Sir, - The US has once again shown its disdain for human rights by executing Timothy McVeigh. We must ask ourselves what, if anything, has been achieved by this act? Who, in the end, benefits? The families of the 168 victims of the Oklahoma bombing? Yes, they have been avenged but McVeigh's death will not bring their loved ones back. Instead, another human life has been taken and McVeigh will probably now be considered a martyr by right-wing fundamentalist groups. Another life has been taken in a cold, calculated, premeditated way.
In the face of international condemnation President Bush has shown - and not for the first time - how out of touch he is with the rest of the civilised world. It is hardly surprising that the US recently failed to retain its seat on the UN Human Rights Commission. - Yours, etc.,
Adrian Marley, Dundalk, Co Louth.
Sir, - The execution of Timothy McVeigh has revealed the most fundamental flaw in the death penalty. It's not that he didn't deserve to die - he did - it's that his death creates the illusion of finality. Now that McVeigh is dead and gone there is no longer any incentive to find out what really happened that day.
Common sense tells us that McVeigh did not act alone and that he must have had assistance beyond that provided by Terry Nichols. At the very least there must have been somebody minding the space where he parked the truck and in all probability there were several other people involved. The media's portrayal of McVeigh as some kind of evil genius is inconsistent with the known facts concerning his clumsy attempt to flee the scene of the crime by speeding through small country towns in a red convertible with no licence plates.
Somebody else was behind the bombing. Somebody who was smart enough to leave the driving and the martyrdom to McVeigh. Somebody who is still free and may well be planning his next move secure in the knowledge that McVeigh is no longer in a position to reveal the truth. - Yours, etc.,
David Rolfe, Walnut Creek, California.