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Shooting rampage at Fort Hood

Bump for "back in court Wednesday" story....
At the request of prosecutors and defense counsel for Major Nidal M. Hasan, a half-day administrative hearing will begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday in the Lawrence J. Williams Judicial Center.

Both parties in the case of the United States vs. Major Nidal M. Hasan will go on the record in open court before Military Judge Col. Gregory Gross to litigate motions brought by defense.

The newest motions concern whether the military's capital procedures comport with constitutional requirements of due process and equal protection.  Other motions may also be filed by either side for litigation at this hearing, and the military judge may also put other matters on the record at the hearing ....
KXXV-TV Waco-Killeen-Temple TX, 28 Nov 11
 
Another bump with the latest:
Maj. Nidal Hasan's court-martial has been delayed until June 12, after defense attorneys at a hearing today requested more time.

The defense team for the Army psychologist accused in the Nov. 5, 2009, shooting at Fort Hood said they would need more time to examine the massive amounts of discovery they've been given. At the hearing, attorneys told the presiding officer they'd received more than 60,000 pages since December.

Hasan's court-martial was set to start March 5. The 40-year-old major is charged with 13 counts of pre-meditated murder and 32 counts of attempted pre-meditated murder. If convicted, Hasan could face the death penalty ....
Kileen Daily Herald, 2 Feb 12
 
More procedural update....
The Army psychiatrist charged in the deadly Fort Hood shooting rampage will be back in a military court this week.

Maj. Nidal Hasan will attend a pretrial hearing Wednesday.

The judge may rule on a request from defense attorneys for a forensic pathologist, who would be paid by the government.

The judge also might rule on a defense motion to force prosecutors to provide notes from meetings with President Barack Obama, the defense secretary and other officials after the November 2009 shootings. But prosecutors say no Army officers involved in the case have been influenced by higher-ranking officials ....
armytimes.com, 2 Apr 12
 
Bumped with the latest
Military Judge Col. Gregory A. Gross set the next hearing date for the case of accused Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan for June 19 at 10:00 a.m.

The judge and both parties will discuss the possibility of delaying the start date of the trial until Dec. 3, 2012, along with other discovery issues.

On June 8, Hasan appeared at his pre-trial hearing with a beard, which is against Army grooming standards. The judge kicked Hasan out of the court and warned him not to appear unshaven again or he will not be allowed to sit inside the courtroom.

Hasan's defense said his beard was for religious reasons ....
KXXV-TV Waco-Kileen-Temple, 17 Jun 12
 
Watched a video recording last night, of a news program (from 7 Jul 12) re Fort Hood.

During the interview of a SSgt medic who was shot 5 times (still has two bullets), it came out that the administration is classifying the Ft Hood shootings as "workplace violence".

The SSgt is a mental health worker who was to be a member of a team including Hasan, who he was scheduled to meet later that day.

The SSgt also stated that a soldier could be kicked out of the service for bad credit, but emailing a known terrorist (which authorities knew) had no penalty.

More on the older story below.


http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-purple-heart-20120511,0,1797171.story

Purple Hearts for domestic terror victims? Lawmakers say it's time

By Richard Simon

May 11, 2012, 12:25 p.m.

WASHINGTON — The Purple Heart dates back to 1782 when Gen. George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit to recognize meritorious action. The medal, which features a likeness of Washington, fell into disuse after the Revolutionary War but was brought back in 1932 and is awarded to members of the military killed or wounded in combat.

Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in Congress to expand the eligibility for the medal to include members of the armed forces killed or wounded in a domestic terrorist attack -- an effort to recognize military victims of the 2009 shootings at Ft. Hood, Texas, and at a Little Rock, Ark., military recruiting station.

"The unfortunate fact is that members of our armed forces are at risk of being attacked by the enemy – Al Qaeda and its adherents – not only when deployed overseas but also while stationed here at home,’’ said Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, who has introduced one of the bills.

Purple Hearts were awarded to military victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Currently, members of the armed forces can receive the medal if they were killed or wounded "to an extent requiring treatment by a medical officer; in action against an enemy of the United States; as the result of an act of any hostile foreign force; or as the result of an international terrorist attack against the United States, provided the secretary of the military department concerned recognizes the attack as an international terrorist attack,’’ according to the Defense Department.

King’s bill would remove the distinction between domestic and international terrorism by expanding eligibility to military victims of  "a terrorist attack within the United States perpetrated by an individual or individuals expressing a political, religious or ideological obligation to engage in unlawful violence directed against United States military operations or foreign policy.’’

A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

"Congress has historically acted to ensure that the recognition we award to our service members keeps pace with the threats they face,’’ Lieberman said in a statement.

"The shootings outside the Little Rock recruiting center underscore that there are no front lines when it comes to terrorism,” said Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), a cosponsor of the bill.  “When a soldier signs up to serve and becomes a target of terrorism as a result, the least we can do is ensure he or she receives the proper honors and recognition."

