Precedent set in case may undermine Christian leaders, liberty

Precedent set in case may undermine Christian leaders, liberty...

Waco Update...Ominous Signs of Things to Come?

by Eric Barger

One of the top ten news events of 1993 was the account of the raid, standoff and subsequent destruction of the Branch Davidian sect and it’s compound outside of Waco, Texas. The Sunday morning raid, on February 28th of last year, in which thousands of rounds of ammunition were fired, resulted in the deaths of at least five Branch Davidians and four federal agents. After the ensuing 51 day standoff, the compound erupted in fire on April 19th after federal agents used armored vehicles to collapse part of the building and to pump deadly CS gas inside.

I have become increasingly concerned over the general lack of awareness of this story, besides that which the main stream media fed the public. The Waco incident demonstrates just how far we as a people have fallen prey to the media. It is evident that whatever the media chooses to report and whatever slant the editors and reporters give to a story is the one that the majority of those in our culture accept unquestionably as fact. Let me illustrate why it is imperative that voices of question and reason rise up against the status quo press.

A little-commented-on report recently came down the wire services that should have brought outrage from the public. It did not, because of the previous snow job that had been administered concerning the entire Waco debacle. In an obvious attempt to better the tarnished image of the Justice Department, the Clinton administration announced in December that U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno and FBI Chief Louis Freeh would be attending "crisis management" classes. Are they serious? Who are they kidding? Is "sensitivity training" and "crisis management" all the administration perceives is needed to atone for past actions and correct their renegade policies? In the wake of the botched military style raid, subsequent standoff and apparent cover-up, does the government really perceive that this is all the effort now needed to gloss over the tragedy that took more than ninety lives? Perhaps more importantly; is this all it takes to convince the American people that all is well? Why hasn’t the secular press raised any question about the possibility of political motivations for the siege at Waco? One of the oldest strategies known to man is to create a crisis and then employ a solution - all just to wrestle another piece of control or sovereignty from a people. Was Waco jut another step in desensitizing the populace into accepting a military style police force to do the dirty work of the powers that be. Rambo may soon pale by comparison!

Before giving any analysis and detail, we should examine just how little the average person now even questions the government’s motivation for the way they handled the events that ended the lives of so many in Texas. God help us if we as a people have slipped so far that we no longer challenge, ponder, or even seem to care. Our vegetative state needs to be uprooted before we lose all desire for truth and freedom at the whim of the government and establishment controlled news manipulators.

The issue at hand is not whether David Koresh was aberrant in his theology or beliefs - a cultist. The issue is not whether he was a sexual pervert, as alleged by the feds and the media. The issue isn’t even about stockpiles of weapons, which is the extremity of political incorrectness considering the climate in the country today - regardless of what the second amendment of the U.S. Constitution states. The issues are as follows, regardless of Koresh’s beliefs or morals.

First, it appears that the government served the warrant for the arrest of David Koresh with guns blazing. Video accounts of the raid seem to indicate that this was indeed, the case. The outcome of the murder/conspiracy trail (no murder/conspiracy convictions were brought) seems to indicate that the jury concurs that the Davidians were attacked. Who fired the first shot, the ATF agents or those inside the compound may never be determined with complete certainty. Each side is doubtlessly going to cling to its story that the other side fired first. The government will never budge from this contention, regardless of future testimony or events. However, in the opening days of the trial of eleven Davidians, federal agents admitted that as they trained at Fort Hood for the raid on Koresh and his followers, they never once considered that it might be done without shots being fired. It seems to this writer that if one goes looking for a fight, one may find it. To be prepared for the worst is one thing, but to instigate a confrontation to achieve what has appeared to set a precedent is another. There may have been some justification for an investigation of the Davidians’ activities; Is it possible though that the group may have been singled out by an increasingly heavy-handed, militaristic and seizure happy government to be a well publicized example to the American public that we really need a national military police force to protect us from the likes of Koresh? If so, that would be bad enough, but the fact is that the raid was just one more disturbing sign that the government is going to advance its agenda at will, using force and fear tactics whenever they see fit. Could the Davidians have fired or returned fire upon those storming their home in self-defense, fearing that they or their families might be killed? Without a doubt, the answer to this could be yes. The question is - will you or I ever have to make the same decision? The point remains: if a government goes askew and the citizenry is stripped of all defense mechanisms to protect itself (both physically and by laws and regulations) who’s liberty is safe? The second amendment to the Constitution (allowing the bearing of arms) was intended to give the people the ability to uproot a government gone mad and restore order and freedom. Though no one should encourage any wanton acts of aggression against the government, we have all but lost the ability to stand against what seems to be a rising tide of tyranny.

