Published: November 28, 2009 08:14 pm      

This was more than a tragedy

In response to Jeff Krone’s letter to the editor (“Soldier is terrorist, regardless of ‘ACLU Speak’,” Oct. 18 Times-News):

Mr. Krone, your letter took me by surprise and has stuck with me for days. I am shocked and bewildered by the tone you took with me, the reader. In your letter you attempted to address a multitude of issues when you should have stuck to the one that was referenced in your title.

I actually agree with your sentiments about the soldier-turned-terrorist and your letter should have ended there. Unfortunately, you took the opportunity to compare White House staff to communists and “radicals,” (when you say “radicals” I am under the assumption you are referring to Muslims).

I think you owe the readers of this newspaper some actual sources or names of said commie rats and radicals so we can write our congressman and have them investigated for living in a free country.

I take it you sympathize with McCarthyism and have a nasty case of xenophobia (not to be confused with homophobia, racism, ethnocentric slander, fear-mongering, ignorance and good ol’ paranoia) but I digress.

You state that the Fort Hood shootings were “not a tragedy…they were the result of a terrorist attack, no different than 9/11.” Mr. Krone, how can argue that the shootings were not a tragedy? You are trying to argue that this tragedy should have been referred to as a “terrorist attack” and that the major media outlets failed to do so.

What media are you talking about? Where are your references? Are you referring to any particular reporter or news channel? Was it the “liberal media” or Fox News?

I don’t understand your disdain for media coverage of a tragic event, or “terrorist attack,” if you will.

Furthermore it is borderline sophomoric to quibble over such an idea, especially in a time of mourning.

Instead of “I say tomato you say terrorist attack,” maybe you should do something else instead of pointing fingers and blaming the ACLU for having to refer to your garbage man as a “sanitation engineer.”

You go on to ask, “Why aren’t the non-radical Muslims taking responsibility for the atrocities committed in the name of their religion?” So you want all non-radical Muslims to take responsibility for all the violence committed by insane, Islamic radicals?

What about all the religions and all the violence committed in the name of every other religion on the face of the Earth? I’m sure you are a Christian … does that mean you should be held accountable for every violent act committed in the name of Jesus?

Do you think Jesus would want to be identified with preachers that preach hate against Hispanics, African-Americans, Muslims, Jews or homosexuals?

You also bring up that the President of the United States is trying to “fundamentally change America with the invaluable and unethical assistance of the major media … .” I don’t even know where to begin with this statement. Don’t all administrations use the media to push their agenda?

What would you like your president and his administration to do? Would you like them to form a committee to investigate how to be as successful as their predecessors? What in the world are you babbling about here?

As I trudge through your final, triumphant paragraph, I picture a band of psychopaths riding off into the sunset on horses of fortitude, galloping further and further away from all that is reasonable, rational, and truthful.

Responsible letter writing? No.

Craig Miller

Frostburg