According to Arkansas’ senators, the Army did not recognize the Little Rock shootings as an international terror attack because federal charges were not filed against Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, sentenced last year to life without parole for killing one Army soldier and wounding another. Police said Muhammad told them he carried out the shootings to protest the U.S. military and "what they had done to Muslims in the past."

Separately, language has been written into a defense bill headed to the House floor that would award the medal to the military victims of the Ft. Hood and Little Rock shootings.

In the Ft. Hood attack, Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is due to go on trial in August, accused of killing 13 people and wounding 32.

There have been changes in the eligibility for the award over the years.

President Kennedy in 1962 signed an executive order expanding the eligibility to service members wounded in any armed conflict in which the U.S. is engaged, making it possible for service members to receive the medal for wounds suffered in Vietnam.  Before that, eligibility was limited to declared wars.

Later that same year, Army policy was modified to allow prisoners of war to receive the medal if wounded or injured by their captors.

John Bircher, national director of public relations for the Military Order of the Purple Heart, an organization of about 45,000 Purple Heart recipients, said in an interview that he considers the legislation "not necessary. The criteria already includes acts of terrorism."
 
FBI did not investigate Fort Hood shooter because of political correctness, report says
Published July 19, 2012
Article Link

The FBI was too concerned about political correctness and did not launch an investigation into a man who was later charged with killing 13 people in a 2009 attack at the Fort Hood military installation in Texas, despite significant warning signs that he was an Islamic extremist bent on killing civilians, according to a lawmaker briefed on a new report about the terrorist attack.

In emails to a known terrorist, Army Maj. Nidal Hasan expressed his support for suicide bombings and killing civilians, while the terrorist, Anwar al-Awlaki, encouraged Hasan to stay in touch, Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, told The Associated Press on Wednesday after he was briefed on the findings of a new review of the attack.

The review was done by former FBI Director William Webster and was more than two years in the making. FBI Director Robert Mueller asked that Webster conduct an independent review, and the bureau is expected to release an unclassified version this week.

Much was already known about the series of oversights and missteps the government made leading to the terror attack at the Fort Hood Army post. Soon after the attack, it was revealed that members of two FBI anti-terrorism task forces saw emails between the Army psychiatrist and al-Awlaki beginning in December 2008. Those task forces reviewed the communications and decided they were in keeping with Hasan's research at the time, and as a result, no formal investigation of Hasan was opened. Hasan was writing a research paper about the effects of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But McCaul said Webster's report offers some new details that show the FBI was concerned about investigating an American Muslim in the military, and that is why an investigation was not pursued.

The FBI in San Diego had been investigating al-Awlaki, a former San Diego resident, for his possible connections to the 9/11 hijackers. When agents saw emails between Hasan and al-Awlaki, they asked the FBI's Washington office to talk to Hasan's bosses, according to a government official briefed on the findings who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the Webster report. But the Washington agents thought that interviewing American Muslims who visit extremist websites was a sensitive issue and did not reach out to Hasan's bosses at the Defense Department, the official said.

"It shows you the length of the political correctness stuff going on," McCaul said after he was briefed on the findings of the independent review
More on link
 
GAP said:
Soon after the attack, it was revealed that members of two FBI anti-terrorism task forces saw emails between the Army psychiatrist and al-Awlaki beginning in December 2008. Those task forces reviewed the communications and decided they were in keeping with Hasan's research at the time, and as a result, no formal investigation of Hasan was opened. Hasan was writing a research paper about the effects of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Was he writing on the terrorists' PTSD suffering?  :brickwall:
 

Fort Hood massacre suspect's lawyers argue against beard-shaving order


Defense lawyers for Major Nidal Hasan, the Fort Hood massacre suspect, told an Army appeals court on Thursday that his court martial judge had overstepped his authority in ordering him to appear clean shaven for trial.

A prosecutor, in turn, argued before the Army Court of Criminal Appeals that the court martial judge, Colonel Gregory Gross, was empowered to maintain decorum in his courtroom. Hasan is accused of shooting to death 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in November 2009.

Lieutenant Colonel Kris Poppe, a defense attorney, said Army regulations only allowed forcible shaving of inmates in military correctional facilities, not by a judge’s order.

“Forcible shaving exceeds the authority of the military judge,” he told the seven-judge appeals panel.

Poppe added that the defense did not dispute that soldiers should appear in court in proper uniform and that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 allowed Hasan to have a beard.

Gross, a Fort Hood judge, ordered Hasan last month to shave off his beard or be forcibly shaven, ruling that it was not covered by laws protecting religious freedom. He said Army grooming regulations banning beards overrode his religious beliefs.

More at link

Seriously?  They're arguing about whether or not he should have to shave?  Must be a slow news day....  :not-again:
 
PMedMoe said:
Seriously?  They're arguing about whether or not he should have to shave?  Must be a slow news day....  :not-again:

All things considered it sounds pretty stupid.  It's going to come across to the public as the judge trying to add insult to injury (for lack of a better phrase) which the defense could probably easily turn around and paint this asshole as a victim of religious persecution etc..

This traitor murdered his brothers and they want to make an issue about shaving, just seems counter productive.
 
