BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

By James Dao Born and reared in Virginia, the son of immigrant parents from a small Palestinian town near Jerusalem, he joined the Army right out of high school, against his parents’ wishes. The Army, in turn, put him through college and then medical school, where he trained to be a psychiatrist. But Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the 39-year-old man accused of Thursday’s mass shooting at Fort Hood, Tex., started having second thoughts about his military career a few years ago after other soldiers harassed him for being a Muslim , he told relatives in Virginia. He had also more recently expressed deep concerns about being sent to Iraq or Afghanistan. Having counseled scores of returning soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder, first at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington and more recently at Fort Hood, he knew all too well the terrifying realities of war, said a cousin, Nader Hasan. “He was mortified by the idea of having to deploy,” Mr. Hasan said. “He had people telling him o...

Since Nunn knew Ross could physically defend herself, did he bring a gun this last time? By Ashlee Clark, Bill Estep and Amy Wilson (KENTUCKY) After months of trying to use the legal system to protect herself from her former fiancée, 29-year-old Amanda Ross was found shot to death early Friday outside her home in downtown Lexington. Hours later, the man she feared, former state representative and one-time gubernatorial candidate Steve Nunn , was taken into police custody at the edge of the Hart County cemetery where his parents are buried. Nunn had slit his wrists after placing mementos on his parents' graves, officers said. Nunn was charged with six counts of wanton endangerment of a police officer after police say he fired a .38-caliber handgun when officers began arriving at the cemetery. Nunn, 56, was listed in fair condition in a Bowling Green hospital late Friday. Lt. Douglas Pape, Lexington police spokesman, said Nunn was a person that detectives "would like to talk to...

In light of the D.C. Holocaust Museum shooting, it seemed appropriate to re-post this one: By Joe Conason If right-wing broadcasters don't want to be blamed when someone murders a person they have demonized repeatedly -- as in the case of George Tiller, the doctor shot dead in his Wichita, Kan., church last Sunday by an anti-abortion zealot -- then they ought to moderate their rhetoric. No doubt they will choose their words more carefully for a while, and they will whine piteously about anyone who calls attention to their screaming extremism. This familiar cycle of shaming and blaming, which often follows incidents like the Tiller killing, may well be pointless. By now, it should be obvious that nothing, not even a murder in a church, will mute the most aggressive and irrational voices in politics and the media, as they attract high ratings and consistent donations. Yet there is one response to this crime that might make a difference in the future. Although an overwhelming majority...

In 1995, when my Atypical M.S. became symptomatic I learned more about the disability process in the U.S. than I ever wanted to know. I had to fight for my benefits with little energy or support. I had to fight for a diagnosis and to prove empirically what my body was screaming to me. To this day, I am fighting for E.R.I.S.A. reform and disability fairness against one of the biggest lobbies in Washington, the Health Insurance Lobby - which has a stranglehood on the benefits & welfare of too many people in the U.S. who paid their premiums in good faith. In light of the murder of my beloved counselor, Kathryn Faughey, I remain undeterred - and in fact, reinvigorated. Those of you who still work, go ask for a copy of your policy from your Benefits Office. No, not the copy of the sanitized handbook they give you - a copy of the ACTUAL policy signed between your employer and their insurer. Don't stop asking until you get it - you are entitled by law to see it. Now ask yourse...

THE BIG QUESTION: WHY WAS CHO FREE? Now comes news that a court in 2005 found Virginia Tech gunman Cho Seung-Hui to be "mentally ill" and an "imminent danger to others" - but then let him go. Anyone who doubts that the court's diagnosis was correct need only reference the video diatribe Cho mailed to NBC news, which aired the clip last night. That Cho was free is an outrage. But it's not exactly news that American courts regularly elevate abstract personal rights above those of the public. Certainly, many questions remain in the the Virginia Tech massacre. But it's not too soon to wonder why in hell Cho was left to wander freely after that sort of a court finding - and numerous other warnings as well. Were authorities so concerned with Cho's rights that they declined not only to commit him to a secure hospital, but even allowed him to stay in school? Most perplexing: How on earth was Cho able legally to purchase a gun, given his history ...

IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY This week, like many people, I have been following the aftermath of the Virginia Tech tragedy. This evoked a lot of strong emotions & reactions in a lot of people. Some good, some bad - yet all we can do is pray. Pray for the families, students & administration left behind and pray for the souls of the senselessly murdered. There's been a lot of talk and a lot of hindsight. I for one, am getting sick of the woulda, coulda, shoulda talkers. I do hope this incident shines a light on the need for mental health care in this country to be taken more seriously. For the insurance industry to start paying to treat the brain and its disorders, and for the mental illness to come out of the dark, unspeakable shadows and the stigma of depression, schizophrenia and other disorders to be lifted so that sufferers wanting help get it. That said, was there anything we could have done to prevent this? The U.S. learned on 9/11 it isn't im...

IS GUN CONTROL THE ANSWER? First it was hate speech. Imus took the rap and Sharpton, Limbaugh, Coulter and Jackson continue to get a pass. The "guns" in their cases are their mouths and the "bullets" their words. Then its the Virginia Tech massacre. I know what it is to be a depressed college student but I didn't go and get a gun. Despite a father that was in law enforcement and an NRA member as well as guns in our home, it never occurred to me to do something like that. I have a carry permit but I wouldn't think of turning a gun on others in a fit of rage or hate. The issue of gun control in the U.S. comes up time and again. Columbine, Waco and now VA Tech. NYC has very strict gun control laws yet there have been shootings within blocks of me. Anger is rampant. Some is justified, most isn't (in my opinion). I don't know what the answer here is. I'd welcome all input. And prayers for our world and the families of those who were kille...

NOT A GOOD DAY FOR HUMANITY This has not been a great day. It started out with minor annoyance - my child's bus didn't show up and it was getting on to the time where class would start. So I drove her and a little boy from the same bus stop (who goes to kindergarten at the same school) in. The roads near me were intermittently flooded but I made it. Listening to the news on the way home I was glad that, so far, the flooding hadn't effected myself or my neighbors personally. Typically selfish New Yorker. I opened my door to a TOTALLY DARK HOME. Yes, NO ELECTRICITY. I checked my junction boxes... nothing. So I took my flashlight and called Con Ed - who seemed to be clueless other than "we are working on it." I decided not to vent at a poor Customer Service rep. I told them that they should alert the radio media to area outages at least and was as polite as I could muster. I had been in bed most of the weekend with Viocodin and heating pads. My M.S. has ...