THE WACO MURDERS
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Back in the seventies when Carter was president, the federal government put an end to it’s intelligence-gathering capabilities. Suddenly, enemies of our nation were virtually free to plan and carry out terrorist acts with little worry about being watched during their preparations. With the nation's incredibly porous borders our government refuses to close, the American people were left naked to attack.
Consider on the other hand the case of an oddball religious group holed up in its compound near Waco, Texas. Although the members had bothered no one, more then 200 federal agents carried out an armed raid for the purpose of arresting cult members for possession of firearms. Obviously, a mere allegation about possible possession of weapons is a far more serious crime in the eyes of officialdom than plotting terrorism, espionage, or some other form of mayhem.
Religious oddballs who possess weapons and only have them for self-defense, were considered more dangerous than subversives whose terrorist designs can be predicted by anyone. The retention of government power by individuals who believe their rule might be threatened has become the new and primary concern.
Not content with the murderous raid on the cult compound, and not satisfied to surround the cult's compound and wait until its inhabitants ran out of food and other necessities, the feds launched a fiery attack on April 19th 1993, that ended with the murder of 98 persons.
There was no need for the attack on the compound in the first place. Any federal agent could have found Koresh during one of his visits to Waco. While viewed by local citizens as a religious fanatic, he was no threat at all to anyone. But, as the weeks of the three-month standoff rolled by, Koresh became an increasing threat to the tough images of the BATF and the FBI.
Janet Reno and other officials in Washington said that the Justice Department was simply out of patience. They had been embarrassed before the nation, and they were tired of the waiting game they had been forced to play.
Being patient does not cost lives, but impatience does. It seems that religious fanatics inside the cult’s compound were surrounded by crazies on the outside. What this incident demonstrates is that government power is aimed at the wrong targets. It should be protecting the borders, keeping watch over potential terrorists, and policing itself. The murders at Waco were an example of the federal governments potential for massive abuse of power.
Consider on the other hand the case of an oddball religious group holed up in its compound near Waco, Texas. Although the members had bothered no one, more then 200 federal agents carried out an armed raid for the purpose of arresting cult members for possession of firearms. Obviously, a mere allegation about possible possession of weapons is a far more serious crime in the eyes of officialdom than plotting terrorism, espionage, or some other form of mayhem.
Religious oddballs who possess weapons and only have them for self-defense, were considered more dangerous than subversives whose terrorist designs can be predicted by anyone. The retention of government power by individuals who believe their rule might be threatened has become the new and primary concern.
Not content with the murderous raid on the cult compound, and not satisfied to surround the cult's compound and wait until its inhabitants ran out of food and other necessities, the feds launched a fiery attack on April 19th 1993, that ended with the murder of 98 persons.
There was no need for the attack on the compound in the first place. Any federal agent could have found Koresh during one of his visits to Waco. While viewed by local citizens as a religious fanatic, he was no threat at all to anyone. But, as the weeks of the three-month standoff rolled by, Koresh became an increasing threat to the tough images of the BATF and the FBI.
Janet Reno and other officials in Washington said that the Justice Department was simply out of patience. They had been embarrassed before the nation, and they were tired of the waiting game they had been forced to play.
Being patient does not cost lives, but impatience does. It seems that religious fanatics inside the cult’s compound were surrounded by crazies on the outside. What this incident demonstrates is that government power is aimed at the wrong targets. It should be protecting the borders, keeping watch over potential terrorists, and policing itself. The murders at Waco were an example of the federal governments potential for massive abuse of power.
The people in question had been Muslims, not Christians, C) If this had happened somewhere that ends with "-stan."