[ASTM366]

With all the "experience" that the BATF had in the field on February 28, 1993 why did things go so badly?

Can you really defend the actions of the BATF on that day with a straight face?

Would you have opened fire on a home and church building on a Sunday morning knowing damn well that it was occupied by unarmed women, children and infants (the gun-happy head cases)?

[Chancellor Palpatine]

They had 51 days to come out. The "men" (and I us the term loosely) refused, and like the Saddam Fedayeen, they kept the human shields around for their own protection.

The blood is on those pathetic excuses for men that took their women and children to death.

Besides, whats it matter to you? You a Davidian or prone to following cults?

[quidnunc]

ASTM366 wrote: With all the "experience" that the BATF had in the field on February 28, 1993 why did things go so badly? Can you really defend the actions of the BATF on that day with a straight face? They went wrong because…

1. the BATF brass decided to mount a demonstration raid to convince the Clinton administration they should not be merged with the FBI, and…

2. the Davidians were tipped off that the raid was coming so they set an ambush and opened fire on the agents.

The agents were firing in self-defense; it was the Davidians who placed the innocents in danger by virtue of their armed resistance.

Now I agree that the raid was a bad idea.

It makes no sense to raid an armed-to-the-teeth anti-government doomsday cult because all that does is confirm their crankery in their own minds.

But the field agents on the scene aren't the villains of the piece; that role is reserved for the Davidian loons.