REMEMBERING OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING VICTIMS
I suspect many of us can remember where we were when we first heard the news of the Oklahoma City bombing 15 years ago today.
For the first time, we can hear actual tapes of the confession of the domestic terrorist whose paranoid anger escalated to the point where he bombed a federal building and killed 168 innocent men, women and children —- a heinous act for which he never showed any remorse. In his own words,
“”I had no hesitation to look right at [the victims' families, in court] and listen to their story. But I’d like to say to them: ‘The specific details may be unique, but the truth is you’re not the first mother to lose a kid, you’re not the first grandparent to lose a granddaughter or a grandson.’ . . . I’ll use the phrase — and it sounds cold, but I’m sorry I’m going to use it, because it’s the truth — get over it.”
Well, the families who were destroyed by McVeign aren’t going to “get over it” and we shouldn’t, either. Tonight, in a tv documentary on MSNBC, we get to hear what actually went on in McVeigh’s twisted mind by listening to his actual words.
As Americans, we should remember the innocent victims of what is the worst example of domestic terrorism in U.S. history, and honor their memory by engaging in civil political debate, speaking out against those who are inciting hatred and fear instead of debating the specific merits of various approaches to solving our problems, and not fuel the kind of irrational anti-government sentiments that drive people like McVeigh to blame others for their problems and take out their anger and frustration on innocents.
We’ve already seen one guy, fueled by anti-government rhetoric, imitate McVeigh recently by flying his plane into a federal building. Let’s hope we don’t see any others, or all those who’ve contributed to the over-heated rhetoric can share in the blame.
Let’s try to remember that we share an economy, a country and a history, regardless of which political party we support. And while, like Adams and Jefferson, we may disagree on the best way to solve our problems, but in the end, we all love this country and want the best for its citizens. I’m sure the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing would want us to remember that.