Spokane7
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March 9, 2011 in News, City
Suspect in MLK bomb tied to racist movement
FBI agents cross the bridge on 12 Mile Road during their investigation of Kevin Harpham on March 9, 2011, near Addy, Wash.
(Full-size photo)(All photos)
Federal agents today arrested an ex-soldier with ties to the white supremacist movement and charged him with planting the backpack bomb along the planned route of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day march in downtown Spokane.
Kevin William Harpham, 36, of Colville, could face life imprisonment on charges of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and possession of an unregistered explosive device, according to documents on file in U.S. District Court.
Harpham, wearing blue jeans and a dark sweat shirt, only gave one word answers when he appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia Imbrogno.
Federal agents, who had been assembling in Spokane during the past few days, arrested Harpham driving near his home at 1088 Cannon Way, in rural Stevens County south of Colville.
The Southern Poverty Law Center confirmed that Harpham in 2004 was a member of the National Alliance, which is one of the most visible white supremacist organizations in the nation. It was founded by the late William Pierce, who authored “The Turner Diaries,” a novel about a future race war. That book was believed to be the blueprint behind the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City by Timothy McVeigh.
“What to me this arrest suggests is that the Martin Luther King Day attack is what it always looked like: A terror-mass murder attempt directed at black people and their sympathizers,” said Mark Potok, who is the director of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project that tracks and investigates hate groups.
But Erich Gliebe, chairman of the National Alliance, based in Hillsboro, W.Va., said Harpham is not a member of his organization, which believes all races are entitled to their own living spaces.
“We have a zero tolerance policy regarding illegal activity and anyone committing those acts – even hinting or joking — would not be welcome in our organization,” Gliebe said.
Gliebe said he didn’t know where the Southern Poverty Law Center got its membership information.
“They will try to smear any organization they can,” Gliebe said. “They tried to smear me in the past.”
Harpham served from 1996 to 1999 as a fire support specialist with the Army’s 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment at what is now Joint Base Lewis-McChord, base spokesman Joseph Piek said.
“Serving in a field artillery unit doesn’t teach you to do what he has allegedly done,” Piek said.
Harpham also appears to be a member of the Vanguard News Network, which is the racist magazine for the National Alliance. That Website features essays, blog posts and message boards on topics such as “resettlement and construction of local communities for Whites” and “How to Live White.”
Stevens County tax records show that Harpham bought the 9.8-acre parcel on Cannon Way in 1997 for $27,950. A 672-square-foot single-family home was built in 2007.
Mike Ormsby, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced the arrest but provided no other details about how the investigation centered on Harpham. All documents supporting the arrest have been sealed.
“The tireless dedication and extraordinary efforts of the law enforcement officers involved in all aspects of this complicated investigation are commended,” Ormsby said in prepared remarks.
At his first appearance hearing, Harpham sat with his arms crossed leaning on a table. He generally averted his eyes from a full gallery as he waited for Imbrogno to begin.
Federal Public Defender Roger Peven was appointed to defend Harpham and said he only met his client for about an hour before the hearing.
“I know very little at this point,” he said. “This is just the beginning of a long road.”
Imbrogno said the government’s evidence will be presented to a grand jury on March 22. If they indict Harpham, an arraignment will be held on the next day and a trial date will be set.
If the grand jury does not indict Harpham on March 22, Imbrogno will hold a probable cause hearing on March 23 where federal agents must testify about the evidence they have to support the charges.
Records indicate Harpham is a registered voter, which suggests he has no prior felony convictions, and could explain why it took so long for a suspect to be identified.
Agents remained throughout the day searching Harpham’s home near Addy, which is south of Colville. Witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion that agents used to breach the front door.
Kevin Coy, who lives near the house being searched, said law enforcement took one of his neighbors into custody this morning as he drove across a bridge over the Colville River. In an interview with KHQ News, Coy described the suspect’s house as a trailer, and said several dogs lived on the property. Coy also said he saw agents put a blue four-door Honda on a trailer and haul it away.
Previously, federal officials had called the bomb a thwarted attempt at domestic terrorism and said the investigation would likely turn on forensic testing of the bomb, which had been sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation lab in Quantico, Va.
The developments today came as welcome news to the Rev. Happy Watkins, who was a featured speaker at the Unity March in January.
Watkins, senior pastor at New Hope Baptist Church in Spokane, said federal officials hadn’t given him any updates about the progress of fhe investigation.
“We’ve been asking questions but no one has talked to us,” said Watkins. “People in New York City hear about Spokane and associate us with Hayden Lake and the Aryan Nations. It just shouldn’t be that way because it’s a great place to live. We’ve still got that hate that lingers and doesn’t go away. That’s disheartening.”
The bomb was discovered on Jan. 17, just minutes before the planned Unity March. Three contract workers located the black Swiss Army brand backpack containing what turned out to be a powerful bomb on or next to the bench at the southeast corner of Washington Street and Main Avenue.
Spokane police officials were alerted of the backpack’s presence and quickly re-routed the march to avoid the potential danger. Other sources, who received security briefings after the discovery, said it was a sophisticated device which could have been detonated remotely, using something similar to a vehicle keyless entry switch.
Sources said the bomb could have inflicted multiple casualties and was placed in a way to maximize the blast toward marchers in the street.
Other sources then revealed that it appeared the bomb maker used rat poison, with the potential intent of causing victims to continue to bleed once struck with shrapnel.
As the investigation progressed, much attention was focused on the region’s past bombings, all of which were carried out by either members of the Aryan Nations or other white supremacists.
The most recent came in 1996, when three bombs linked to racists caused severe damage to a Planned Parenthood building, Spokane City Hall and the Spokane Valley office of The Spokesman-Review.
