Oklahoma City Bombing: Fear Grows In Darkness

Two parallel events have shown that Americans are prone to a culture of fear and oppression when face with acts of terror. This culture of fear invaded the minds of government and the people during the first Red Scare and after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 with similar results. Due process and civil liberties were attacked in favor protecting the country. The people blindly followed as the government instituted new laws and policies that encroached on personal freedoms.

On April 11 1995, residents of Oklahoma City began their day as they normally did. They did not realize it might be their last day on earth. At 9:02am their lives would change forever. The Murrah building was bombed and many people lost their lives. People may have wondered the motive, the bombing, and the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing.

Apathy. Although there are circumstances that cause people to be homeless such as the loss of a job or addiction, the main reason is that citizens feel apathetic towards the homeless. Seeing homeless people on the streets has become so common that people are not impacted by the hardships a homeless person is clearly facing. Beggars have become invisible and it is nearly impossible for the homeless to regain a life of normalcy without the help of others. It is typically taught that when you see a homeless person you should ignore them, walk away, or lock your doors if you are in a car. This placement of fear has caused generations of people to be formed that pay no attention to those struggling to survive. Because of how taboo and stigmatized

Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 1963 a church bombing took place. 16th street Baptist church was a segregated church it belongs to the colored men and women of the town. There was 4 girls deaths and 14 injured during church service. The 4 victims were Addie Mae Collins age 14,Densie McNair age 11,Carole Robertson age 14, and Cynthia Wesley also age 14. After the bombing a riot broke out and two African boys died, 20 in all got injured from the bombing and riot combined.

The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in the United States on April 19, 1995. To comfort the American people and show the families of the people who died that the American people are mourning with them, former President Bill Clinton issued a memorial address. I believe this was necessary and his speech was effective on the grounds that President Clinton was able to create an emotional connection with his audience by ensuring a sense of comfort and giving advice to the many Americans who were astonished by this act of terrorism.

When reading the text Fear, by Gary Soto, I can’t help but assume the author’s purpose or overarching theme was that our past or life experiences can affect how we act. In this stories case, a life without love, can cause terrible behavior. The plot of the story revolves around a boy that comes from a broken home, and due to such circumstances he bullies his peers. The story was a typical encounter a fifth grader would have with Frankie (boy from a broken home). The narrator says, “Some of us looked away because it was unfair. We knew the house he lived in: The empty refrigerator, the father gone, the mother in a sad bathrobe, the beatings, the yearnings for something to love” (Soto, Par. 10). It’s easy to see that Frankie is only in need of love, and without it his actions become sort of evil. Another examples comes in when we get a look at

Throughout history, we have had to deal with conflict. How we deal with conflict can be most challenging of all. We all can find our strength to make it through treacherous times. A positive attitude can help a tremendous amount when dealing with conflict. An example of this can be found in The Diary of Anne Frank. Anne’s positive attitude and hope helped her overcome her distressing time in hiding during World War II. Other examples can also be found in the poem “Homesick”, and journal entries written by youngsters living during World War II. Having hope helps overcome obstacles that you may have thought was unfeasible to surpass. Hope can be found in everything. Fear can leave you petrified, but hope is the greatest strength that you can possess and hope will always overpower fear.

“On April 19th, 1995 one of the worst bombings happened on American soil.” Two ex Military Terry Nichols and Timothy McVeigh were planning a terrorist attack in Oklahoma City.(History.com) They had set diesel fuel and bombs in a truck in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building by pillars.(JamestownPublisher) McVeigh was angry at the U.S. government with citizens and politics.

“At approximately 2:49 that afternoon, with more than 5,600 runners still in the race, two pressure-cooker bombs–packed with shrapnel and other materials and hidden in backpacks that were placed on the ground amidst crowds of marathon-watchers–exploded within seconds of each other near the finish line along Boylston Street. The blasts instantly turned the sun-filled afternoon into a gruesome scene of destruction and chaos” (“Boston Marathon Bombings”). Soon after the attack a manhunt set out in search for the two suspects. Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev were the Boston Marathon Bombers who caused an unexpected event that led to the manhunt. The bombings, along with the manhunt caused much chaos and destruction to the city as well as to the

All of us have heard of the event “9/11”. In September 2001, when Osama Bin Laden decided to attack symbolic targets. He made the decision to attack the Pentagon, and the world trade centers (twin towers). The terrorist attack on 9-11 is one of the most known attacks because of how many people died, and mentally/emotionally hurt. My interest was sparked because, I always wanted to know about how many people died, and what caused this tragic event. Also, in elementary school we would always take a day out of our school year (close to or on 9/11).

April 19th, 1995, a truck bomb exploded outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (“Oklahoma City Bombing", 2009). The bombing killed 168 people, including 19 children and infants, and 650 more injured (“Oklahoma City Bombing", 2009). The bombing damaged or destroyed over 300 buildings near the bomb sight (“Oklahoma City Bombing", 2009). The man responsible for this horrendous event was man by the name of Timothy McVeigh ("Timothy McVeigh Biography", 2016).

Could we have had less casualties if we, our nation, was better prepared? After having several years to research and look back many would agree that yes, we could have done better. A few problems that arose during 9/11 included being unprepared for large incidents, not being able to communicate with various locations and multiple people frequently, and not meeting standard operating procedures at the ports.

Mass killing (murder) is defines as the act of murdering several or more people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time. The Boston Marathon Bombing and the massacre in South Carolina is two events that will never be forgetting in American history. Both massacres had huge impacts in the United States. Hundreds of people was affected by both massacres; leaving friends and families without their love ones. How can someone have this much hate to just go and kill/hurt a large amount of people?

The strengths are that this reference does mention some very useful statistics and also the point of view of a black officer regarding racial profiling and traffic stops. A weakness is that an attorney is quoted, making a general statement that all police are racist, which is not accurate, however, it is prevalent. The main points are that Latinos and blacks are far more prone to injury/death at the hands of police in one particular coroner's office. Black leaders feel police should be able to carry out their jobs without violence. They feel it is not in their job description. It comes right out and states that police do use statistics that say which race is more likely to commit certain crimes, and they will look for those things when conducting traffic stops, which one black officer says he has no problem with. However, there's a point at which it becomes an abuse of power. Gail B Stewart, the author, received her undergraduate degree from Gustavus Adolphus College, and completed her

Terrorism causes fear all across the world. People are terrified because of what happens in these attacks. There are many different kinds of fear caused by terrorist attacks. Some react to these attacks differently than others. Many react to these attacks in a constructive and rational matter, this helps to not give the terrorists what they want. If we can do this we can minimize these attacks across the world. So, are you with me? Will you help to minimize this problem?