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As everyone else, I was shocked and horrified to hear of the shootings at Fort Hood and my thoughts and sympathy go to those who have lost family members and friends. I can't imagine how shocked, bewildered and devastated they must be feeling. Nothing I, or anyone else, can say here means anything much against that unimaginable pain.

But there are so many questions. The military, the war machine, the need for defence is a sensitive subject and I certainly am not qualified or comfortable commenting on the mechanics of the military or the whys and wherefores of what happened. But after reading and hearing various reports and analyses in the media, I have to say the scariest piece of information I have seen is the fact that Fort Hood has 'lost' at least 75 of its soldiers to suicide since 2001. Hundreds more lives have been lost in combat which is tragic enough in itself ...but 75 suicides! Where is the outrage being expressed at this loss? What is being done? And then there is the untold misery from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which, according to reports, affects more personnel at Fort Hood than any other US military base. I understand Fort Hood is the jumping off place for tours to overseas combat zones but am no less horrified. I know suicide and PTSD are common to service people here in Australia, too, and all over the world, and is not unique to Fort Hood, but it distresses me no end to think that we continually subject good people to such unnatural and overwhelmingly painful stress situations full stop! let alone without adequate support and care.
Nothing excuses what the gunman, Hasan, has done. And obviously the reasons he did it are many and varied and beyond comprehension at this stage. However it seems that one of his main issues was his imminent deployment to Iraq. More questions - Why was this man in the US army if he didn't want to totally surrender his will to that of the military juggernaut? Surely in swearing the oath of loyalty to the military he was fully aware that he might at sometime be deployed to a country such as Iraq? But then I would ask why was it that he had to be sent to Iraq, anyway, when he obviously had such fierce objections? He is a psychiatrist for goodness sake. Was this one obviously unbalanced and volatile man so critical to the success of operations in Iraq? I'm sure that the Iraq thing aside he would have found some reason or other to vent his frustrations down the track but maybe things could have been different if the pressure of an Iraq tour was taken away?????????????......aaaah.........what if? what if? what if?
It's just all so pointless and destructive and, for me, just serves to prove that wars, the military, the whole mindset around conflict to resolve disputes and differences is an outdated, archaic, mindless, wasteful, power-tripping, resource-draining, environmentally destructive construct which is particularly disrespectful of human life regardless of which side you are fighting on. No, I don't know how to solve the problems of greed and power and hate and anger of the world without the military but it's pretty clear to me that the military obviously don't know either!
That's me! I do wish us all peace in our world and our hearts. Sue