Watch for online updates on this story and for complete coverage in Thursday’s edition of The Spokesman-Review.
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SpokyDaBear on March 09 at 11:02 a.m.
Cool, we will make national news tonight. Spokane, the hot bed of domestic terrorism.
Loudin on March 09 at 11:03 a.m.
Assuming this is a “good” arrest and the evidence is solid, this is awesome news. Hopefully the legal process will see the suspect thoroughly served and punished; it’s up to the rest of us to then shame them and their peers. Ignorant chicken$hit$…
Loudin
Loudin on March 09 at 11:09 a.m.
Spoky,
This already made the cable news rounds back when it happened; thus, I don’t see how an arrest in this case gives Spokane a black eye. If anything, it skews positive in the fact that the community overwhelmingly came out against this sort of stupidity and now law enforcement has apprehended someone.
This is good for Spokane, not bad. It demonstrates that you can’t pull this sort of crap in our community. No different than Meattle, no different that Porkland, no different than Potato City.
Loudin
bszottlinger on March 09 at 11:47 a.m.
Let’s look at this in perspective, despite the locals, and what I’m referring to is the Sheriff’s stupid confirmation of the rat poison(he was confronted about that by the way). The Feds have made this a priority, and thank goodness they did. Beyond all of the community leadership conversations that took place, the FBI held a lot of things close to the vest after the Sheriff told everyone about the rat poison.
When the press release is made, whether or not they do have a very good person of interest, they will thank all of the local task force members which includes the SPD, the SCSO, and the WSP for their ongoing help in these matters(which is what one does). The Chief of Police was allowed to be out front with the local media about this because of the divide between locals and Feds regarding the Zehm case.
Got some good agents in Spokane, only because it’s kinda better then LA, DC , Baltimore, and NY!
Okay, guys/girls tell me where I’m wrong!
zelda on March 09 at 11:55 a.m.
KXLY is reporting —
Multiple law enforcement sources have confirmed they are executing a search warrant at a home in Addy, Wash. in relation to the Martin Luther King Day bomb plot and one person has been arrested.
US Attorney Michael Ormsby said a press release will be made available around noon regarding the raid and arrest.
westonr on March 09 at 12:03 p.m.
Mossad.
greenlibertarian on March 09 at 12:11 p.m.
Loudin, don’t waste your breath. SpokyBear said the attempted bombing was just somebody mad about the high parking charges in DT Spokane.
Ron_the_Cop on March 09 at 12:18 p.m.
Looks like a good LE effort to make an arrest in this case. I’m guessing the t-shirt was what linked back to the Colville. The suspect is being ID on the news now. Supposedly will be arraigned in Federal Court around 3PM today. News sources are reporting past White Supremist ties.
Kivaari on March 09 at 12:24 p.m.
What gets me is, “they”, call this a sophisticated device. It was a crude bomb, with an “explosive filler” that was a low grade powder designed NOT to make good bombs. Originally the trigger was said to be a cell phone, and now it is a remote car starter. Either device is not a sophisticated remote control. Adding lead airgun pellets and rat poison to the mix, just adds some drama. Any kid with a computer, would know how to make this device and would know that Pyrodex is the wrong filler to use. I suspect this was more of a threat designed to stir up the community, not really intended to inflict serious injuries.
It just sounds too amateur in nature.
Loudin on March 09 at 12:28 p.m.
This Kevin Harpham is a total racist; he’s a member of a pro-white website called the “VNN Forum.”
Here’s a link to a post he made asking a moderator to fix his email address:
http://www.vnnforum.com/showthread.php?t=70054
Loudin
Loudin on March 09 at 12:32 p.m.
CORRECTION: The focus of the “VNN Forum” website appears to be anti-Semite, not particularly “pro-white” as I mentioned in my earlier post. It’s a pretty crazy forum…lots of 9/11 conspiracy garbage and similar.
Loudin
Loudin on March 09 at 12:35 p.m.
Just for FYI, I did a screen capture of the suspect’s posting on that forum…just so that those racists can’t pull it down and claim they aren’t affiliated with a terrorist. Here’s the screen capture on imageshack…
http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/7241/66617129.jpg
bszottlinger on March 09 at 12:41 p.m.
Ron_the_Cop:
Good guess based on the media accounts, not enough tie a specific suspect, wait and see!
bszottlinger on March 09 at 12:47 p.m.
Loudin:
Yep, you are right. I hope you don’t have a problem with it!
Loudin on March 09 at 12:56 p.m.
I always have a problem w/poorly educated idiots who blame their lack of success in life upon the other people’s race.
BTW: I’d love to meet the little girl named “A Linder” who runs that vile forum; I’d separate his head from his body using one of my patented “Vision Quest” wrestling moves.
Loudin
bszottlinger on March 09 at 12:59 p.m.
Loudin:
Why don’t you flag your last post so it is deleted!
Dazzeetrader11 on March 09 at 1:01 p.m.
Loudin, why do you say he’s a “total” racist? Is there data somwhere to confirm that or is it a bomb left during an MLK event that makes you say that?
I’d say we should keep the powder dry till we know more. I’m sure there will be more but geeeeeeeeez can’t we wait for some sort of confirmatory information?
bszottlinger on March 09 at 1:01 p.m.
Loudin:
The one where you gave the link!
Smokie on March 09 at 1:06 p.m.
Says he was a registered voter. I wonder which party he usually voted for.
gotriddabush on March 09 at 1:08 p.m.
Kevin William Harpham = Fox News Biggest Fan, probably blocks all other channels…
Loudin on March 09 at 1:13 p.m.
