I had heard about the Weaver incident before Waco.
Before that, there was the M.O.V.E. Standoff in Philly.
If these were isolated incidents, that would be one thing, but it seems these were part of a progression in apocalyptic behaviour on the part of Federal Agencies.
Add Gordon Kahl to the list, while you are at it. Protested taxes and farm policy, bushwhacked on the roadside near Medina, N. Dakota, hunted down and killed in Arkansas (the building was burned there, too). The case can be readily made, that like Koresh, Kahl could have been taken peacefully.
It seems these people are 'taken out' in grandstand fashion to make an example to keep the rest of the sheep bleating softly. Either they are hungry for press near budget time, or eager to frighten others into submission.