The Oklahoma City Bombing And The Politics Of Terror Part 46

763. (568) Karen Abbott, "Defense Says FBI Tainted Residue: Evidence Questioned; British Expert Testifies; The Tables Turn Today, Rocky Mountain News, 5/21/97. Burmeister said he photographed the crystals before they disappeared.

764. (569) Deputy Sheriff Clint Boehler, interview with author.

765. (570) Ryan Ross, Digital City Denver, 1997. Reno would later comment, "It is unfair, it is unreasonable, it is a lie to spread the poison that the government was responsible at Waco for the murder of innocents. That kind of language is unacceptable in a society that values truth."

766. (571) U.S. v. McVeigh.

767. (*) McVeigh selected Oklahoma City for the fact that the agents and the orders that came out of that building were responsible for the tragedy at Waco, Fortier alleged at trial.

768. (572) The gun - a Ruger Mini-30 rifle, Serial No. 18957425 - was actually purchased by Terry Nichols on November 10, 1993, from Randy's Hunting and Sport in Bad Axe, Michigan.

769. (573) Hoppy Heidelberg, interview with author.

770. (574) Copy of letter in author's possession.

771. (575) David Maranise, Pierre Thomas, "Officials See Conspiracy of at Least Four in Blast; Probe Focuses on Suspect's Right-Wing Ties, Was.h.i.+ngton Post, 4/23/95.

772. (576) Ibid.

773. (577) Dallas Morning News, 6/15/95.

774. (578) Peter Carlson, Was.h.i.+ngton Post, 3/23/97.

775. (*) Hartzler's letter, Jones said in his brief, "indicates that the Justice Department is still searching for John Doe No. 2 and may be releasing disinformation to lessen public pressure to find [him]."

776. (579) Nolan Clay and John Parker, "John Doe 2 Still Sought, Letter: Says Prosecutors Doubt Witnesses Mistaken," The Daily Oklahoman, date unknown.

777. (580) William Jasper, New American, date unknown.

778. (581) Nolan Clay and Penny Owen, "'Wacky Theories' Unfair, McVeigh Attorney Says," Daily Oklahoman,10/29/96. "We have an obligation to investigate everything," Hartzler told a group of bombing victims. "And if we find some rumor or whatever it is, it makes it into an FBI report."

779. (582) John Gibson, interview with Charles Key and V.Z. Lawton, MSNBC, 4/25/97; V.Z. Lawton, interviews with author.

780. (583) New York Times, 12/3/95.

781. (*) The federal prosecutors' lame excuse for confining the evidence to McVeigh and Nichols was to maintain a "deadline" set by federal guidelines on providing speedy trials.

782. (584) Harry Wallace, CBS This Morning, 10/16/95.

783. (585) Jon Rappaport is the author of The Oklahoma Bombing: The Suppressed Truth (Santa Monica: Blue Press, 1995).

784. (586) Hoppy Heidelberg, interview with author.

785. (587) J.D. Cash, "New Investigation Into Oklahoma City Bombing Demanded," Jubilee, Nov/Dec, 1995. In the Whitewater affair, a special federal judge panel, by statute, appointed an Independent Counsel, Kenneth Starr, supposed to be separate and apart from the Justice Department. Under the law, this was supposed to a.s.sure the public that there would be an "independent" investigation of possible high-level criminality, not a white-wash. Miguel Rodriguez was reportedly blocked by Starr and others from probing and calling independent witnesses, not necessarily FBI nor forensic experts beholden to a political agenda. All this, in respect to suspicions that White House deputy counsel Vincent Foster, jr. was not really a suicide but murdered. "Whitewater And The 'Runaway' Federal Grand Jury", Sherman H. Skolnick. Conspiracy Nation, Vol. 5, No. 30.

786. (*) It seemed that the John Doe 2 lead was officially dropped in early May. An FBI memo regarding a John Doe 2 lead instructs all FBI offices: "In view of the fact that the Oklahoma Command Post has directed all offices to hold unsub #2 leads in abeyance, San Francisco will conduct no further investigation regarding this lead." (174A-OC-56120 TPR:tpr, investigation was conducted by Special Agent (SA) Thomas P. Ravenelle regarding Richard Dehart, DOB 6/21/65, as a Phoenix resident and a possible look- alike for unsub #2, dated 5/3/95.) 787. (588) Reddy and Wilmsen, Op Cit.

