A bystander to the killings at Fort Hood said it best when she told a TV reporter, “I wish his name was Smith.”

As painful as the deaths of 13 people are at the hands of one alleged gunman, it is easier to wrap our minds around an act of gut-wrenching insanity than an act of insanity tinged with hatred or religious-inspired rage.

And so the acts now attributed to Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan raise issues so troubling they nag at our national conscience and tug at a set of beliefs we continue to hold dear.

The idea of “an enemy within” - whether on a Texas army base or living in the quiet suburb of Sudbury - is disquieting. In a nation that prides itself on its pluralism, there will never be easy answers to the constant balancing act of freedom versus security, of the need to respect the faiths of others and yet not ignore those who would abuse the freedoms this nation offers.

Hasan, a psychiatrist who spent much of his military career treating the most troubled vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, may well have reached the breaking point himself. Since the beginning of the year 10 other Fort Hood soldiers have taken their own lives - a number exceeded only by Fort Campbell, Ky., which had 16 suicides during the same period.

Clearly Hasan was going through a pre-suicidal ritual as he attempted to give away belongings - including a new Quran, to a neighbor, telling her he was about to be deployed.

A cousin insists Hasan was “mortified” at the idea that he would be called on to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan - a strange choice of words. After all, he was a psychiatrist who would be going to help his fellow soldiers, just as he was called on to do at Fort Hood.

Hasan’s behavior raises far more questions than anyone has been able to answer.

What we do know is that 13 people - 12 soldiers and one civilian - are gone today, lost to their families and their nation in one horrific moment. Some 30 others are still hospitalized, some with serious injuries - their lives also changed forever.

Our thoughts and our prayers are with them and their families as they deal with their grief and a nation looks for answers.