I really hate the feds getting into what justifies a cult or not. I have always heard Vernon Howard could have been arrested as he jogged sometimes.
Yes that is the key point. He was a regular jogger. they could have grabbed him at anytime..if they had proof of his illegal activities. apparently there was no proof of the charges as described..AFTER THE FACT.
Not only is that the case here - it’s probably also the case in 99% of the SWAT raids that occur in our country.
We’ve taken the whole idea of SWAT home invasions lying down. If the Feds/locals need to arrest some drug dealer or other, at some point he’s going to leave the house. For one thing, everyone does at some point. For another thing, dealers need to deal - they are not recluses.
But no, we have basically said it’s OK for an army of thugs to bust down doors in the middle of the night (shooting any poodles that happen to get in the way) in order to arrest drug dealers.
The whole thing defies logic, IMHO.