Daisy,
Do you know what the VNN Forum is? If not, go poke around there and see for yourself. It’s consists of rants against Jews and blacks, w/some anti-Hispanic propaganda for good measure. Additionally, the name “Kevin Harpham” is the suspect’s name and his profile on the VNN Forums lists him as from Kettle Falls, WA.
Kevin Harpham + VNN Forums + bomb left at an MLK event. Daisy, is it a real stretch to question whether or not this guy had racist motives? Really?
Zott,
Why would I want to pull that link? I want people to see what sort of vile garbage some Americans subscribe to. If it brings problems and scrutiny to this “A Linder” and his paranoid racist followers, so be it. The SPLC knows all to well about the VNN Forum, but most people don’t; I want to expose these losers to the world…to get good people fired up and in their faces.
Loudin
zelda on March 09 at 1:19 p.m.
There’s a certain individual commenting here who knows waaaay too much about making bombs.
As this investigation proceeds, it will be interesting to see if the arrested man has cohorts who helped him plan/make the IED. Or he’s the proverbial troubled loner.
Funny how some people in these rural areas can be leading a subsistence lifestyle, scratching and scraping to get by, but they always seem to be able to pay for an Internet connection.
Ninch on March 09 at 1:20 p.m.
Wow… here we go again… uber-liberals blaming this guy’s ideology and actions on Beck (who is the opposite of racist) and FOX news which in no way promotes racist views. The same BS that emerged immediately after the Gifford shooting. I flagged both of you for clueless ranting to try and incite others… as well as totally off topic.
Please go to the Southern Poverty website and learn the FACTS about this guy and his ilk.
Ninch on March 09 at 1:22 p.m.
What does rural internet access have to do with this topic? Sounds like Obama when he talked about rural people clinging to god and their guns, but apparently this uninformed biased viewpoint has now been extended to the internet.
Loudin on March 09 at 1:25 p.m.
No, Beck isn’t a racist; he’s just an insane former coke addict.
And no, FOX isn’t racist; it’s just the #1 news source for people who graduated high school with Moses.
Let’s keep this on target, folks! This is about a racist low-life participating in a terrorist plot to kill & injure Americans.
Loudin
bszottlinger on March 09 at 1:26 p.m.
Loudin:
Never mind then your call! Just thinking ahead.
SpokyDaBear on March 09 at 1:28 p.m.
How do we know he is a racist? Maybe he just doesn’t like metal park benches. You people jump too quickly to conclusions.
Watch the national news tonight, again they call Spokane a hot bed for White Power.
“Near nature, Nearly White Trash……..”
maria on March 09 at 1:32 p.m.
Hey, where’s hawken to defend this guy?
bszottlinger on March 09 at 1:36 p.m.
Zelda:
He is just who he is, not what you think. He just knows everything when it comes to the things he feels he knows. Kinda like a lot of us.
Back on point, if there is a good arrest, and I bet there is, this is great, and it says a lot of things both conservatives and liberals will be able to agree upon!
SpokyDaBear on March 09 at 1:40 p.m.
Why does he bomb the MLK day parade and not the gay freedom day parade?
What kind of racists do we have around here?
Surely, they could do better.
But maybe they discriminate against gays, because they think are unworthy to be even bombed.
Maybe all the white power people are gay?
DemoDriver on March 09 at 1:42 p.m.
Regardless of ideology, let’s hope they really caught the bastard that set that bomb.
gotriddabush on March 09 at 1:47 p.m.
All Fox News watchers are not racists, but all racists watch Fox News (if they watch news)…All tea party members are not racists but all racists are tea party members (if they vote). Tomatoe—Toma’toe
Therefore if Kevin William Harpham votes he would vote with the tea party caucus. If Kevin William Harpham watches news he watches Faux News….oops Fox News.
zelda on March 09 at 1:52 p.m.
Brad — I don’t mean to label him as anyone dangerous. I’m just baffled by intensity of some people’s fascination with blowing stuff up. But on the flip side, I guess somebody’s got to know this in order to investigate cases such as this.
And, on topic, yay! for the FBI and all LE involved in this investigation and prosecution. I am glad that they piled the resources and person-hours on this case and arrested a suspect. I bet it was a tough nut to crack but they followed the leads relentlessly.
Loudin on March 09 at 1:58 p.m.
gotriddabush,
You’re generalizing too much. For all we know, Harpham is a Log Cabin Republican who watches Rachel Maddow because he finds Maddow to be a handsome young man. It’s a complicated world we live in and we can’t assume (“ass out of you and me!”) we know his dealio.
That said, there are some absolutes around here.
1) Daisy is in a Lane Bryant parking lot, crushing a Prius w/her Hummer.
2) Hawken is busy using one hand to type anti-tax diatribes on Craig’s List “Rant & Raves” and he’s using the other hand to sign his Social Security & Medicare checks.
3) I’m getting ready to put on my solar suit, get a bloody nose and go running across the Monroe Street Bridge. [Well, just as soon as I get my “Journey” mix-tape straight…then I’m out of here.]
Loudin
bszottlinger on March 09 at 2:00 p.m.
Zelda:
I say good on them, all of them, and see, sometimes when the cops keep their mouths shut when most of them should, good things sometimes happen.
BTW, there is a lot of smoke involved in blowing stuff up!
Liberty_Bell on March 09 at 2:01 p.m.
And the tea party gotriddabush? and your brain too?
Like that Letter from a Birmingham Jail 1963?
I hope you are able to ace the distinction I am trying to point out. In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law, as would the rabid segregationist. That would lead to anarchy. One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.
Of course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral law was at stake. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians, who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks rather than submit to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire. To a degree, academic freedom is a reality today because Socrates practiced civil disobedience. In our own nation, the Boston Tea Party represented a massive act of civil disobedience.
