Oklahoma City Victims Feel Slighted

AP | 12/21/01 | AP

[anniegetyourgun]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Some of those who lost loved ones in the Oklahoma City bombing are feeling slighted by the federal government over its decision to dispense an average of $1.65 million apiece to the families of the Sept. 11 dead.

No such federal fund was ever set up for the Oklahoma City victims.

"I don't want to do a hierarchy on terrorism here, but that's kind of minimizing what happened to the people of Oklahoma City," said Marsha Kight, whose daughter Frankie Merrell was killed in the April 19, 1995, bombing that killed 168 people and wounded more than 500. "The individual loss was just as great for us."

More than 3,000 people were killed in the attacks at the World Trade Center and Pentagon and in the plane crash in Pennsylvania. Generally, survivors will get a minimum of $300,000, with the exact amounts depending on such things as the victim's earning potential and pain and suffering.

The money will be in addition to the hundreds of millions of dollars in charitable donations that are being distributed to those who suffered in the Sept. 11 attacks.

The government fund was set up in September as part of a $15 billion airline bailout package. Those who want to receive money have to agree not to sue the airlines over the terrorist attacks.

Spokesmen for Sens. Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer of New York, who pushed the bill, did not return calls seeking comment on why Oklahoma City victims were not included, as some families say should have been done.

After the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building, the government paid out death or disability benefits to federal employees or their families. The amounts depended on the employees' insurance coverage.

Dan McKinney, whose wife was a federal employee, estimated spouses received $100,000 on average. "Some people may have gotten rich off of it, but none that I know of," he said.

And cafeteria employees, parents of children killed in the day care center and those who died while visiting the building did not receive federal benefits.

Other federal aid given to the state for the victims totaled only about $75,000, said Suzanne Breedlove, director of victims' services for the district attorney's office.

Oklahoma City collected about $35 million in charitable donations, mostly to the Red Cross, Breedlove said. Victims had to prove loss of income or other reasons for assistance. Much of the money was used for mental health counseling and surgery.

Jannie Coverdale, whose two grandsons were killed in the day care center, said she has always felt the government treated bombing victims unfairly.

"They never offered us anything," she said. "Since we're stuck here in Oklahoma, our state representatives haven't done anything to help us."

Before the attacks, in 2000, Congress passed a law that helps compensate American families who lost loved ones in terrorist attacks in other countries. The law makes it easier for victims to claim damages from the frozen assets of countries suspected of supporting terrorism.

The law retroactively covers the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Africa and the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The Oklahoma City bombing is not covered because it took place in the United States.

Martin Cash, who lost an eye in the 1995 blast, said the law should not treat one terrorist attack differently from another.

"A lot of us were a little bit miffed that we were excluded because they are making a distinction between homegrown terrorists and foreign terrorists," he said. "There are a lot of people who could use it. It's still mass murder, or attempted murder for those of us who made it through."

On Thursday, Congress did agree to waive some income taxes and provide other tax relief to families of the Sept. 11 victims as well as the Oklahoma City victims.

Kight, who now helps Sept. 11 victims through the National Organization for Victim Assistance in Washington, said she is pleased that they are receiving so much help, but wishes the Oklahoma City families had gotten more attention.

"Our concerns were minimized," she said. "A lot more is being done now because there are more people and many more voices."

[anniegetyourgun]

This nation seems to have lost all concept of private charity.

[camle]

I do hope they brought cheeze and crackers to go along with the whine.

[lady lawyer]

I knew this, or something like this, would start.

[Ward Smythe]

I do hope they brought cheeze and crackers to go along with the whine.

But sadly, they can only afford a domestic whine...

[lady lawyer]

Furthermore, what difference does it make whether a murder victim is part of a "mass murder" or in individual murder. Why don't the taxpayers just make millionaires out of all survivors? This whole thing is just nuts.

[anniegetyourgun]

Entirely nuts.

[tgiles]

Who decided to pay this out from the fed guv anyway?

[camle]

yeah. we could put Regis out of business. Give a whole new meaning to "survivor" millions.

[dead]

Since everybody's got their tin cup out, maybe the government should buy them all grinders and monkeys.

[camle]

I like cat food grinders. with rat food, rabbit food

and pickles.:-)

[ravingnutter]

The concept, from what I have read, is apparently to avoid lawsuits against airlines, builders of the WTC and the Government to avoid further economic impact. All recipients must sign a form stating that they will not sue anyone in connection with the WTC attack in order to receive the funds.

