Cathartic Counseling

I suppose one way to treat soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder would be to put them on trial:

Major Nidal Malik Hasan's military superiors repeatedly ignored or rebuffed his efforts to open criminal prosecutions of soldiers he claimed had confessed to "war crimes" during psychiatric counseling, according to investigative reports circulated among federal law enforcement officials.

...

Colonel Anthony Febbo at Fort Hood reportedly told investigators he was twice contacted by Hasan, on Nov. 2 and a week earlier in October, about the question of whether he could legally provide information on "war crimes" he had learned in the course of psychiatric counseling he provided soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Col. Febbo told ABC News he could not comment because of the on-going investigation.

His supervisor in the Department of Psychiatry, Captain Naomi Surman, told investigators that Hasan raised similar issues with her in conversations in October, according to documents reviewed by ABC News.

Captain Surman told investigators that Hasan had formally contacted military prosecutors to report patients he was evaluating, according to people briefed on the exchange. She said Hasan signed his e-mails with "Praise Be to Allah." Legal analysts say psychiatrists are strictly bound by the rules of patient confidentiality except in cases where they might become aware of crimes about to be committed.

I am not a highly trained professional and I know hindsight is 20/20 but these strike me as red flags. 

Comments

[centralcal]

I am confused. I thought I read that Hasan did NOT actually counsel returning war vets, but rather counseled others who had yet to be deployed? Anyone know where I saw that?

It would really be hard to commit war crimes if one had not yet been to war.

[BumperStickerist]

Un-be-leev-Able-Danger

If only there were some way to monitor electronic communications and to have them screened for some sort of ... recurring phrase or textual clues which would ... I don't know ... light up the Bat Signal or something.

[anduril]

Seems a trifle odd to me, too.

Praise be to PC!

[Strawman Cometh]

This in no way argues against his insanity defense. I'm sure Chaco agrees.
But I'm biased.

[matt]

I think a combination of waterboarding/electroshock therapy administered simultaneously would work.

[peter]

Sorry to go OT but there's some hot blue on blue action at the LUN--h/t Drudge

[Strawman Cometh]

CC,
There was a joke (reported straight faced on msnbc) going around that Hasan was sufffering from PRE-traumatic stress syndrome, as he hadn't been deployed yet.

[BumperStickerist]

Let's all take a moment and consider the reaction had Hasan ended his emails with the closing: "Yours in Christ"

.

.

.

~ shudder ~

.
.
.

[anduril]

waddaya wanna bet the the next thing we find out will be that he was actively trying to elicit what he claimed to be war crime confessions, and that the army got complaints from soldiers about his behavior?

[anduril]

Where I used to work some of the black employees used to say, Have a blessed day, and you'd be amazed (or, at least, I was amazed) at the number of people who took offense at that.

[PD]

Let's all take a moment and consider the reaction had Hasan ended his emails with the closing: "Yours in Christ"

I had the same thought as I'm sure you did: Violence and mayhem soon to follow.

[Strawman Cometh]

Peter,
Paterson, who we know has no love lost with the great zero, could make a lot of noise, if he were to man up here and act on his professed convictions. IANAL (obviously) but certainly the Gov of a (somewhat) sovereign state could forestall the feds from injecting Foreign Enemies of the state (USA) into the State of New York. If he were to push this, I'll vote for him myself. Certainly the Brooklyn office of ACORN will provide a ballot to my NC address.

[PD]

you'd be amazed (or, at least, I was amazed) at the number of people who took offense at that.

Not amazed. We live in a society heavily populated by the professionally offended.

[peter]

Strawm, Paterson's down twenty points in the polls to lightweight Andy Cuomo. Let's hope that his desperation leads to desperate, but in this case, absolutely correct measures.

[PD]

waddaya wanna bet the the next thing we find out will be that he was actively trying to elicit what he claimed to be war crime confessions, and that the army got complaints from soldiers about his behavior?

Wouldn't surprise me. After the initial reports about how he'd been harassed by other soldiers for being a Muslim, there were other reports alleging that he was the aggressor in the exchanges that resulted in remarks about his being a Muslim.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

This in no way argues against his insanity defense. I'm sure Chaco agrees. But I'm biased.

No, you're just an idiot. Look back where I talked about the difficult issue of when one is legally insane and thus not responsible, versus being just nuts.

