The Pentagon says that the Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Hasan, will be executed publicly by firing squad.

 

Major Nidal Hasan. AP/police handout. 

The Pentagon says that the Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Hasan, will be executed publicly. AP. Hasan, who was a Major in the US Army, launched a terror attack at Fort Hood that left 13 people dead and 32 others injured. The execution would be viewable on a livestream for members of the general public and the method of execution will be by firing squad. Making the execution public and the plans to broadcast it are controversial. Supporters say it will bring much needed transparency to the death penalty, especially after a botched execution in Tennessee where Christina Pike survived. Opponents say the method of execution is too brutal and that broadcasting it is disturbing. Regardless, it is unclear if the execution will happen on its scheduled date. Hasan could file an appeal, though there is not any indication that he wants to, as he has said that he feels an execution would count as martyrdom in his Muslim faith. 

My Comment:

I am not at all certain that this will even happen. Though Nidal Hasan is unlikely to appeal at this point, by all accounts, he wants to die, it's possible some judge somewhere could rule that executing him publicly is unconstitutional. That seems pretty unlikely, I don't think anyone but Hasan and his lawyers would have standing, but I also have very little trust in the legal system right now. And it's possible that Hasan's commitment to "martyrdom" is as strong as he says it is. It's very possible he changes his mind and a writ of habeas corpus could be filed, which would delay things considerably. 

Still, I think it's very possible that this could happen. Hasan might not want to appeal this and could want his death to be public. He is a devout Muslim of course and he launched his attack for Jihad. He might think his execution will get him into heaven. I'd say there's a very good chance that he won't appeal. 

The method of execution is controversial, but I don't really understand why. From what I understand, the firing squad is the most reliable method. It's the only American method that has never been botched, unlike lethal injection, like the Christina Pike case shows. And if the shooters are at all competent, death is almost instant, with little relative suffering. It hasn't been the standard for execution in the military, the last one was in 1961 by hanging, but it was commonly used in World War II for both enemy spies and cases of desertion. 

I think most of the objection is that a firing squad is a more bloody and violent method of execution compared to an injection or gas. I tend to disagree given how quick it is, but I can at least understand the argument. 

However, if it was just a firing squad execution very few people outside of determined opponents of capital punishment would care. But the decision to make the execution public is going to be hugely controversial. America hasn't done a public execution since 1936, and it has never been broadcast. Doing so would certainly be different. 

The bleeding heart argument is that it's humiliating to Hasan and not befitting to human dignity. I don't agree given that he murdered 13 people and betrayed not only his government, but his comrades in arms. There are other objections to be made. I do wonder if children will be prevented from watching it. Honestly though, as someone who watched enough World War II documentaries, I have seen executions on TV before and I don't think it affected me in any way. Though I would guess the execution will likely have some kind of age verification. 

I think the arguments for this being broadcasted are strong. I do think that transparency for capital punishment is something we should have always been doing, and even many death penalty opponents agree. I also think that sending a message is important. I generally think half the problem with Islamic terrorism is that our enemies don't take us seriously at all. They see weakness in us because we don't do these kinds of things. In their world, hiding an execution is cowardice (though not as cowardly as not executing anyone at all). If you don't believe me I am sure you can see plenty of ISIS and al-Qaeda murders. 

Politically, this might be a mess. I do think that this could "scare the normies" a bit and turn a few people off from the GOP. I can see this playing fairly poorly with women especially. On the other hand, I have seen many accounts on social media that were otherwise unhappy with the Trump administration ecstatic with this move, to the point where folks who were planning on sitting out the midterms will actually vote for Republicans now. My guess is that it will likely end up as a wash. 

As for my thoughts, I am in favor of this. Hasan's actions were unforgivable and execution is a deserved punishment for his actions. Broadcasting it is unusual but I do think it's important to publish it. I have never been very comfortable with how much secrecy there has been around execution in this country and I also think it sends an appropriate message to the terrorists. 

FBI arrests 18 year old man of Somali descent for plot to attack the Mall of America.

 

File photo of the Mall of America. AP.