[Austim]

Some of those who lost loved ones in the Oklahoma City bombing are feeling slighted by the federal government over its decision to dispense an average of $1.65 million apiece to the families of the Sept. 11 dead.

Too bad for them that the terrorist bombing in OKC occurred while Bill Clinton was in the White House and not a Republican. If a George W. Bush had been President in 1995 he would have been in OKC handing out million dollar welfare checks to victim’s families. However, at least with Clinton we had a president that was not willing to billions to victims or terrorism.

[RobFromGa]

I definitely think that the largesse being heaped on the WTC families is way over the top. Assistance should be enough to ensure medium-term financial peace, but instead is going to change many lives drastically for the better. And that is wrong.

But, the OKC families are no more worthy than any other family that has lost loved ones to crime. They should stifle it.

[BlessedBeGod]

Have they noticed we're at war? Those at the WTC, the Pentagon, and Flight 93 were the first victims.

[camle]

I agree with your sentiments, and appreciate the sacrifice of OKC folk, but you can't really compare the two incidents. one was a crime by a nut case, the other an act of war by foreign interests devoted to the destruction of our society. thewre's also the matter of degree. 168 people is not 3,000+.

that said, I do feel the empathy for OKC people who have shown the best ot what America is.

[anniegetyourgun]

Lawmakers rushed to wrap up the congressional session by quickly approving remaining spending bills along with a tax-relief bill for victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. This also included payroll and income tax breaks for these victims.

Barring an emergency session, Congress will not return until 1/23/02.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

The rationale of 911 funding is simple: an attack on America as such left thousands of dependants without a primary breadwinner. Americans didn't want to let that stand, and we didn't have to--so we didn't. It was our way of rebuffing the terrorists, and sets no precedent for any other case whatsoever.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

I see you failed to grasp the larger issue of why are some people more important than others. Given the likelyhood of govt knowledge beforehand of the OKC bombing, it would seem these people have a legitimate grievance. As one freeper said, the victims lost a family member, they didn't win the lottery. So why are they being treated as such? This sets a bad precedent.

[tarpon_bill]

The government has proven much better at giving out other people's money that doing the only job given to it by the Costitution ... protecting it's citizens from foreign invaders.

So they play to their strength.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

That's what happens when your family is murdered during the wrong presidency. Clinton supported the killers. Bush supports the victims. Bet you don't see this on page 1.

[camle]

well you do have the right to your opinion, and as much as I would love to continue this discussion, I do have to leave and transform into a daddy for the next two weeks.

Let's agree to disagree, celebrate this true diversity, and move on

(geez! I sound like a democRAT!)

in the meantime, please have a safe, warm, and happy Christmas. May Santy Claws be nice to you and yours, and my the real Birthday Boy smile in your heart. Keep the faith!

[Dianna]

Frankly, I'm glad the Oklahoma folks are raising a stink. I'd like to see the family members of the Cole stand up too. And all the people who lost loved ones in car accidents on 911 or since.

Perhaps that would make people see how ridiculous this whole money thing has become. I'm sickened and disgusted by it all.

[anniegetyourgun]

Re #18 - I thought that's why Americans gave so generously to private relief funds. Besides, according to some of the recipients - it's "not enough" anyway.

[conqueror]

WTC victims need and deserve $ compensation. OKC victims had the empathy of clinton "feeling their pain" which is infinitely more valuable.

[Rodney King]

If your husband dies in the WTC, you get $1.5 milliion bucks and your kids got to SUNY for free. If your husband dies from a stroke the next day, you pay taxes so that the guy who died in the WTC gets $1.5 million bucks, and then you pay for your kids to go to SUNY.

Make sense?

There was more than enough in private contributions to see that these people were taken care of. The role of the gov't should be to sue the SOB's at the United Way and the Red Cross until they give every single cent to the families.

[sinkspur]

Entirely nuts.

Fruits, nuts, and flakes.

When did the government get into the life insurance business?

[YaYa123]

Greed supercedes grief. What a crying shame.

[My2Cents]

I didn't lose any family in the 9/11 attacks, but I suffered pain and emotional distress watching the repeated videos of the planes crashing into the WTC. Don't I get a portion of the federal handout for my suffering?

