Not equal under the law

Sargent Robert Bales committed a despicable and horrible crime. He, allegedly, shot 16 unarmed men, women and children in a village in Afghanistan.
Bales was on his fourth tour in the Middle East. Three tours in Iraq and the current one in Afghanistan. He suffered a head injury, was examined and proclaimed fit for service before starting the current tour. Sargent Bales was accused, justifiably so, of murder. He will be prosecuted, judged and probably convicted. The Secretary of Defense (Leon Paneta) announced that the crime may warrant the death penalty.
I'm sure that Bales' defense will claim that he suffers from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and will try to a get him off on a psychiatric defense. They may or may not be successful. As of now it looks that the prosecution will be prompt.


There is another murderer in the custody of the U.S. Army. He murdered 13 and injured 32 unarmed people. Curiously the Secretary of Defense (at the time Robert Gates) didn't announce anything, except condolences for the families of the victims. The whole incident was pronounced to be a case of "workplace violence" and the reasons for it were said to be unclear. It mattered not at all that Major Nidal Hassan yelled "Allahu Akbar" as he was shooting his fellow soldiers. The military tried to claim that he suffered from PTSD by projection - being a psychiatrist he heard so many distress stories that he "was infected" by the syndrome.
It didn't matter that Hassan attended the same mosque as Awlaki (who was killed by a drone in Yemen) and several other Islamists. It also didn't matter that he was in contact with several overseas Islamist clerics. In presentations he made at a professional conference he alarmed some of his colleagues by espousing radical Islamists ideas. His motivation is still an unmentionable.


So what are the differences between the two murderers?
Some are easy to see: Bales is likely suffering from PTSD. He was badly treated by the Army and should have been let to retire in peace a while ago. 
Hassan, a Muslim of Palestinian extraction, is likely suffering from extreme radicalization.

There are more differences, but there is only one that is important: Sargent Robert Bales murdered Muslims. Major Nidal Hassan is a Muslim and murdered non Muslims.
This is enough. Bales attacked a protected and untouchable group. Hassan belongs to a protected and untouchable group. 
Our government will do its best to punish Bales to the full extent of the law and to protect Hassan from any punishment. 

As long as this Administration is in power, this is the world we are living in and we better get used to it. It is possible that this mindset will continue even after the current crop of Islam panderers is gone a new one will take over. We need to be aware of this and act accordingly.