By Michael R. Shannon

The cost of our political classes' obsession with multiculturalism and Political Correctness is not just sanctimonious news conferences and racial special interest groups sucking at the public teat. It's death and injury as residents were reminded last week.

This month's bill was delivered by Major Nidal Hasan at Fort Hood.

Naturally, the first item on the agenda after the terror attack was assuring Muslims that although another follower of Islam had bagged a few infidels, every step would be taken to prevent potential "backlash."

Rather than worry about ticking time bombs in the Army, our leaders make sure rednecks don't stock up on sheets and ammunition at Wal-Mart before heading for the nearest mosque.

And if the mosques here are anything like the mosques in Iraq and Afghanistan, it's going to be quite a firefight.

But "backlash" against Muslims rivals Swine Flu warnings for hype and exaggeration. A few louts may yell "towelhead" at a niqab-clad pedestrian out for her morning constitutional, but that's about it.

Strange isn't it, when abortionist George Tiller was murdered, the media had no problem discussing "fundamentalist Christians" while being totally unconcerned about potential "backlash" against Baptists.

And in Seattle police had no problem calling Christopher Monfort a "domestic terrorist" - but then his name is Christopher Monfort.

Islam is the last topic authorities discuss when it comes to Sudden Jihad Syndrome incidents. The standard line is it was a "lone gunman," "isolated incident," "random act of violence" that was perpetrated by a "troubled individual," who was "under stress," "harassed" or otherwise forced to "snap," "act out" or "explode."

As long as the investigation of this "cry for help" doesn't turn up a cell phone with Osama on speed dial, investigators are going to find a secular or psychological reason. They will be very careful not to connect any dot that results in a picture in any way offensive to Islam - The Religion of Peace.

The same investigators and media that can't find the Muhammad in the haystack will detail every time someone hurt Hasan's delicate sensibilities with "name-calling and harassment."

But how do people discover Hasan and other grievance-collectors are Muslims? Most people have no idea I'm a Christian because my life does not model Christ as it should. I could be a pagan environmentalist, Buddhist or even a Unitarian.

What tips these rednecks off? Is it the scimitar, spitting on the ground as a Jew walks by, the Allahu Akbar bumper sticker? Nope, scratch the Allahu. That's what Hasan said while shooting infidels.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. and Commander in Chief of the Army's "PC Brigade" (the Hugging Marmosets) is concerned that speculation about the Muslim faith and the motives of Hasan could spark retaliation against Muslim soldiers and hurt diversity within the Army.

Casey lugubriously added, "I believe it would be an even greater tragedy if our diversity becomes a casualty here," which must be real comforting to the relatives of the dead and wounded.

In fact, it's unity that gives you strength, not diversity. But Gen. Casey appears to take his Multi-Culti Kool-Aid straight.

Judging by the general's standards, Major Hasan was a man of strongly diverse opinions, but it didn't add much to the Army's strength. The good major proselytized to his patients, declared he's a Muslim first and American second, claimed the war on terror was a war against Muslims and suggested non-Muslims be beheaded and have boiling oil poured down their throats.

But apparently no one informed Army investigators because they didn't want to be seen as Islamophobes.

The only place Hasan and I share even partial agreement is his belief Muslims shouldn't be in the military. I'm ready to trade and let the homosexuals in if we can keep the potential jihadists out.

Please spare me the "only ten percent of Muslims want to slit our throats." Why aren't the 90 percent taking steps to prevent the 10 from acting?

Episcopalians go out of their way to make homosexuals "safe" in their churches in spite of the damage it does to the denomination. Why can't Muslim imams discourage potential jihadists and alert authorities when they learn of their existence?

There's got to be something going on in mosques. I don't think Muslims are more entrepreneurial than Christians and therefore more likely to open a Terror-Is-Me franchise. The place to begin Sudden Jihad Syndrome prevention is in mosques.

So if you remain a fuzzy thinker who believes, contrary to all the evidence, that "diversity" is uniformly beneficial to the country, I invite you to visit the grave of any one of Hasan's victims.

Michael R. Shannon is a public relations and advertising consultant with corporate, government and political experience around the globe. He is a dynamic and entertaining keynote speaker. He can be reached at
michael-shannon@comcast.net.