I watched the video “Waco: The Rules of Engagement” linked from Lew’s blog today. I had never combed through the evidence of the massacre there until today, mostly thinking the word “massacre” was hyperbole. It is not hyperbole. It was, in fact, a simple act of massacre to cover up the ATF’s neophyte bungling of the February raid.
What angers me more than anything is the eagerness of the public to lap up the lies of the individuals involved in this massacre. The infrared tape clearly shows that there were multiple fire teams shooting into the compound on the day of the massacre. I have noticed that all the government’s assertions of innocence which I have seen are of the form, “… the FBI did not shoot …” “… no FBI agent shot …” “… there were no shots fired by the FBI …” But what if it wasn’t the FBI? How is it that the FBI is the only agency of the government? There are flashes on the FLIR tape consistent with automatic gunfire. There are sprites in the FLIR tape consistent with the IR signature of human beings. It is plain to see that there were fire teams shooting into the compound. Whether these were FBI agents or some other agency or shadowy individuals is immaterial.
Waco, TX and similar tragedies - Ruby Ridge, FLDS raid, etc. - occur when police agencies calculate that popular opinion will buoy their cause and quash criticism of their actions, no matter how blatantly they are violating the rights of their victims. The root cause of this aggression, like any government aggression, is the careful maintenance of a legal double-standard between those who are wearing a government costume and those who are not. This legal double-standard is only sustainable where public opinion perceives the government to be acting as a “force for morality”. This is why polygamists and other groups that the public perceives to be “dirty” are particularly vulnerable to the police-state.
While I believe that political activism, protests, and so on are futile, I do think we must carefully remember the crimes committed under the umbrella of the state. It may never happen that we will have the opportunity to punish those responsible but, since we cannot see the future, we should always be ready in the event that we do have such an opportunity. If there were a power shift and the State began to significantly weaken, it may be unable to defend its minions. This would create an opening to prosecute the criminals responsible for the Waco massacre (and other crimes of state) in a fair and impartial court.
No entity must be permitted to be a “final court of appeal” or judge in its own cause. All individuals, whether state actors or otherwise, must be liable for their actions.
Clayton -I watched the video “Waco: Rules of Engagement” linked from Lew’s blog today. I had never combed through the evidence of the massacre there until today, mostly thinking the word “massacre” was hyperbole. It is not hyperbole. It was, in fact, a simple act of massacre to cover up the ATF’s neophyte bungling of the February raid.
What angers me more than anything is the eagerness of the public to lap up the lies of the individuals involved in this massacre. The infrared tape clearly shows that there were multiple fire teams shooting into the compound on the day of the massacre. I have noticed that all the government’s assertions of innocence which I have seen are of the form, “… the FBI did not shoot …” “… no FBI agent shot …” “… there were no shots fired by the FBI …” But what if it wasn’t the FBI? How is it that the FBI is the only agency of the government? There are flashes on the FLIR tape consistent with automatic gunfire. Whether fired by FBI agents or some other agency or shadowy individuals is immaterial.
Waco, TX and similar tragedies - Ruby Ridge, FLDS raid, etc. - occur when police agencies calculate that popular opinion will buoy their cause and quash criticism of their actions, no matter how blatantly they are violating the rights of their victims. The root cause of this aggression, like any government aggression, is the careful maintenance of a legal double-standard between those who are wearing a government costume and those who are not. This legal double-standard is only sustainable where public opinion perceives the government to be acting as a “force for morality”. This is why polygamists and other groups that the public perceives to be “dirty” are particularly vulnerable to the police-state.
While I believe that political activism, protests, and so on are futile, I do think we must carefully remember the crimes committed under the umbrella of the state. It may never happen that we will have the opportunity to punish those responsible but, since we cannot see the future, we should always be ready in the event that we do have such an opportunity. If there were a power shift and the State began to significantly weaken, it may be unable to defend its minions. This would create an opening to prosecute the criminals responsible for the Waco massacre (and other crimes of state) in a fair and impartial court.
No entity must be permitted to be a “final court of appeal” or judge in its own cause. All individuals, whether state actors or otherwise, must be liable for their actions.
Clayton -I watched the video “Waco: Rules of Engagement” linked from Lew’s blog today. I had never combed through the evidence of the massacre there until today, mostly thinking the word “massacre” was hyperbole. It is not hyperbole. It was, in fact, a simple act of massacre to cover up the ATF’s neophyte bungling of the February raid.
What angers me more than anything is the eagerness of the public to lap up the lies of the individuals involved in this massacre. The infrared tape clearly shows that there were multiple fire teams shooting into the compound on the day of the massacre. I have noticed that all the government’s assertions of innocence which I have seen are of the form, “… the FBI did not shoot …” “… no FBI agent shot …” “… there were no shots fired by the FBI …” But what if it wasn’t the FBI? How is it that the FBI is the only agency of the government? There are flashes on the FLIR tape consistent with automatic gunfire. Whether fired by FBI agents or some other agency or shadowy individuals is immaterial.
Waco, TX and similar tragedies - Ruby Ridge, FLDS raid, etc. - occur when police agencies calculate that popular opinion will buoy their cause and quash criticism of their actions, no matter how blatantly they are violating the rights of their victims. The root cause of this aggression, like any government aggression, is the careful maintenance of a legal double-standard between those who are wearing a government costume and those who are not. This legal double-standard is only sustainable where public opinion perceives the government to be acting as a “force for morality”. This is why polygamists and other groups that the public perceives to be “dirty” are particularly vulnerable to the police-state.
While I believe that political activism, protests, and so on are futile, I do think we must carefully remember the crimes committed under the umbrella of the state. It may never happen that we will have the opportunity to punish those responsible but, since we cannot see the future, we should always be ready in the event that we do have such an opportunity. If there were a power shift and the State began to significantly weaken, it may be unable to defend its minions. This would create an opening to prosecute the criminals responsible for the Waco massacre (and other crimes of state) in a fair and impartial court.
No entity must be permitted to be a “final court of appeal” or judge in its own cause. All individuals, whether state actors or otherwise, must be liable for their actions.
Clayton -