Posted on 11/26/2001 9:33:39 AM PST by Aerial
I think you are rephrasing the fact that he was, probably, guilty of statutory rape. Anything else?
It is difficult to comprehend why you think that a military style raid was necessary to apprehend this guy for statutory rape.
Oh and by the way, that wasn't the reason for the raid in the first place. The reason for the raid had nothing whatsoever to do with your allegation that he "abused men, women and children". The charges were weapons violations; in particular, a firearms tax, if I recall correctly.
He repeatedly broke the law (does the rule of law mean anything anymore?) and needed to be stopped.
I speak only for myself, I suppose, but yes, the "rule of law" means something to me. From what I have read it may indeed be true that he broke the law - by failing to pay a certain firearms tax. I don't know what you mean by "repeatedly", in this context. I guess each day you fail to pay a firearms tax constitutes a "repeat" of the initial law-breaking? Let me know.
In any event, I still can't figure out why you think a military style raid was necessary to apprehend a guy for an (allegedly) unpaid tax bill. Why didn't they just arrest him on his jog, if he was so dangerous?
Aren't you even curious?
Also, if you care about the "rule of law" so much, presumably you are equally upset by the use of military equipment in a raid on domestic territory. That, my rule-of-law-loving friend, is against the law.
As terrible as the Waco events where, I firmly believe that where the entire fault of Koresh and his adult followers.
Is this Belief of yours based on any actual facts? Just curious.
Further, while what happened was very unfortunate, something had to be done.
Why, exactly? Be precise. Who, exactly, were those evil Davidians threatening? Who were they bothering? Whose rights were they violating or whose property were they stealing or vandalizing?
Why did "something have to be done", so urgently?
Because of a three hundred dollar tax bill?
I am all for free gun ownership, but through legal means.
As far as I know Koresh wasn't accused of having guns through "illegal means" in the first place - whatever that might mean.
He was accused of neglecting to pay a firearms tax.
Why was a military style raid necessary? If you answer no other question, please answer this one.
Your continued defense of this crazed, armed, meglomaniac pedophile undermines your positions (unless, of course, you are apologists for crazed, armed, meglomaniac pedophiles.)
I certainly don't want to be counted among Apologists For Crazed, Armed, Megalomaniacal Pedophiles, but why don't you take a step back for a second.
We are discussing whether, and why, it was OK for the government to conduct a military-style raid on a home full of dozens of citizens.
What exactly are you saying here -
The only remaining charge you have against him is "pedophile", which (I assume) is a charge you make because he seems to have slept with one or more fourteen-year-old girls.
This is called "statutory rape", there are laws against it, it does not call for sending tanks to the suspect's home, and that's not even WHY they raided the place in the first place.
Which makes it a completely bogus argument.
So tell me again, this time using facts, and without relying on irrelevant charges such as "pedophile" (which was not among the reasons or justifications for the warrant or raid):
Why was it necessary to conduct a military style raid on that home full of people?
Prove it. The government couldn't.
SCARY!
There is a huge amount of evidence indicating that those people were murdered. This evidence even includes video shot by the Alabama Air Guard from 5 miles away in the air and the video actually shows government soldiers shooting at these people.
A big problem for you perhaps, you have to be willing to actually look at the evidence, perhaps you're too much of a bigot to do that.
Did you know that a Baylor Univ religious professor said that in his memory he never once heard anyone refer to the Branch Davidians as a 'cult' until mid-february, 1993 which was in a newspaper article just 2 weeks before the seige began. In other words for 70 years these people lived in Waco, the local college religious professor accepted them as normal, newspaper articles didn't refer to them as a cult and neither did anyone else. Then all of a sudden they were a cult and then dead.
Prove it. The government couldn't.
Vernon Howell thought he was Jesus Christ, and said as much on numerous occasions.
Is that looney enought fer ya?
Does that mean he should have been gassed and burned to death?
Ooops, I guess he just should have been crucified.....
L
That's silly. If they'd had a rock solid Anonymous Tip on the guy, they coulda had all those kids in foster care and Koresh in Criminal court (if not jail) rather than go to all this fuss over ... what, a matter of taxes, wasn't it?
Only the testimony of a couple of the kids who left and some of the mothers of kids who left.
As I recall, most of this was revealed in Congressional testimony, under oath.
Howell didn't need to be killed; he needed to be laughed at and humiliated.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.