But what if the labels and assumptions are accurate?

Editor, The Times:

“All of the horror and heartache of the Fort Hood shootings should not be compounded by labels and assumptions seeking motives to explain a heinous, irrational act” [“Labels and assumptions,” Opinion, editorial, Nov. 11].

Who wrote this nonsense?

The doctor was a radical Islamist, who had the intent to kill those who opposed his religion. He said so himself on the Internet, at medical conferences, and while he was massacring Americans at Fort Hood. He talked to a fundamentalist imam who was a member of al-Qaida. He attended services regularly. He bought guns that would kill many, very quickly. He planned the whole event. He praised his god while murdering U.S. citizens.

And the writer of this editorial says, don’t jump to conclusions? Don’t blame his religion. Don’t slander those who preached death and encouraged his behavior?

If we do as the writer says, we will continue to suffer these heinous crimes. If we stick our heads in the sand, the radicals will have the freedom to assert their beliefs, and destroy our society.

By all means, don’t look at the facts in front of you. You might offend the next suicide bomber.

— Janet Suppes, Bellevue

You crossed the line, Seattle Times

Where does restraint cross the line into making excuses for terrorists or simply refusing to accept that there are evildoers who at this very moment are proceeding methodically to plan and carry out murderous attacks on our citizens?

One needs to look no further than The Seattle Times’ Nov. 11 editorial to find the answer to this question.

How many more attacks by Islamic jihadist terrorists will we have to absorb before liberals will accept the truth?

In desperation to avoid even the barest association of Nidal Malik Hasan with extreme Islam, The Times once again dredge up Timothy McVeigh. But the plunge into relativism and moral equivalency also provided an opportunity to take a gratuitous swipe at the Republican Party and the Catholic Church: “Little time was spent exploring Timothy McVeigh’s Catholic and Republican connections ”

Army Maj. Hasan was shouting “Allah Akhbar!” as he gunned down innocent, unarmed bystanders. Was McVeigh shouting out quotes from Ronald Reagan or reciting the rosary as he set the bomb off in Oklahoma City? If anyone can identify cardinals or bishops of the church who are exhorting their followers to kill women and children in God’s name, please let me know.

Such a despicable comparison undoubtedly plays well with far-left readers, but fortunately most Americans, Democrats and Republicans realize who our real enemies are, and why we need clarity and honesty in defining both what we fight for and whom we fight against.

Let’s stop the politically correct hand-wringing, therapeutic-enabling of terrorists and get down to the unpleasant — but unfortunately necessary — work of identifying and destroying terrorists, and holding them and their ideological leaders responsible.

— Daniel S. Schwartz, Seattle