Armistice Day, and thoughts about treason

91 years ago today, the fighting stopped in The War To End All Wars. I'm sure that this fact was not lost on our President, who went to Fort Hood today to a memorial service for the 13 men and women (mostly soldiers) murdered there last week.

They died while in service for their country, as soldiers do, and always will do. I hope that the President gives as much thought to those who died overseas, for our nation.

Dad and I were talking about how the murderer, Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, should be charged. (They haven't charged him as of this writing.) We agree that we would want it to be a capital charge, and that Mr. Hasan (he will soon be formally stripped of rank) should die. We've seen too often how even our own media likes to claim that rights of prisoners are trampled, on the basis of religious affiliation. Let him die for his actions, and have nothing more said about how he is treated.

Now, obviously, the Army will want to charge him under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. But I suspect also that the federal Department Of Justice will be itching to charge him with a violation of the U.S.C. But if that doesn't work, please recall that Ft. Hood is in Texas, and we have a rather efficient Capital Murder statute on the books, and we know how to use it.

Dad and I were curious if there was any crime in the UCMJ that is a capital crime, beyond Treason. Treason is the only crime defined in the United States Constitution, and is described thusly:
"Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court."

That makes it sound more like it's under the USC, and in fact it's found under USC Title 18, 2381, making it a capital crime. Hm. Will the DOJ get this?

Senator McCain says that his action was an act of terrorism. Hm. To what end? Some reports have Hasan yelling "Alahu Akbar" as he was shooting. Was he acting on behalf of a terrorist organization? Our Congress has declared war on Terror, which would mean that he was acting on behalf of our enemies against the U.S. during a time of war, which constitutes Treason.

I've seen some online claim that this was simply murder, and not Treason. I submit that the case is more complicated than that. When we see an act of treason, we must call it what it is. This man was a soldier who indiscriminately killed other soldiers.