[tubebender]

Will some one run the numbers here. Michael Medved said today this is a 6 Billion dollar give away. Some families will get 300,000 dollars and others will get 3 to 5 million because the deceased earned more.??? The only silver linning here is the lawyers may get cut out of some graft. (But I am not holding my breath.)

[LN2Campy]

The WTC "LOTTO" mentality is sickening. The families are potentially winding up with more money than they ever would have had, and apparently a lot of bitching and moaning is already going on. The idea of a federal fund to pay off these people is offensive. Bad things happen every day -- what are we going to do, just shovel cash at everyone??

[YaYa123]

I think this discussion presents interesting political fodder:

People aren't happy with the treatment/compensation OK City victims received under Clinton. This must mean, for all the "feel your pain" Clinton rhetoric, we needed a republican president to exhibit true "compassion".

What's this? Governor Bush is actually keeping his campaign promise of a compassionate administration.

This must mean the democrats were lying about republicans being mean-spirited.

Well shut my mouth and slap my momma!

[LN2Campy]

a typical resident of the east coast who cant understand why the rest of the country finds them so revolting.

you know, OKC, I agree with you on this issue, so please don't lump everyone back east together. Actually, I've been found revolting more often here at home than whenever I'm somewhere in the "Red Zone". I should probably relocate!

[Rustynailww]

what about galveston texas?

[YaYa123]

one more wonderful thing.....

One of President Bush's strongest campaign speeches was about private charities being given the chance to fix broken lives, without being overly restricted by big government. One of the first things I thought of after Sept 11, when people instinctively jumped in with heroic efforts to help, was how this corroborates President Bush's vision for America.

[schmootman]

I've got the answer. Every man, woman, and child in America should get $1.6 million. This is where the notion of "entitlements" eventually leads.

[GretchenEE]

I lay the blame for this stupid action right at the feet of her heinous and sidekick, Chuckie Clueless Schumer. They should never have pushed OUR tax money as grief compensation for these families, especially in the face of so many millions of dollars already given out of the hearts of other Americans. This is the absolute worst precedent. Of course it's going to engender jealousy. (Being jealous is the wrong way to react, but it's very understandable when Uncle Sam is showing East Coast favoritism to his darlings.)

God in heaven I wish there were some way to get hillary away from being Chief Dispenser at the public trough. She's found the key to political success and I'm not sure anyone will ever get it out of her filthy mitts.

[gnarledmaw]

"I knew this, or something like this, would start."

...and how far back are people going to reach to get a piece of the pie?

[rwfromkansas]

money grubbing jerks....as if our sympathy isn't enough and private charity as well.....now they want to complain after a terrorist attack of a magnatude not seen since Pearl Harbor....such short-sightedness and arrogance

[anniegetyourgun]

Sounds remarkably like redistribution of wealth to me....

[Centurion2000]

This nation seems to have lost all concept of private charity.

Bingo, but it's the federal government that has lost the concept. We the people still give to charity.

[Elsie]

They don't call it 'Flyover Country' for nothin'!!!

[nothingnew]

This nation seems to have lost all concept of private charity.

Not all, but I know how you feel...I would say that terrorism, per se, by our own citizens or outsiders, is very effective in dividing US against US...BTW, wouldn't you consider many, but not all, lawyers terrorists?...hmmm...we'll see...Merry CHRISTmas.

FMCDH

[Elsie]

Have they noticed we're at war? Those at the WTC, the Pentagon, and Flight 93 were the first victims.

Tell that to people who lost folks in Vietnam, Korea, Philipines, Hawaii, Cuba, Gettysburg, Bunker Hill..........

[AmericanInTokyo]

Hey, in the big scheme of things, (and bless 'em anyway, but) New Yorkers and their national media located there have a lot more pull than anything Oklahoma or flyover America could ever muster.

[MizSterious]

Living in the area, I have to (sadly) say I'm not surprised, but I'm disappointed even so. The other day the news carried a story about a young mother who had been killed after leaving her night job--the thing is, there is no fund for her little orphans, nor for all those who die alone, victims the same as those in the bombing or at the WTC. The victims and families of the OKC bombing did receive some aid--I can't say how much, but I believe there were scholarship funds set up for children, and local charities also stepped forward. Shame on these people for whining about this.

[hattend]

The role of the gov't should be to sue the SOB's at the United Way and the Red Cross until they give every single cent to the families.

Couldn't agree more.