Within hours of Maj. Hasan’s gunning down dozens of his unarmed US Army comrades, National Public Radio was on the air with the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD] explanation for his murders, a well-acknowledged psychological syndrome.

And although Instapundit gives NPR good marks for digging into the actual facts of the murders yesterday, this morning NPR returned to its usual fare [I heard it myself, from some "reporter"], what a wise man once called the “dictatorship of relativism”: that there are two theories:

a) That this had something to do with Islam, or

b) That the murderer “snapped” at the prospect of being shipped with his unit to Afghanistan on Friday.

The beauty of NPR-ish relativism is that truth is subjective. If

a) doesn’t float your boat because it raises untidy questions about the nature or modern practice of Islam,

you can pick

b), which makes you all warm and fuzzy and as a bonus makes the Major a victim of the American war machine.

Who’s to say?

NPR [and the New York Times and CNN] presented these as equal possibilities. Hmmm. Let us reason together, as a somewhat less wise man once said:

Maj. Nidal is a psychologist, not a combat officer. So what did he have to fear in Afghanistan, then?

Getting his ass blown up by some homicidal or suicidal [probably both] Muslim maniac, mostly. That’s just a fact. I can feel that.

So if he suffered from Pre-Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [PPTSD], suffering PTSD in advance, it was related to fear of Muslims who kill indiscriminately, of which there are many. Such a fear is not unfounded, because there are a lot of such folks in the Afghanistan area, which is WHY THE UNITED STATES IS IN THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!

[Sorry for shouting. But geez, ipso facto.]

So then, the only explanation is that Maj. Hasan’s Pre-Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was Pre-Post Traumatic Stress Disorder By Proxy [PPTSDBP]: the fear of counseling the actual US combat troops who actually would get blown up by Muslim murderers.

So he just cut to the chase and wasted them all himself back in Texas before they even deployed?

OK, thanks, NPR, NYT, CNN, Chris Matthews, et al.

I realize that makes sense in your reality, where there is no reality, only the opinion that makes you feel OK, makes you feel best about yourself.

And that’s why I’m miffed about all this—not that something relatively predictable happened, but that the media, applying the moronic standard of relativism, can’t tell the difference between the remotely possible and the reasonably probable.

As NPR posed the question, both get equal standing, and it insults their intelligence far more than mine, and even their listeners and contributors.

What, do they think we’re stupid?

Unfortunately, they do. Some of us don’t mind and NPR calls them “members,” meaning they give NPR stations money. Other of us do mind, I guess. We’re what NPR fundraisers call “freeloaders,” who listen but don’t contribute.

I can occasionally bear my intelligence being insulted, but damned if I’ll pay for the privilege.

The answer is a) That this had something to do with Islam. Truth is not a matter of subjectivity, nor is it up for a vote.
__________
CNN: So the first moments of Thursday afternoon, can you tell our viewers, you know, where you were, what happened, how it all unfolded?

PVT Joseph Foster: I was sitting in what they call station 13, it’s where we get, basically, our final outs of our RSP (ph) system and I was sitting in about the second row back when the assailant stood up, screamed and yelled Allah Akbar (ph) in Arabic and he opened fire.

[Via Mudville Gazette, transcribing a CNN interview with one of the actual victims. He got shot.]

The problem is with the word “lie.”

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the president used the word “lie” [about "death panels"] exactly three sentences before Rep. Wilson responded to his fourth [about illegals getting health insurance].

The word “lie” poisons, because it’s more than disagreement, it’s an attack on the other fellow’s honor and good faith. It’s impossible to proceed civilly under that shadow, which is why they fought duels in the olden days.

A look at the transcript seems in order, and let’s use an Obama-friendly website as our source:

THE PRESIDENT: “Some of people’s concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost. The best example is the claim made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but by prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. Now, such a charge would be laughable if it weren’t so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple. (Applause.)

There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false. The reforms — the reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.”

REP. JOE WILSON: You lie! (Boos.)

OK—let’s look at this.

President Obama makes a highly defensible counterargument against “death panel” talk, then he distorts it into a straw man ["the power to kill off senior citizens"], calls a “lie,” then he tries to slip in a far less defensible counterargument [about illegals] under the same wire.

There’s no excusing Rep. Wilson’s unfortunate ejaculation, but you used the word “lie” first, Mr. President, and then you tried to pull a few rhetorical fast ones yourself.

Don’t BS a BSer, especially a professional like Rep. Wilson. He’s a politician himself—he knows it when he hears it.

The Church of “Not That There’s Anything Wrong With That.”

Or, Would You Mind Removing the Dagger of Christian Fellowship From Between My Shoulder Blades, Thanks?

America Magazine offers its diagnosis of the problem with Obama being given an honorary degree at Notre Dame. And, in a shocking twist, the real problem is the group of unwashed hooligans who made the Baby Jenkins cry.

(more…)

It’s really not that much fun anymore to pick on E.J. Dionne. He’s been heading down the road to irrelevancy for so long that it’s almost not worth the effort.

Of course that’s not going to stop me from highlighting his latest bit of hackery. (more…)