I’ve spent a good bit of the day on Monday in the automobile, and a few minutes’ exposure to talk radio suggests that we may have a controversy over allegations of excessive “correctness” in the media coverage of the Fort Hood shooting. It sounds as though there has been some reticence with regard to identifying Maj. Hasan’s religion and ethnicity — which has aroused distrust and suspicion.
If that is the case, it needs to be addressed. It’s the kind of thing that prompts some people to shun the “mainstream media” in favor of outlets pitched to their own political preferences. Such people, however, will have missed reporting such as this: “Since Sept. 11, the nation’s military has actively recruited Muslim-Americans, eager to have people with linguistic skills and a cultural understanding of the Middle East…. Many Muslims are drawn to the military for the same reasons as other recruits. In interviews, they cited patriotism, a search for discipline and their dreams of attending college. Some Muslims said they had also enlisted to win new respect in a country where people of their faith have struggled for acceptance….”