A fellow Army doctor who studied with Hasan, Val Finell, told ABC News, “We would frequently say he was a Muslim first and an American second. And that came out in just about everything he did at the University.

Finell said he and other Army doctors complained to superiors about Hasan’s statements.

“And we questioned how somebody could take an oath of office…be an officer in the military and swear allegiance to the constitution and to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic and have that type of conflict,” Finell told ABC News.

A Muslim first and American second? There are millions of people like me in this country who weren’t born American—but who were lucky enough to get here, and who, when they were finally eligible, decided to American first and nothing else (at least if they weren’t filthy liars when they swore “I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen,” and if they were lying, then by that fact alone they are not American citizens). Any natural-born American harboring such sentiments is spitting on the face of every new American. Any natural-born American putting their religion or any other country before this country (mind you, there is a slight distinction between the government and the country—you can love the country while hating what the government does, as long as you remain loyal opposition) doesn’t deserve to be eligible for presidency—which new Americans, no matter how distinguished and loyal they are, cannot be.

If it hadn’t been for the Constitution, the only punishment befitting traitors and criminals like Hasan would be to strip his American citizenship and deport him to one of those sandy deserts that he loves so much. But, Constitution not having given any governmental institution the power to strip someone of his citizenship, we would have to settle for death row. It is too lenient for him, but the Constitution only has limits on cruel punishments, not leniency.

Update: ‘couldn’t be said better. Those who defend Hasan not only insult today’s living New Americans but also spit on the graves of the patriots of last century who have made sacrifices we couldn’t even fathom. You are an American in name only (if that at all) if you can bring yourself to defend Hasan on such grounds.

That is a good lesson to remember. The attacker in this case gave little consideration to his personal security, by all accounts, and was not going to stop until someone stopped him. Munley understood this and went against every human survival instinct to pursue a confrontation with a murderous lunatic — and nearly got killed for her efforts. Her heroism saved lives at Fort Hood.

I refuse to be a victim. Because we do not live in an ideal world, there will always be those who want to victimize us, be it a madman or the government (but I repeat myself), and I need to make sure that I can win—if it ever comes down to the contest of brute force.

Update (12/26, h/t: Elliott): my point exactly. Americans are not born victims—that’s why Founders enshrined the right to defend oneself in the Second Amendment. Absent statist drive for power, I don’t see why anyone would strive to make any place (airports, airplane, etc.) constitution-free zone and designate everyone in that area victim. Regulations—after all, for something as potentially dangerous as guns and cars, we do want to make sure that people using them are properly trained and do not intend to harm others—I can understand. Blanket bans, I cannot.