A few years ago, I mused about the possibility that the red states might secede and form their own country–the RSA (Reactionary States of America). I decided the capital of the RSA should be Oklahoma City, for three reasons: it is in the heart of the RSA; it is firmly associated with fossil fuels; and it is the site of the McVeigh bombing. I hypothesized that McVeigh would ultimately be viewed as a sort of right-wing John Brown, and celebrated as a warrior against the deep blue state in the RSA.
It is becoming clear that I was right. A number of new books are finding a thread that runs from Waco through McVeigh to Trump and January 6. The reassessment of McVeigh by the right is already underway.
In a sense, given the level of hostility expressed by the hard right against the government, it is surprising that there have been no further attacks on federal facilities by rabid right-wing groups. Is it because it is so much easier to just buy a gun and shoot people in private places? Is it because the federal government has effectively deterred this kind of activity with rigorous security measures and prosecutions? Or is it just that the right is more mouth than action?
I suspect the answer is all three.