April 19
Vernon Wayne Howell legally changed his name to David Koresh for business and religious publicity. He considered himself the head of the biblical House of David. Koresh is the biblical name for Cyrus the Great who allowed the Jews held captive in Babylon (Al Hillah in Iraq) to return to Israel. On April 19, 1993 David Koresh and his 75 followers including women and children were burn to death in their complex under siege in Waco Texas.
Exactly two years later, on April 19, 1995 Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma bomber, took a revenge killing 168 innocent people including women and children, and injuring more than 800 other innocent people. He never felt sorry for what he did. He just thought of innocent victims as collateral damage to a good cause. This is the same logic given by Ben Laden, Bush, and all warmongers alike.
While media played down the religious link in this horrendous act of terrorism, I never heard or read anything remotely calling Timothy McVeigh a Christian terrorist. Have you? If not, why Ben Laden is labeled Islamic terrorist?
I remember April 19 for a personal reason. I lost my 10 years old son on April 19, 1985. Twenty one years have passed, and the pain and agony is as fresh as ever. Thus, my sympathy to those who lose their loved ones is genuine. So is my hatred towards those who intentionally cause pain and suffering to others for whatever reasons.
Peace,
Mohamad Purqurian
April 19, 2006