Hundreds gather to mark 20 years since Oklahoma City bombing
Source: AP-Excite
By TIM TALLEY
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Several hundred people have gathered at the former site of the Oklahoma City federal building to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the terrorist bombing there that killed 168 people and injured many others.
Survivors of the April 19, 1995, attack and relatives of some of the dead are among those attending Sunday's memorial service. The service is set to begin at 9:02 a.m., which was when the bomb detonated, with a 168-second moment of silence followed by a reading of the names of those killed.
Former President Bill Clinton and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin are expected to speak at the gathering.
Timothy McVeigh, an Army veteran with strong anti-government views, was executed for carrying out the bombing. His accomplice, Terry Nichols, is serving life in prison.
FULL story at link.
Bagpipers walk through the Field of Empty Chairs at the Oklahoma City National Memorial at the start of ceremonies to commemorate the 20 year anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing in Oklahoma City, Sunday, April 19, 2015. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20150419/us--oklahoma_city_bombing-20th_anniversary-a03c14e59a.html
The original target was the federal building in Omaha. There were photos of him in the building a week before. I don't remember why they changed the target. Anyone?
marym625
(17,997 posts)Thank you for the post.
Sorry, I didn't even remember that Omaha was the original target.
onehandle
(51,122 posts)CBGLuthier
(12,723 posts)Almost glad not not be living there for the twentieth. Too many bad memories. Still can hear the sound of the fucking thing in my head. Fuck McVeigh and every creature that ever lived and thought murder is the answer to a difference with government policy.
lastlib
(23,323 posts)I've always opposed the death penalty, but I made an exception for that bastard McVeigh. Best use of toxic chemicals ever.
BumRushDaShow
(129,662 posts)This was just so sad and greatly impacted us gov't workers in terms of the "siege" mentality that had evolved from the verbal assaults by Raygun and his followers against "the government", culminating in physical assaults of innocent civilian government workers. And the fact that children (mostly black) who were in the daycare there had to die because of the actions of both the loons who carried this out, made it even more egregious. And also the fact that they ran around looking for "Middle Eastern men" was positively laughable, as this was the perfect example of their denial of the existence of crazy white men.
If the bombers were Arabs, the inquiry into their motives would have gone about as deep as it did in this New York Times editorial (4/24/95): The early theory that the bombing might be the work of terrorists from abroad, possibly Islamic radicals bent on punishing or frightening the Great Satan, is thus fading.
But when the bombing suspects are conservative white men from Middle Americawho look like us, as us is defined by media decision-makersthen there must be a search for understanding. This search at times shaded into a glossing-over of the most frightening aspects of the militias.
<...>
http://fair.org/extra-online-articles/the-oklahoma-city-bombing/
R.I.P. to those who lost their lives and to the children who paid a terrible price for the hate promulgated by adults, not unlike the 4 little girls in Birmingham's 1th Street Baptist Church bombing who innocently lost their lives thanks to RW vermin.
lastlib
(23,323 posts)who were at Waco were based there. and because of the other federal law-enforcement agencies based there. Could be wrong, tho.....
reddread
(6,896 posts)anyone who didnt expect blowback from that mess stopped thinking.
A major consideration in choosing Murrah was the fact that one could pull right up to the front door and park.
FailureToCommunicate
(14,026 posts)Manifestor_of_Light
(21,046 posts)I believe the FBI agents were actually directed out of the Houston office.