Outrageous: Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hassan Still Paid Military Salary

Yet another scandal broke today, this time courtesy of the Fun Percent’s local NBC affiliate.  Apparently since Major Nadal Hasan killed 13 people and injured 32 more at Fort Hood November 5, 2009 he has been paid $278,000.  I wish I was joking.  The Department of Defense has continued to pay Hasan in the three and half years since the attack because, under the Military Code of Justice, his pay cannot be suspended until he has been proven guilty.  Now that’s a pretty sweet deal.  If I murdered someone, I don’t think my employer would continue to pay me while incarcerated.

Meanwhile, the Fort Hood Shooting victims are fighting to get combat injury benefits.  Initially at least one of the victims’ injuries were classified as combat related by an Army review board, but that decision was later overturned by higher-ups in the Army.  Classifying the injuries of the victims of the Fort Hood shooting as “combat related” would make them eligible for Purple Heart retirement and medical benefits.  These are the same benefits given to soldiers wounded during the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Pentagon.  So, why aren’t Fort Hood shooting victims being afforded the same benefits?  I’ll tell you why; because the Fort Hood shooting has been classified as “workplace violence” as opposed to a terrorist attack.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Nadal Hasan spent months communicating via e-mail with Anwar al Awlaki who, before he died, was a senior talent recruiter and motivator and was involved in planning terrorist operations for al-Qaeda.  Hasan reportedly asked al Awlaki when jihad is appropriate, if it’s permissible for innocents to be killed or injured in suicide attacks, and how to transfer funds abroad without coming to the attention of the authorities.  Allegedly their e-mail communication was consistent with Hasan’s research about Muslims in the armed forces and evidently did not raise any red flags within the DoD or FBI even though al Awlaki was a major influence on English speaking jihadis.  Right before Hasan opened fire at the Fort Hood Solider Readiness Processing Center he shouted “Allahu Akbar” which is a phrase often used by Islamic terrorists ("extremists" as our President would call them), including the 9/11 hijackers, before carrying out attacks. 

Several victims have estimated that over the past three and half years they have lost more than $70,000 in benefits because they haven’t been classified as having “combat related” injuries.  The DoD, the Obama administration and the country as a whole should be embarrassed that we are allowing a murderer (and terrorist, but shhh, we don’t call him that) to make way more a year than the average American while his victims are struggling to pay for their medical bills, pay rent or even buy groceries.    

So, why hasn’t the Fort Hood shooting been classified as a terrorist attack?  Well, as we all know Obama has a history of kowtowing to the Muslim world, especially in regards to Islamic extremists.  We wouldn’t want to offend anyone by calling someone who communicated for months with a known member of al-Qaeda and shouted “Allahu Akbar” before going on to kill 13 people a terrorist.  That might make them upset.  It could even spark protests in Muslim countries, just like that offensive YouTube video was the reason behind the attack on the US embassy in Benghazi.  Oh wait, Muslim extremists don’t need a reason to attack Americans.  Plus, if the shooting is classified as a terrorist attack, then the DoD, the FBI and the Obama administration would be on the hook for not taking Hasan’s communications with al Awlaki seriously.  So, let’s just call it workplace violence and sweep it under the wrong.  Problem solved.  Then again, it’s been a few weeks since Obama’s been on vacation, maybe he’ll instruct the DoD to classify the shooting as a terrorist attack so he can go on another apology world tour, I hear the Middle East is nice this time of year.