Breaking: Fort Hood Terrorist Nidal Sentenced To Death

After three years, the terrorist who killed 13 at Fort Hood has been sentenced to death following a court case where he represented himself poorly in order to gain martyrdom. It looks like he’s going to get his wish.

He will become the first US soldier to be given the death sentence in over fifty years.

From the Guardian:

Hasan had no visible reaction when the verdict was read, staring first at the jury forewoman and then at the judge. Some victims’ relatives were in the courtroom but also showed no reaction, which the judge had warned against before the verdict.

…because the military justice system requires a lengthy appeals process, years or even decades could pass before he is put to death.

Perhaps this is the best of both worlds – he won’t be “martyred” for a very long time while languishing in prison, but the families of the victims have the satisfaction of knowing that he was at least sentenced to the harshest punishment possible under American law.

And yet there is still another great unresolved injustice in the attack – the Obama administration still classifies the attack as “workplace violence,” and in doing so, keeps those who were injured from gaining the full access to healthcare they deserve. This is exactly why police sergeant Kimberly Munly, who helped stopped Nidal’s rampage, said Obama had “betrayed” the victims and left them “neglected.”

With this chapter closing, hopefully Obama will have the guts to admit the nature of this terrorist attack and honor those victims. But don’t hold your breath – there’s too much political capital in shirking his own responsibility.