We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was “legal” and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was “illegal.” It was “illegal” to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler’s Germany. Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers. If today I lived in a Communist country where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I would openly advocate disobeying that country’s antireligious laws.
I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.
I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and that when they fan in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress. I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that the present tension in the South is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace, in which the Negro passively accepted his unjust plight, to a substantive and positive peace, in which all men will respect the dignity and worth of human personality. Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with an its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured.
kimberlyl on March 09 at 2:04 p.m.
@Shadedmuse:
Kevin Coy is the neighbor, not the suspect.
Loudin on March 09 at 2:12 p.m.
Schweet…now CNN is running the story.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/03/09/washington.bomb.suspect/index.html?hpt=T2
Fox, not so much; still the “panties in a twist” story about NPR (plus a hideous photo of Hillary Clinton…for some reason).
Loudin
Kivaari on March 09 at 2:14 p.m.
Zelda, It is not nice to jump to conclussions about people. Yes, I do know a lot about explosives. I served in both the US Navy and US Army, and was a police officer. Yes, my state sponsored training included bombs. Our agency had a bomb tech and I was his “Leroy”. “Leroy” is the guy that is too dumb to know any better. You send in “Leroy” to handle the bomb, because he is so dumb, that he cost less to replace then a robot or a $15,000 bomb suit. I know a bunch about some things that come up. But the bomb material is readily available on-line, and in books. I did get the joint forces IED investigators report from Iraq. One of the key triggering devices were remote car starters and alarm system. This is so basic that it doesn’t take much to do. This guy is a low-tech loser. If my injuries had not been so disabling I had intended to continue working until I was 62. Our tech and I were both old and none of the young officers had the balls to do what we did.
One thing he and I did was still hold the old John Wayne mentality about life. We always tried todo the right thing, and treat everyone right. Too many of the newer generation are just into union operations and not doing police work. We dinosaur-ed out.
Diana on March 09 at 2:17 p.m.
I don’t blame Fox news or Beck, I blame all male caucasions.
Limida_Facalon on March 09 at 2:20 p.m.
Hmmm…what happened to that posting referring to Hayden Lake and Aryan Nations? Something about how the rest of the country looks at the Spokane/Idaho region as a hotbed of racism…? Unfair, I’m sure, but that’s why this San Franciscan
clicked onto the Spokane-Review. I figured I’d be entertained reading screeds from the wingnuts.
To wrap up: Spokane = Aryan Nations denizens. San Francisco = Left Wing Queers and Treehuggers. That’s about right isn’t it?
Loudin on March 09 at 2:20 p.m.
Diana,
I wish you’d pipe down and go iron my shirts.
Loudin
DeCaYeD on March 09 at 2:23 p.m.
I blame Loudin
Kivaari on March 09 at 2:26 p.m.
Loudin and gotriddabush, You are both bigots. We TEA party-types would fight in defense of others far sooner then any of the puzzy left wingers. Wrestling? An odd sport with a high number of girls out of costume. God, guns, and individual freedoms somehow makes conservatives racist? Smaller government and wise spending is racist and bigoted? You want to see racism and bigotry, just watch MSNBC, PBS, NPR and CNN. PBS and NPR are just the tip of the rotting fish called the liberal left.
Limida_Facalon on March 09 at 2:31 p.m.
Yay! Kivaari doesn’t disappoint!
lowtechmaster on March 09 at 2:35 p.m.
When will we ever learn that the only thing to hate is hate itself!
Kivaari on March 09 at 2:36 p.m.
Facalon, Thanks I knew the bigots in sheeps clothing would be waiting. Notice how it only took seconds to label us as white trash racists?
hawken on March 09 at 2:36 p.m.
This is what I love about the SR blog! The astute mixed the astupid! It’s all FREE!
Where can one get such entertainment? FREE!
The only thing I see missing is John Clarke demanding that we say to this “ex-soldier,” ,,,, “Thank you for your service.”
Otherwise perfect!
Diana on March 09 at 2:39 p.m.
Loudin, as if that would ever happen. Tough guy keyboard commandos are so… wimpy.
Loudin on March 09 at 2:46 p.m.
Kivari,
I didn’t say anything about the Tea Party, one way or the other.
BTW: I don’t think one can be bigoted against an entity. Just sayin’.
Loudin
PS: Guys like you, who do rhythmic gymnastics, shouldn’t get uppiity w/wrestlers. And yes, Lavar “Kivari” Latrell, I’ve seen you throw the javelin.
Loudin on March 09 at 2:47 p.m.
Diana,
You’re putting too much starch in my shorts.
Loudin
Diana on March 09 at 2:50 p.m.
Cupcake, I have nothing to do with your starchy unders.
DemoDriver on March 09 at 3:17 p.m.
Limida: that ANYBODY from San Francisco can call us (or anybody else for that matter) a bunch of “wing nuts” had me rolling on the floor!
Thanks for the laughs—you really brightened up a cloudy day!
blazer81 on March 09 at 3:19 p.m.
Did somebody say Diana was doing laundry? Where can I drop off my shirts?
bszottlinger on March 09 at 3:19 p.m.
So can we take it that the reason you get your nose so easily bent out of shape is because you lost all the nose cartilage boxing?
Limida_Facalon on March 09 at 3:27 p.m.
Yo, Demo! My point exactly! See, I live in San Francisco so I’m a left winger. You folks out there somewhere in the hinderlands are right wingers. Simple as 1-2-3.
Stereotypical cliches rule, que no?
Kivaari on March 09 at 3:29 p.m.
