15 years ago today, a truck carrying fertilizer tore off the side of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building. The blast 168 people, the worst domestic terrorist attack in American history.
Two people were involved in the attack. Army veteran Timothy McVeigh was eventually convicted on federal murder charges in connection with the bombing and executed in 2001. McVeigh said he set off the bomb in front of the Murrah building at 9:01 a.m. CT in part to seek revenge against the U.S. government for its raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, on April 19, 1993.
The other person convicted, Terry Nichols, was convicted of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and eight counts of involuntary manslaughter for killing federal law enforcement personnel. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole because the jury deadlocked on the death penalty.
In the wake of the 9/11, the country has largely forgotten the Oklahoma City bombing. Only on its anniversary is it commemorated. The attack seems to have generally been de-sensitized due to it’s intensity, almost like, “it’s no big deal.”
But in fact, it is a big deal.
The climate is ripe for another similar attack. A Democrat president and a disenchanted electorate against the government. Timothy McVeigh was a “lone wolf”. We all know the story in the bible about wolves in sheeps clothing. There are many “Timithy McVeighs” out there with a similar agenda…to make a bold statement against the goverment.
The scary part is trying to decipher what’s rhetoric and what’s real.