It's been a few days, and a lot of the facts about what happened are starting to come out. Now that the dust has settled a bit and the rumors aren't flying as thick, here are some of my thoughts:
1. Shout out to the civilian police officer who left a position of safety to run to the sound of gunfire and save unknown numbers of lives. Thank the Lord she and her comrades responded when they did and captured the mutant alive.
2. Many thanks and prayers for the soldiers, police, and EMS workers who surged to assist those who were wounded. Heck, I heard that the base hospital had to turn people away because they were overwhelmed by people wanting to give blood.
3. A lot of people, including people that I respect, have expressed the opinion that said mutant did this because of his Muslim faith. I'm not so sure. This guy seems to have been unhinged for quite a while, and his religion seems to be how he's chosen to express his personal crazy. This guy would have been wrong in the head if he'd been a lilly-white Baptist, instead of a devout Muslim child of Palestinian immigrants. I won't comment on whether or not his faith contributed to any violent tendencies, because I'm not qualified to do so. And for the love of God, no one should be tarring all Muslims with the brush that this bastard dipped in blood.
4. To the DOD official who decided at least a generation ago that soldiers didn't have the personal responsibility to have personal weapons on post, I hope you're proud of yourself. The moron who directed that people on military bases can't have knives longer than something Victorinox would put out and certainly can't have firearms of any kind on their persons or in their homes while on-post contributed to this. There's an old saw that an armed society is a polite society. It's also a safer society. If this mutant had suspected that at least some of his victims could have been armed at least as well as he was, maybe he just might have put the gun in his own mouth after giving away all of his worldly possessions and passing out copies of the Koran. These men and women are trusted with automatic weapons, high explosives, and incendiaries when they're deployed. Why can't they be trusted to conceal carry on-post? If DOD wants to require extra training on-post like they do with motorcycles, so be it. Don't muzzle our sheepdogs just because they're not in a combat zone.
5. To the mutant himself, I'm so very glad that you survived your little rampage. I'm so sorry that your little martyr operation didn't work out entirely to plan. I'm glad to hear that your health is improving in the hospital. I want you to live long enough to go to trial. I hope that the Army is smart enough to try this in a military court and that you are found guilty by a court of brother officers and are sentenced to hang by your neck until you are dead. You benefited from an education paid for by the military, and had a pretty safe job at Walter Reed afterward. I'm sorry you were upset by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but if you felt that badly, then resign your commission and repay the government the cost of your education. Or refuse to deploy when ordered, take the court martial like a man, and make a decent political statement. You are a coward, a nutjob, and a terrorist. I hope your injuries cause you untreated pain for the rest of your pitiful life.
6. To the wounded and the families of the dead, I offer up my thoughts and prayers. No one deserves to go through what you are suffering right now. I pray that the Lord holds you in the cup of His hand and leads you through this horrifying time of your lives.
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