Loudin, You are a bigot for your views on FOX news and all of us conservatives. Remember all the reports about civility at TEA Party events and compare them to the leftist protests at the Wisconsin State Capitol. I always love how the leftist label we conservatives, but ignore their own shouting down of free speech. I lumped you in with the other bigots that think we white conservatives have some kind of lock on hatred. With the exception of a few blasts here and there most bombings have been carried out by leftist groups. Anarchist, SDS, SLA, GJB, Puerto Ricans, Bill Ayers Weathermen, and the like. Sure there are nuts on the right, but they certainly don’t represent the vast right wing conservatives that believe in liberty and freedom for all. It is so obnoxious to have the uneducated leftist label the majority of the people in the country as being racist. I’ve seen more racism at diversity classes then I ever saw on the street. Attend a Latino diversity course on domestic violence and you will hear how no violence happened in the new world until Europeans arrived. Have an instructor tell our generally white class members the it is our fault that blacks and latinos only learned to be bad, because of what our ancestors did. It is wrong to make NE Washington and N. Idaho into some kind of white power zone. There are more racists in any large city then there are in our region, and they aren’t all white.
Diana on March 09 at 3:33 p.m.
Blazer, you were misinformed. It’s hawken who’s doing laundry.
DemoDriver on March 09 at 3:34 p.m.
Limida: so long as we’re all laughing! it really IS the best medicine, wherever you live. :)
zelda on March 09 at 3:35 p.m.
If I understand the nomenclature correctly, ultra-conservatives are known as “wing nuts” and ultra-liberals are “moon bats.” That much I’ve picked up from reading Wonkette.
Just saw an update on KREM TV and it sort of sounded liked the FBI tried to apprehend another person at the scene and that person is the one whose vehicle’s rear window was shot out.
But the caveat is that the details are sketchy so that aspect is just hearsay at this point.
Hey, @Kivaari, if I catch your drift are you saying that maybe the FBI is over-charging this guy because his bomb wasn’t as sophisticated as the agents say it was. So LE is giving him an undeserved A in bomb-making while you say he only earned a D. But even an amateur bomb with enough explosive could be lethal to many people. The suspect may be getting extra points for intent, meaning that he spent a lot of time crafting a device complex enough to clearly show he very much wanted to kill people as opposed to heaving a Molotov cocktail from the sidelines.
And if he failed on his first attempt, it would be reasonable to suspect that he’d try to do it again.
west on March 09 at 3:38 p.m.
Why do all these rascist’s live here in Eastern Wa and Idaho?
hawken on March 09 at 3:40 p.m.
Actually, I do, do laundry. I”m retired, but not on Medicare or Social Security. I’m too young.
My wife forces me to do the laundry.
I’m taking bids. You will have to deliver and pick it up. After all, I am a capitalist, conservative. Profit is profit. I do not provide public transport.
Kivaari on March 09 at 3:42 p.m.
BSZ, I did lose most of those matches. I learned at a young age that way too many of the wrestlers were into touchy feally stuff. That was way back in the Glorious Gorgeous George days. It was confirmed when I started reading about the wrestling culture in regards to some child molester cases. Now I am not saying all wrestlers are odd, but a lot of them are. I never trust wrestlers, preachers of any faith, especially youth pastors that wrestled in college. Sorry but some images just get ingrained too deeply. At least I can keep an open mind and let the others practice free speech. But I don’t have to remain quiet when the urbanites label we rural white folks as being racist, gun toting, bible thumping savages. Try being a Jew in this part of the world.
zelda on March 09 at 4:01 p.m.
Maybe the reason the Spokane area has earned its reputation for bigotry is because whenever there is a racist incident, various and sundry white supremicist groups in the area issue statements to the press disavowing any involvement. This one comes from the imperial wizard of the KKK in Hayden —
http://www.khq.com/Global/story.asp?S=14221100
Kivaari on March 09 at 4:01 p.m.
Zelda, This bomb was “low yield” By making it bigger, it probably would have only had a bit more smoke and flash. The powder he used, and diluted with the pellets and rat poison would have a small blast radius. You can’t make Pyrodex do much more then make a little flame and smoke. It is a black powder substitute, that doesn’t require an explosives license to sell. It can’t make a good filler. Even black powder is a low explosive, and it would have made a much more lethal device. It is why Pyrodex can be sold anywhere. A serious attack would have involved nothing less then black powder, but would normally have a high explosive filler. A serious bomber can come up with homemade mixtures that are more effective then this stuff. I think this guy knew his device wasn’t much. The end result is he still disrupted activity and created terror. He is a terrorist, regardless of the quality of his device. Shortly before 9-11 we had a training class given by an FBI Agent named Kennedy. He said the most notoriuous areas for domestic terrorism are located in Eugene (Oregon), Olympia (Washington) and Madison (Wisconsin). Those domestic terrorist were all leftist. Yet in the publics eye, it is white guys in Idaho that are the problem. Notice the crazy crowds in Madison supporting the commie unions? Those are a bigger threat then the few nut jobs in our area.
debbie10 on March 09 at 4:11 p.m.
TO Bad they CAUGHT the guy. He should have been MORE careful!!! NEXT time …………
maria on March 09 at 4:18 p.m.
Really, debbie10? Really?
Way to put a target on your back. Derp, derp, derp. Have fun explaining that comment to the FBI.
hawken on March 09 at 4:30 p.m.
So, where’s the opening bid on the laundry?
I live in the country as well. Therefore, all I do is “whites,” such as T-shirts, Long Johns, tube socks, some bras, but my wife says bras MUST NOT go in the dryer. Scratch the bras.
I will make a special exception for men who wear “Wranglers” or “Boot Cut Levis” only. Otherwise, “whites” only. Since I live in the country.
