OKC Bombing, 15 Years Later: Are We Safer?
Fifteen years ago today, Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck filled with explosives in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, the deadliest domestic terrorist attack in U.S. history.
But how much safer are we now?
In the fifteen years since the Oklahoma City bombing, reports CBS News homeland security correspondent Bob Orr, we've seen other attacks by domestic extremists: The shootings at Fort Hood last fall, and the deliberate crash in February of a small plane into an IRS building in Texas are two examples.
But such domestic incidents have been overshadowed by the threat from al Qaeda.
Now with homegrown radicalism on the rise, some security experts warn we need to better secure the home front.
For the survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing, even 15 years later the wounds are still fresh.
"It seems like some weeks I cry every day, and sometimes you can go for a month and not cry," said bombing survivor Beverly Rankin.
That day, April 19, 1995, changed everything for the families of the 168 killed and the 600+ survivors.
And it changed the way all us live. Blast barriers now surround many office and federal buildings; heavily armed security forces routinely patrol train stations and airports.
Still, experts warn we remain vulnerable.
"Timothy McVeigh drove a truck up to the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City and detonated that bomb which was made of homemade components and ammonium nitrate; you could still do that tomorrow," security & terrorism expert Neil Livingstone told CBS News.
A CBS News poll found that nearly 40 percent of Americans now believe domestic terrorism is a bigger threat than international terrorism, a marked increase from the foreign-focused fears triggered by 9/11.
CBS News Poll: Domestic Terrorism Still Viewed as Serious Threat
The militia movement is once again energized, fueled by critics who are angry with the government.
Bill Clinton, president at the time of the Oklahoma City attack, said today's rhetoric reminds him of 1995.
"I realized that there were a lot of parallels between the early '90s and now, both in the feeling of economic dislocation, and the level of uncertainty people felt," he told ABC.
Survivors and family members of those who died in the bombing are gathering at the blast site this morning to commemorate the anniversary, and to make a larger point - that we must remain vigilant.
Orr said the threat from domestic terrorism today is about the same as from transnational terror groups, but Orr said the big problem is the "lone wolf" - a radicalized American who can travel freely and reach across and touch real al Qaeda groups.
Orr said Najibullah Zazi, the man charged with plotting to bomb new York City's subway, is the poster boy for such a threat.
Copyright 2010 CBS. All rights reserved. But how much safer are we now?
In the fifteen years since the Oklahoma City bombing, reports CBS News homeland security correspondent Bob Orr, we've seen other attacks by domestic extremists: The shootings at Fort Hood last fall, and the deliberate crash in February of a small plane into an IRS building in Texas are two examples.
But such domestic incidents have been overshadowed by the threat from al Qaeda.
Now with homegrown radicalism on the rise, some security experts warn we need to better secure the home front.
For the survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing, even 15 years later the wounds are still fresh.
"It seems like some weeks I cry every day, and sometimes you can go for a month and not cry," said bombing survivor Beverly Rankin.
That day, April 19, 1995, changed everything for the families of the 168 killed and the 600+ survivors.
And it changed the way all us live. Blast barriers now surround many office and federal buildings; heavily armed security forces routinely patrol train stations and airports.
Still, experts warn we remain vulnerable.
"Timothy McVeigh drove a truck up to the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City and detonated that bomb which was made of homemade components and ammonium nitrate; you could still do that tomorrow," security & terrorism expert Neil Livingstone told CBS News.
A CBS News poll found that nearly 40 percent of Americans now believe domestic terrorism is a bigger threat than international terrorism, a marked increase from the foreign-focused fears triggered by 9/11.
CBS News Poll: Domestic Terrorism Still Viewed as Serious Threat
The militia movement is once again energized, fueled by critics who are angry with the government.
Bill Clinton, president at the time of the Oklahoma City attack, said today's rhetoric reminds him of 1995.
"I realized that there were a lot of parallels between the early '90s and now, both in the feeling of economic dislocation, and the level of uncertainty people felt," he told ABC.
Survivors and family members of those who died in the bombing are gathering at the blast site this morning to commemorate the anniversary, and to make a larger point - that we must remain vigilant.
Orr said the threat from domestic terrorism today is about the same as from transnational terror groups, but Orr said the big problem is the "lone wolf" - a radicalized American who can travel freely and reach across and touch real al Qaeda groups.
Orr said Najibullah Zazi, the man charged with plotting to bomb new York City's subway, is the poster boy for such a threat.
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If one takes the Ruby Ridge incident (which preceeded WACO) in which the government sought to entrap an individual so as to infiltrate some ultra-right wing organization...and winds up killing members of the family for even attempting to defend themselves from UNANNOUNCED/disguised federal agents(son)...or shooting an UNARMED person at the house under siege (spouse)...you will understand the climate of the time.
Consider also, all of these events were prior to the Columbine tragedy, events that of themselves may have radicalized those two young students to strike back at the school they felt was alien to them. Did we learn?
In the last 2 years, the State of Texas INVADED a Mormon community on what was a false report, went FULLY ARMED with personnel carriers...and removed all the children from the community, including some wives with their children...only to have the State hand them back and admit in almost 98% of the individual cases, should not have done so...
and the pretext for the invasion was invalidated as a crank call from someone who was NOT AT THE community, making the State act as it did.
Had even ONE family attempted to fight back, the casualties would have been astounding: "women, children...all would be fair game" even as McVeigh states. Consider then the State of Texas uses overwhelming force that also violates rights.
I do not defend McVeigh or his methods, but those same methods are used and exemplified by our governments in its several capacities everyday "in the name of the law."
So, do you please remember that the greatest democracy in the world has yet to recognize certain inalienable rights of citizens and people by their incremental destruction of those rights not enumerated in the constitution to the government or the states but reserved to the people. HOW DO YOU KEEP GOVERNMENT FROM ENCROACHMENT? The Supreme Court is a very slow 'policeman' for individual liberties.....to restrain government power.
Sociopaths will always be difficult to stop because you'll never know what they're thinking or planning, Waco was warped into some sort of weird heroic stand by the anti-government fringe because they believe they have the right to break the law when they don't agree with it - automatically making anyone who tries to uphold the law as an enemy.
Koresh was insane, and his little cult walked lockstep right behind him into their destruction.
They could have rounded the leadership up quietly if the had wanted to protect those children. But what they wanted was a high profile confrontation. They wanted to make an example of someone and that's just what they did. A year later, McVeigh made an example of them.
Finally, for what it's worth, Unlike the ATF, McVeigh didn't know there were children inside."
Who caused their deaths? It wasn't the ATF, it wasn't the government, it was the stupidity of those inside the compound, they could have walked out, spent a few days in jail, had a court hearing with peers as a jury and be done with it. One way or the other.
It's a national disgrace to see so many "COUNTRY FIRST" right-wingers suddenly transforming themselves into 'the enemy within our borders' everytime a Democrat is elected president....it's a pity that some of our fellow right-wing Americans have become TERRORIST SYMPATHIZERS....
Thank you, I had come to that conclusion also after reviewing the documents on the Waco massacre. Yes it was a revenge bombing and the government is worried that there will be more of such attacks from other groups like Survivalist to Islamic groups. And No, I do not feel safe with the main media being the mouthpiece for this government.