Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: Learning the hard way

Friday, Oct. 25, 2002 | 9:19 a.m.

THIS COLUMN LAST MAY ASKED: "Who are Avi Bayaz, Shoshana Magmari, Dahlia Masa, Haim Rafael, Yisrael Shiker, Anat Trempatush and Rasan Sharouk?"

Today let me ask: Who are James Martin, James 'Sonny' Buchanan, Premkumar Walekar, Sarah Ramos, Lori Ann Lewis-Rivera, Pascal Charlot, Dean Meyers, Kenneth Bridges and Linda Franklin?

The list of names given in May are those of seven of 16 Israelis killed by a suicide bomber in a pool hall and cafeteria in Rishon Lezion, Israel. The day after the bombing I bought a copy of the Jerusalem Post in Tel Aviv, which included color pictures and stories about the victims. The pictures and stories encouraged me to write a column stressing that the "dead aren't just numbers."

The names in the second paragraph were listed along with pictures in Tuesday's USA Today. They are all victims of the sniper who has terrorized parts of Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Those were the first nine listed because at the time of publication bus driver Conrad Johnson hadn't been gunned down. Let's take a look at how the national newspaper identified the victims.

No, the killer hasn't been shooting numbers. He has been killing and wounding real people who have been an important part of the fabric making up our nation and society. His brutal actions have resulted in headlines of The New York Times telling readers, "Disbelief and Desperation in Sniper Zone as 13th Is Hit."

At about the same time we heard about the shooting and killing of Conrad Johnson, a car loaded with explosives pulled up alongside a bus in Israel. The explosion killed 16 people and wounded at least 40 more, many with serious body burns. During the past two years the killing and maiming tempo has picked up. Parents putting their children on a school bus may next see them in a hospital or makeshift morgue. Hundreds of Jews in that small country have died at the hands of terrorists during recent years.

The mass murder of Americans on 9-11 helped us better understand what Israelis have experienced. The sniper has now given a small segment of our society a taste of fear and uncertainty that Israelis have had in their lives for many years.

I remember writing 14 years ago about how CIA Director William Webster was warning us that we are also vulnerable to terrorist attacks here at home. Not too many Americans wanted to hear this warning, so we continued whistling in the dark.

Since the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City and 9-11 we have become more aware of both domestic and foreign terror. Now the sniper strikes and we can only hope that copycats aren't in the wings. Local, state and federal police agencies have had their hands full with this mess but every police agency in our country should be learning from it. We must become proactive in meeting these threats and not forget that real people are being killed and wounded. They aren't just numbers but people who have played a vital role in families and communities. As we meet these and future challenges it's healthy to remember those who have been killed or are suffering. The next assault could be on us or our families.