People who join the military, the Afghan Army or Police and people seeking admittance to the US on a Visa should be polygraphed to determine if they have belefs or tendencies that might make them dangerous.

This Major Hassan may just be opposed to the war effort in the ME but if his polygraph detected Jihad tendencies he should be barred.

Yes it would be a boon for the manufacturers of polygraph equipment but it may be our best defense.

Don't want to discriminate, test all applicants!

Not admissable in court to convict but enough to deny entry!

Too many factors in the shootings at Fort Hood are still under investigation here, but preliminary reports indicate that the man was Muslim, apparently of Arab descent, that his opposition to US involvement in the Middle East was known to his superiors, and that he did not want to be deployed to that theater of operations.

I see nothing that a preliminary polygraph test would have averted here.

Also, the very fact that the results of a a polygraph is inadmissable as evidence in court would seem to disqualify one's findings as a way of determining one's eligibility to serve in the military.

What happened today was tragic and probably avoidable, but testing people for so-called jihadist tendencies would seem to be a ridiculous proposition.

As for the incident at Fort Hood, it would seem that the army had a potential loose cannon on it's hands, failed to see the smoking fuse, and failed to defuse it. Though in their defense on this particular point, one would hardly expect a highly trained health care professional to resort to the tactics he employed at Fort Hood.

"preliminary reports indicate that the man was Muslim, apparently of Arab descent, that his opposition to US involvement in the Middle East was known to his superiors"

Source please? Thank you.

The source was a former colonel who had served with him, and his own cousin, who also had indicated his dissatisfaction with the military, and our invovement in the Middle East. I'm not 100% sure on this point, he was American born, and it was said he parents were of Jordanian descent.

His cousin also indicated in his phone conversation with a news reporter that that Hasan was Muslim by birth.

More information will doubtless come to light, but these were the basic facts stressed on him throughout the early stages of the investigation. He was also initially assumed to have been killed, but at a press conference given by the military around 8 PM, CST it was stated that he was only wounded.

As I indicated, the information at the time of my initial response was sketchy, and still remains so. Though his ethnicity, religion, and his dissatisfation with US foreign policy seemed to be an established fact early on.

I do not mean any of this as a slam against Muslims. These are merely the facts, as reported, early in the course of the investigation.

thewolf05827:

"preliminary reports indicate that the man was Muslim, apparently of Arab descent, that his opposition to US involvement in the Middle East was known to his superiors"

Source please? Thank you.

"The commander of the Fort Hood Lt. Gen. Bob Cone told NBC's TODAY on Friday that Hasan was in a "stable condition." He said he would be interrogated as soon as possible.

Cone also said he heard first-hand accounts from witnesses on the scene that the suspect shouted "Allahu Akbar," which means "God is Great" in Arabic, before he opened fire at the Soldier Readiness Center at Fort Hood."

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Sounds like radicalization to me.

jwschmidt:

Conservative Mind(Middle Eastern Name + Murder = Jihad)

Gunning down 40 people is not just murder it is an act of terrorism.

So Middle Eastern Name + MASS Murder + stated sympathies with suicide bombers + plus shouting "God is Great" in arabic = Jihad

Wolf, have I assumed a bigoted stance toward fervent muslims, unfortunately yes! I do not trust the truly religious individual's motives.Christian, Muslim or Jew

The more fervent, the greater the chance for a problem.

I liken it to drug testing prior to employment, if you do not want drug users working for you, test them prior and randomly!

Would you hire a pro-life MD at an abortion clinic if one tried to infiltrate??

When I wrote yesterday, I had a foreboding about his motives because of his name and religion and today we have a report of his callin out," Alahu Ahkbar" as he bgan his rampage.Hate to say I told you so!

Leo

"I had a foreboding about his motives because of his name and religion"

You may call if "foreboding" but inasmuch as at the time of your post there was no confirmation regarding his religion it was in fact an assumption on your part based solely on his name. Your willingness to engage in that assumption is bigotry-- however you prefer to tart it up to make yourself feel better.

Wolf, I do admit to being bigoted toward the fervently religious of all 3 monotheistic religions, if it had been a shooting in an abortion clinic, I would have assumed a wingnut Christian.

Would you want to know if the security guard you hire to protect an abortion clinic is a fervent Christian? I would and I'd find out in an interview what religious tendencies he had, by hook or crook!

Wolf, name the wars that have been fought under the banner of atheism.

Leo

No! Name + Religious affiliation + Murder = Jihad

Totally not conservative, Atheist and proud of it!