In 1963 a man blew up a church in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, killing
four innocent girls. Since then, what moved him to do what he gleefully did
has been identified and the sickness in his mind, the ugliness in his heart,
was made tangible in a sense. America has picked it up, turned it over,
looked at it from all sides and, since then, has shown not just a willingness
but a real effort to leave it behind, as well. Knowing the motivation is pivotal
in bringing an end to human evil.
Another bomber was executed today and people are breathing a sigh of
relief. I hope this is the last I ever say about it. Call him whatever names
you will and you will find no defender, no apologist, here. I know of no
words that can be used to excuse him. His heinous act was indefensible.
But…
...he was not an unreasonable man. He was not a crazed wacko. He had
a plan, carefully laid out, and executed it with military precision. For six
years he never cracked to show any regret or remorse for what he did.
He was a human being with human thoughts and emotions. Still, he died
with the deep conviction that he did the right thing despite the misery
he caused. Those close to him at the end feel certain that if he could do
it all over again, he would. So, I'm not resting so easy.
He is gone, but whatever "logical" reason that led him to do what he did
is still out there. The danger, I believe, is real, since the "cause" (as crazy
as it is to us) still lives, and those that embrace it are yet unidentified.
Somebody needs to figure out what that "cause" is, and the sooner the
better. If I knew, I'd surely tell them. Until the right people crack the code,
there remains a very real threat for what he did to happen all over again.
As we have seen -- again -- one person can bring an awful lot of pain to a
huge number of people, its anguish rippling out to encircle still many others.