I also promise to put my guns in the gun safe and my Bible in the library. I would not want to offend any potential customers.
My Glock 23 will be concealed on my hip, legally of course. You will not even know it’s there.
Now,,,,, opening bids for laundry service anyone? Remember, “whites” only.
Smokie on March 09 at 4:30 p.m.
Revisionist historians like to cover up the fact of why Martin Luther King was so despised by Conservatives, The FBI and that precursor of today’s Tea Party - The John Birch Society.
Dr. King was persecuted by the above groups and assassinated because of his antiwar stance and his critique of economic inequality in the USA. These people called him a Socialist and a Communist because of his vocal opposition. Sound familiar?
What would today’s Conservatives (those who call Obama a Socialist because he wants to give insurance companies business) think of someone like Martin Luther King and his stance against economic inequality in the USA? The bomb aimed at those who still cling to MLK’s beliefs is your answer.
The media continually washes over why Dr. King was persecuted. And it’s ironic that Conservatives laud him now that he is dead and silenced.
SpokyDaBear on March 09 at 4:36 p.m.
Seattle press is reporting that he once was married to a black woman and he has a biracial kid.
Diana on March 09 at 4:38 p.m.
Good idea to take in laundry, hawken, as I’m sure you’ll turn down those socialist entitlements when the time comes. B-b-but, we’re broke!
hawken on March 09 at 4:52 p.m.
Diana;
I could not possibly get involved with the “socialist” entitlements for taking in laundry.
The paperwork is more than I could handle. I’m only a simple, 8th grade, red neck, dependent upon my guns and my Bible.
You would have to help me with the paperwork considering your expertise.
Of course, I could not pay you.
Just think of yourself as a “volunteer,” like working at the Library. You know, a community service to the simple in mind?
What small profits I might make, will probably be used up for my “Red Man” and my “Thunderbird.” Of course, you understand.
Loudin on March 09 at 4:56 p.m.
Oh Kivarri,
I thought you were a cuddly bear (not Jim West-style “bear,” but simply large and affable). Guess I was wrong.
Now, back to your bigot accusation. I read your rant and said to myself, “Self, did you really say anything derogatory about Fox News in this thread?” So I went back and reread my posts. Alas, I can find nothing slanderous or truly negative about what I said; to be fair, I poked more fun at MSNBZzzz than at any Fox News commentator. That said, I did make a statement about Glenn Beck using cocaine (true, he talks ad nauseum about it lately when discussing Charlie Sheen); and true, I did state he is insane (insane like Keith Olbermann or Nancy Grace). Lastly, I did state that CNN was prominently running the MLK bombing arrest story, whereas I couldn’t find it on the Fox News index site.
So, what again am I being accused of by you? And why are you making this about you and Fox News when the real story is about the MLK bomber and his links to racist organizations and webforums?
Seriously, I’m not trying to be adversarial with you, but you are mistaken about this issue (and the supposed Tea Party comments you feel I made and yet you couldn’t quote or cut & paste). I hope this isn’t a “senior moment” for you, especially if you’re not a senior. Shaking your fists at clouds because you feel like a victim doesn’t do much, Gramps.
Loudin
PS: You are bigoted against wrestling. I would put you in a full nelson, but you seem to have given a lot (LOT) of thought to male skin contact and appear to be “wrestling” with other issues. Not that there is anything wrong with that…but it’s not my style.
Loudin on March 09 at 5:09 p.m.
A little O/T:
It’s nice to see that the commentary on the Seattle Times coverage of this story is in line w/the Spokesman. One would think the Westside “high & mighty” types would be bashing Eastern Washington again, but it’s actually running 50/50. And when I say “50/50,” I mean the comments are 50% about the actual story and 50% about “Tea Party/Fox News are racists” and “Tea Party/Fox News are not racists.”
I may have to rethink my prejudices of Sounder-types as aloof elitists. (Nah…I still think the average Seattle male goes limp at the sight of a hammer or lawn mower).
Loudin
leekinny on March 09 at 5:11 p.m.
Thank You !
hawken on March 09 at 5:12 p.m.
Kivaari
Shame on you for picking on wrestlers! They are genuine people too, you know.
I know this to be true, because I once watched about 2 minutes of WWE RAW on TV.
Kivaari, you should not be denigrating what might be the number one spectator sport of the left. The persuasive power of smoke and mirrors should not be minimized.
You need to spend more time pulling weeds in your country garden. Get real!
When you’re done there, you should pull the weeds in my country garden, as your penance.
zelda on March 09 at 5:32 p.m.
@Kivaari — where do you get your info. about the composition of the bomb? I don’t recall seeing anything but the most general info. about what it was composed of.
Even if he was a crummy bomb-maker, he certainly could learn by trial and error until he pulled it off with the effect he intended. Good thing they caught him before he could possibly have tried it again.
I wonder what this guy was doing in the period of the time he left the army until today.
Ron_the_Cop on March 09 at 5:41 p.m.
Zelda,
The stuff is all over the net. Remember what I said a while back that I’d be checking for booms going off in rural areas. I’d be willing to bet this guy’s been practicing in the woods near his house.
bumblebeetuna on March 09 at 5:48 p.m.
F u kevin Harpman
zelda on March 09 at 6:06 p.m.
@Ron — I guess those aren’t the websites I’m frequenting for conventional recipes. Makes me wonder why people were coming down on Ozzie K. like a ton of bricks if all the details about the MLK Day March bomb were available in chatrooms.
My impression of Stevens County is that things are always going boom. There’s mining, stump clearing, rock quarries, etc., not to mention recreational users.
eagleproducer on March 09 at 6:11 p.m.
So all those concerns from “liberals” about our veterans being radicalized by the far right are just hogwash?
crader72 on March 09 at 6:14 p.m.