788. (589) Dr. Paul Heath, interview with author.

789. (590) Sharon Cohen, a.s.sociated Press, 4/27/95, quoted in Armstrong, Op Cit, p. 27.

790. (*) It should be noted that McVeigh was supposedly on the road on April 12, traveling from Kingman to Junction City.

791. (591) Barbara Whittenberg, interview with author.

792. (592) Jayna Davis, interview with author.

793. (593) Linda Kuhlman and Phyliss Kingsley, interviews with author.

794. (594) Connie Hood, interview by Glenn Wilburn and J.D. Cash; Keith, Op Cit., p. 147.

795. (595) Ibid.

796. (596) Tony Boller, a.s.sistant Project Manager, Goodwill Industries, interview with author.

797. (597) Jerri-Lynn Backhous and Dorinda Hermes , interviews with author.

798. (598) Kevin Flynn, "Guard saw 2nd truck at building: Story Mirrors Bombing Trial Witness' Account of Blast Day," Rocky Mountain News, 5/24/97.

799. (599) Arnold Hamilton, Dallas Morning News, 11/27/95.

800. (600) Brian Ford, "McVeigh Placed at Kansas Store," Tulsa World, 9/12/97.

801. (601) Hamilton, Op Cit.

802. (*) This is the same thing that Brian Marshall, the Johnny's Tire Store employee, said.

803. (*) David Snider, interview with author. Snider appeared to be a credible witness.

804. (602) Mark Eddy, "Witnesses Tell a Different Story," Denver Post, 6/16/96.

805. (603) Rodney Johnson, interview with author.

806. (604) "Some Witnesses Leery Of Bombing Grand Jury," Daily Oklahoman, 8/10/97.

807. (605) Monterey County Herald, 4/29/95, quoted in Armstrong, Op Cit, p. 8.

808. (606) Judy Kuhlman and Diana Baldwin, "Witnesses Say McVeigh Not Alone - Testimony Places John Doe 2, Another Man With Bomber," Daily Oklahoman, 9/11/97.

809. (607) "FBI Searching for Third Man in Oklahoma City Bombing," CNN, 3/10/97.

810. (*) "Reference lead #10,220: Referenced lead #10,220, San Francisco was directed to locate and interview LESTER SCANLON concerning his knowledge of STEVEN COLBERN. In view of the fact that COLBERN has been eliminated as a suspect in this matter, San Francisco will conduct no further investigation concerning lead #10,220." (FBI memo dated 5/3/95.) 811. (608) Cash, Media Bypa.s.s, February, 1996, Op Cit.

812. (*) As the Legal Times noted: "Within hours of landing, [Deputy A. G. Merrick] Garland was. .h.i.t by a barrage of legal concerns.... In subsequent days, Garland met with Oklahoma County District Attorney Robert Macy, gently notifying him of the Justice Department's desire not to have a local investigation going on simultaneously."

813. (609) Foreign Policy Inst.i.tute expert, confidential interview with author.

814. (*) The Brady Rule and Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 16(a)(1)(C) provides: "Upon request of the defendant the government shall permit the defendant to inspect and copy and photograph, books, papers, doc.u.ments, photographs... which are within the possession, custody or control of the government, and which are material to the preparation of the defendant's defense...."

815. (610) U.S. v. McVeigh, Timothy McVeigh's Pet.i.tion for Writ of Mandamus, 3/25/97.

816. (611) Ambrose Evans Pritchard, "Victims Sue in Oklahoma: Fight for Truth," London Sunday Telegraph, 3/23/97.

817. (612) J.D. Cash and Jeff Holladay, "Day of Blast 'an Amazing Coincidence,'" McCurtain Gazette, 12/1/95.

818. (613) Pat Briley, interview with author.

819. (*) Judge Matsch was not impressed with this evidence. He commented during trial that there must be half a million blue GMC pick-ups with camper tops.

820. (614) Ken Armstrong, interview with Oklahoma Highway Patrol, August 30, 1995.

821. (615) Amber McGlaughlin, interview with author.

822. (616) Ken Armstrong, No Amatuer Did This (Aptos, CA: Blackeye Press, 1997).

