Bill To The Oklahoma City Bombing example essay topic

The Government's Response to the Oklahoma City Bombing The Oklahoma City Bombing affected many Americans, including the President of the United States. From the start the White House immediately dispatched the FBI. The initial reaction was to close the airports, but that would infringe on civil liberties. Government intervention with this tragedy would help many victims' family members cope with the loss of their loved ones. Presidential response as well as monetary compensation would attribute to the healing process.

Since the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building many government actions have been taken to prevent another incident like the Oklahoma City Bombing. President Bill Clinton put aside his own political problems to give the nation response to this tragedy. President Clinton had to choose his words with care while speaking to the media. The Waco tragedy was fresh on the minds of many and all of America would be listening to his reaction to the situation. Clinton was very angry about the tragedy and said that the bombers were "evil cowards" and would be treated like "killers", and he was so gripped with anger that he wanted to put his fist through the television screen when he first saw the incident (Carney 66).

Even though Clinton was angry he still dealt with the situation very carefully, knowing that what he said would affect how millions of Americans would cope with the tragedy. An act of terrorism is what lead to the Oklahoma City Bombing, this tragedy happened because someone had different beliefs. What is the government doing about terrorism An anti-terrorism bill would give the government an additional $1 billion to help fight the war against terrorism. By linking this bill to the Oklahoma City Bombing, Clinton and congress would get this extra money when the bill was finally enacted into law.

Libertarian Party Chair Steve Das bach said, "It shows that there is no tragedy that politicians won't try to capitalize on to further increase the power of government". Des bach also thinks that if any government with the power to kill their own citizens through the criminal justice system also has an obligation that no innocent person is ever executed (LP Warns 1). Some say that the best defense against domestic terrorism is a vibrant, open political system where no American will feel excluded or voiceless. This would lead to an American foreign policy that does not interfere in the affairs of other nations.

This policy would help fight against terrorist like Terry Nichols, Timothy McVeigh, and the others who may have contributed to the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. Nichols was found guilty for his part in the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma on April 19, 1995. On this day 168 people were killed, more than 500 people were injured, and including the death of eight federal agents. Nichols was convicted for conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter; he was sentenced for life in prison and was also acquitted by the jury on the charges of first and second-degree murder (Oklahoma 2). Even though convicted he wanted the jury and America to understand that Timothy McVeigh had intended to kill hundreds of people. U. S District Judge Richard Matas ch sentenced Nichols to life in prison for the conspiracy conviction, and he also received concurrent six-year sentences for each of the eight accounts of manslaughter (U. S 1). McVeigh was known to people who knew him as a boy gone bad.

He was found guilty on 11 counts of murder and conspiracy for the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. McVeigh was sentenced to die by lethal injection. If the conviction is upheld on an appeal, it could take three years (Annin 40). The jurors reached a verdict of death despite McVeigh's military record and his boy next-door appearance; they all thought that he should die. Their votes were unanimous and they had no doubt about his guilt. To them he was a terrorist not a patriot.

Church bells rang across the city, as the death sentence announcement spread throughout Oklahoma City. And where the Murrah Federal Building once stood, victims and their family members gathered to witness a turning point in their tragedy (Pierce). Mike Fortier, Mcveigh former best friend also played a role in the bombing and he too admitted to his part in one of "America's biggest tragedy's" (U. S 1). Fortier received a reduced sentence, but if tried and convicted he too could have been sentenced with death.

Fortier's testimony is what helped convict McVeigh. Fortier shared how McVeigh ed planned the bombing, he first mapped out the Murrah building and surrounding area with exact detail (Annin). He chose this building because it was close to the highway where he could make a fast getaway. For those who were victims in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building trying to move on and continue their life is hard especially if they lost a loved one. It seems that such tragedies like this one ironically bring a community closer together. Downtown Oklahoma is something that belongs to all the citizens, and reviving the city's center was a project initiated before the bombing occured.

