Knowledge Is Key In Terrorism Fight

Tue., Dec. 31, 1996

By Rebecca Nappi rebeccan@spokesman.com (509) 459-5496

The girls could be playing in a Spokane park. They wear spring dresses and seem to be enjoying that wonderful age before adolescence, before pimples, before boy-craziness. They could be the girls next-door - except that they live each day with the message that only white people are good.

The girls danced through this newspaper’s pages on Sunday in the first installment of “The War Within.” The series, which ends today, explores the violence perpetrated by anti-government and white supremacy groups throughout the country. Some of the people involved have organized into small groups, called leaderless cells. Some live in isolation with others who think the way they do.

The girls, for instance, reside in Elohim City in the Ozark Mountains of eastern Oklahoma. The leader of the community denies any involvement in violence, but the community is linked to Timothy McVeigh, the prime suspect in the Oklahoma City bombing.

Why should we care about the girls? Why should we care about anti-government violence documented in 25 states, including Washington and Idaho?

Because the violence hits home. Today’s stories chronicle the aftermath of the bombings and robberies that shook several Spokane institutions last spring and summer. This newspaper. U.S. Bank. Planned Parenthood. Though no one was killed, the psychological terror lingers. Three quarters of the U.S. Bank employees working in the bombed-and-robbed branch have quit or requested transfers.

Understanding domestic terrorism - and understanding the people behind it - isn’t easy. There is no one reason why men and women buy into a rabid anti-government view of the world. And no one reason why that view then leads some of them to violence.

But an important weapon against the violence is knowledge. The FBI’s understanding of domestic terrorism should increase this year. It will spend millions of dollars training several hundred agents to investigate terrorism. And stories contained in the “The War Within” shed light on this troubling trend of domestic terrorism and show how it’s all connected.

It won’t be easy law-enforcement work. And we know “The War Within” isn’t easy reading. But the information is vital because domestic terrorism is part of our society now. You can go to work in Spokane and be blown out of your chair by a bomb. This is a fact.

We won’t get rid of the violence by denying its existence. Or by looking away in the hope it simply will disappear. It won’t.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Rebecca Nappi/For the editorial board

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.