Shademuse: Kevin Coy, the neighbor, was a coworker for about 5 years, good guy. Runs a restoration business up here with his wife, very smart and successful person. In other words the total opposite of Kevin Harpham.
eagleproducer on March 09 at 6:16 p.m.
kivaari: Please provide links to stories concerning “leftist” terrorist attacks and arrests in the cities you cited. I can’t find a single one. Oh wait, there was a conviction of an Islamic foreign national in Eugene who was sending money to Chechen rebels. Not quite a leftist scheme.
liberal_in_right_wing_land on March 09 at 6:17 p.m.
Shocking that a stupid ignorant racist did this.
Manito_Mary on March 09 at 6:19 p.m.
As I recall, the last bombing at City Hall was attributed to a couple of brothers from the Colville area. What is with that area? Did the nazi’s from Hayden Lake move to Stevens County?
I hope justice is swift.
johnclarke on March 09 at 6:21 p.m.
wow, fly to seattle for the day, and I come back to (surprise) the usual suspects having a pointless argument.
Smokie, thank you for you thoughtful comment. Keep that up, and I may have to vote for the next fire levy :) Ok , not really. It’s nice to see we can disagree on other subjects, yet I still respect your opinion. Cheers.
eagleproducer on March 09 at 6:25 p.m.
Kivaari: I’ve lived here on and off since 1969. I am Jewish and have enjoyed mostly every minute of that experience.
They don’t make us wear Stars of David here. If I didn’t tell people I was a Jew, they’d never know. Do you have a way to identify us of which I am unaware? Like following people home from the Temple?
hawken on March 09 at 6:30 p.m.
Spoketucky: You are absolutely correct. Our veterans ARE being radicalized by the far right!
Just look at John Clarke! He’s the one who insists that we should tell ALL former veterns, “Thank you for your service.”
The only thing that confuses me here, a bit, is that Clarke is a self proclaimed liberal?
He must be the exception to your absolutely, correct rule.
Our mindless veterans, ARE indeed being radicalized by the far right! No doubt.
Thank you for bringing this string back to a reasonable, astute dialog.
eagleproducer on March 09 at 6:33 p.m.
Good work today from our resident wrestler.
That VNN forum is just rich. Holocaust denials, race-baiting, birthers, wacko conspiracy theorists, and more uses of the “N” word than a 70’s era blaxploitation flick…
Viva la Internet!
Right?
hawken on March 09 at 6:59 p.m.
My wife just told me I have to do the laundry now, and that I can no longer talk with the astute and play with the astupid, for tonight.
Maybe can play again tomorrow. You’ll have to bring the ball.
Misjustice should see me now! She once said I didn’t play well with other children. Was she ever wrong!
bszottlinger on March 09 at 7:11 p.m.
Zelda:
I’ve heard all about a “dirty bomb” and how the government is concerned about terrorists developing one, but I’ll be darned if I’ve heard of a “crummy bomb”. Is a crummy bomb worse then a dirty bomb? Is there some kind of a rating scale for bombs like say a 1-10 scale based on how many people the bomb is capable of killing?
crader72 on March 09 at 7:13 p.m.
Mantio Mary: Stevens County is filled with regular folks, it’s just a very rural area and we do respect your privacy. If you want to be left alone, for whatever reason, people out here will leave you alone. If you want to meet people and be neighborly there are many opportunities for that too.
zelda on March 09 at 7:53 p.m.
Brad — I meant to say it was a crappy bomb, not to be confused with a stink bomb or a bad movie.
As for lethality, well, I worked for a company that was a DoD contractor. We had trade magazines in the work area and it was a real eye-opener the first time I read an advertisement for a nuclear bomb. You know how Crest advertises that its white strips make your teeth five times whiter? This particular defense company cited its overkill ratio as a measure of effectiveness.
So, yeah, the makers of “clean” bombs do have a scientifically based scale to calculate how many people the bombs are capable of killing. Amateurs are less precise.
Fortunately, guys in trailers in Stevens County probably don’t have access to those kinds of materials.
maria on March 09 at 7:56 p.m.
hawken said “Misjustice should see me now! She once said I didn’t play well with other children. Was she ever wrong!”
So you’re a pedophile, hawken? I always suspected it.
bszottlinger on March 09 at 8:02 p.m.
Maria:
I’m sure you are aware that you can tell conservative men just by looking at them. A conservative always double knots his shoes, and always wears a belt and suspenders at the same time. The skid marks you linked to are just a bi-product conservatives have to put up with when wearing both a belt and suspenders.
On the other hand commandos going male liberals have their own problems, like zipper cuts on the lower proboscis.
bszottlinger on March 09 at 8:12 p.m.
Zelda:
Then I guess Kivaari and the old DOD contractor would give this one a low rating. On my rating scale any crappy, crummy, bomb capable of producing bodily harm to anyone gets a high rating and the maker should have enough points to spend a good long time in a Federal Joint, and not at one of the Country Clubs.
greenlibertarian on March 09 at 8:13 p.m.
Please don’t feed the trolls and please, let’s knock off the bathroom humor.
misjustice on March 09 at 8:13 p.m.
Maria, what I really said to sqawken Hawken was that his parents probably had to tie a pork chop around his neck to get the dog to play with him; but, whatever! If he is playing with kids I hope he gets caught…sicko.
As to the article, good job investigators.
Now if only we could get Mr. King (who is currently doing a McCarthy type hearing on Muslims) to do a hearing on why/how white males in ‘Merica are being radicalized perhaps we could make some progress on lessening hate crimes perpetrated by white males.
Manito_Mary on March 09 at 8:19 p.m.