The federal government has made a pledge of $40 million to replace the decimated office structure, and another $40 million to restore a section downtown where the Murrah building once stood. Their major priority is reconstructing a proud, active downtown, and meeting place for the citi state. The Oklahoma City Bombing was a very harsh tragedy and was hard to cope with for Americans everywhere. Even the ones who weren't present or residents in the state still wept with the citizens and victims of Oklahoma.

This tragedy killed over a hundred people and among these people killed, was also nineteen innocent children. Many lost loved ones in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building just because one man wanted to kill people. Why did he want to kill these people in this building He is a terrorist who wanted to express his beliefs, and after the bombing was done and over with he still believed that he was innocent and that a man should not be convicted because of his beliefs. It's been nearly five years since the bombing, the lives of many Americans have changed, directly and indirectly from the act itself and through the enactment of new laws passed by congress.

On the fifteenth of April of the year nineteen hundred and ninety five marked a histroic and tragic day in the eyes of America. On this day Terry Nichols, Timothy McViegh, and some others decided to set a bomb off in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing over a hundred of adults and children. But it seems that more questions than answers have evolved. It came as no surprise to anyone that Timothy McVeigh was a poster boy for the death penalty. The question now is, will it make the next madman think twice before blowing up another building Will his death bring back those who perished Will this event give closure to those families who lost loved ones Many questions have also evolved from the passing of the "Anti-Terrorist Bill". Does this bill give more power to our government agencies resulting in another Waco tragedy, it makes it a crime to contribute money to organizations that the government arbitrarily designates as a foreign organization or "terrorist".

(Anti-terrorism) Terrorist acts increase wiretapping, search and seizure, and invasive surveillance of private citizens. According to a book written by David Hoffman, The Oklahoma City Bombing and the Politics of Terror, he details the evidence about the U.S. government's alliance with the terrorist underworld and a sting operation that led to the bombing in Oklahoma City. Shocking, but unfortunate, tragedy such as this bombing results in capitalism, and more power for the government. But tragedy such as this bombing also brings people together regardless of color, race, or religion. And Americans will continue to struggle with justice. af 0 Andrew, Mur r and Peter Annin. "A Very Narrow Escape: Jurors let Nichols live, but some wonder if the Oklahoma City plot has really been cracked".

Newsweek 19 Jan 1998: 25. Annin, Peter. "The plot goes on trial: McVeigh's Army buddy prepares to fight for his life". Newsweek 22 Sept 1997: 64.

Annin, Peter and Tom Morganthau. "The Verdict: Death". Newsweek 23 June 1997: 40-43. "Anti-terrorism Bill Inches Foward in Senate". St. Luis Post 6 June 1995: 5 A. 26 Oct 1999. Blank, Jonah.

"Guilty - but just how guilty: defense 'mitigation specialist' could help spare Nichols's life". U. S News and World Report 12 Jan 1998: 121-123. Carney, James. "Measure of a President". Time 1 May 1995: 65-67. "Cracking Down on Hate". Newsweek May 1995: 20-24.

"The Death March". The Progressive August 1997: 8-10. Hoffman, David. "The Oklahoma City Bombing and the Politics of Terror". March 1998: 1-2.25 Oct 1999. "LP Warns Anti-terrorism Bill a Danger to U.S".

June 1996: 1-2.25 Oct 1999. "Oklahoma Bombing Conspirator Nicholas Loses Appeal". 12 Oct 1999: 1-2.25 Oct 1999... Pierce, Neal R. "Oklahoma City: Fire, in the Ashes". Nations City Weekly 1 April 1996: 13. "Punishment and Mercy". U. S News and World Report 29 Dec 1997: 115.

Roebuck, Karen and Gordon Within. "Torments that will not end: why Terry Nichols escaped execution". U. S News and World Report 19 Jan 1998: 33. "U. S vs. McVeigh: the biggest murder trial in U. S history has opened in Denver". Current Events 28 April 1997: 1-2.