I find there's little information in the article about Dr. Fassnacht, so let me correct this obvious
error.
Having said this, after reading the Wikipedia article, I'm saddened by this loss which I'd never known about. In reading Dr. Fassnacht's bio, I realize just what it is we lost by this idiotic act, committed in response to an earlier idiotic act. I read this and wonder just how much further along we might have been towards a degree of energy independence had this man lived.
This is a tragedy further compounded by his loss to his three children, to his wife, and his extended family. Somehow, a plaque on the side of a building in his memory is a dim response, as inadequate as the sentences the guilty received, (particularly since one of those involved has never been found.)
Consider this in light of the case of Assata Shakur, (aka, Joanne Chesimard), or those of Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn. In one case, there are questions regarding actual guilt, and a woman is in exile in Cuba. Whether or not this is just is a matter of debate, and it ought to be examined. In the other, there are no questions, particularly in light of the death these people are responsible for. Consider the case of Katherine Ann Power, then ask yourself if there's any justice in this.
Yes, there were terrible things happening when these people took the actions they did. Yes, there were horrible injustices. But you don't succeed in the long run by committing injustice in the name of fighting injustice. Many of these acts were only millimeters short of dressing Malcolm X in a Klansman's robes. The taking of lives in the name of promoting justice has had that kind of an effect.
The murder of Myrna Opsahl, less than 20 minutes from where I'm writing this, is still fresh in the minds of many. The Crocker Bank was bought out ages ago, and the building is now a church, but I can still walk into it and see where the crime took place. That Sara Jane Olson (aka, Kathleen Ann Soliah) walked away from any serious punishment for her crimes is insulting, made even worse by her daughter's declaration that her mother wasn't a terrorist, but an urban guerrilla. Please...
I'm sorry Dwight is gone. But that doesn't change the fact that he killed an innocent man, and he did so intentionally. He might not have known Dr. Fassnacht was inside the building, but any structure of any particular size stands a reasonable chance of having at least someone present.
Makes me wonder, though: What if Fassnacht, instead of being a post-grad student in physics, had merely been a janitor? Would they have placed a plaque to honor him? Probably not.
