Philip Weiss
"Blaming radical Islam is imprecise and not very helpful either. So long as everyone’s speculating, why overlook the Palestinian angle? Hassan is of Palestinian descent, and his parents were from a village near Jerusalem. He isn’t talking, according to news reports, but I’m betting that when we know his mind better, he will prove to have been unhinged not just by American policy in Iraq and Afghanistan, but by American policy in Israel/Palestine– and maybe even by the events of last week, Obama’s wretched failure to follow through on his promise in Cairo to bring justice to Palestinians."
Mondoweiss
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Obama "promised" to bring justice to pelestine? I thought he was president of the USA, not king of the world. lol
ReplyDeleteHis only responsibility is to the american people. Anything else is incidental.
If someone interprested Obama's words as some sort of "promise" on behalf of nonamericans, they are projecting. Obama was elected to serve AMERICAN interests. No one else's.
The only legitimate "promises" President Obama can make are to the american people. And even they are tempered by the congress.
A question for a palestinians to consider: Why does america hate us? Because most of us do.
ReplyDeleteDont blame the messenger! LOL
<span>I miss the foot long nevrotic HAHAHA..What happened? Why did you discard it? Is it because you realised it made you sound like a demented jerk?</span>
ReplyDeletefleming, did it ever occur to you that serving American interests might involve not pissing off the rest of humanity? The US can only be the world's bully for so long.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't America's responsibility to solve Palestine Israel. Phasing out aid to Israel and being neutral between both parties is sufficient.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a mistake to make Hassan a poster boy for resistance to American policy, like the author of the piece seems to be doing. We don't know why he snapped. These workplace shootings(and church shootings, etc.) are getting pretty common these days. All these killers aren't outraged at American foreign policy. They may have strong feelings about some issue, but there seems to be a lot of other stuff that contributes to their snapping. Unfortunately, I don't think psychiatry is close to understanding these people-after all, Hassan worked with psychiatrists every day and none of them had a clue he was close to snapping.
ReplyDeleteObama has the power to stop financial aid to Israel. He can influence Congress and the State Dept. He's already done a lot more than previous Presidents did.
ReplyDelete"<span style="">He's already done a lot more than previous Presidents did.<span style="">"</span></span>
ReplyDeleteNo he hasn't. Eisenhower was pro Arab. GHW Bush was more pro Palestinian. Papa Bush blocked loan guarantees for Israel until the settlement construction stopped. GHW Bush openly campaigned for Labor in an Israeli election to increase the odds of peace.
Papa Bush and Baker, in words, body language and action were much tougher on Israel than the Messiah has so far chosen to be.
My sense is that Obama has wimped out on Palestine in return for one or two more votes on health care reform in the Congress. If Obama doesn't hang the Palestinians out to dry in the short run, health care reform is dead. However, after Obama passes health care reform, my hope is that Obamamessiah will do the right thing on Israel/Palestine.
On Hassan, might he have been a sunni Arab bigot who hated the elected legitimate Iraqi Government and Iraqi Army that was loyal to it? I don't know if this is the case. Just asking the question; since the de facto mission of the US troops in Iraq was to support the Iraqi Government and to train/equip/fund/mentor the ISF.
<span style="">Most Americans don't know about Palestine. Few Americans hate Palestinians. Most Americans would probably be neutral on Palestine/Israel if you asked them.
ReplyDeleteFlemming, what is your problem with Palestinians? Why do you like Israel so much? What has Israel done for America</span>
So you think Obama would sacrifice the Palestinians for health care reform? I would not be surprised.
ReplyDeleteLike many Arab Americans, Hasan probably saw only the bad things Americans were doing in Iraq and probably had no clue what was happening in Iraq before 2003. But I doubt his murderous behavior was a response to the Iraq war. He did his "jihad" only after learning he was about to be deployed, 6 months after US troops withdrew from Iraqi cities.
Hassan was a sunni Palestinian American. Many Sunni Palestinians hated the Iraqi government and Iraqi Army; while loving the supposedly pro Palestinian Saddam.
ReplyDeleteWas Hassan being deployed as an "advisor" to the Iraqi Security Forces? As tragic as his "jihad" was, can you imagine how bad it would have been if he did this in a base filled with Iraqi Army? Can you imagine how much anti Americanism that would have caused among Iraqis?
Was Hassan going to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan?
How does a Major in the US Army who has served for 20 years betray his country like this? This is one of the worst cases of treason in the US since 1776.
<span>Oh I see, and then the world will be at peace? That is the answer, conduct our foreign policy based on what they want and all of the radical Islamists will just fade into the woodwork and we will all be just fine? Does this guy have the mentality of a child?
ReplyDeleteNobody but idiots blame the whole religion. I am blaming Major Hassan for being a treasonous coward and parasite and for adopting the beliefs of the radical Islamists...who, if anyone was paying attention, have already approved of what Hassan did! So yes, we can and should keep an eye out for, and prosecute anyone who lives in this country and calls for the killing of U.S. soldiers.
</span>
I only have one question, and this is for all of the "love it or leave it" Americans out there, you will know all these victims at Ft. Hood by name -
ReplyDeletename thirteen families or indiviuals in Iraq, Afghanistan, or the OT - Gaza by name that have died by either the American invasion, or the arms sent to Zionists. Cat got your tongue? Wonder why.