The FBI has arrested an 18 year old man of Somali descent for a plot to attack the Mall of America. AP. Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was arrested after purchasing an AK style rifle and 200 rounds of ammo from a federal agent. Mohamud had expressed interest in returning to Somali to fight for al-Shabaab but was unable to afford travel expenses. Instead, he devised a plot to attack the Mall of America and wanted to kill between 30 and 60 people. Mohamud is a descendent of Somali immigrants and is an US citizen. Tens of thousands of people of Somali descent have moved to Minnesota and many of them have been charged for supporting or committing terrorism. 

My Comment:

It's still crazy that so many of these would-be terrorists fall for these FBI stings. You would think it's obvious that the guy that wants to sell you a rifle so you can commit a major terror attack is probably a fed, but apparently it is not. Again, I am thankful terrorists are so stupid. 

That doesn't mean this man wasn't dangerous. Had he simply gotten a low paying job in a few months he would have enough money to buy actual weapons and could have pulled off an attack. Hell, Somali Americans are capable of getting all kinds of government aid and he could have even used that to fund an attack. That this didn't happen is lucky. 

Would an attack have gotten the 30 to 60 casualties with what he had? Probably not. 200 rounds is not much and it didn't seem like he had any training or experience with weapons. And the Mall of America? It's kind of a hard target. It has a large security force and a permanent police presence and I am guessing that he probably would have gotten one magazine off before he was killed. That still could have resulted in multiple casualties, but, regardless, his plan was not a good one. 

What is concerning is that this is not the first time someone of Somali descent has attempted a plot like this. Indeed, it's fairly common. Islamic radicalization is very common in Somalia and it stands to reason that it would disappear once the people came to the United States. And this incident fits the patter where a 2nd generation person ends up radicalized.  

It does seem like bringing in all these Somalians has backfired rather badly for Minnesota especially. They have a huge fraud problem there, largely due to the Somali community and the people that empower them and there is also the terrorism threat. I do expect both of those problems to continue in the future... 

Cornell 7 frat brother makes explosive claim saying that Jane Doe assaulted him.

 

The Chi Phi frat house at Cornell. New York Post.

A fraternity member accused of sexual assault in the Cornell 7 case has made and explosive counter-claim that the Jane Doe in the case actually assaulted him. New York Post. Matthew Ingalls made the statement during Cornell's internal investigation into the incident. Ingalls said that while he was passed out, Jane Doe "sodomized" him (referring to oral sex). Ingalls also said that university was aware that he made the claims against Jane Doe but did not receive any assistance or help because of his gender. Doe's own account said that Ingalls passed out multiple times during the initial sexual encounter. Ingalls was expelled by Cornell after the investigation, and no one has faced charges in the case. 

My Comment:

When I first read about this case I thought that by Jane Doe's original statement, it was very possible that she sexually assaulted at least one of the brothers under New York Law. Male #1 and Male #2 in her statement were showing signs of extreme intoxication and even she admitted that Male #1, Matthew Ingalls, had passed out during the sex. She claimed she stopped having sex with him then, but Ingalls now claims that he was assaulted as he was passed out. 

Indeed, the accusations against Jane Doe are a lot less legally ambiguous than the accusations she made. Under New York Law simple intoxication isn't enough, you have to be drugged against your will. Nothing in Doe's original statement said that she was drugged against her will. 

However, Ingalls accusation is a lot more cut and dry. If he was passed out while Doe was giving him oral sex, that's unambiguously rape. There isn't a legal question there, it's pretty explicit, having sex with an unconscious person, even just oral sex, is highly illegal and if Jane Doe did so she should be charged and convicted.  

Ingalls isn't the only one who has accused Jane Doe of wrong doing. Another brother, Gillio Lopes, said that Jane Doe initiated sexual contact with him without his consent. Again, this is a bit more cut and dry as it doesn't have much to do with how intoxicated Lopes was. Legally, it probably doesn't reach the standard of sexual assault under New York Law, but it would be a violation of Cornell's sexual assault guidelines. 

