Representative Peter King got it right. Nidal Hasan, the 39-year-old Army major who killed 13 soldiers at Ford Hood and left many more injured, is a devoted Muslim of Jordanian and Palestinian decent. Witnesses at the scene said that before Hasan opened fire, he shouted, “Allahu Akbar!” Arabic for “God is great!” These are also the words shouted by suicide bombers before they attack and kill. While shooting, Hasan reportedly bowed his head in prayer while innocent people died. more

As it turns out, we have a new Nassau County executive. Democrat Thomas Suozzi conceded defeat to Republican challenger Ed Mangano last week. Suozzi lost by a mere 386 votes. more

The holiday shopping season began with a headline-making tragedy last year: A 34-year-old temporary worker at the Valley Stream Walmart was killed when customers rushed the store at its 5 a.m. opening. Jdimytai Damour was trampled to death, and as the anniversary of this Black Friday incident approaches, our thoughts are with Damour’s family. more

Congratulations are in order to the Republicans who defeated incumbent Democrats in the county Legislature. The majority has now shifted to the GOP after the Democrats held it for 10 years. more

For those of you who didn’t vote in last week’s election — and based on the numbers, that includes far too many of you — tsk tsk. You owe your neighbors and fellow taxpayers who did vote a thank-you for saving you from the status quo. more

As of Monday, Thomas Suozzi, Democrat from Glen Cove, was still the county executive. He apparently squeaked by in last week’s election. With 235,985 votes cast, Suozzi was a mere 237 votes ahead of Republican challenger Ed Mangano, a 14-year county legislator. The big question is, what the heck happened to Suozzi? more

I wish to make a modest proposal. Sometime in the next week, please write a letter. I want to prove that most of us have not lost the capacity and the will to compose our thoughts and commit them to paper, in our own hand, using a real pen. more

To the Editor: First, I congratulate your newspaper on the new design of your Web site. It is intuitive, well-designed, and much improved over the previous version. more

To the Editor: Thank you to the Valley Stream Baseball League parents, players, coaches and board members for a remarkably successful 2009 baseball season. more

Kathleen Rice ascended to the district attorney’s post four years ago as a virtual unknown -- a former federal prosecutor and Brooklyn assistant district attorney who had never run for political office before. Back then, she appeared a tad unsure of herself, slightly nervous in her interviews with the Herald. And why not? She was opposing the legendary Denis Dillon, who had served as Nassau County district attorney for 31 years. Despite being a political neophyte, Rice ran a strong campaign, and was elected with 51 percent of the vote to Dillon’s 49 percent. Four years later, we’re happy that Rice was elected. She has proven herself to be a consummate professional who only improved an already well-run D.A.’s office. Cases are processed nearly twice as fast as they once were. Conviction rates are up. And Rice has garnered a national reputation for her aggressive stance against driving while intoxicated. Many now call her the toughest DWI prosecutor in the country. more