Should Major Nidal Hasan be Executed?

Needless to say, US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan violated a lot more than just the Article 118 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) when he fired upon soldiers in Fort Hood, killing 13 and wounding many more. So here's the question I would like to discuss? Should Major Nidal Malik Hasan be executed for his crime?

It may seem like a "No Brainer" at first glance; Major Hasan killed unarmed American Soldiers about to deploy to a war zone - hang the guy!

Well, it might be more controversial than that. You see, while the UCMJ allows a court-marshal to sentence someone to death, they haven't actually executed anyone since 1961, a full 48 years ago. By the time the military, FBI, local law enforcement, and Congress are finished investigating Hasan and his crime, it will likely be well over 50 years (half a century!) between this execution and the last.

So when I ask "Should Major Hasan Be Executed?," I really mean to ask if the military should be phasing executions back into practice for heinous crimes? Keep in mind that if Major Hasan is executed and capital punishment is brought back, every American wearing the Uniform in a war zone will have to worry about possibly being executed for committing a war crime in the fog of war. The controversial Haditha incident where US Soldiers shot and killed 24 Iraqi men, women, and children after an attack on their patrol are a prime example of that.

POLL IS CLOSED

Should American troops be worried about capital punishment for their actions in the fog of war? If not, then the 50 year absence of the death penalty in the US Military will have to continue and Major Nidal Malik Hasan can not be put to death for his rampage at Fort Hood that will forever leave us without 13 of our brave national heroes.

Please take a moment to vote in this poll and leave a comment to share your thoughts.