Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, April 25, 1995                   TAG: 9504260061
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WHAT NOT TO LEARN FROM THE BOMBING

The country has fallen apart.

Sure, it's more frightening that the current suspects in last week's bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building are Americans, rather than some foreign terrorist group. We have met the enemy; he is us. We have to wonder how hatred among us has grown to such an extent that any people could perform such evil against their countrymen.

Hatred, though, is not what America is about - in spite of the bombing. What America is about is the way its citizens have pulled together in recent days, as they typically do in response to tragedy. At the memorial service over the weekend and in other gatherings, Americans of all races, ages, genders and political affiliations have set aside differences and, as one people, denounced the abominable crime, mourned the loss of life and, in many instances, offered to help rescue efforts and victims' families.

President Clinton has said the right things, done the right things, to provide moral leadership when it is needed. And, so far, efforts to politicize the calamity have been muted or isolated.

It's Rush Limbaugh's fault.

Shortly after the bombing, early reports seized on the possibility that Islamic terrorists were the culprits. Soon, there were calls for deporting Muslims and bombing capitals of Middle Eastern countries suspected of supporting terrorist groups. Now that the source of the outrage appears to be homegrown, the impulse to generalize - and jump to prejudiced conclusions - may shift focus. There will be those who will blame the deaths in Oklahoma City on the divisive hyperbole of the political right.

But, just as all Muslims and Arabs are not bombers or terrorist sympathizers, all angry white males and gun-control opponents and critics of the federal government cannot be held culpable in the alleged activity of a few radical right-wing militia types.

Terrorism is now the chief violent threat facing Americans.

The toll in Oklahoma city is comparable to the carnage produced every day by gun violence and gun accidents across our country - a toll that didn't stop last week, but that goes on. Every-day crime is a much bigger threat in our lives, much harder to fight.

Indeed, those who fear that America is helpless in the face of terrorism should consider the speed and efficiency with which law-enforcement agents around the country have conducted their investigation and tracked down clues and suspects. (Most of these agents are federal employees, by the way, a category of persons who seem to have come up a bit in Americans' estimation since the bombing.)

To fight terrorism, America must make its government less accessible, and restrict the rights of citizens.

That would be not to fight terrorism, but to give in to it. Radical groups endorsing overthrow of the government and stockpiling assault weapons do need to be investigated aggressively. But a democracy's best answers to terrorism are the openness, frankness and freedom that remain hallmarks of our society.