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Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!magnesium.club.cc.cmu.edu!news.sei.cmu.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!noc.near.net!das-news.harvard.edu!husc-news.harvard.edu!scws8.harvard.edu!kim39Newsgroups: talk.politics.gunsSubject: Waco headlines and editorial in Boston GlobeMessage-ID: <1993Apr24.133507.23247@husc3.harvard.edu>From: kim39@scws8.harvard.edu (John Kim)Date: 24 Apr 93 13:35:04 EDTDistribution: worldOrganization: Harvard University Science CenterNntp-Posting-Host: scws8.harvard.eduLines: 90Boston Globe, Wednesday April 21 1993col. 4 "Bodies found in ruins as FBI defends raid on cult ranch"col. 5 "Clinton blames Koresh, orders probe of siege"col. 2 "The children: panws in a horrifying game"pg. 18, col. 1, Editorial page "Judgment at Waco" Now the scientific and political scrutiny of thehorror show in Waco begins, though nothing canundo the tragedy that might have been prevented there. Forensic experts will study the rubble andashes of the Branch Davidian compound, where atleast 85 people, including 24 children, perished insmoke and fire caused by theapocalyptic visions ofa manipulative madman AND A STUNNING LAPSE INJUDGMENT BY FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS. [emphasis added by me] Investigators will re-create conditions at thecompound and identify accelerants and other fac-tors fueling the inferno. That is their strong suit. But the public must question why agents of theFederal Bureau of Investigation lacked the oper-ational skill and teh behavioral insight to resolvethe 51-day standoff free of flames and fury. The loss of life most clearly reflects the demen-tia of cult leader David Koresh, whose personaldelusiosn are now seared on the public conscious-ness. His assembly of Davidians had stockpiles ofarms--and had used them. LIttle in the way ofrationality could be expected from Koresh, a self-confsesed "sinner without equal." What continues to mystify are th eactions offederal agents, who bungled the case from thestart. The misadventure began on Feb. 28 when100 agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, To-bacco and Firearms storemd the compound, intenton seizing Koresh and a cache of automatic weap-ons. Four agents and an estimated six cult mem-bers died inteh ensuing gun battle. Earlieroppor-tunities to isolate and arrest Koresh outside thecomplex had not been adequately explored. Authorities prepared a siege and resolved thatthose deaths would be the last. Fifty-one days into the siege there was no public outcry to storm thecompound. It had been correctly perceived that the chil-dren inside "Rancho Apocalypse" were essentially hostages. With their lives at stake, there was noreason for the government to be impatient. Thegovernment's superior firepower, control of waterand utilities and freedom of movement created theconditions for a belated but bloodless resolution. Neither Attorney General Janet Reno nor theFBI has provided a sigle compelling reason forabandondoning the course of patience. If intelligence was accurate and Koresh wasgrowing increasingly violent and bizarre, it is diffi-cult to see how a tear-gas attack launched by anM-60 combat vehicle would clear his mind. If re-ports of escalating child abuse were accurate, theywould have to be weighted against the potential foreve ngreated hamr.etc etc tec....[paragraphs, 2.5 paragraphs deleted]But some of the responsibility rests with Clinton,and inexperienced president who did not payenough attention to the life-and -death decisionsbeing made on WAco. If Reno is to be faulted for anything, ti wouldbe for her overreliance on the judgment of law en-forcement officers--a common problem amongprosecutors. Full investigations into th eWaco tragedy mustbe conducted by both the executive and legislativebranches. The first step is to verify how the blaze started. Though apportioning blame will play a role, it is of greater importnace to find strategiesto elude the fire next time.[end of editorial]-J. Case Kimkim39@husc.harvard.edu
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