Waco – 23 years ago ” Operation Showtime ”
The Branch Davidian was a religious community based in Waco Texas . The community consisted of approximately 100 men and women and children all living in a large wooden structure that they called Mount Caramel . Mount Carmel included a huge chapel. Their leader was David Koresh. It was a peaceful community who got along well with their neighbors. David Koresh would often walk or jog into town to do shopping or two had a drink in a local pub. On occasion the local authorities knew that they had some weapons in the compound. The local police had asked to come into the compound and look around. They were allowed to come in and found everything in order.
The B.A.T.F. , Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco had prepared months earlier for this operation. They earlier ignored an invitation by the Branch Davidians to peacefully enter the building and have a look around. They also knew that David Koresh would often be in a downtown Waco where they could have easily arrested him. On February 28 instead of knocking on the door the government agents fired their weapons first without identifying themselves as law enforcement officers there to serve an arrest warrant. The attackers had some 76 heavily armed men and women firing submachine guns. This was all approved of by the ” Justice ” Department . Also approved by Attorney General Janet Reno and President Clinton [ Hillary Clinton ] . The BATF labeled this assault ” Operation Showtime ”
David Koresh had been acquitted 2 years earlier of possessing illegal weapons. The F.B.I. finally took over the operation due to the B.A.T.F. Incompetence. During the 51 day siege, the FBI cut off all water and electricity and most food. Several people who tried to leave baby formula outside the compound were turned back at gunpoint. To prevent the 100 or so group members from sleeping, the FBI blarred blinding lights at the compound that night and raucous noise 24 hours a day including the sound of a rabbit being slaughtered. .
There were over 500 heavily armed law enforcement agents and army troops deployed against the compound. Before the final assault the FBI ordered the fire trucks and ambulances withdrawn from the area.
The FBI used a Bradley M-728 tank to repeatedly punched holes into the compound and fire hundreds of canisters of CS gas and a wooden building filled with kerosene lanterns and propane fuel tanks. The building caught fire and out of the original 100 members , 81 were murdered in cold blood. Of the 81 , 27 were 19 years old or younger . [ 33 % ]
Remember these Christians committed no violent crimes , held no hostages , were not threatening anyone , they were minding their own business. CS gas by the way is highly flammable in enclosed areas . CS gas was banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention in Paris in January of that year and signed by the U.S. and 130 other nations. CS gas causes nausea, burning of the skin , temporary blindness, vomiting and dizziness. Hillary described it as a harmless irritant when actually it is 80 times stronger than Tear gas. Fire trucks were on standby for most of the 7 week assault but before the assault the F.B.I. sent the fire trucks away . The day of the assault winds were blowing at 40 M.P.H. , obviously a high fire risk day. Also no medical assistance was close by . But the F.B.I. did phone the Waco hospital 6 hours before the attack and to get ready for a large number of burn victims. How did they know there would be a fire ? Once the building was inflamed why did the F.B.I. wait 30 minutes after the fire broke out before calling in the fire trucks ? It was a premeditated, cold blooded murder of 81 innocent people. Of the 81 , 27 were 19 years old and younger [ 33 % ]
Appearing on the Larry King live in February 2001, Linda Tripp, former White House aide, alleged that Hillary Clinton had pressured Vince Foster to resolve the Waco standoff . Hillary was in charge of a special crises center to deal with Waco. It was Hillary who pressured a reluctant Attorney General Janet Reno to act. Reno begged aides shortly before the orders were issued for the final assault , ” Give me a reason not to do this ”
Finally why did the F.B.I. keep all local Law Enforcement and the Texas Rangers away from the Mt. Carmel site after the Holocaust and then bulldoze away the evidence 3 weeks later ? What were they hiding ?
One maverick reporter asked, ” Is this the beginning of Gestapo tactics and martial law in America ? ” He was handcuffed and arrested on the spot and removed .
Once upon a time – America , Land of free , home of the brave …..Liberty and Justice for all is now a distant memory . Dominus Vobiscum – – Welcome to the U.S.S.A.