NCJ Number
167833
Date Published
1996
Length
4 pages
Annotation
President Clinton's response to the April 1995 Oklahoma City bombing was to call for the death penalty for the perpetrators; however, a repressive crackdown by the government would provide further reasons for people to hate the government, possibly encouraging more violence.
Abstract
By declaring yet another overreaching war, war on domestic hate groups, President Clinton is playing into the hands of right-wing militants and precipitating a crackdown that will cause more Americans to hate their government. The government's response is to never ask why people abhor its tactics, never to admit it might be wrong to kill and wage war on whoever disagrees with its mandates. When agents acting on behalf of the government kill children or citizens, whether innocent or not, it is government-sponsored terrorism. The death penalty is government- sanctioned murder. By vowing to hunt down and kill the perpetrators of the Oklahoma City bombing, President Clinton degrades himself and lowers the government he heads to the level of the terrorists. It is gangland logic: "You kill one of ours, we will kill one of yours." The situation perpetuates itself and escalates. When we needed dignity, restraint, and measured leadership, we got blood-thirsty anger and more hate.