While perusing the internet today, I came across this great investigative piece, courtesy of NBC 5 DFW:
Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan receives extraordinary treatment in jail while victims of the attack argue they have been forgotten and mistreated by the U.S. Army.
While a prisoner awaiting trial, Hasan is ferried by helicopter nearly every day, complete with an additional helicopter escort and security detail, for the 20-mile journey between the Bell County Jail and Fort Hood, courtesy of the United States Army and American taxpayers.
he Army told NBC 5 Investigates the daily helicopter rides are necessary because the jail does not have the proper facilities for Hasan to work on his legal defense and transporting Hasan by car creates additional security concerns. Fort Hood does not have its own jail, so Hasan is being held at the Bell County Jail under a special Army contract.
Why understand the need for due process, something seems fishy here. How can army base that has tens of thousands of people living on it not have a jail to accommodate anybody? Let's see how Hassan is being treated in prison
Inside the Bell County Jail, the Army requires the Bell County Sheriff provide a private guard for Hasan at least 12 hours a day. He lives in a special room that, using U.S. Army funds, was equipped to specifically accommodate the injuries he suffered after he was shot by officers responding to the attack on the Army post.
This is great news! (sarcasm). While our prisons are overcrowded and conditions horrid , this man who killed soldiers gets a hotel stay, complete with guard and all. While I am sure the guard is there so Hassan doesn't kill himself, it just reeks of VIP treatment. Let's see the other side of the coin:
Victims of the Fort Hood massacre told NBC 5 Investigates the Army’s efforts to provide for Hasan’s needs do not match the treatment they have received since the shooting. They feel the Army has gone the extra mile for Hasan but not for them.
Howard Berry said his son, Staff Sgt. Josh Berry, struggled to understand the treatment the Army afforded Hasan compared to those he’s accused of injuring.
Josh Berry ultimately committed suicide on Feb. 13, 2013, after his family said he suffered years of post-traumatic stress caused by the Fort Hood shooting.
Also
Berry said his son was constantly bothered by what he saw as a lack of consideration such as the Army denying victims of the massacre Purple Heart medals and other combat-related benefits while insisting the shooting was not an act of terrorism – a classification Fort Hood shooting victim Logan Burnett strongly disputes.
“The day that came out was the day the government looked at every single one of the victims of the Fort Hood shooting and spit in our faces, literally spit in our faces,” said Burnett.
Burnett, who was shot three times in the attack, also feels the Army has gone to great lengths to accommodate Hasan by allowing him to grow a beard, despite military rules that forbid it.
While the Purple Hearts and beard are side issues, these individuals' gripes about how they have been treated shows how much of a clusterF--k this thing has become
And what is the government's response to all this?
NBC 5 Investigates contacted the Fort Hood prosecutors. In a statement, an Army spokesman said, “the prosecution will not comment on the ongoing procedures at this time. In the interest of due process for Maj. Nidal Hasan, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
A request by NBC 5 Investigates to interview Lt. Gen. Dana Chipman, who oversees the Army’s law division, was denied. In a recent letter to a congressman, Chipman said the Army is willing to reconsider whether the attack was terrorism if there’s any new evidence that warrants that at a later time.
So while our government goes gung ho on Bradley Manning for leaking info and possibly harming our national interests, a man who killed 13 while on a military base gets ferried around in a helicopter like the Vice President. Outrageous.