A Grave Disservice: A Nation's Shame

A Grave Disservice: A Nation’s Shame - The Execution of D.C. Sniper John Allen Muhammad

by Charlotte Williams (First posted as a note on Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 5:19pm)

 

A vicious and unprovoked attack that leaves a victim severely maimed or worse yet, dead, can sometimes leave folks trying to make sense out of what seems incomprehensible. This happens even when animals attack. For instance, when a pit bull viciously attacks a human, some dog lovers explain that the animal’s aggression was due to bad owners.

Their premise is that the owners created the monster in the dog. And it is for this reason that some will even oppose having the dog destroyed, that is, if it can be retrained.

If and unless the dog becomes demented after spending time being mentally tortured and physically abused at the hands of its handlers, then it is usually destroyed without protest.

If we’re to believe that the viciousness in the pit bull was created by its owners or handlers, then it is conceivable that John Allen Muhammad a.k.a. The D.C. Sniper was also created by his handlers.

Muhammad’s former wife, Mildred Muhammad, discussed in her book, "Scared Silent," how her ex-husband exhibited threatening behavior towards her only after he returned home from his stint of duty in the Persian Gulf. Muhammad wrote that she feared for her life.

Yes, the onus of Muhammad’s aberrant behavior can be squarely placed on the shoulders of the United States Government, the same government that turned its back on Vietnam veterans when they became ill from Agent Orange. And the same government that for years seemed complacent with mentally ill and homeless veterans meandering about on public streets.

Sadly, Mildred Muhammad’s tale has been told and retold in countless headlines over the years. In addition to a high incidence of suicides among Gulf War and Iraqi War veterans, there are also reported numbers of veterans of those wars murdering their wives. The startling numbers cannot be overlooked.

Muhammad was dealt a grave disservice by his government just like other returning veterans who are suffering from a psychosis. According to his ex wife Mildred, she tried to get mental health assistance from the government for him, but to know avail.

Muhammad is the poster boy for an American shame. He mirrors how some veterans are sometimes left to fend for themselves when they are incapable of doing so after returning home from fighting for our freedoms in America.

Muhammad is your son, your brother, your uncle, your father and your boyfriend, your husband. The government creates them. Reportedly, there are spouses and significant others currently living with a returning soldier who they now fear because of abnormal behavior that was not exhibited before his/her tour of duty.

Unlike the soldiers who are killing their wives and committing suicide, the government viewed what John Allen Muhammad did as an egregious act because he did the unthinkable; he targeted people outside of his family circle – unsuspecting strangers.

It is past time for the government to do right by its veterans. Sadly, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” (Statesman Edward Burke). The government created Muhammad and the government permanently destroyed him, just like the demented pit bull. What a shame, a national shame.