Fort Hood: Let's get down to the root causes

Russell D. Longcore at LewRockwell.com suggests that we need to peel back a few layers to understand how the murders at Fort Hood were possible. Neither he nor I condone what occurred there; but Washington should be held accountable, at least for this:

- We know now that the Bush Administration lied to us about the reason for going to war in Iraq. President Obama campaigned for withdrawal; but we're still there, with withdrawal at least two years in the future. Please explain the morality of this.

- If military bases are weapons-free zones, perhaps they shouldn't be. A soldier carrying a sidearm could have put a stop to it much sooner. (Mr. Longcore notes that military bases, like government buildings, public schools, and universities, are "open fire zones" for mass murderers).

- Post-traumatic stress disorder and suicides in the military are aggravated when troops are sent for multiple tours to the front. Engaging repeatedly in death and destruction is bound to wreck one's mental health!

Mr. Longcore's conclusion (emphasis added):

Washington’s leaders and minions set the stage for this tragedy. But don’t look to them to take any responsibility for the toxic environment that our military personnel are forced to live under. Isn’t this akin to abusing a dog over years, and then feigning surprise when the dog attacks someone? Should we not treat our fellow humans better than our pets?

Think about this. Do you believe that any military personnel, constitutionally deployed within the borders of the Unites States of America in a purely defensive status would ever have reason to react in this manner?

Does this have anything to do with state secession? Yes, it does.

[Maj. Nidal Malik] Hasan's actions are what is commonly referred to as "blowback"...the unintended consequences of government policy. Nations that don't invade other nations don't have these kinds of tragic events as a rule. And states that eventually secede from the US, and keep their militias within their own borders, defending the new nation from invasion, won't have them either.

Amen. This isn't about "Islamic terrorism". It is about a tragic crime, one for which Maj. Hasan should be prosecuted; but it is also about a government that engages in senseless wars and mistreats its employees (the military) in the process.