I acquiesce.
I may believe that there was at least one [1] M1A1 there that day. I am persuaded there was but I'd feel better seeing an image that didn't originate from a site with an ax to grind.
As to the image that began this debate...it is indeed doctored...
Let's compare...
The top image shows an M1A1 Abrams tank sitting outside the compound. In the image there is a pole running from the top of the image to the bottom. It is sitting alone while a Bradley and a modified M60 maneuver on the compound.
The second image [poorly doctored] shows two Bradley fighting vehicles an Abrams and a modified 60 all sitting next two each other. And the pole is not in the image [it would need to be removed in order to cut in the modified 60].
The clarity of the top image versus the Gaussian blurring of the bottom image is a red flag. The blurring is commonplace when doctoring images...the bluring must be full image in order to subdue the blurring around the cut & pasted edges [which imo is also poorly done].
There is a legitimate chance that all four of these vehicles could've been lined up next to one another, there is a legitimate chance that the second [doctored] image was taken from an angle that excluded the pole.
I wish I cold trust the motivation of the sites displaying these images, but I don't. Both have an ax to grind with the Government as a whole versus the reality of a Liberal Administration that carried out the siege at Waco.
I am bothered by the possibility of having Abrams tanks at Waco. There is absolutely nothing in the vehicles profile that demanded it be at Waco. With that said, I don't put it past a Liberal administration and kiss *** bureaucrats [sp?] with a desire to impress anyone for personal gain employing them for no competent reason.
Using Waco as an example of evil government to be raised in a thread concerning post 9/11 America versus what it really was, a 90's Liberal Administration following their own doctrine of tyrannical rule from on high, is a sign of desperation from anti-authoritarians who have gotten more mileage out the siege at Waco than any Big Government design could've.
No, you are unconditionally wrong. You said to show the tanks, and I showed you several. The tanks are both there in several of the pictures. You claimed they were not. You were wrong.
I truly don't think much about the Waco attacks. I got involved in this picture debate because you were wrong. Not just wrong. The worst kind of wrong. You were the name calling, arrogant, insulting kind of wrong that is blind to facts and logic. You are wrong about the Patriot act as well. The language in the act is designed to make it look like the Bill of Rights has not been gutted. However, their clever use of words, changing definitions that most people aren't familiar with, opens loopholes in the Constitution big enough to do anything they want. If you don't believe me, read it with a critical eye. Imagine a power hungry Clinton with that thing at his or her disposal.
And think about why libertarians spend so much time trashing this legislation. Do you think it's because we hate Bush? I don't. I voted for the guy. I won't do it again, but I certainly do not hate him. Some of us don't trust the government with the sway it has over our lives right now. Sure, we all live under the pretense of "freedom," but we only enjoy freedom at the whim of the powerful. Some of us cringe any time the government tries a new clever worded attempt to rip what little freedom we have left away.
You served in the marines. I respect that. I respect all of those who put their lives on the line so that we can keep our country moving forward. But would you have a citizenry who blindly accepts everything the government does? What good is freedom then? Is it ok if it comes from a party you like? Should we rubber stamp everything the Republicans propose, even if we would not accept the same from the Democrats? A Janet Reno identical "patriot" act would cause an uproar here of an extent seldom seen. Do you expect me to clap while Republicans do the same? No. I will speak against that in the same way that I would if it were democrats empowering government. Libertarians don't see the Constitution as a "living" document. It's clear and straightforward, and it limits government power. Leave it the hell alone.