I'm sure everyone has heard about the shooting that happened at the country's largest Army base at Fort Hood, Texas. 13 active and retired soldiers were gunned down by one of their very own.
President Obama spoke to a large audience of thousands of Army soldiers earlier today at Fort Hood. He vowed that the memory of those who lost their lives last week would "endure through the life of our nation."
"It may be hard to comprehend the twisted logic that led to this tragedy, but this much we do know: No faith justifies these murderous and craven acts. No just and loving God looks upon them with favor. For what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice, in this world and the next," said President Obama.
Today was the first time in President Obama's career in which he comforted the nation in the time of a major tragedy. It's in times like these where the words spoken can define a president. We all remember when President Clinton praised the victims of the Oklahoma City bombings, and I'm sure the speech given by President George W. Bush after the tragedy of September 11, 2001 really hits home. However, in both of the speeches just mentioned, a sort of blame and reason was given behind the unfortunate acts.
President Obama chose not to blame anyone or anything as the cause of the shooting. Questions have been raised recently about Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist. However, President Obama never once mentioned his name. Instead, he praised the diversity of those fighting for our country and emphasized that all were Americans, serving together to protect our people, while giving others half a world away the chance to lead a better life.
Many people have been questioning whether or not the shooting is in some way related to terrorism and wanted President Obama to speak of it. The President chose not to, however. Obama wanted to keep his speech as well as everyone listening focused on one thing only, and that was remembering the one's who died.
I respect the fact that President Obama didn't go into detail about who was to blame for the attack. I believe it is important for the country to receive an explanation, but the memorial service was not the place to do that. The families and friends of those who died are still in mourning, and I'm sure they want to have their chance for closure before anything goes further. Eventually, when the time is right, President Obama does need to provide the country with sufficient answers and take action.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
What happened in Fort Hood, TX is a tragedy. The military prepares you for life and death situations and how to deal with them. Unfortunately, this was a scenario that many weren't expecting. I hope justice is served quickly because those who lost their lives shouldn't have, period.
ReplyDeleteI saw President Obama's speech right after the shooting and I personally thought it was very inappropriate. He was speaking to the families of those who had just lost children, husbands, and parents and he continued to give shout outs and tell his plans for the future before he gave his condolances to the families. But I do agree with you that these are the times that define a President.
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that President Obama didn't mention the shooters name at all. We don't want to give him any praise at all for what he did or any media attention. We do need to pray and be there for the families of the victims. May justice be served to the man who commited all of these crimes.
ReplyDelete