Jihadist in our midst

The military must state, in no uncertain terms, that it endorses a zero-tolerance policy for Islamist extremism. Certainly, if Maj. Hasan had been a white supremacist spewing forth racist vitriol, he would have been booted from the military. If Maj. Hasan had been a domestic terrorist spewing forth Timothy McVeigh-esque rhetoric about a tyrannical federal government, the government would have launched an in-depth investigation. Yet apparently we have become so fearful of offending the Muslim community that we overlook when a U.S. soldier evinces violent Islamist extremism.

Even now, The Washington Post and The New York Times are running profiles on Maj. Hasan that depict him as a displaced and impoverished Muslim who suffered for his religious beliefs. For obvious reasons, neither piece mentioned that Maj. Hasan earned approximately $90,000 a year and had no school loans to pay back. This is impoverished? I think not. Let’s hold off on the sympathy pieces and deal with the hard truth: This tragedy could have been averted if we hadn’t been so scared of offending the Muslim community that we ignored a jihadist in our midst. We need to open our eyes, and say never again.

“The Armstrong Williams Show” is broadcast weeknights on XM Satellite’s Power 169 channel from 9 to 10 p.m.