Waco - messiah or madman

[whitehall]

It's a 1988 docu-drama currently shown on cable based on Clinton's attack on a relatively harmless religious sect based in Waco, Tx. The title suggests that the Koresh legacy had to defend itself against charges of being either a "madman" or Messiah. The dirty little secret is that the only madman in the scenario is Bill Clinton who hid out for about two weeks after the incineration of about 80 men women and children after a siege that never should have happened. The Dividians were breaking no laws. The crux of the ATF search warrant relies on sending away for legal pamphlets regarding the conversion of junk de-commissioned rusty WW2 surplus. A search of the burned out compound revealed no evidence that the Dividians were actually converting useless WW2 junk.

 

[JackOfNoTrades]

It's a 1988 docu-drama based on Clinton's attack on a relatively harmless religious sect based in Waco, Tx. The title suggests that the Koresh legacy had to defend itself against either "madman" or Messiah. The dirty little secret is that the only madman in the scenario is Bill Clinton who hid out for about two weeks after the incineration of about 80 men women and children after a siege that never should have happened. The Dividians were breaking no laws. The crux of the ATF search warrant relies on sending away for legal pamphlets regarding the conversion of junk de-commissioned rusty WW2 surplus. A search of the burned out compound revealed no evidence that the Dividians were actually converting useless WW2 junk.

While I look back on Ruby Ridge as a total overreach of ATF authority and a total screw over....I'm sorry. David Koresh was the reason for the carnage. While the ATF and FBI could have done way better in their response (grabbing him in town weeks before)...Koresh had decided he and everyone else was going to die...period..

 

[whitehall]

While I look back on Ruby Ridge as a total overreach of ATF authority and a total screw over....I'm sorry. David Koresh was the reason for the carnage. While the ATF and FBI could have done way better in their response (grabbing him in town weeks before)...Koresh had decided he and everyone else was going to die...period..

Koresh decided no such thing. The Clinton administration decided he and his sect were better off dead and the media agreed. The initial search warrant was bogus which means the entire siege was illegal.

 

[whitehall]

The point is that Hollywood set up the scenario where Koresh is either a madman or a messiah when Janet Reno ordered the siege and authorized tanks and poison gas to be used on a quirky religious sect that was guilty of nothing except sending away for (legal) pamphlets.

 

[g5000]

Koresh was a textbook cult leader. No ifs, ands, or buts.

He was clearly a madman who thought he was the last prophet.

Like other cult leaders, he preyed on the weak-minded.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

It's a 1988 docu-drama currently shown on cable based on Clinton's attack on a relatively harmless religious sect based in Waco, Tx. The title suggests that the Koresh legacy had to defend itself against charges of being either a "madman" or Messiah. The dirty little secret is that the only madman in the scenario is Bill Clinton who hid out for about two weeks after the incineration of about 80 men women and children after a siege that never should have happened. The Dividians were breaking no laws. The crux of the ATF search warrant relies on sending away for legal pamphlets regarding the conversion of junk de-commissioned rusty WW2 surplus. A search of the burned out compound revealed no evidence that the Dividians were actually converting useless WW2 junk.

They were not a "harmless" religious sect:
Karesh was building a para military arm within the group that was heavily armed and government spies witnessed him seeking military grade weaponry (grenades/rocket launchers)
That is harmless???
According to former Branch Davidians - Karesh had fathered multiple children with underage girls.
His 6-8 hour long sermons were getting more and more radicalized. Pretty much assumed Karesh was aware that his cult was going to get raided and like many other cult leaders, he wanted to take everyone with him.

Harmless my ass.