The Associated Press
18 Oct 2012

FORT HOOD, Texas -- A U.S. Army appeals court ruled Thursday that the suspect in the Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people can have his beard forcibly shaved off before his murder trial.

The U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals' opinion issued Thursday upheld the military trial judge's decision to order Maj. Nidal Hasan to appear in court clean shaven or be forcibly shaved, according to a release from Fort Hood.

Hasan has said he grew a beard because his Muslim faith requires it, despite the Army's ban on beards.

The court also ruled that Col. Gregory Gross, the trial judge, properly found that the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act does not give Hasan the right to have a beard while in uniform at trial. The court specifically upheld Gross' previous ruling that Hasan did not prove his beard was an expression of a sincerely held religious belief. The appeals court said that even if Hasan did grow a beard for a sincere religious reason, compelling government interests justified Gross' order requiring Hasan to comply with Army grooming standards.

The appeals court also upheld previous contempt of court findings against Hasan. Starting in June, he showed up to court for pretrial hearings with a beard six times, and was fined $1,000 for each instance.

Hasan's attorneys have said they will appeal the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, which means Hasan's court-martial remains on hold.

Hasan, 42, faces the death penalty if convicted in the 2009 attack on the Texas Army post that killed 13 and wounded more than two dozen others.
 
Nidal Hasan Says He’s Amish In Last Ditch Effort To Save Beard

FORT HOOD, TX – In a last minute effort to save the life of his beard, Fort Hood shooting suspect Major Nidal Hasan told a military panel that he cannot shave due to his Amish faith.

The Amish, or Pennsylvania Dutch, are known for simple living, plain dress, and their traditionalist Christian fellowship.

“As a proud Amishman, I must wear my beard in keeping with my religion,” Hasan said today, to a courtroom of military members who were clearly shocked at the new revelation.

The Army psychologist is facing court martial on murder charges stemming from a November 2009 attack at the base. Witnesses reported Hasan shouting “Allah Akbar”, or “God is Great” in Arabic, before allegedly opening fire on fellow soldiers.

“Nidal is clearly being singled out here for his religious views,” said criminal defense attorney Lawrence Gilder. “He is a pious, hard-working Amish man from a good family. In fact, our defense will demonstrate that the Major has an alibi at the time of attack: he was milking 3 cows and afterwards he made love to his pet goat, Walter.”

Most outsiders assumed from Hasan’s name, his parents’ Palestinian background, and his business card tagline of “Soldier of Allah”, that he was Muslim. The judge, Col. Jeffrey Tribley, pressed Hasan for more information on this discrepancy.

“Yes sir. I am Muslim and Amish,” Hasan responded. “This of course means that my beard is two-times as important to my religion, and under religious exceptions in the UCMJ, it is required.”

According to the Duffel Blog’s legal analysts, the case for Hasan’s beard is strong.

“Yeah bro, seriously. He’s definitely got a strong argument for the beard,” said Barracks Lawyer PFC Evan Rodriguez. “I’m pretty sure he can claim this whole trial is hazing and get it thrown out too.”

But some detractors say this latest diversion distracts from the real issues.

“The fact that we have to sit here and see news stories over and over about this man’s beard when he’s on trial for murder is lunacy,” said CSM Robert Altman. “What are some of the more important issues at stake here that many have been ignoring? Well, here’s a few: he hasn’t worn his dogtags in months. I’ve seen him in white socks on quite a few occasions.”

“I mean really, white socks. This son of a ***** needs to be executed for that. Let the Army make an example out of him, right?,” added Altman.

Lawyers for Hasan continue to press for beard leniency, but have said that if he is forcibly shaved, they will motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that their client would be “forced to endure a hate crime.”

http://www.duffelblog.com/2012/10/nidal-hasan-says-hes-amish-in-last-ditch-effort-to-save-beard/
 
They should let the families of the service members he killed shave his beard.
 
Please can you be  a bit more quiet as I completely wipe the egg off my face... photo said it all... I've been royally had.!  Well played.!      :facepalm:
 
The Army psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas cannot plead guilty because he faces the death penalty, a judge said Wednesday.

Col. Tara Osborn also said Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan will be tried in Texas, rejecting a defense request to move his court-martial, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Osborn's ruling on a guilty plea repeats the one made by the previous judge in the case, Col. Gregory Gross. Both said military law bars guilty pleas in capital cases.

Hasan faces 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 of attempted murder for the 2009 massacre at Fort Hood. He was allegedly inspired by Anwar Awlaki, a U.S. citizen who became a leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and was killed by a U.S. drone ....
UPI, 21 Mar 13

The judge in the case of accused Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan has denied defense requests for a change of venue and a new jury pool.

"The presumption of prejudice only exists in extreme circumstances, and this is not one of them," Col. Tara Osborn, the judge in the case, said during a hearing at Fort Hood today.
LULAC Scholarship

Hasan’s defense team questioned the pre-selected jury pool, made up of officers not stationed at Fort Hood and who are equal or higher than rank to Hasan. His lawyers also requested the court-martial take place at a location other than Fort Hood ....
Kileen Daily Herald, 20 Mar 13
 
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