While you were sleeping

Today is the anniversary of the largest act of domestic terrorism in United States history, the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995. 168 people were killed, including 19 children. Now here’s the part we’re not supposed to talk about: the bombing was carried out by right wing extremists during a time of overheated right wing rhetoric. Today’s right wing rhetoric makes the 90s look like water cooler gossip. But making that comparison is frowned upon.

Why is that? Why aren’t we supposed to talk about it? Because it’s “politicizing a tragedy?” Because Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were “lone wolves” and the whole thing is just an “isolated incident?” That’s all bullshit. The nature of the attack was explicitly political. McVeigh was motivated by his far right ideology and a deep hatred of the government. Specifically, a Democratically led government. He felt that the…