# Timothy McVeigh is rotting in his grave **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 3, 2005, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415 "2005-08-03T13:38:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/1 "2005-08-03T13:38:43Z")
So quit pulling him out every time someone mentions “muslim” and “terrorist” in the same sentence. He’s now the exception that proves the rule. I’m fucking tired of the endless reaching back in time to point out that yes, white American Timothy McVeigh was an honest to goodness terrorist. We get it. He’s dead and thank god for that. Let’s move on and confront terrorism and civilian murders in 2005. We almost need a new Godwin’s law for McVeigh. I’d reccomend replacing “You do know that Timothy McVeigh was a white American” with Eric Rudolph. He at least did somehing in the last decade. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/2 "2005-08-03T13:41:39Z")
Is this related to a recent thread? If so, link please. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/3 "2005-08-03T13:46:19Z")
While we’re at it, how about a Godwin’s Law for rolling out Bill Clinton’s shortcomings everytime someone criticizes George Bush. Not aimed at you, **zuma** , just seems like a tired way of deflecting attention from the President. ---
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/4 "2005-08-03T13:51:50Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > While we’re at it, ho about a Godwin’s Law for rolling out Bill Clinton’s shortcomings everytime someone criticizes George Bush. Not aimed at you, **zuma** , just seems like a tired way of deflecting attention from the President. I agree with that as well… Clinton’s been out of office for 5 years now and it’s time to let it go. Every time anyone has to reach back in time and drag up McVeigh every time a Saudi blows up a bus or Clinton every time Bush does something stupid, it just detracts from the debate. ---
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/5 "2005-08-03T13:56:15Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > Is this related to a recent thread? If so, link please. Just do a search on “mcveigh”. I got 25 threads since mid-june. It really does come up in just about every single terrorist related thread. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/6 "2005-08-03T14:04:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Timothy McVeigh is rotting in his grave Anyone got an update on the condition of generalissimo Francisco Franco? ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/7 "2005-08-03T14:06:59Z")
How’s Hitler been these days? Well, with all of the mention of Godwin I figured someone had to. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/8 "2005-08-03T14:08:41Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Anyone got an update on the condition of generalissimo Francisco Franco? His condition is much the same as that of Chevy Chase’s career. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/9 "2005-08-03T14:12:25Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > His condition is much the same as that of Chevy Chase’s career. He had a talk show? ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/10 "2005-08-03T14:13:23Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > Is this related to a recent thread? If so, link please. Maybe [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6432584&postcount=10)? And frankly, I’ll bring up McVeigh in a conversation about terrorism whenever I want to. Deal with it. Either explain why he’s irrelevant to the conversation or shut the fuck up; starting a pit thread around a blanket “Don’t bring up McVeigh in terrorism threads” is utterly stupid. The US has [a lot](http://www.tolerance.org/maps/hate/) of extremist hate groups, and it’s not at all unreasonable to fear flag-waving, wonderbread eating domestic terrorists as much as I fear Islamic terrorists. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/11 "2005-08-03T14:14:16Z")
I may have resurrected the name **Timothy McVeigh** along with **Ted Bundy** , **John Wayne Gacy** , etc. I’ve done this for my pro-death penalty stance. (As most folks know, I’m usually quite liberal in my thinking. This is not one of those times). In another thread it was mentioned that someone had been imprisoned for _19 years_ for a crime he didn’t commit. Appealing for DNA testing _finally_ freed this guy. Sure, wrongful imprisonment has occurred and maybe wrongful execution has occurred too. However, when there is no question of someone’s guilt, for the committing of a very heinous crime and having no remorse, I have no problem seeing that bastard put to death. Tim McVeigh fits this category quite nicely. Okay, maybe I went way off-topic, but my point is that bringing up McVegh’s name can serve a purpose other than trying to label him as a terrorist. (which I consider him NOT to be. No. He was just an asshole.) So, Mr Timoth McVeigh … keep on rotting !!! ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/12 "2005-08-03T14:29:35Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > How’s Hitler been these days? Sadly, he’s _done_ rotting. We really need to dig him up and slap some flesh on him, so he can rot some _more_. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/13 "2005-08-03T14:31:54Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > Either explain why he’s irrelevant to the conversation or shut the fuck up… Quoting the OP: “He’s now the exception that proves the rule.” ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/14 "2005-08-03T14:33:19Z")
And enough about those 9/11 bombers. Mohammad Atta didn’t even leave enough of a corpse to rot, and that was half a decade ago. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/15 "2005-08-03T14:35:17Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Quoting the OP: “He’s now the exception that proves the rule.” How is he an exception? We’ve had two major succesful terrorist attacks on US soil. Oklahoma City, and the World Trade Center. One was done by a white American. The other by arabs. I don’t see how he’s the exception when terrorists attacks on the US are being discussed. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/16 "2005-08-03T14:37:43Z")
What is that even supposed to mean? **zuma** , I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt here and try to explain why McVeigh is still relevant. These days, it’s very easy to think all terrorists are arabs, which is clearly not true. Ignoring your true enemy, whatever his ethnicity, is dangerous, and considering that I live in a city which is a prime terrorrism target, I couldn’t care less how inconvenient you think it is when I try to make that point in order to concntrate the resources which could keep me and my family safe on the people who really do what to hurt us. Even more disturbingly, the fallacy that “all terrorists are arabs” has a way of getting twisted into the even more fallacious “all arabs are terrorists.” That’s an attitude which must be fought at every turn, and so far, the fight is not going well. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/17 "2005-08-03T14:39:49Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > While we’re at it, how about a Godwin’s Law for rolling out Bill Clinton’s shortcomings everytime someone criticizes George Bush. Not aimed at you, **zuma** , just seems like a tired way of deflecting attention from the President. Unfortunately that’s just a common trait many individuals share. Make any comment about Clinton and you’ll often hear Bush brought up. Say something about what the Republicans did and someone brings up what the Democrats did. Instead of a sincere discussion you wind up with a pissing contest to determine that their horse doesn’t shit as much as your horse. Marc ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/18 "2005-08-03T14:40:34Z")
Clarification: my “what’s that even supposed to mean” is directed at **Lib** and, ultimately, **zuma** , not **Metcom**. –Cliffy P.S. BTW, **Metacom** , let’s not forget the anthrax attacks. Not a lot of bodies, fortunately, but they worked a very significant disruption on the government and parts of the economy. Probably perpetrated by a white guy. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/19 "2005-08-03T14:41:03Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > How is he an exception? > > We’ve had two major succesful terrorist attacks on US soil. Oklahoma City, and the World Trade Center. One was done by a white American. The other by arabs. I don’t see how he’s the exception when terrorists attacks on the US are being discussed. I think he’s talking about terrorism worldwide. I mean if you draw arbitrary lines, then you can say that all terrorism is conducted by Americans — meaning in Oklahoma City. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415/20 "2005-08-03T14:42:50Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > Even more disturbingly, the fallacy that “all terrorists are arabs” has a way of getting twisted into the even more fallacious “all arabs are terrorists.” That’s an attitude which must be fought at every turn, and so far, the fight is not going well. I don’t think you meant that to be an adverb. Otherwise, you’re saying that your own observation is disturbing. At any rate, what about the fallacy of strawman? Who has said that all terrorists are arabs? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timothy-mcveigh-is-rotting-in-his-grave/315415.md?page=2)