The Government’s Story

The basic story is

– that McVeigh drove a Ryder truck to the front of the Murrah Federal Building;

– that the truck was packed with a mixture of ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel; and

– that the truck detonated.

No disagreement, so far, as to the broad strokes.

Story Continued

The rest of the the official story is basically that the blast tore the face off the Murrah Building.

To which the writer demurs.

Here’s Why

Ammonium nitrate — a fertilizer — is a pretty good oxidizer. That is, under the right conditions, it produces volumes of oxygen, which can lead to a fire or an explosion.

But here’s a little secret or two: Ammonium nitrate is far from being the best available oxidizing agent. (The writer never used it in rocket fuels.) It was, in 1995, simply the most widely available oxidizing agent. You could get bags of it in farm stores.

Furthermore, mixing ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel doesn’t really make that powerful an explosive. No 15-year-old in 1960 blew off part of his hand with ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel. Just did not happen. It took something like homemade nitroglycerin or a red phosphorous and potassium chlorate mixture.

Now, you fill a Ryder truck full of ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel, and you’re going to get a big bang.

But Here’s the Problem with the Government’s Story

The big bang in OKC on 19 April 1995 spread out in ALL DIRECTIONS. It was not a focused — not a shaped — blast. Only about 40 percent of the blast energy was directed toward the Murrah Building.

The Writer is not a Civil Engineer

The writer strongly suspects, however, the amount of blast energy hitting the face of the Murrah Building could not have done the amount of damage the government claims it did. Sure, the blast energy traveled at the speed of sound. But keep in mind that a blast energy wave (air wave) diminishes in power the further it travels. Basic physics. The Ryder truck was maybe 30 feet or so from the Murrah Building. That’s a pretty good distance for an un-focused energy wave to travel.

The writer doesn’t know whether CTs are permitted here at Redstate. If they are, the writer will present his theory as to Tim McVeigh and OKC, with supporting arguments, in the comments.