So we’ve already heard over and over again about how mentally unstable Nidal Hasan was and/or is. We’ve heard over and over about his poor work record. We’ve heard over and over again about his emails with the so-called radical “Anwar Al Awlaki”.

What we haven’t heard about is the camera footage of his rampage.

Think about it. We have cameras everywhere nowadays. They are on street corners, in elevators, in building lobbies, in gas stations, and are even inside of some cars.

What about on military bases? Well there is footage of him “hours before” the shooting in a store on the base. But what about the CCTV system, which almost certainly exists, in other parts of the base, particularly in the areas where he is said to have committed murder?

Well, a Google News search (see here) reveals that NOBODY in the mass media is even asking that question. Isn’t that odd. Mass murder happens on a major military base and reporters aren’t even asking for copies of the CCTV footage, or even if it exists?

I’m starting to wonder if Nidal Hasan actually killed anyone at all. What if this was actually a shootout between soldiers, perhaps over a desire not to return to the theater of an unjust war? Would the US Military cover that up and use a slightly unbalanced Arab doctor as a patsy?

Thinks that make you go “hmmmmm”.

Tehran is, by all accounts, a city of contradictions.

Walk it’s streets by day and you are subjected to a heady mix of Islam and Persian culture, albeit a form of Islam rejected by much of the Muslim world. Warring for attention constantly are the ever-present sounds of Islamic observation (prayers, calls to prayer, quranic recitation) and the similarly overpowering sounds of Persian music and Persian commerce. Voices, some confident and commanding, others plaintive and pathetic, wash over the visitor in waves not unlike those of a turbulent sea.

At night the prostitutes begin to appear, although none but a practiced eye would know them as such at a glance. Iranian prostitutes are unique in the world in a couple of distinct ways. One is that they do not consider themselves to be prostitutes (nor do most of their customers). The other is that, unlike the scandalously clad prostitutes branded into the imagination of the Western individual and called forth at the mention of the term, Iranian prostitutes often dress far more conservative than their more virtuous female city-mates.

This serves a very potent purpose. It helps ensure than they are not recognized as they go about their normal non-prostitute activities (like shopping, mothering, etc.).

Turn on a Television in Tehran and one is exposed to yet another set of contradictions. Due to the ready availability of free satellite television signals in the Muslim World, Iranians are exposed to a constant barrage of propaganda from their neighbors. On many of these stations Shia Islam, and those who observe it, is condemned as a horrible mass-apostasy destined for hellfire. Turn the channel and one can see rebroadcasted programs which have long fallen out of favor in the USA, but which still are hits in the conservative Muslim World, like Baywatch. Many of the same men who would yell at, and perhaps even beat, their own sisters for being seen talking to a member of the opposite sex, watch enthusiastically as bikini clad beauties frolic on the beach with their Speedo-clad make-believe boyfriends.

Turn your attention toward the civilian government and yet another contradiction greets you. Armani suit-clad men attempt to appear 100% Western in front of international cameras, and when meeting with Western diplomats or business interests, then they immediately morph into 100% Persian when they face the local cameras. Yet again they transform when they are summoned to, or are granted an audience with, their Ayatollah overseers. When they face these serious, often stone-faced men, they become the absolute embodiment of Shia Islamic observance.

Turn toward the women of the nation and you find again contradiction personified. Scarves gradually inch forward or back (or even come off entirely) throughout the day, depending on who they believe sees them. Iranian women, by and large, perform a strenuous and complex dance between the American and European ideas of beauty, and their traditionally accepted roles which require them to downplay their charms and remain mostly unseen and unheard.

Turn toward the American government and face yet another contradiction. The USA set up a puppet King in Iran who oppressed and brutalized his own citizens, then cried foul when the Iranians finally overthrew him for good in 1979. Today the USA claims that Iran is working on a Nuclear weapon and enacts sanctions against it, all the while negotiating behind he scenes to convince the Iranians to continue trading oil in US Dollars, instead of Euros or some other currency.

