Stupid Quote of the Day: Lieberman on the Fort Hood shooting

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, Fort Hood shooter

As if he hadn’t convinced us all he was a two-faced moron already with his promise to filibuster the healthcare reform bill, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) now goes into dangerous waters (I say that literally) when he claims that the massacre at Fort Hood, which leaves 13 people dead and about 30 injured) was an act of terrorism.

“There are very, very strong warning signs here that Dr. Hasan had become an Islamist extremist and, therefore, that this was a terrorist act.”

There are two very good reasons for which he now deserves to be branded as a “fucking moron” for such a statement. First of all, no-one has any real knowledge of whatever motives may have pushed Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan (the shooter) to commit such a monstrous act. Yes, he was a Muslim – so what? Terrorism isn’t limited to Islam^[1]. It is far, far more likely that this act was the result of psychological pain and pressure that tormented him over months and years, until he simply snapped. There is a very interesting post and comment thread on the matter, here. Long story short: to claim that his motives were terrorism is really just dumbass, as there are no indications that point to it being so.

But, perhaps worst yet, is that claiming that such a tragedy was brought about by homegrown Islamic terrorism is a one-way ticket to heightened civil unrest and renewed racial and ethnic tensions. That’s just how it is: people are stupid that way. Remember how well Muslims were treated after 9/11? Or Germans (and Japanese) after WWII? Placing the blame for such a horrible act on someone simply because of their ethnicity or religion is more than stupid or irresponsible; it’s dangerous, plain and simple.

[1] Though, granted, it does seem to make up a massive majority of extremists.

Technorati tags: Joe Lieberman · Fort Hood · Nidal Malik Hasan · terrorism · Islam · religion · racism