--- Dan Minette <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I remember Ruby Ridge and the controversy > surrounding it. There was a lot > of debate concerning exactly what happened. The > range of interpretations > that I saw was anything from a mistake under fire to > actions that should > have ended up with the trial and conviction of the > agent involved.
I actually don't blame the agent involved much at all. I blame the orders he was given. I don't remember the exact wording, but the HRT was given unique orders that basically told them to shoot to kill everyone they saw up there. Which they did. > I remember the standoff with the Branch Davidians, > and how the government > was chastised for being too hard on terrorists who > were planning an action > that would kill as many people as killed on 9-11.*** > Second guessing the > governments actions was fine; it was the anger at > even trying to stop these > terrorists that was amazing. Private militias, > talking about actively > opposing the government with illegal arms were > defended as true loyal > Americans. > Dan M. In the Waco case, I don't have a problem with them going after the Branch Davidians, although, as seemed to be routine under Janet Reno, the level of incompetence involved was quite staggering. David Koresh was a bad guy, and there were some horrible things going on out there. What they _should have done_, however, was grab him on his daily early morning job outside the compound. The only explanation I can adduce for the massive raid was to give Reno something to grandstand about. Note, this isn't surprising. Reno made her reputation in Florida (IIRC) prosecuting ridiculous ritual Satanic child abuse cases, all of which have, of course, now been overturned. I'm not sure whether she was simply credulous and believed the claims, or was actually willing to prosecute innocent people for political benefit. But something very wrong happened there. Reno's not alone in this - Jane Swift in Massachusetts (a Republican) refused to pardon people committed on similar spurious charges up there, and that was a disgrace. At any rate, Waco seems to me very different from Ruby Ridge, where they seem to have gone in with a hunting license. ===== Gautam Mukunda [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Freedom is not free" http://www.mukunda.blogspot.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