823. (*) The a.s.sertion was that McVeigh was demonstrating how to make a "shaped charge," which would have been impossible to make using 55-gallon barrels of ANFO.

824. (617) Testimony of Deborah Brown, U.S. v. McVeigh. The author has had personal experience with methamphetamine users, and can vouch for the drug's ability to induce psychotic states.

825. (*) In fact, Fortier was very intent during testimony on impressing upon the jury that the guns from the Moore "robbery" were stolen, saying in response to Jones' cross-examination: "No, no! I'm convinced those guns were stolen!" As J.D. Cash observed, Fortier's successful plea-bargain was partly dependent on carrying that fact forward.

826. (618) Hoppy Heidelberg, interview with Jon Rappaport.

827. (*) Even Judge Matsch was forced to tell the jury: "You should bear in mind that a witness who has entered into such an agreement has an interest in this case different from any ordinary witness. A witness who realizes that he may be able to obtain his own freedom or receive a lighter sentence by giving testimony favorable to the prosecution has a motive to testify falsely. Therefore, you must examine his testimony with caution and weigh it with great care."

828. (619) The Fifth Estate, Fall, 1996, Vol. 31, #2.

829. (620) Denver Post, 5/6/97.

830. (621) "Juror's Emotions With Crying Witnesses," The Spotlight, 5/26/97.

831. (622) "Nichols' Wife Says She Didn't Understand FBI Consent Form," CNN, 6/28/96 832. (623) Keith, Op Cit., p. 35.

833. (624) Chris Hansen, "His Brother's Keeper," Dateline, 1995, quoted in Keith, p. 36; Bob Popavitch, interview with author.

834. (*) Most noticeably the Tulsa World, which earned the knick-name, The Tulsa Pravda." The Daily Oklahoman has been called the "Daily Joke-la-homan" by locals.

835. (**) Levine also graciously represented Representative Key and several investigators, including the author, who had set up a charitable trust to investigate the bombing, for free, and brought Chicken soup to the author when he was sick.

836. ( Keating told Gary Harper during one of his weekly citizen chat sessions that Key was sleeping with a judge's wife. Keating also unsuccessfully tried to find a political candidate to run against the popular 5-term Representative. As Portland Free Press publisher Ace Hayes writes, "[Keating] is a pure devotee of Imperial State power and his approach is, 'to h.e.l.l with free speech, free thought or free a.s.sociation.' He will protect the rich by attacking people no matter what fine words he swears an oath to...."

837. (625) Robby Trammel and Randy Ellis, "Call For Bomb Investigation Debated," Daily Oklahoman, 6/29/95.

838. (626) As we argued when Key first set out on this course, the Legislature and its staff had no business investigating the bombing. It was, and is, poorly equipped to do so. The same can be said of a panel of local citizens who would be asked to investigate one of the most complicated cases ever to come before the courts. Yet as The New American pointed out, state legislatures are regularly tasked on important and sensitive investigations. And the County Grand jury? Is that not "a panel of local citizens," the same as the Federal Grand jury that originally "investigated" the bombing?

839. (**) It is interesting to examine the att.i.tudes of the Tulsa World and Daily Oklahoman in light of their sister papers in Nebraska and Arkansas, two other corruption-ridden states. Former Nebraska State Senator John DeCamp investigated a shocking pattern of financial improprieties, child abuse, and murder in his home state. In his book, The Franklin Cover-Up, DeCamp exhorts the media to honestly report the facts. But, as DeCamp notes, "...the World-Herald's long-standing pattern of behavior is just the opposite. If it has an editorial att.i.tude on a story, its news coverage and every other aspect of the newspaper are mustered to accentuate the preferred side of the issue and suppress opposing views.... "Why all this effort? Because, tragically, the people who control the World-Herald appear to have a strong vested interest in suppressing the truth...." As The Clinton Chronicles notes with regard to Arkansas: "First, the Clintons have very cleverly manipulated and compromised the press in Arkansas, a small state with only one major newspaper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.... Despite revelations of scandal after scandal regarding the Clintons, the Arkansas press has been in a state of denial, portraying most of the revelations as attacks on the people of Arkansas themselves." [John W. DeCamp, The Franklin Cover-up: Child Abuse, Satanism, and Murder in Nebraska (Lincoln, NE: AWT, Inc., 1996), p.95; Patrick Matrisciana, The Clinton Chronicles, (Hemet, CA: Jeremiah Books, 1994), p. 21.]

