South Texas College of Law professor Geoffrey Corn:
A retired U.S. Army military police sergeant first class, (Mark) Todd saw Hasan’s laser sight on his chest and engaged him with his “iron sight” 9mm pistol, bringing his rampage to an end. There have been laments about how Todd chose not to inflict the coup de gras (sic) that would have ended Hasan’s life and avoided the time, expense and emotional burden of bringing him to justice.
Todd’s decision, however, is one we should all celebrate. The restraint he demonstrated at that moment provides a powerful contrast between depravity and humanity.
To say the least, I vehemently disagree with this. While it might have been wrong to make a big deal out of the fact that Nidal Malik Hasan was brought down for good with a bullet, I don’t see why we should have been all broken up about it if Mark Todd had killed him. This is going to be a controversial point of view, but I for one really wouldn’t have seen Hasan’s killing as that much different than putting down a rabid dog. It would not necessarily have been something to be celebrated, but it certainly would not have been something to get all broken up and question our humanity over. In fact, Hasan and his like are actually worse than rabid dogs. Why is that, you ask?
Because unlike the rabid dogs, they know exactly what they’re doing. They’re all bent on our destruction, and really, the only logical thing to do is respond in kind. I would be hesitant to say that would include going off on foreign adventures a la Syria and Afghanistan at every turn, but when they’re in our midst, pulling box cutters on our civilian pilots and gunning down our soldiers on base? Hell yeah we should put ’em down. Put ’em down with extreme prejudice. It’s mostly better that our Constitution forbids cruel and unusual punishment, but just the same every so often I wonder what the militant Muslims would think if, say, the week after the shooting, Hasan was lashed to a rotating skewer and roasted like a pig on the 50-yard line at Reliant Stadium on national TV, with microphones and cameras recording his every last anguished scream. We’ll never find out, but I like to think at least some of them would rethink the wisdom of screwing with us.
Tags: politics
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September 2, 2013 at 12:11 |
You left out having him wrapped in bacon on that spit. Wasn’t there a general who buried Muslims in pig carcasses in North Africa in WWI or something?
September 2, 2013 at 12:45 |
Legend has it that BlackJack Pershing rounded up a bunch of Islamists who were attacking his troops. He tied them all to posts, brought out a pig and slaughtered it before their very eyes. The firing squad proceeded to dip their bullets in the blood and fat of the pig. He then gave the order to fire. All but one were dead, and he cut the last one loose to go back and tell what happened. It is said that the look of abject terror on their faces was priceless, and Pershing’s troops were bothered no more.
September 2, 2013 at 12:50 |
OK, that’s the story I was thinking of. I thought I remembered hearing they were buried in the carcasses but I may be wrong.
September 2, 2013 at 17:51 |
I have heard of the British burying Islamists in pigskins at Khyber Pass, and letting that info get out in that area. As far as BlackJack, I understand that the blood and fat on the bullets were enough to do the job.
September 2, 2013 at 18:35 |
Makes sense. Seems I’ve heard both stories at some point in the past and my memory combined the two.