ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996 TAG: 9607300062
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEW YORK
SOURCE: RICHARD PYLE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NOTE: Above
THE OLYMPIC explosion haunts Americans and points out our vulnerability to domestic terrorists.
Terrorism has been a fact of life elsewhere in the world for a long time, but it's getting harder and harder for Americans to remember when it couldn't - or at least didn't - happen here.
The pipe bomb explosion at the Atlanta Olympics is yet another reminder that the United States is especially at the mercy of groups or individuals with political causes, personal grievances or emotional hangups.
``It seems to be the beginning that you [Americans] will be living in your country like the Israelis are living there,'' said Max Dadi, who commented on the Atlanta incident while waiting for divers to recover the body of his brother, French country musician Marcel Dadi, from the submerged wreck of TWA Flight 800.
The beginning of domestic terrorism for most Americans probably was the 1993 bombing of New York's World Trade Center, which killed six, injured more than 1,000 and virtually paralyzed neighboring Wall Street. It was underscored two years later by the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building, with 168 killed.
Before that, terrorism against the United States focused mainly on locales outside the country - attacks on U.S. embassies and institutions in the Middle East and Latin America, the Marine barracks bombing in Beirut in 1983, the downing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988.
The Olympics pipe bomb showed once again that terrorist acts need not be grandiose. It could be a disgruntled recluse known as the Unabomber, sending deadly packages to strangers through the U.S. Postal Service.
``As an open society and a democracy, this country is particularly vulnerable - we have free passage, coast to coast, anyone can apply for a visa to visit, and the population is both enormous and diversified,'' said Philip Stern, a terrorism expert at the Fairfax Group, a New York-based corporate security firm.
Such factors provide cover for America's foreign foes, whether resentful economic ``have-nots'' or religious fundamentalists who see Western culture, values and power as oppression, to carry their fight to the enemy's turf.
``At the same time, we have the Montana Freemen, the Branch Davidians and the people who bomb our churches - all symptomatic of disenchantment with society among people who are willing to use violence,'' Stern said.
Such actions, he said, are ``impossible to stop,'' even with stricter controls, surveillance and other security measures in confined areas such as government buildings and airports.
``The one thing you can't protect is the general population in a large urban area. Even Israel, a democracy that is under siege 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, can't stop it - and they have in place a security system that we could not possibly emulate, due to this country's size.''
That leaves the country in the position of ``a giant trying to swat a gnat,'' he said.
After President Clinton tightened security at the nation's airports in response to the July 17 crash of the Paris-bound Flight 800, most people questioned in television interviews agreed it was necessary, despite the added cost and the extra time and hassle.
But the United States has hundreds of airports - from major ``gateway'' facilities that handle hordes of tourists and other international travelers to state and municipal airports serving commuters and business customers.
``The question is, how do you protect the American Airlines flight from Columbus to St. Paul?'' said Stern.
``It all comes down to the cost factor - how much you are willing to spend, and what civil rights are you willing to have intruded upon, to protect against terrorism,'' Stern said.
``There is much more we can do on every front,'' said Rep. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who has crusaded for gun control and anti-terrorism legislation. ``If there is any lesson in the unfortunate incident in Atlanta, it is that we have to do it, even if it costs. But many of these things cost next to nothing.''
As an example, he cited small plastic particles called ``taggants'' that can be placed in manufactured explosives to trace their origin.
The recently passed crime bill originally included such a provision, but it was knocked out after objections from the National Rifle Association.
``Taggants in the black powder of that Olympic pipe bomb would have helped the FBI's investigation,'' Schumer said.
LENGTH: Medium: 84 linesby CNB