840. (627) Nolan Clay and Penny Owen, "'Wacky Theories' Unfair, McVeigh Attorney Says," Daily Oklahoman,10/29/96.

841. (*) Shortly after Key and Wilburn drew up their pet.i.tion to impanel the grand jury, a bill was introduced in the State Legislature to change the grand jury pet.i.tioning process.

842. (628) Mark Sanford, interview with author.

843. (629) Even Palmer admitted that the statutes were limited as to what Judge Owens could do or how he could interpret the law.

844. (*) The County didn't possess the resources and funds, Palmer replied, to pursue such a big case. Besides, she pleaded, the "investigation" was already "complete," being a "thorough investigation" from "several different federal agencies."( Palmer claimed a County Grand Jury would "jeopardize the Federal case." The federal gag order prevents interviewing prospective witnesses, she claimed. Sanford countered that there would be no interference with the federal case as long as they were interviewing witnesses and suspects that federal prosecutors ignored, which seem to be in abundance.

845. (630) Moore, Op Cit., p. 140.

846. (631) District Attorney Bob Macy, interview with author.

847. (632) Rep. Charles Key, interviews with author.

848. (633) Diana Baldwin and Judy Kuhlman, "Court Filings Stop Bombing Testimony of Postal Worker," Daily Oklahoman, 9/9/97.

849. (634) Rita Cosby, FOX News, 4/4/97.

850. (635) Interview with Jayna Davis. Macy's a.s.sistant DAs who handled that case were John Farely and Jane Brown.

851. (636) Daily Oklahoman, 8/14/97.

852. (**) "They're coming up with a subst.i.tute for proof," said Denver defense attorney Larry Pozner. "They're softening the jury up with emotional testimony about the bombing and McVeigh's politics. They're saying, 'We'll give you every reason in the world to hate Tim McVeigh.'" (Kevin Flynn, "Softening the Jury," Rocky Mountain News, 5/8/97.) 853. (637) "The CIA & The Media," Rolling Stone, 10/20/77, cited in Mark Zepezauer, The CIA's Greatest Hits, 1994.

854. (638) Mark Sanford, interview with author; William Jasper, "OKC Investigator Under Attack, " New American, 6/23/97.

855. (639) Brian Ford, "Fund-Rasing Probed: Jury Looks into Efforts of Rep. Charles Key," Tulsa World, 5/6/97.

856. (640) Jasper, Op Cit.

857. (*) Just as the letter is a sham masquerading as an honest response from bombing survivors, Drew Edmondson [and Frank Keating] are sub-human pieces of effluvia masquerading as human beings.

858. (*) Nor the rewards of political office and bribes.

859. (641) Ibid.

860. (642) Brian Ford, "McVeigh Placed at Kansas Store,"Tulsa World, 9/12/97.

861. (*) Fortunately, the smear tacticians weren't successful at disuading everyone from the truth. In a CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP poll conducted in April of 1996, 68 percent of those surveyed said they didn't agree that all of the suspects have been captured.

862. (*) The building was demolished because officials claimed it was an eyesore, an errie reminder of that tragic day. Yet authorities made no effort to remove the charred, twisted, gutted remains of the Athenian Restaurant directly across the street, which to this day still stands as a shocking monument to the brutality of the bombing.

863. (*) According to a 1988 GAO (General Accounting Office) report, the Federal Building was not a "safe" place to install a day care center. Allegedly based on the 1983 plot by white supremacist Richard Wayne Snell (CSA member and friend of Robert Millar) to bomb the facility, the report concluded that a day care center should not be placed inside the Murrah Building. "No federal law enforcement agents who worked in the building, including the BATF, Secret Service, and the DEA, ever had any of their children in the Murrah's day care center... ever," said Smith.

864. (*) Smith complained that when she appears on local radio shows, it seems to her that "more people around here now hate me than like me... People that don't want to think that the government would do such a thing."

865. (643) Glenn Wilburn, interview with author.

866. (644) Kathy Wilburn and Edye Smith, interview with author.