ARIZONA REPUBLIC: Norm Fraunheim: "In one horrific
explosion, Kerri Strug was forgotten and the 1996 Olympics became
the Pipe Bomber Games" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 7/28).
ATLANTA CONSTITUTION: Columnist Furman Bisher, on
complaints about transportation and technological glitches, and
cries of over-commercialization: "This makes it all seem
meaningless" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 7/28).
BALTIMORE SUN: Ken Rosenthal: "When $301 million worth of
security is still not enough to secure safety, are the Olympics
really worth the trouble?" (Balto. SUN, 7/28).
BOSTON GLOBE: Columnist Bob Ryan: "We had been living in a
cocoon. ... Then the bomb went off." Dan Shaughnessy: "In
America, we have to accept the reality that not every problem can
be overcome" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/28).
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Columnist Jay Mariotti: "Twice in a
mean generation, cowards have smeared the international village"
(CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 7/28).
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: Columnist Bernie Lincicome: "These are a
different Olympics now" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/28).
DETROIT NEWS: Columnist Bob Wojnowski: "Nothing will be
the same in these Olympics, not the mood, not the security, not
the stories" (DETROIT NEWS, 7/28).
HOUSTON CHRONICLE: Columnist Fran Blinebury: "Atlanta got
its lasting image of the Games, though it is one the city could
have done without" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 7/28).
INDIANAPOLIS STAR-NEWS: Bill Benner: "The joy was gone,
replaced by horror. The Atlanta Olympics, sadly and tragically,
now had its defining moment, the moment that will mark its place
in history" (INDY STAR-NEWS, 7/28).
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Columnist Mike Downey writes that the
bomb "changed everything for me. I became Atlanta's biggest fan"
(L.A. TIMES, 7/28).
MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE: Columnist Dan Barreiro: "The
world got smaller and moved faster on the second Saturday"
(Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/28).
NEWSWEEK: Frank Deford: "As awful as it is to acknowledge
the fact, the day of the Olympic bomb -- July 27, 1996 -- will be
primarily remembered as America's coming of age in accepting
these acts of random public carnage." Jerry Adler: "Whatever
else the Atlanta games will eventually be known for, they will go
down in history for this, the first fatal terror attack directed
at civilians --and, therefore, at the Olympics themselves, rather
than at the athletes of a particular country" (NEWSWEEK, 8/5
issue).
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: Columnist Mike Lupica: "This was a
different Olympics at the end of the night [on Saturday] than at
the beginning" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/28).
NEW YORK POST: Columnist Joel Sherman: "Two lives had to
be sacrificed before Atlanta officials switched to their game
face from their Games face" (N.Y. POST, 7/29).
NEW YORK TIMES: Dave Anderson: "Yes, the Games should go
on, but they're not games anymore" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/28).
ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: Columnist Mark Whicker writes the bomb
"exposed Atlanta's enduring flaw. It thought the Games were fun"
(ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 7/28).
PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS: Columnist Rich Hoffman:
"Everything's changed" (PHILA. DAILY NEWS, 7/29).
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Columnist Bill Lyon: "Mourn?
Definitely. Surrender? Never" (PHILA. INQUIRER, 7/28).
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE: Columnist Tom Cushman: "If we
want the Games, we accept the pain." Nick Canepa: "All the joy
was drained away. Suddenly, the Games became serious" (SAN DIEGO
UNION-TRIBUNE, 7/28).
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS: Columnist Mark Purdy: "Centennial
Olympic Park was supposed to be the gathering place. ... The
party ended at 1:20 a.m., Saturday, Atlanta time" (SAN JOSE
MERCURY NEWS, 7/28).
SEATTLE TIMES: Columnist Steve Kelley: "No matter what
happens during the rest of the Olympics, Atlanta '96 will be
remembered for this bombing," the way Dallas is for JFK and
Munich is for '72 (SEATTLE TIMES, 7/28).
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: From "Scorecard" in SI's OLYMPICS
DAILY: "These Centennial Olympic Games, intended to be a
celebration, rooted in an odd blend of tolerance and commerce and
technology, are forever tainted" (SI, 7/28).
TAMPA TRIBUNE: Columnist Martin Fennelly: "The only way to
stop reality from creeping into the Olympics is to stop the
Olympics" (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 7/28).
U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT: Brian Duffy: "Sadly, the images
we will recall from Atlanta will not be only those of elegant
gymnasts or spectacular swimmers. We will also have the sinister
satchel, the damaged bodies in the dark, the tearful moment of
silence, the half-staff flags for the duration of the games"
(U.S. NEWS, 8/12 issue).
WALL STREET JOURNAL: Frederick Klein writes that the
bombing "rearranged the Olympic symbols," as the rings "are now
piled atop one another in descending size, in the shape of a
bull's-eye" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/29).
WASHINGTON POST: Columnist Mike Wilbon: "No amount of
protection can bring peace of mind." Columnist Tony Kornheiser:
"It's not Atlanta's fault. In the world we live in people make
bombs, and explode them." William Gildea: "Nothing is the same"
(WASHINGTON POST, 7/28).
WASHINGTON TIMES: Columnist Tom Knott: "Suddenly, the
competitions do not seem so gripping" (WASH. TIMES, 7/28).
TV TALK: ESPN's Chris Myers: "Despite the improved
security, the minute a loud noise is heard or a siren goes off,
fans are going to fear danger more than they did before, and that
will be the prevailing thought until these Games are completed"
("SportsCenter," 7/27). Bob Ryan: "It's going to be hard not to
think about what happened the another night when we think about
Atlanta" ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 7/28). CBS' Mark
Phillips: "Atlanta's games now run the risk of being known as
`The Pipe Bomb Games'" ("CBS Evening News," 7/27).