<span>joe
ReplyDeleteIn his preambule Phil wrote :
So long as everyone’s speculating, why overlook the Palestinian angle?
He had just thought that the fact that Hassan was born in Palestine and experienced what we know might shed some light on his case. He did not suggest that this was the only or the primordial explanation. There isn't one factor by the way but a mixture or rather a compound of many different or not so different elments who's interaction/reaction produced this type of conduct.</span>
<span><span>vza</span></span>
ReplyDelete<span><span>It's in the interest of the US that Obama attends to the causes that are harming American interests in general and in the region in particular..If many think that the US are behaving unjustly or in a biased damaging way than there's nothing wrong with taking or considering taking a different approach. This is diplomacy and politics, not doing "what they want"<span><span>..No coercion need to be felt, just a normal and healthy way of interacting with others.
</span></span></span></span>
I could name a hell of lot more than thirteen Assyrians who were murdered.
ReplyDeleteSure vza..And not a single Arab..Clear enough.
ReplyDelete<span><span><span>Flemming, what is your problem with Palestinians?</span></span>
ReplyDelete-------------
Why should there be a reason? Can't one hate people just because..</span>
Besides. Have you considered the fact that fleming could be part of a faction not unlike the KKK?.. I'm serious..
<span>On Hassan, might he have been a sunni Arab bigot </span>
ReplyDelete------------
There you go.. It MUST be because he's a Sunni..
Did you consider looking at what he had endured as a child grpwing up in a refugee camp rather than (or in addition to) what his religious beliefs are?
troglidytes
ReplyDelete----------
TroglOdytes
Not even able to spell the name of your tribe! Tsk tsk..
Being oblivious to own's interests is stupidity.
ReplyDeleteTribe. We dont have them here in the US. Well, I guess american indians refer to them as such. Otherwise, the rest of us are just....americans.
ReplyDeleteLet me be clear. We conduct ourselves in a manner consistent with our own self interest. YOU may disagree with those interests. But you are not US.
Please dont make any more threats you cant back up.
<span>Someone on Mondoweiss summed it up pretty well.</span>
ReplyDelete<span>
BradAllen
"I keep wondering why Israel won’t just take the last step and complete their takeover of the American Govt. If you do very little research you will find they already have the Congress, the NSC, most foreign relations and security committees, US miltary establishment and companies, research institutes and so called think tanks who write papers 100% favoring support for Israel policies. They scare the heck out of any president and pretty well dictate what they want them to say. Every President or prospect like McCain and others before him go to AIPAC and apply there first.
Is President Benjamin Netanyahou a fantasy or simply a matter of how you look at things inside the US. Knesset or Congress, take your pick. How do Americans feel about becoming Israelis, of course all non jews would have to accept 2nd class status."</span>
flaming thug
ReplyDeleteThat was also for you..
And another here:
ReplyDeleteCitizen:
"Well, on the plantation there were the Uncle Toms, the house slaves, and the field hand masses and their families. Today, most Americans are the field hands and their families. Ain’t Dennis Kuncinich uppity? And how about Carter, and M & W? Ron Paul and Baird are a couple more of those uppity negras to watch. And don’t forget Cynthia McKinney–they all need a good whippin’. Better see if the chief Uncle Tom
can talk to ‘em first–always wise not to make a spectacle right off.
Who's making threats ? Where do you see threats?
ReplyDeleteBTW, you're out son of a bitch!
I agree......for those who are rational. I am quite sure plenty have legitimate grievances but I do not place deeply twisted people like Major Hassan in that category.
ReplyDeleteAh....so they must be Arabs. Assyrians don't count? Not good enough Iraqis for you?
ReplyDelete<span>fleming, you are going way off the edge here in your battle with Tgia. Most DO NOT hate anybody! How can you speak for MOST Americans? I think you say these outrageous things just to get TGIA irritated but these hateful comments are beyond the pale and I can't believe you mean any such thing.</span>
ReplyDeleteExcuse me? Refugee Camp? Where in Virginia is there a Palestinian refugee camp?
ReplyDeleteHassan was born in VIRGINIA!
ReplyDeleteThe Uncle Tom stuff does not work anymore, is not funny, and those who resort to it are idea-challenged nitwits.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znQe9nUKzvQ
ReplyDeleteOld news
ReplyDeletevza, while we're clearing out the clichés who about a moratorium on the word 'takfiri' from your beloved Onan?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Joe's earlier posting on this. I'm wondering, if during Hasan's killing spree he had come face to face with a fellow Muslim he would have held his fire? I don't think so myself.
ReplyDeleteMikey Weinstein, the founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, weighed in on the shooting rampage at Fort Hood.
ReplyDeleteWeinstein called upon President Obama to immediately issue a statement as Commander-in-Chief making it clear that there would be a zero tolerance policy against any member of the US military "inflicting harassments, retribution or reprisal against an Islamic member of the US military."
Obama issued a statement earlier Thursday condemning the shootings.
Weinstein, whose civil rights organization was recently nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace prize, said Obama must state, unequivocally, that the US does not judge the worth of a "service member based on his or her religious faith."
Weinstein's group has exposed the meteroric rise of fundamentalist Christianity within the US military and has called attention to the fact that military personnel have sought to cast the war in Iraq and Afghanistan as a crusade between Christianity and Islam.
http://www.helpbuildthewall.org/homepage.html
:)
ReplyDelete