Posted on 04/19/2002 7:09:54 AM PDT by NMC EXP
On February 28, 1993, a team of agents of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) launched an assault on the premises of a religious community called Mount Carmel, outside Waco, Texas, occupied by a sect called the Branch Davidians, led by a man named Vernon Howell, who had assumed the name David Koresh. Ostensibly to serve a search and arrest warrant, the raid resulted in a shootout in which four ATF agents and six Davidians were killed. This was followed by a takeover of the operation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Hostage Rescue Team and a 51-day standoff, which ended in an assault on the premises on April 19, 1993, and a fire in which 76 of the occupants died, including many women and children.
The circumstances of the assault brought intense criticism of the way government agents handled the situation. This criticism was further intensified by the way many of the surviving Davidians were prosecuted in a trial held in San Antonio, Texas, during March, 1994. This trial has been characterized as a monument to prosecutorial and judicial abuse, and it, as much as the assault on Mount Carmel itself, caused persons to call for the muster everywhere of militias to restore compliance with the Constitution and to the modern militia movement.
A report was prepared by the Treasury Department, of which the ATF is a part, which contained a part, Appendix G, which revealed more than perhaps the government intended about the thinking of government agents in this incident. There were also congressional hearings held which most observers found unsatisfactory. There are persistent calls for criminal prosecution of the agents responsible which have been ignored.
What follows are links to sites and documents which provide more details on this tragedy and the government which perpetrated it. The issues raised remain unresolved, and have been joined by criticisms of many other incidents of corruption and abuse by government agencies and private interests allied with them.
1. Waco: A New Revelation — Latest on the assault on Mount Carmel, with new footage indicating the burnout of the Davidians was intentional.
2. Waco: The Rules of Engagement. This is a film composed of footage taken of the events at Mount Carmel, including infrared footage taken from government surveillance aircraft, and subsequent investigations. Nominated for Academy Award and winner of an Emmy for best documentary. It is available from Somford Entertainment, 8778 Sunset Blvd. 2nd Flr, Los Angeles, CA 90069, 310/289-3900, 289-3909 fax. See their site at http://www.waco93.com, or email info@waco93.com, for details on showings and ways you can get the film shown in your area. See the following reviews and comments:
a) Review of the film by the San Francisco Chronicle.
b) Comments on the above review by Jon Roland.
3. Davidian Massacre — From the Committee for Waco Justice, Box 65518, Washington, DC 20035, 202/635-3739. Headed by Carol Moore. This is the main legal fund for the civil case of the surviving Davidians against the U.S. government. Includes text of Moore's book by the same name.
4. No More Wacos — Book promoted by Independence Institute.
5. Chris Walker Waco Page — Extensive collection of links and documents.
6. Waco Museum — Archive of photos and documents on the massacre, plus some conspiracy theories, from Carol Valentine.
7. LaRosa Reports, by Benedict D. LaRosa. Includes "The Real Reason Behind Gun Control" — A discussion of Appendix G to the Treasury Department Report and what it reveals. Originally published in the SA News, an alternative newspaper in San Antonio, Texas, Jan 27-Feb 10, 1994.
8. Treasury Department Report on Waco, Appendix G — Disturbingly candid revelation of the government's view.
9. The Branch Davidian Trial, by Egon Richard Tausch, an attorney and part of the defense team.
10. Shade's Landing Waco Page — Another collection of documentation and articles.
11. The Waco Affidavit — Transcript of the affidavit used by the BATF in order to obtain a search warrant of the Branch Davidian center in Waco, TX.
12. Jury Instructions — Instructions to jurors in the Davidian Trial, with commentary. Good example of how the cause of justice can be subverted by a judge.
13. Sentencing Memorandum — Judge Smith reverses his own earlier ruling that the defendants could not be convicted of enhancements to offenses to which they had been acquitted. Outstanding example of judicial sophistry and misconduct. At one point he candidly stated that a ruling "does not have to be logical".
14. Waco Documentary is a Hoax?
a) Charge by Carol Valentine
b) Response from Ian Goddard
15. Did the Federal Government start the Waco fire?
16. Roland Research — Analysis of FLIR imagery.
For those that have chimed in so far...looks to be about 50-50. Bad ratio, that.
Agreed. As far as I am concerned, that is the day America as I knew it died.
For me, that day confirmed my worst fears.
Regards
J.R.
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