Posted on 06/01/2003 6:03:53 AM PDT by RJCogburn
Crystal Davis doesn't quite side with Eric Rudolph, but she sympathizes with him.
"He's a Christian and I'm a Christian and he dedicated his life to fighting abortion," said Mrs. Davis, 25, mother of four. "Those are our values. And I don't see what he did as a terrorist act."
Her feelings were echoed, person after person, in this sawmill and cow-pasture hamlet today, where the Appalachian foothills rise above town in every direction. Mr. Rudolph, who is accused of the 1996 Olympic bombing and attacks on abortion clinics, was arrested in Murphy this morning after a five-year manhunt. Federal authorities said that for years he had been living off the land around here, a conservative, woodsy corner of the rural South.
Some people in Murphy expressed a certain amount of respect for the wily survivalist. Others vented a disdain for the federal agents who promised a quick capture.
"We thought it was kind of funny when the feds rolled in here all arrogant," said William Hoyt, an unemployed crafter of birdhouses. "They kept saying they didn't need our help. It put a lot of people off. Nobody around here condones murder, but I think a lot of people weren't sure which side to be on."
As the search intensified over the years, locals cashed in by printing up T-shirts that said "Run, Rudolph, Run," and "Eric Rudolph — Hide and Seek Champion of the World." Many people here had an uneasy relationship with F.B.I. agents, who often said they suspected the local population was providing the fugitive with food and shelter.
"If he came to my door, I'd give him food," Mrs. Davis said. "That's just how we are with strangers."
Today, scenic Murphy, population 1,500, felt as if it were the center of the world. Dozens of satellite television trucks clogged the narrow roads, and with all the reporters and law enforcement officials, it almost looked like Osama bin Laden had been hiding in this land of red-roofed barns and boiled peanuts.
"Who else wants to talk to me? Who else needs an interview?" Mrs. Davis asked, trolling through the throngs of reporters.
In the end, some Murphy residents almost seemed let down. Like the Washington sniper suspects found sleeping alongside the road last fall or the man believed to be the Louisiana serial killer arrested in a tire shop last week, the hunt for the elusive Mr. Rudolph had with a lackluster finish. After five years of searching caves, using heat-seeking military equipment and hundreds of agents, Mr. Rudolph, credited with being able to live off the land, was found picking through the garbage behind a Sav-A-Lot grocery story.
"I guess he lost focus," said Bill Gaither, an assistant high school principal here. "I agree with his views. But not his ways. I'm glad they finally got him."
As for watching "The Hunt for Eric Rudolph" on CNN, I can guess the story line. It is probably a hit piece on Southern white Christians equating their views with those of Rudolph.
As for Rudolph, I'll reserve judgement until he is tried by a jury of his peers, not CNN.
You gotta be.
Actually it isn't. However, your mind is already closed.
"Who else wants to talk to me? Who else needs an interview?" Mrs. Davis asked, trolling through the throngs of reporters.
From what I understand, Rudolph lived his entire life as if he knew he would someday be a fugitive from the law. No bank accounts, no credit cards, very few photos, always worked for cash, etc.
"Well, it may be bold talk for a one eyed fat man, but I would be happy to see Bill Clinton hanged at Fort Smith at Judge Parker's convenience"......from YOUR profile ..... advocating violent death (grin)
......What is worse...killing babies or killing abortion doctors? Killing babies is "legal" only because 5 old,worthless supreme court "justices" used some twisted constitutional logic to declare that there is a "right" for mommies to hire somebody to kill their babies hidden somewhere in our Constitution. It was NEVER a law passed by even the most liberal legslative body any where in the United States. Terror begets terror...The babies cannot defend themselves and have no choice except to submit to the killer's suction machine, or knife, or caustic solution,....or to get part way born only to have their brains sucked out! The abortion doctors, on the other hand, have all kinds of choices...they can do their murder hidden, they can wear flak jackets, they can ride in armoured cars, they can even choose to QUIT their murder.
No doubt Rudolph is a killer....and no doubt will be killed himself by lethel injection....but IMHO, of the two killers, the abortionists or Rudolph, the abortionists are the most despicable.
The answer to your question is right there in the article:
"Who else wants to talk to me? Who else needs an interview?" Mrs. Davis asked, trolling through the throngs of reporters.
You are right. My mind is closed to the propaganda of CNN.
Rudolph isn't accused of killing any abortionists. He is accused of killing Alice Hawthorne, who died in the Olympic Park bombing, and was only there to attend a free concert with her 14-year-old daughter. To the best of my knowledge, Alice Hawthorne has no connection to any abortion clinic. Rudolph is also accused of killing Birmingham Police Officer Robert Sanderson, who was killed at the Birmingham abortion clinic as he provided security. Did these people deserve to die, and if so, why?
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