Of course, people's reactions to these new accusations against Jane Doe will probably tell more about them than the actual facts of this case. I think the feminist supporters of Jane Doe will, at best, not update their priors at all and will simply dismiss the claims of Ingalls and Lopes. At worse they will claim they are making it up. Supporters of the Cornell 7 will likely say this proves that Jane Doe was lying about everything and that at least Ingalls and Lopes were the actual victims. 

However, it's very possible that both groups are wrong and both Ingalls and Jane Doe assaulted each other. If we take both Ingalls and Doe's statements at face value and "believe the victims" than that is what happened. It's very possible that Ingalls passed out, Jane Doe assaulted him, he wakes up, Doe passes out and he assaults her. Then both of them are felons! And, of course, it's not proof either way for the rest of the frat brothers named in the lawsuit, especially the three that said they had no sexual contact with Jane Doe whatsoever. 

I think the ambiguity over this case and the obvious questions over the law more than justifies the fact that this case never made it to an arrest. Ingalls does have a credible claim that he was a victim and Jane Doe is not a good witness given she changed her story. Without clear evidence proving either side is telling the truth, a conviction would be unlikely. Indeed, I think that the original Cornell case outcome is almost fair, two brothers were kicked out for their behavior, which even if Jane Doe's accusations are false, would still be a violation of Cornell's policies, not to mention the drug use. It would be fair if Jane Doe had been expelled too, as, again, without any judgement to the truth to the claims, still voluntarily took illegal drugs. 

What I do think is true is that Cornell did discriminate against Ingalls. If he did indeed report Jane Doe for assault, there should have been an investigation into his claims. I do think that this was not done because Ingalls was a man. He might have a lawsuit against Cornell as well. Regardless of his guilt or innocence, under the laws of the United States, he had just as much of a right to have his accusations examined as Jane Doe. 

Finally, I do think that this case is a lot more complex than folks want to make it out to be. It's an extremely messy and complicated one where there may have been multiple victims. It's not an open and shut case of sexual assault or a clear cut false accusation. And the truth of the matter is that without actual physical evidence or a witness that doesn't have an incentive to lie, we probably won't ever know what exactly happened and who did what to whom. 

It's he-said she-said all the way down and it's a major reason why it's frustrating that this case blew up the way it did. I know some of that is the Democrats trying to blow it up to get young women to vote in the midterms, but honestly this is a case of generating heat, not light. What I do know is that it is pouring fuel on an already raging gender war. 

US pulls B-1B bomber fleet out of RAF Fairford after continuing terror threat.

 

A B-1B Lancer at RAF Fairford. 

The United States has pulled out the B-1B Lancer bomber fleet out of RAF Fairford after a continuing terror threat. NBC News. 12 of the bombers flew out on Sunday after continued threats to the base. Last week, five men were arrested for a possible terror plot while a sixth was arrested as well. All of the suspects were released on bail. Additional threats were reported, including the possibility of a drone attack on the base. Pulling the planes out of RAF Fairford will not prevent the B-1B bombers from striking Iran or other targets but will make any operation more complex and will use more fuel. Iran is suspected in organizing the terror threat against RAF Fairford. 

My Comment:

This is pretty embarrassing for both the United States and the United Kingdom. Pulling these planes out is an admission that the base can't really be defended. Given the lack of security and the fact that nobody answered the phones when the initial incident occurred, it does seem clear that the threat is real. 

The fact that this is embarrassing does not mean that this isn't the right choice. The last time I wrote about this, I mentioned that the B-1B Lancers are irreplaceable. The factory that made them does not do so anymore and we only have about 45 of them, though a few more could be reactivated, the fact is that every airframe is irreplaceable. Losing even one of these jets would greatly damage our capabilities and losing as many as 12 would be a disaster of epic proportions. 

Indeed, the only replacement for the B-1B would be the B-21 Raider, but those are not in wide production. And even if we were to rush them due to the loss of some B-1B airframes, we can only make a few each year given the complexity and expense of the planes. It does raise the question that perhaps we need an additional bomber to make up for the fact that the Raider is the only bomber in production right now. 

I do think that this threat is real. The initial attack now seems like a "dry run" for an actual attack. The initial men only had fuel and no explosives and they were able to threaten the base even with that. A real attack, perhaps involving either drones or explosives, could have done serious damage to the base and the planes stationed there. 