Or just stick it up your ass, I'm easy.

[gone]

It's no wonder the leftists wanted to downplay this guy.

Just like that tape of Osama Bin Laden's that came out near the 2004 election, so many things this deranged terrorist believed sounds like they're straight from a list of Democratic talking points.

[Mustang0302]

His supervisor in the Department of Psychiatry, Captain Naomi Surman, told investigators that Hasan raised similar issues with her in conversations in October, according to documents reviewed by ABC News.

A Major supervised by a Captain? (Naomi E Surman M.D. CPT, MC, USA)

My, he was special, wasn't he?

[Pofarmer]

The guy was an OBVIOUS problem and folks ignored it. What about the ones being sneaky about it? I read the other day that there are 3500 Muslims in the military. I'm sure we could get by without them.

[Rick Ballard]

Reading Scott Beauchamp's articles severely traumatized him.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Had to wipe the screen for that one, Rick.

Nice.

[Mustang0302]

As of September 1st, CPT Surman was listed as a teaching fellow at USUHS; the ABCNews article claims she was Hasan's 'supervisor' in October, and that she was due to deploy to Afghanistan 'with Hasan on Nov. 2.'

Did he get assigned a 'watcher' when he got orders to Ft. Hood?

As with all of the other 'facts' reported about this massacre so far, these don't add up.

No worries. Eventually we'll read some straight facts...from the UK Telegraph.

[Thomas Collins]

No rush to judgment now.

[Mustang0302]

Oh, I finished judging ABCNews a long time ago.

I finished with Hasan when I learned his name and grade.

*spit*

[Thomas Collins]

If he had signed off "Yours in Struggle" instead of "Praise Be To Allah," he would have a ten million dollar defense fund by now drawn from San Fran, Berkeley, Manhattan Upper West Side and Amherst.

[Melinda Romanoff]

I don't know where to put this LUN, but I'm going to be e-mailing it in broadcast form tomorrow. It's the best analysis of what's going on I've read to date, and spells out the China situation clearly.

This is by one of the best, Hugh Hendry, of The Eclectica Fund.

Enjoy. 'cause I'm folding.

G'night.

[PD]

Sayyyyyy, I've just realized that no one here has had anything to say about Super-Genius David "gosh, look at that pant crease!" Brooks and his latest insightful remarks about Sarah Palin.

What, we're no longer acknowledging instruction from on high?

[bgates]

PD - is that the guy who did "The Producers", or the guy from the remake of "The In-Laws"?

[clarice]

From one not highly paid mental health professional to another, TM, WTF was the military thinking?
**********************

Here's more fun from the LAT:
"Chicago politics, where voting is such a revered civic duty that people do it even after they're dead, cold, stiff, stuffed, boxed and buried beneath the permafrost for years, has now come to D.C. with the Obama administration.

This afternoon comes the most encouraging economic news, courtesy of our keen-eyed buddy Rick Klein over at ABC, that the Obama administration's $787-billion economic stimulus has, for example, thankfully created 30 new jobs in a little-known rural corner of Arizona at a cost to American taxpayers of only $761,420.

That works out to only $25,380.67 spent to create each individual job.

Seems like a lot per slot, but those 30 folks must be happy to be employed again and paying taxes.

This will be a real feather in the cap of Vice President Joe Biden, who's been left behind and assigned by the ever-campaigning president to monitor the stimulus plan, its spending and effectiveness moving into the crucial midterm elections of 2010. Might the Democrats snatch that House seat?

So the people of that 15th Congressional District in staunchly Republican Arizona should be pretty happy about this.

Trouble is, there is no 15th Congressional District in Arizona. None. Nada. Zip. Zero. Doesn't exist"

Imagine what they can do with the health care system.

[Ann]

PD:

When David gushed about the creases in Obama's pants, he became the joke, didn't he?
Right after Chris Matthews warm tingley that is.

If anyone is interested, here is the transcript from Oprah's interview today with Sarah Palin:

Not One Policy Question

[PD]

PD - is that the guy who did "The Producers", or the guy from the remake of "The In-Laws"?

No, it was nobody so distinguished as that.

[PD]

I'm watching the Oprah interview. I'd say: No big gaffes, but not gangbusters, either.

But there are a few points at which she comes out with a laugh that, unless she ditches it and quick, will become an albatross around her neck like Hillary's Cackle.

