Some saw trouble ahead...

The articles citing friends, family, and acquaintances re the state of mind of one who snapped have begun to show up:

Some saw trouble ahead with Fort Hood shooter (AP)
By Angela K. Brown and Richard Lardner, Associated Press Writers


Here's a different angle:

In wake of attack, military asks: Who cares for the caregivers? (AP)


The psychological profile of the shooter will no doubt continue to develop, but the articles are illustrative of the sort of reporting that Harry Chapin brought to life in "Sniper." The details will vary when such incidents occur, but the generalities always seem somehow very familiar as folks reframe their memories looking for signs subtle or great of what was to come, while wondering if they could have possibly done anything to foresee and prevent it.

Obviously it's a tragic incident. But as the patterns for reporting it unfold, I think it just (unfortunately) underscores how great Harry Chapin's "Sniper" is at depicting such things. In perhaps something of a modern variation, though, I found it interesting how some may have been reluctant to report signs of trouble for fear of being accused of being anti-Muslim. (I can easily understand that fear and think there is definitely a certain amount of validity to it.)

Also of note to me was how it's mentioned that "...a shortage of officers and psychiatrists meant Hasan's advancement was all but certain absent a serious blemish on his record, such as a DUI or a drug charge." I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with that, but it points out how the tides of life inexorably sweep people and along, perhaps putting them in situations and among uncontrollable circumstances that they eventually find too much to bear? I just can't help ruminating on such concepts in retrospect.

Of course, I have no idea at this early stage if there's really any truth at all to what's being reported and speculated. Only time will tell if any consensus view may form regarding this particular incident. Nonetheless these things prompt a certain amount of thinking. Well, they get ME thinking anyway about possibilities and paths chosen or forced in life. I guess all I'm really saying is these sorts of things inevitably leave folks seeking out the "Whys" of the matter. (That's not very original, I know, but where is it written that every thought—or blog post—has to be original?...)

Finally, lest anyone think otherwise, there is absolutely no way that I condone, even a little bit, the actions of the Fort Hood shooter. I'm just noting that once again Harry Chapin's song reminds me of the layers hidden under the reality and the reality reminds me of the song. It's one of the few songs that moves me precisely because it is SO real. If another artist were to attempt to write such a detailed song along the same lines chances are it would make me recoil in disgust, whereas "Sniper" continually draws me into the narrative every time I listen.