Indeed, we may still see an attack, either at RAF Fairford or some other strategic target in the United Kingdom. Though the B-1B's have been evacuated from the base, there are still US troops there. And there are other bases in the UK or Europe in general that could be chosen as targets instead. Those bases won't have B-1B Lancers but they absolutely could have other targets and the troops at those bases could be targets themselves. 

I do have to say that even if an attack does not happen, this is still a minor victory for Iran. Like I said, the optics of it aren't good and you can't really argue that the threat was enough to push the B-1B's out. It's a minor victory in a war where Iran has been devastated, but a victory nonetheless. The B-1B's can still hit Iran, of course, but the look is not good. 

On a related, but separate topic, I do worry that we could see a terror attack somewhere on October 7th. That is the anniversary of the 2023 attack that started the Gaza War. Muslim terrorists are big on anniversaries and the October 7th attacks were the last major successful one. There was some speculation that the RAF Fairford incident could have been a dry run for an attack on the base on that date, though that is just speculation. But it is very possible the attack, or a unrelated one, could occur on that date. 

Is Russia covering up a plague lab leak?

 

Daria Shipilova along with her coworkers. New York Post/government handout. 

An outbreak of plague is possible after a woman died after being exposed to the bacteria in her work at an anti-plague institute. New York Post. Daria Shipilova died after developing pneumonia after contracting the disease. She had told medical officials that she had broken a vial containing the bacterium that causes the plague, Y. Pestis. She then fell ill and passed away. So far contact tracing has not found any other people infected with the disease. However, questions are being raised by the circumstances of the case with people questioning why Shipilova was not wearing a protective suit. 

My Comment:

Two things can be true at the same time. This is not a major incident, despite the fact that it's gaining a lot of media attention, and that Russia is probably engaging in a coverup. There are real questions how Shipilova contracted the virus and I do question the official story. But I am also not worried about a 2nd Black Death. 

Plague is still no laughing matter. It is a dangerous disease and it regularly kills people. It does spread via close contact and, famously, spreads through insects like fleas. There have been major plague pandemics in the past and there are still minor outbreaks every year. Indeed, the United States usually has a few cases each year due to rodents in the Southwest. 

With that being said, a large outbreak is unlikely. Unlike something like the Coronavirus, Y. Pestis does not spread as easily. It can spread if you get coughed on but it doesn't spread easily. And unlike many other diseases, common antibiotics are able to treat the disease easily. The fact that no new cases have popped up is a good sign that it probably won't happen. 

Indeed, I am not surprised that there was an accident like this. Lab accidents aren't uncommon and though the COVID pandemic was likely caused by a lab leak, incidents like this are a lot more common. 

What is unclear is how Shipilova contracted the plague in the first place. The standard for working with Y. Pestis is to have a full suit, it's a level 3 pathogen and people are supposed to take major precautions while working with it. However, the "broken vial" theory is not the only rumor out there. There are also rumors of field work near Mongolia or a trip to Thailand, both of which could have been the true source of the infection. 

In any case, it is clear that Russia is both taking this incident seriously and aren't really telling the truth about what has happened. Indeed, their story keeps changing. My guess, given the utter notoriety of the pathogen involved, they want to keep panic at a minimum, especially as it looks like an outbreak is unlikely. There is evidence that a panic is happening anyways, given that the article mentioned a possible shortage of antibiotics. 

So what really happened? I am not sure. I do think it's very likely that Shipilova was exposed after breaking a vial. Was she wearing a suit? Possibly, though it wouldn't be the first time that a lab worker in a lab cut corners. But it's more likely that her suit failed, either due to incompetence or accident. It's possible while breaking the vial, she also cut her suit open, or the suit had a filter failure. 

Either way, I don't think this is a very serious incident. I don't expect an outbreak to happen and it already seems like the incident has been contained. This wasn't a weaponized pathogen either, the anti-plague institute is legitimate and not a germ warfare lab. Russia's secrecy and confusion about the actual incident is concerning, but beyond that I have no worries. Like I said, plague isn't that uncommon and neither are lab leaks like this.