Once again, ABC News is out front on the Fort Hood massacre story. Correspondent Brian Ross is reporting that U.S. intelligence agencies were aware months ago that Hasan was attempting to contact associates of Al Qaeda.
If true, that's huge. Why would the Army allow any soldier to serve under those circumstances?
But it may not be the Army's fault. It's not clear if the CIA shared that information about Hasan. What is clear is that the situation is becoming intense.
The Washington Post is reporting that Hasan attended a mosque in Virginia where the imam is a radical anti-American guy. The cleric, Anwar al-Aulaqi, is also suspected of having contact with two of the 9/11 terrorists. So you can see the Fort Hood massacre story is becoming more than a random killing.
But we must be careful here. There are thousands of patriotic Muslim Americans, some of who are serving in the military:
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GEN. GEORGE CASEY, ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF: I believe it would be an even greater tragedy if our diversity becomes a casualty here. And it's not just about Muslims. We have a very diverse Army.
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But it is about Muslims. What Gen. Casey is saying is that we cannot demonize all Muslims, and that's what President Obama said last week as well:
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PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: We don't know all the answers yet, and I would caution against jumping to conclusions until we have all the facts.
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"Talking Points" does not disagree with the president, but now aggressive action must be taken to find out what was known about Hasan and who knew it. This guy just didn't snap. He was indoctrinated into Muslim fanaticism, and people knew it.
Political correctness can get people killed. I believe that's part of the Fort Hood massacre story. Hasan was a weird guy. He said inappropriate things. He did inappropriate things. Yet he continued to serve as a major in the Army largely because, I believe, he is a Muslim.
By the way, Hasan is awake and able to talk. He remains in stable condition at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
And that's "The Memo."
Pinheads & Patriots
In an amazing piece of video from the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., a baby deer somehow got into the lion cage. Not good…
Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots."
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Run! Run!
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For a while it looked like the deer might make it, but that did not happen. All patriots are sad at the outcome.
On the pinhead front, soccer is an intense game, sometimes too intense. Player Elizabeth Lambert, a junior at the University of New Mexico, got a little rowdy during a recent match with Brigham Young University. Ms. Lambert resorted to punching — not nice — a little bit of kicking, and she even pulled her opponent's hair, yanking her to the ground. New Mexico lost the match 1-0.
Ms. Lambert has been indefinitely suspended and obviously the pinhead label would apply.
— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com
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