Why nothing was done about troubled Fort Hood suspect

The Fort Hood shooter gave off red flags for years before his murderous rampage, but no actions were taken. Even fellow Muslims at Walter Reed complained about his distorted, violent excerpts taken out of context from the Quran. Co-workers called him a "ticking time bomb." Why was nothing done before he attacked? He must have felt that he was untouchable after complaints and warnings about him were ignored.

First, he could hide behind his medical degree. Doctors are put on pedestals in our society, and the Army had just invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in his medical degree to relieve the medical staff shortages.

Second, he was an officer, and a pretty senior one at that. It usually takes years to become a major, and few middle-level bureaucrats go out on a limb to try to take down the powerful. One is better off telling the boss what he wants to hear, not what he needs to know.

Third, he was a psychiatrist. It would be easy for him to intimidate some detractors with, "I think you might need professional help." His last layer of armor was to play the oppressed minority victim and hide behind his religiosity. These four walls of defenses prevented any harnessing of his increasing hostility and alienation.

Will we learn much from this? Probably not. Hiding behind labels and titles has worked for millennia. King David could have gotten away with murder and adultery; the little Indian scout trying to warn Custer was reminded who the general was, and who was going to tell Elvis he had a drug problem? Doug Hoffman was a sure thing in a conservative GOP district. The beat goes on.

Roland Van Deusen

Clayton