The unthinkable

After the 1st attack on the World Trade Center and 6 years before the 2nd attack on it and the attack on the Pentagon by foreign terrorist, Oklahoma City was attacked by domestic terrorist.

Fifteen years ago on Monday, April 19, a domestic terrorist, whose name I will not say because he doesn't deserve to have it mentioned, parked a rental truck in front of the Edward G. Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City and detonated it at. The truck had tons of fertilizer and heating oil in it and at 9:02 the morning of April 19, it blew up a third of the building. A third of the people in the building died---169. Among those people that died were 18 small children. The last survivor was pulled from the rubble 12 hours after the explosion.

I will never, ever forget what I was doing on that day and until yesterday, didn't realize how many times I was connected personally to that explosion. One of my colleagues lost a niece on the 3rd floor. My sister played softball with one girl that was killed and another that was blown across her office but survived. One of the 911 operators was a girl that I grew up, went to school, and played softball with. One of the first firefighters on the scene was married to another girl that I grew up, went to school, and played softball and basketball with (this was the 2nd tragedy she was having to live through as she had a sister murdered in the Sirloin Stockade Murders in 1978). It is estimated that one third of the population in the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area--over 100,000 people--was affected personally by this bombing. I think it was probably more as we all watched events being carried out live on television and at the scene.

I am a supporter of the death penalty and always have been. The evil man behind this bombing was tried, convicted, and put to death by lethal injection (the last taking place in 2001 just days before the planes flew into the Trade Centers and Pentagon). I sometimes feel like he got off easy. I think he should have had to meet all the peoples whose lives he changed and ruined. I think they should have locked him in a room and make him listen to a recording of the voices of all the children he killed until it drove him mad. He never showed any sympathy or empathy for what he did. He wanted people to believe that he was right in attacking our government and those innocent people deserved to die as subjects of that government and said the children were 'collateral damage'.

My heart goes out to every single person that lost their life, was injured, worked as rescue, worked as voluteers, every member of the families that loved, lost, and was affected by this evil event. I hope that all have have found peace or will eventually find peace.

As a show of respect for all these innocent people, I will bow my and take a moment of silence in their behalf. I will also send up a prayer. GOD BLESS THEM ALL.