rant · moment 17 of 19
Gore Vidal's Sympathetic McVeigh Essay and the Omnibus Crime Bill
from Kump Joins Team 10 · #78
Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.
5 minThey discuss Gore Vidal's controversial writing that framed McVeigh's message as prescient, debate whether McVeigh was a willing infiltrator turned patsy, and touch on the crime bill rushed through in the bombing's aftermath.
- 58:47Timothy McVeigh: questions about whether he was really a white nationalist or if the story doesn't add up.
- 59:28McVeigh's military history: washed out of special forces training after a couple of days, which affected him deeply.
- 59:54Sister claims McVeigh was recruited into a covert operation to infiltrate white nationalist groups after basic training.
- 1:00:29Gore Vidal wrote something sympathetic about McVeigh that made people uncomfortable.
- 1:01:10Vidal's argument: McVeigh was a decorated Gulf War soldier warning that the government had been bought by corporate America and secret police.
- 1:01:40Tim notes the omnibus crime bill passed after Oklahoma City, possibly as a terrorism bill, with suspicious timing around New Year's Eve.
- 1:02:38Documentary called "A Noble Lie" about Oklahoma City that explores these questions, worth watching.
- 1:03:04Writers who believe in government infiltration and informant recruitment typically reach a point where they give up explaining why nothing stops it.