BATF attacks church congregation in military-style raid

WGBH (PBS) ^ | 1995

[ASTM366]

11th Anniversary:

As I do each year, I post this as a reminder to all of my fellow Freepers that our freedoms and liberties hang by a thin thread.

On Sunday, February 28, 1993, at 9:30 AM, nearly 100 heavily armed agents from Bureau of Alcohol, Tabacco and Firearms arrived at the Branch Davidian Compound in central Texas, near Waco.

They didn't go to Mt. Carmel to attend morning worship services, they went to execute a search warrant for illegal gun parts. After debarking from the cattle trailers and trucks that they arrived in, they immediately shot the dogs and puppies near the main entrance door. The leader of the Branch Davidians, known as David Koresh, opened the front door and was immediately fired upon by agents. A gun battle broke out that left 4 agents and 6 congregation members dead.

For the next 51 days a church congregation and law enforcement agencies of the United States government held each other at bay. The encircled congregation was subjected to psychological warfare techniques for most of the 51 days. On April 19, 1993 the US government attacked the site and the facility was burned to the ground. The origin of the fire is under constant dispute. Nonetheless, a total of 76 men, women, adolescents, children and infants died in the inferno.

To this day, not one federal agent has faced punishment or reprimand for the death of the INNOCENT men, women and children that died at Mt. Carmel.

[chuckles]

...."Christian? that's a stretch."

Sounds like you might "get it". Who decides who is Christian enough to live or die? We might take a vote some day and decide those "Mary worshipin, statue kissin, child molesters, need to be "taken care of" and send the BATF into the Vatican.

You recon the Freepers would say, "Bout time!"?

[VaBthang4]

Oi Vey

[VaBthang4]

"You need to realize this was not done by the democrats."

That's where you're wrong and your Loserdopian Black Helicopters take over.

Liberals did this...the Branch Davidian Cult enabled them.

[Eastbound]

" . . . used a bulldozer,. . . "

I'd like to hear more about the use of the bulldozer. I thought the practice of stacking up bodies with a bulldozer ended after WWII.

[backhoe]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/901664/posts
Appointment with The Apocalypse- the Waco Files
various FR links | 04-28-03 | The Heavy Equipment Guy

[GrandEagle]

Christian, yes, wayward ones.
It was my understanding that David K. claimed to be the messiah. Biblically that places him in the heretic category, not even resembling a Christian (one who follows Jesus Christ).

John H.K.
Your experiences here at freeRepublic must have been dramatically different than mine. While many of us differ in view on several subjects, I can't think of anyone here that would have celebrated the murder of any group by our government.

[an amused spectator]

So, while I condemn Reno et al, it bugs me to see the losers from inside get even a suggestion of a pass.

Right! And we could prove for sure that it was the losers inside that started the firefight if we analyzed the bullet holes in the metal front doors, and in the abandoned vehicles parked outside! ;-)

[upcountryhorseman]

No, that's not a stretch. Many religious scholars believed
that the work David Koresch was doing regarding "The Seven Seals" was significant.

[GrandEagle]

Again I would refer you to my post #46.
Many religious scholars...
Being religious does not mean that you are a Christian.
By claiming to be the messiah, by definition would disqualify him from following the messiah.
My opinion... However the subject of the discussion is not to determine if he was a Christian. Christian or not, he deserved due process of law. In past times he had abided by search warrants and even had turned over children to the state when faced with a properly executed search warrant/court order.
I'm not trying to paint him as some saint, but the BATF went looking for a fight instead of looking to execute a search warrant.
They got it.
It's a bit stupid to launch an attack as a first resort, on an armed compound when the leader has been preping the occupants for just such an attack.
If my children are ever in danger I hope that they don't use the Reno "kill them to save them" approach.