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YouTubeSeeing that on TV yesterday was a more than a little scary. Hopefully it's just an isolated incident. I'm sort of glad the shooter survived though. Maybe we can learn something. Did he act alone? Why? Is he mentally unstable?
It's always a little frustrating when someone goes on a rampage then offs themself or dies in a shootout. I never feel like there's closure or an answer to why it happened. I can imagine it would be 1000x worse for the families.
Thoughts and prayers to all the soldiers and their families.
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion » Everyday Chit Chat
Fort Hood Shootings
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bababoohi
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Posted 2 years ago # -
somertimeoh
Harrison West
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If an army psychiatrist is mentally unstable enough to do something like this, I'm seriously concerned for the well being of our armed forces.
Posted 2 years ago # -
TaraK
probably at the coffee shop
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I also thought that his survival would add an interesting dynamic the understanding of shooting rampages in America. We don't have a lot of experience with one of these people having to face justice.
I'm interested in the discussion going on about PTSD. A lot of people were quick to point out that he hasn't been in war himself, but I feel like people generally are skeptical of the experiences of inherited or internalized second-hand PTSD. (I think trauma theory is amazing stuff.) I'm not making any judgements; I don't think anyone knows enough to do so at this point. Nonetheless, it is interesting. Regardless of this individual, I hope this situation overall might bring much needed attention to the need for social awareness of PTSD in the military and might dispell some notions of reaching out for help as a sign of weakness, especially in men.
My cousin is stationed at Fort Hood and we just found out this morning that he's okay. My thoughts are certainly with the family of those who aren't.
Also -- major kudos to the woman who responded as quickly and bravely as she did.
Posted 2 years ago # -
somertimeoh
Harrison West
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TaraK, glad your cousin is OK. I'm anxious to get home to see about some high school friends who are stationed there, work there, have family there, etc. No facebook at work really sucks at times like this :( Fort Hood is so big if you're from Texas you're guaranteed to know someone there. Mom said it's been a somber day. Thoughts and prayers...
Posted 2 years ago # -
bababoohi
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TaraK wrote >>
A lot of people were quick to point out that he hasn't been in war himself, but I feel like people generally are skeptical of the experiences of inherited or internalized second-hand PTSD.Yeah, I heard on the radio this morning about how this can happen to psychiatrists. I don't remember what it was called. They sort of live the horrors of dozens or hundreds or thousands of other people and it can eventually effect them. Guess I never thought about that side of pshychiatry.
Posted 2 years ago # -
greenhouse1014
Columbus
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I heard this morning that the shooter attended the same mosque in VA as two of he 9/11 highjackers. I really hope that we don't start seeing individual sleepers in our own military, though we're seeing it in the new native militaries in Iraq and Afghanistan. It kinda makes sense from a terrorist point of view for them to have sympathetic soldiers planted in our Army. THAT's terror when you can't even trust those in your own army. I'm also hoping that this doens't start a backlash against muslims in the military that are loyal to the country.
Posted 2 years ago # -
TaraK
probably at the coffee shop
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I'm also hoping that this doens't start a backlash against muslims in the military that are loyal to the country.
Yes.
Please, please, please, please, please, pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaase don't let people use this to fuel prejudice against Muslims, usually poorly veiled as patriotism.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Doug Z
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TaraK wrote >>
I'm also hoping that this doens't start a backlash against muslims in the military that are loyal to the country.
Yes.
Please, please, please, please, please, pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaase don't let people use this to fuel prejudice against Muslims, usually poorly veiled as patriotism.I heard there are about 500 Muslims buried at Arlington National Cemetary. Enough said about that.
The incident makes me wonder if we should bring back the military draft. The burden of having a serving family member is falling on far less than 1% of American households. Obama has as many troops in Iraq as Bush did when he left. THe Afganistan War has dragged on twice as long as World War Two. The Generals would keep us there another 10 or 20 years and have said as much.
The Afgani and Iraqi invasions were unnecessary anyways. The Taliban offered bin Laden to a third country such as Saudi Arabia where he would have been executed after a trial but Bush refused. The U.S. military says there's less than 100 al-quada in Afganistan today. The 9-11 terrorists planned in Germany and learned to fly in Florida and Arizona. We didn't bomb those places. Let the Afgani people decide what they want for their own country.
General Smedley Butler's essay applies today more than ever:
Posted 2 years ago # -
Doug Z
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joev wrote >>
The burden is falling on the families of people who signed up knowing they would likely be in Iraq and Afghanistan. A draft would be counterproductive - bringing in people who don't want to be there.Your reasons are absurd and are right out of the conservatives' blame-the-victim playbook.
Joev, are the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars worthy enough that you would go serve? If not, then why do you seem o.k. sending others? War is legalized mass murder, pure and simple.
Granted, there are some people who are born warriors and want to fight but most people enlist because the economy mostly offers dead-end jobs. $8/hour jobs flipping burgers are about all there is. Many also enlist to pay for sky-rocketing costs of college.
Forty years ago you could practically pay for college working part-time for minimum wage. Why not use the trillions being spent on unnecessary wars to make tuition and healthcare affordable?
The whole point is that we wouldn't start wars of choice if everyone had some skin in the game.
Posted 2 years ago # -
rus
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Doug Z wrote >>
Granted, there are some people who are born warriors and want to fight but most people enlist because the economy mostly offers dead-end jobs. $8/hour jobs flipping burgers are about all there is.
Anyone who enlisted after 9/11 knew they'd be eligible to serve in a combat zone. Hell, I'm sure many if not most of them WANTED to serve. News reports of one of the victims in this shooting said she wanted to take on Bin Laden herself.
When I signed up it was at the end of the cold war. I stuck around for the first gulf war. Some of us have higher ideals.
Posted 2 years ago # -
joev
Merion Village
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Holy shit, DougZ! I think we have to agree to disagree - I don't think people are victims if they sign contracts to put themselves in a situation. It doesn't matter whether I think the wars are virtuious enough to go myself - others are obviously do and have willingly volunteered.
Posted 2 years ago # -
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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I think it's going to be some time before the "real" story is told. It seems at this time that the shooter suffered a particular flavor of crazy that goes well with fundamentalist ideology (nudged on my the anti-muslim bullshit he endured). He should share a cell with the guy who shot George Tiller.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Doug Z
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joev wrote >>
Holy shit, DougZ! I think we have to agree to disagree - I don't think people are victims if they sign contracts to put themselves in a situation. It doesn't matter whether I think the wars are virtuious enough to go myself - others are obviously do and have willingly volunteered.Yeah, let's think about this.
You seem to think that because someone signs up they automatically become disposable tools of the neocons and it's ok if we start wars of choice to ensure the profits of oil companies and war contractors such as Blackwater and Halliburton. That's some cruel thinking.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Doug Z
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I think it has a lot to do with the original thread.
Don't you think Abu Ghraib and torture and renditions (illegal kidnapping and sending someone to be tortured in another country) have something to do with just a few Muslims having sympathy for violent Jihad?
Sending care packages to the troops is not enough.
We can support them best by electing leaders who will not have them waging unnecessary wars and occupations.
Posted 2 years ago #
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