Turn toward Israel and consider the contradiction that every single major skirmish between Israel and it’s neighbors, with the arguable exception of the Six Day War in 1967, was initiated by Israel itself. Fast forward to today where Israel is the de facto sole nuclear power in the Mideast, yet actively (and violently) denies every other nation in the region nuclear power, not to mention nuclear weapons, under the guise of protecting itself from aggression. Now America, at Israels behest, is “putting pressure” on Iran to keep it from developing nuclear power, in spite of Iran’s repeated offers to provide proof that it is not pursuing weapons.

In light of all of these contradictions one must seriously consider whether a nation so divided against it’s own contradictions, is truly even a danger to the citizens along it’s own borders, let alone it’s neighbors.

Especially against a “neighbor” so distant as the USA.

This just in. According to his father Anwar Al Awlaki, the “radical” scholar who praised Nidal Hassan as a hero, has been missing for 8 months.

Of course this will add fuel to the flames of those who have been claiming all along that www.anwar-alawlaki.com was not really his site at all, and that the writings attributed to him were not really his.

Although Awlaki does not enjoy the specter of grandiosity attributed to Osama Bin Laden, one must wonder if he is being setup as a new shadow-jihadi that America can use as an excuse to invade nations.

Or then again he may have posted that now-infamous message without realizing the storm of condemnation that would descend upon him and simply fled into hiding afterward.

Only time will tell – or not.

Amazing. Ahead of President Obama’s planned visit to South Korea, all of a sudden a shootout happens between a South Korean and a DPRK (North Korean) vessel.

To me it sounds like South Korea is planning to hit Obama up for more money and weapons to “Defend against an aggressive North Korean threat” and this event is just a convenient way of “proving” that South Korea needs protection.

It should be noted that the North Korean government asserts that their vessel never entered South Korean waters, and I also note that the standing (stated) policy in South Korea is that not a single shot is fired at a DPRK vessel or soldier without express authorization from command.

To be honest, I’m not sure what America gains by continually funding South Korea, aside from cheap technology and biotech R&D. It’s almost as ridiculous as the constant funding of Israel’s military.

But let’s not even get started on that today….

Here we go again.

People are dead, and the guy who apparently killed them is Muslim. We’ve all seen this before. It’s like watching a new movie, with new actors, and a new title, but with a familiar old plot.

And of course the ideological enemies of “Muslims” are yelling that he was a terrorist, who had connections to the 911 hijackers, blah, blah, blah.

And, of course, the “Muslims” are either falling all over themselves to condemn what he did, or are falling all over themselves to claim that he wasn’t a “Real Muslim”, as if there is really such a thing nowadays. And just a few “Muslims” (like Anwar Al Awlaki, reputed spiritual guide to terrorists galore) praise his actions as laudable.

And of course the official report on the shooting was that he fired more than 100 rounds using a gun that, according to experts, holds less than 10 rounds in the clip (meaning he would have had to reload 9 times or more).

And of course the media has gone out of their way to point out that he was an observant Muslim who even attended prayers the morning of the attack.

But the most shocking thing to me is that one man, a psychiatrist who had never seen active duty in his life (according to reports) was able to cut through a military base like a hot knife through butter, unchallenged, and unharmed – until a policewoman happened along.

I mean, isn’t the US military supposed to be the most advanced and highly trained fighting force on the planet? And a base full of active duty soldiers couldn’t stop one Arab doctor with a pair of guns, one of which was not even apparently used??

It took a police-woman to save the day.

Big-ups to that latina for handling her business.

As for the Fort Hood soldiers who are supposed to be tough enough to protect this country – ya’ll are pathetic. Maybe the cops should start going out and facing the terrorists. At least they know how to shoot back.

Out.

All,

I’m finally back from a long hiatus from blogging. I took time away from the online world to focus fully on a new offline business venture, which has consumed almost all of my time over the last several months.

I’m back now and I’m planning to seriously intending to get back to writing. There are lots of interesting things going on in this country and around the world, and I’m looking forward to discussing them.

-Z.Z.