[PD]

I just finished Oriana Fallaci's _The Force of Reason_ this evening. I bet she'd have some pleasant things to say about Hasan and his treatment by our President and media.

[Ann]

Clarice:

More:

The "stimulus" agency spokesman said, "We aren't going to certify these numbers. That's not our job

Recovery.gov Cannot Stand Behind Its Numbers

[PD]

From Ann's link:

Though the system's report only reflected two months and not the entire year, the mistake shouldn't diminish the benefit of the funds, Keith said.

"Just because the figures got misinterpreted doesn't mean it didn't help," she said.

Translation: Just because the numbers are bogus doesn't mean they're bogus.

[clarice]

I've been reading a lot of polls. Something like 2/3 in even a loony tunes CNN poll think trying KSM and his friends in NYC is crazy.
I beginning to think from a studied examination of polls of the American public that somewhere around 30-38% of my fellow citizens are too stupid or nuts to be allowed out of the house, let alone in a polling booth. OTOH it's SCAM's dream market.

[Ann]

George Bush's "Compassionate Conservatism" will turn into "Stiletto Conservatism" if one terrorist is allowed back in this country for what ever reason.

We need T-shirts, flags and mugs, Clarice.

And a list to mail to Soccer Moms!

[jimmyk]

Paterson, who we know has no love lost with the great zero

I've been favorably impressed with Paterson, which is probably why he's

down twenty points in the polls to lightweight Andy Cuomo.

This being New York and all. (Not just NY-23 but including the upper west side.) Paterson has said some sensible things about NY state's fiscal crisis (like the need to [gasp] cut spending). Too bad the Republicans can't come up with a stronger candidate for next year's election.

[narciso]

Is that where they moved Katie's Diner to, from Wilmington, Delaware. Rest assure we have Joe Biden on the case. like Keilor's Detective Guy Noir. It does go to show that there is still commonsense out there, but it's not common enough

[bgates]

You know, there's a kind of symmetry to it - Hasan's supporters say he needs counseling instead of a trial, Hasan says there should be trials for the soldiers he counseled.

[Jane]

Ann,

The lack of policy questions to Sarah really pissed me off. They treat her like a ditz, because they want people to think she is a ditz. I tell you, the Fox guys better do better.

[Janet]

((I just finished Oriana Fallaci's _The Force of Reason_ ))

PD, don't you just yearn for a really strong voice against orthodox Islam? One that can't be drowned out by softening and excuses. Fallaci was refreshing in her candor.

[narciso]

Well it's Oprah, you don't go policy on Oprah, except maybe banning meat, I think
that Walter's excerpts already look she is
in fighting form. Would we have had this problem of Hasan, had even McCain been elected, no, would our troops be waiting
to be deployed in Afghanistan, In so far, as it could be done, a more common sense
stimulus, would be expediting out of this downturn

[a psychiatrist who learned from veterans]

In psychiatry or at least as taught from psychoanalysis, a 'therapeutic alliance' between patient and doctor is important. The eminent Ralph Greenson mentioned in his book on psychoanalysis that 'it was probably for the best that a communist left treatment with him' in circumstances due to WWII. In my hearing of cases in which people acted on a 'duty to warn others' from something said in treatment or wanted to inform others of a crime it has been more a notice that the therapist is having trouble maintaining an alliance than any danger or other value to be achieved. This would seem to be an aspect of the Hasan case.

[hit and run]

Who knew Mukasey would have such http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=M2ZiYmY5NzI4ZmFiMjhkZDQxY2Q3ODI4ZjllMmY4ZjM=>sarcastic wit:

Former U.S. attorney general Mike Mukasey appeared this morning on the Washington Times radio show. They hosts asked him about the charge from Virginia congressman Jim Moran that critics and skeptics of bringing Khalid Sheik Mohammed to trial in New York City are "un-American."

Mukasey responded, "I think he's lost touch with reality. He ought to get professional help, perhaps from Major Nidal."

[clarice]

bgates--That's fantastic!!
Hit, good on Mukasey.

[Mustang0302]

Mukasey responded, "I think he's lost touch with reality. He ought to get professional help, perhaps from Major Nidal."

Hasan'd probably convert Moron. As if Moron didn't already share Hasan's treachery toward America.