The bodyguard’s severed tongue, or: Maybe not

Never ever believe anything other than the most basic of facts about a breaking news story. It’s the rule of the Bodyguard’s Severed Tongue, learned during the frenzied early days of la mort de princesse Diana.

And we’ve been getting a lot of severed tongues, so to speak, with the Fort Hood shootings.

Like how Maj. Nidal Hasan formally sought to separate from the service, to buy out his obligation. Or maybe not.

Like how “tough cookie” Sgt. Kimberly Munley “took down” Hasan. Or maybe not.

Like how Hasan yelled (what else) “God is great” in Arabic before opening fire. So far, still maybe/maybe not.

Mark Benjamin’s Salon article focuses on the completely whacky political correctness angle in the news coverage. That is, the Army not only did not discharge but actually promoted the maybe psychotic, possibly delusional (and my, aren’t Hasan’s anonymous medical colleagues at Walter Reed suddenly very chatty) all because of the tyranny of political correctness.

“Too much political correctness in the military?” scoffs Benjamin. “You know, the place where they fire you if you admit you’re gay?”