PrintNovember 11, 2009
The "Good American" Who Was Taught to Hate
"You've got to be taught to hate." The line from the famous song in "South Pacific," the Rodgers and Hammerstein play about the military in the Pacific during the Second World War, rings especially true in the instance of Fort Hood mass murderer Nidal Malik Hasan. For those who are unfamiliar, the tune goes:
You've got to be taught to hate and fear
You've got to be taught from year to yearIt's got to be drummed in your dear little earYou've got to be carefully taught
Hasan was taught to hate. He was taught to hate just as Catholics were taught to hate during the Inquisition. He was taught to hate just as Protestants were taught to hate during the Reformation. Hasan was taught to hate by the Muslim brotherhood, whose network and influence extends to many American mosques, including the one he regularly attended.
Many Muslims and Islamists are teaching Arab-Americans like Hasan to hate. They are stripping these Arab-Americans of their birthright in a blatant attempt to turn them into murderous monsters. Hasan was taught that religious hatred trumps American freedom. The Islamists who taught him to hate are as guilty of his murders as perhaps those U.S. officials who chose the path of political correctness, ignoring the danger he posed to his fellow troops, and choosing to promote him rather than boot him from the military.
His relatives, with spiritual support from politically correct busy bodies, say Hasan is a "good American" -- even "one hundred and ten percent American." And by saying so, they spit on the graves of every Arab-American who has nobly served in the U.S. military. They defame the approximately 3,500 Arab-Americans who are currently risking life and limb for the United States. Nidal Malik Hasan is American-in-name-only, and barely that.
To cover up the Islamist brand of hatred that Hasan was taught -- the special brand of hatred that compelled him to shout "Allahu akbar!" ("God is great!") before slaughtering twelve innocent and defenseless U.S. soldiers (who were preparing for tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan) and wounding 38 others (28 of them seriously) -- is to promote Hasan's hatred as acceptable.
This coward, who ruined the lives of so many spouses and children, committed a despicable act in the name of a religion that taught him to hate. Those who would write off the Fort Hood horror, the worst act of terror on American soil since 9-11, as the result of some poor, misunderstood soul who was picked on by his colleagues denigrate the achievements and sacrifices of Japanese- and German-American soldiers during World War II.
And to those who are convinced that Hasan snapped because of some mistreatment he received by his colleagues: Who cares? Certainly not those true Americans who suffered through real racism and barriers. Certainly not Satchell Paige, who struck out Mickey Mantle with one pitch. Not Jackie Robinson, who had to be smuggled into Major League ballparks. Not Kenny Washington, who broke the National Football League's color barrier. Not Rosa Parks, who declined to give up her bus seat. And certainly not a young man who joined the army and became a Second Lieutenant: Colin Powell.
Not the 18,000 second-generation Japanese Americans who fought in combat in World War II as members of the all-Japanese 442nd Regiment while their families were imprisoned in internment camps in America. Not U.S. Senator and Medal of Honor recipient Daniel Inouye, who fought as a Second Lieutenant in the 442nd. President Truman honored members of the 442nd at a 1945 White House ceremony, saying, "You fought not only the enemy, you fought prejudice, and you have won."
Not Asian immigrants, who, despite their sacrifices and the sacrifices of their countrymen during WWII, couldn't legally own property in California until 1952.
Not Irish and Catholic immigrants, who came to this country full of hopes and dreams only to find signs that read "Catholics and Irish Need Not Apply."
Not the German Americans who fought valiantly during World War II, even as nearly 11,000 of their brethren were imprisoned in U.S. internment camps.
Those of us who wish to honor the bravery and sacrifices of so many Americans this Veterans Day must not allow political correctness to conceal the real motives behind Nidal Malik Hasan's hate-filled rampage last week. Doing so dishonors the memory of Americans from other cultures who became U.S. soldiers because they found American freedom worth fighting and dying for. Let us remember their bravery and their sacrifice. And let us remember the hatred and evil that is being taught to monsters like Hasan right here on American soil.
Brad O'Leary is publisher of "The O'Leary Report," a bestselling author, and a former NBC Westwood One talk show host. His book, "Shut Up, America! The End of Free Speech," is now in bookstores and available at endoffreespeech.com.
