By Tami Jackson
The abhorrant case of United States Army Medical Corps officer and Islamist terrorist, Maj. Nidal Hasan has now taken a more bizarre turn.
On November 5, 2009, Hasan massacred 13 and wounded more than 32 U.S. soldiers at Fort Hood while screaming “Allahu Akbar,” or “Allah is greatest.”
The events subsequent to the slaughter are offensive and incomprehensible to most Americans.
In a reprehensible action, Attorney General Eric Holder declined to press terrorism charges against Hasan, instead defining the worst terrorist attack in America since 9/11 as a case of “workplace violence.” The fall-out from this politically charged decision? The victims of Hasan’s shooting spree will not be entitled to the benefits of soldiers wounded or killed in the line of duty!
Worse yet, Nidal Hassan continues to receive a paycheck and medical benefits from the military. What upside-down justice that those noble soldiers, gunned down by a Jihadi dishonoring the uniform of the US Army, are not awarded benefits, nor are their families! Rather, the vile murderer is deferred to, receives benefits, and awaits trial in a comfortable jail cell.
Concerning terrorist Hasan, as reported by WND:
He’s been treated deferentially by Col. Tara Anderson, the new judge in the case. Hasan sports a traditional Islamic beard, which is against Army regulations. But the judge said she would not force Hasan to comply with the same rules that apply to every other soldier who hasn’t murdered 13 and attempted to murder 45.
The latest twist? Nidal Hasan has requested to deny Right-To-Counsel and to self-represent.
As noted in the Killeen Daily Herald:
A defendant representing himself in a criminal trial is uncommon, but not unheard of in all levels of offenses, including death penalty trials.
But no precedent has been set for a death penalty court-martial. Hasan places Osborn in an especially tough position, because he has previously stated he wishes to plead guilty to all charges.
That would be permissible in state or federal courts, but military justice rules prevent soldiers from pleading guilty to capital offenses when the death penalty is on the table.
Philip Jankowski, Herald staff writer, continues:
Hasan has been called a self-radicalized Muslim, and could be acting with political motivations. He may be seeking martyrdom, and could use the trial as a platform to espouse his beliefs. Or he may just want to give up, said Richard Rosen, a former staff judge advocate at Fort Hood.
[Military Judge Col. Tara] Osborn will take up the matter Wednesday. Though she will urge Hasan multiple times to rethink his decision, she is constitutionally bound to allow him to act as his own attorney as long as Hasan is determined to be mentally competent.
He is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.
Defendants who choose to represent themselves generally fall into 3 categories: strategic, political or crazy. It’s hard to fathom Hasan’s motivations, and indeed he could very well attempt to make a Jihadi proclamation as a precedent to his “perceived martyrdom.”
The important thing is not what the radical Islamist Hasan wants, but rather what the survivors and the families of the murdered soldiers want. Should they desire the platform to make statements about Hasan, statements that should make headlines and shame AG Holder and President Obama, then military judge Col. Tara Osborn would be wise to allow self-representation.
On the other hand, should the victims’ families NOT want to confront their loved ones’ killer, Col. Osborn should disallow.
AG Holder and President Obama’s responses to the massacre at Fort Hood are more than shameful: in an effort to appease Muslims and appear measured in response, the Commander-In-Chief and his AG lackey have slapped the military and their families in the face. Now America waits to see if Colonel Tara Osborn will step up and defer to the victims’ families and the surviving victims.
The massacre at Fort Hood confirms that The Global War on Terror continues, despite the President’s pathetic inability to even say the words: we must have the will to win in spite of Obama, AG Holder and their ilk who bow to the Islamist fanatics.
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Must watch related video — Neil Cavuto’s top-shelf rant re Obama’s inability to say “Global War On Terror!”
