Car Bombing in Oklahoma City

I understand hate. I understand it now more than ever before because suddenly I have tasted it like blood on the tip of my tongue.

When I stood aghast Wednesday before the television and watched the chaos and devastation, and the senseless death of children in Oklahoma City, I was consumed by overpowering hatred--hatred for those who have done this, and hatred for whatever fanaticism has caused their despicable act of cowardice.

As I saw the bodies removed, the children brought bleeding, screaming and dead from the disemboweled building, I found myself raging at the top of my lungs, “Damn you! Damn you!” In that moment I experienced the soul-searing all-consuming power of hate.

And only then, in that repugnant catharsis, was born the frightening understanding that there are so many--too many--in our small world who are able to survive only because of such hatred.

DAVID L. RUGGERI

Anaheim

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The Oklahoma City tragedy is one more consequence we have accepted for having succumbed to the global economy that our multinational corporations have demanded of our government. We have opened our borders to the world and accepted disease, agricultural pests, drugs and now international terrorism.

We have sacrificed our security, our unity and our standards of behavior in the name of cheap labor, cheap goods and freedom of access. We give avowed enemies our way of life, our hospitality and friendship and they spit on us. The Israelis know what to do. We should take a few lessons from them.

ANTHONY COULSON

La Habra

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The news of the bombing in Oklahoma City is tragic. I find it unimaginable that someone could perpetrate such a heinous crime and believe that officials should do all in their power to apprehend and bring these criminals to justice.

The news of threatening calls directed at specific ethnic or religious groups are equally disturbing. I believe strongly that retribution by anyone other than the justice system is a further perpetration of the crime. Violence begets violence and I urge my sisters and brothers to honor those whose have been killed and injured in this tragedy by being peacemakers rather than instruments of further violence.

GERTI REAGAN

Pasadena

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President Clinton has said that he wants to see the perpetrators of the terrorist bombing in Oklahoma City “brought to justice.”

What exactly does that mean?

If the terrorists are captured, and they are wealthy, they can hire a gaggle of prominent attorneys in expensive suits (the Scheme Team), who, during the nationally televised trial, will call into question the integrity and motives of the police investigators, firefighters and civilian rescuers who slogged through the bloody corpses and body parts of the victims looking for survivors and clues. If they’re real lucky, the Scheme Team might get a paramedic to admit that 10 years prior he may have made a disparaging remark about the Hezbollah.

Voila, a hung jury! That’s justice in America.

RICHARD DETORIE

Venice

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Notwithstanding that we do not yet know what persons or group are responsible for that outrageous and cowardly act, certain conclusions may be drawn with a high probability. One is that the odds appear high that this ruthless act in large part is a consequence of the policy of the United States to act as the world’s policeman. When the U.S. interjects itself into the affairs of other countries which do not directly affect the United States, it is placing all of its citizens, including its most vulnerable (such as our children) at serious risk.

I think it is high time for our government to pay much more attention to our serious problems at home rather than diverting its time and great amounts of our tax money in pursuing such policies. Policies which are of interest only to the wealthy, who gain the ear of our elected officials by their lobbying efforts and the accompanying financial contributions and “favors” they grant to them.

If this is what some would call isolationism, I guess I’m for it! At least our citizens do not have to fear from these terrorists who have no quarrel with our citizens, only with our often-outrageous government intervention in their affairs (whether internal or with other countries). Terrorists who unfortunately resort to terrorism as the only effective means to strike back against a country which seems to want to take sides and interject itself into every global dispute--no matter how remote to the interests of the average American citizen.

JOSEPH D. COLANGELO

Huntington Beach