Dear C R,
I never meant to include all the clean living people in Stevens County with the neo-nazi types. Our constitution allows for the peaceful demonstration of one’s beliefs as in the MLK parade. No self proclaimed nazi deserves the time of day in our society when they resort to violence.
If the people in Stevens County have any backbone, they will hold their own MLK parade as a demonstration of acceptance of multicultural diversity.
By the way C R, how does domestic terrorism coincide with living in a rural area?
Kivaari on March 09 at 8:28 p.m.
Zelda, The reports on the Pyrodex. lead pellets and rat poison are everywhere. Remember the stink when Ozzie let out the secret? I got my first intro to gay wrestlers when a trooper brought in a DUI pro-wrestler. Up until then I never had even paid attention to them. I thought Gorgeous George was a show, and he really was a fruit cake. Then while doing some about child molesting cases I came across the closet gays in the wrestling crowd. Just some higher numbers of guys that like guys in that sport. For some it’s just the power-trip that gets them “involved”. It turns out that many of those “hunks” are actually “hunkettes”.
Spoketucky, I live in Idaho. It’s a bible belt and there are about 3 Jews in the county. I tend to never say a thing unless someone says something nasty. I guess you could call me a closet non-Christian. Most people are really tolerant of others. I dislike how this region gets portrayed in the media and entertainment industry. We have a few nuts in the area that get attention. It is very unfair to the rest of us, that wouldn’t hurt anyone, except a bad guy.
To the other person regarding the ELF/ALF crowd, they are centered out of the University of Oregon, The Evergreen State College, and U of Wisconsin. Most of their attacks were away from their HQ. Arson was their favorite tool. They damaged logging sites all around the Olympic Peninsula, Portland and California car dealerships, forest research facilities, university labs, housing developments, ski resorts in Colorado. Look up the PR terrorist group and you will see hundreds of attacks against the US Govt. They even shot up the House of Representatives (bullet holes are still there). That is the problem, we have lots of attacks and we forget about them. You don’t see much about arrests and trials in those towns because the federal courts are in places like Seattle or Portland. Union fights where mill workers and guards were killed in shootouts, bombings, and arson’s. Even the Governor of Idaho was killed by union bombers. Wall Street was bombed. The anti-war crowd bombed universities, federal buildings all around the country, Pentagon, NYPD HQ, U or WA, Obama’s friend Ayers was in on bombings and robberies that killed people. The George Jackson Brigade in the King County area. They set off bombs and robbed banks. A bank in Tukwila brought the death and injury to some of them. Several were sent to jail. They are still active in the Seattle area. Leftist terrorist with websites. They even had a jail break where KCSO guards were shot. The SLA kidnappers, robbers, and killers were out for the revolution (Patty Hearst). Union thugs in Chehalis county, Everett docks and just about every mill town on the coast. The ELF/ALF folks were tried in federal court in Arizona. The leader of the group an (environmentalist/rapist) hanged himself in jail. You will find leftist idiots around every university campus. Lots of hangers-on that call themselves “anarchists” when they are just stupid socialist/communists.
nslopeofw on March 09 at 8:35 p.m.
I like the way liberals like maria call other people they dont like stupid things. So grown up. So civil. That is usually the attack from one who has no brain of their own to use in a discussion. POS!
Damn glad they caught this hunk of doo, i hope they give him death. Regardless of whether this was a crappy bomb or not, its the thought that counts. Imagine a field trip of kids near if that thing had exploded. This POS is no better than that Loungner loser in AZ.
zelda on March 09 at 8:43 p.m.
I agree that there has been a lot of leftist violence, much of it done in the name of labor organizing — the Molly McGuires, the Haymarket riot, strikes at Ford Motor, mine workers, Wobblies, etc., and by anarchists, later on by groups such as the SLA and SDS.
But what has the Feds attention is the scale in recent years — Oklahoma City — mass murder. I can’t think of anything done by leftists that caused so many fatalities at one time.
tinberry on March 09 at 9:18 p.m.
I see he has already been found guilty. Stephanie Vigil KHQ actually stated he was one day going to take over his fathers farm but now we know that will never happen!
Responsible journalism! The news is in a whipped a frenzy witch hunt. Due process…LOL
zelda on March 09 at 9:24 p.m.
What I see in his future is a change of venue. Can a prosecutor push for that? He might not be able to find a jury here that would convict.
bszottlinger on March 09 at 9:53 p.m.
Tinberry is right, we shouldn’t rush to judgment. The t-shirts no big deal they wouldn’t necessarily tie him to the bomb. But if the agents were able to tie him directly to the bomb materials, he might have some problems. I wonder if that might be why they wanted the specifics of the materials used to make the bomb kept quiet, like they do in every other Weapon of Mass Destruction Case.
Kivaari on March 09 at 10:30 p.m.
Zelda, I think he will get tried in the federal court having jurisdiction. Give this story a few months and most people in Spokane wont even remember it. That is one of the problems, people forget that these things happen, and happen too often. Then slip away from memory. It’s like all of the bombings and violence you mentioned. Ask 100 people about them and I suspect you and I would be about the only ones that remember them. Mention the PR terrorist attacks since 1950 and most people will respond by asking where PR is and ask, “What attacks?”. Mention the George Jackson Brigade and you will get blank stares from that same group of 100 people. What I would worry about is getting “judged by a jury of my peers”. Most people are clueless about serious news and history. We, our society, is very under-educated. People actually think these cases are like an hour long episode of Law and Order or worse yet CSI: Miami.
detroitdude on March 09 at 10:42 p.m.
How did this go from talking about an arrest of a suspect in a bomb plot to calling one of the posters here a pedophile? That’s what I want to know lol