Inside the Beltway

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By Jennifer Harper INSIDE THE BELTWAY

ARMING THE ARMY

After five days of mourning the victims of the Fort Hood massacre, the hard, harsh questions are surfacing: How could a guy with two handguns kill 13 professional soldiers and wound 29 more on a U.S. military base, asks Larry Pratt, executive director of the Gun Owners of America.

"Would you believe that the Army isnt actually armed?" says Mr. Pratt. "When they get back from deployment, the first thing all troops must do is enter what could be called the 'politically correct room, where they surrender their weapons."

Army Maj.Nidal Malik Hasan, the suspect in the case, knew his chances of mass murder were "pretty good," Mr. Pratt says.

"After Fort Hood, I think the point is made," he adds. "Almost all of Americas massacres have taken place in gun-free zones, primarily schools, government buildings and now an Army base. If we are going to protect life, we must permit the disarmed to be armed. We must arm the Army! Otherwise, jihadists will continue to single out soft targets where they will be able to kill the greatest number possible."

HEADS-UP HEADLINE

" 'Fort Hood shooting suspect conscious, talking, hospital says.' Who gets first dibs on telling him a female cop shot him?" - Lucianne Goldberg, at Lucianne.com

BORDER PATROL

Move over, health care reform, The "tea party" enthusiasts have expanded their thinking to include illegal immigration into the U.S.

On Saturday, 50 tea party-style rallies are being staged in cities and towns in Texas, Colorado, California, Virginia and other states "in reaction to the news that Rep. Luis Gutierrez, Illinois Democrat, plans to introduce comprehensive amnesty legislation by the end of November," says William Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Immigration PAC, the main organizer.