
I think SOMETHING made him change his mind to the point he started viewing his fellow marines as 'the other'

maybe he really did plan something like this from the beginning of his service.

Im more concerned now as the WHY doesn't make sense. THe sudden change...the strip clubs. I mean it shouldn't be a surprise, i heard the 9/11 terrorists drank and fornicated wildly , not exactly islamic behavior(some people say it was a cover but...i doubt it) i think these men fixate on one concept spirtually to the exclusion of all others(such as ascetism.) i hope i spelled that right....