The Yankees won the World Series, whether the Philadelphia papers reported it that way or not.
The shooter at Fort Hood was an Islamic terrorist, whether he had any links to foreign or domestic extremists, or not.
At root, terrorism is not an organization. It is a mentality, an ideology, a commitment.
It is worse if the Fort Hood shooter had no foreign links. This means that the idea of killing in the name of Allah has penetrated this country. Organizations follow ideas, rather than create them. The worst possible influences on the Fort Hood shooter were his own thinking and reading. This means that no terrorist organization is necessary to stimulate this kind of shooting.
Those who are reassured by the finding that the Fort Hood shooter had no links miss a terrifying reality the idea of Isalmic terrorism has penetrated this country.