Next, lets talk about the way the government chose to end the standoff. The government pumped powerful CS gas into the compound the day of the fire. They said that they were trying to flush the Davidians out of the building to get them to surrender. However, they certainly did not choose the right tool to do so. CS gas is not recommended for use in open air situations, let alone in a structure. Why? It causes immediate vertigo (loss of balance) and makes the disbursement of a crowd impossible. In a restricted environment, it can be deadly to children! It is also highly flammable. Even if the government tanks did not purposely start the deadly fire with flame throwers, as some have deduced, the those using the gas knew full well that the people inside were using lanterns for lighting because the feds had shut off all water, power, phones, etc. to the compound. The official "line" was that the fire was started by individuals inside - mass suicide by a doomsday prophet. There is much evidence to refute this and even if this had been the case, the CS gas would have brought the same end - dozens dead from fire and smoke. The difference is that, regardless of how the fire started, the government - with the consent of Attorney General Janet Reno - showed the most extreme neglect by the injection of CS gas into the building. Though the details are still hazy, it is a miracle that anyone survived the government’s final assault on April 19. (At least two of those who were tried in San Antonio, Jaime Castillo and Ruth Riddle, managed to escape the inferno.) One last note on CS gas. Our government has signed treaties that forbid us from using it on the battlefield in times of war, yet those we are to trust to protect us seem to think nothing of gassing our own citizenry with it.

Though this was the crime scene of all modern day crimes scenes, the government began bulldozing the property - even before the embers stopped smoldering! The obvious conclusion is that no one - not even an honest government investigator - was to contradict the "official" account with any incriminating evidence. In the opening days of the trial, only one half of the double front doors of the compound - where the government charges that the Davidians initiated the fire fight - was admitted into evidence. Mysteriously, the other half is missing. Burned perhaps? Maybe, maybe not.

Why did the government pick David Koresh? For the same reason that two years ago the ATF stormed survivalist and alleged white supremacist Randy Weaver, killing his wife and son in a hail of bullets at their rural north Idaho home. There is a definitive pattern to these actions. It appears that those in charge wish to orchestrate a series of well-publicized incidents involving "extremists" and "cultists" to showcase the supposed perception that we need a federal force of some sort to "clean up all who do not conform" to what the public is led to believe is good. Who cares about human rights and decency, let alone the law or Constitution?

What defines "extremist" and "cultist"? Could it be factors such as regular church attendance, family Bible study, non-urban dwelling, religious beliefs outside the mainstream or taking seriously the Second Amendment? No, tragically it is the current will of the people as dictated by the media and government which only propagandize the masses that these and other lifestyle attributes are extreme and cult-like. A democracy bound by moral absolutes = freedom. A democracy ruled by moral relativism = no freedom for those with absolutes. As long as the establishment media continues bending the thinking of the populace we will grow closer to a police state each day while innocent citizens - strange or not - are drug from their homes or shot where they stand!

"And to the Republic for which it stands?"

Americans and Canadians who love their countries, Constitutions, and freedoms should know the difference between a democracy and a republic. A democracy is a government ruling by the will of the people. A republic is a government keeping the standards and ideals of a set of principles, such as our U.S. Constitution. People can be desensitized into swaying or changing their beliefs - either slowly or in quantum leaps. Principles are lasting. Our founders knew this. That is why every school child in the United States should not just know but understand the phrase, "...And to the REPUBLIC for which it stands..." from the pledge of allegiance.

If it is the attitude of people - induced by media and government collusion to socialize our nations - to rid the land of all who are seen as "different", the only question remaining is "who is next?" What if your pastor is construed as being an "extremist" or "cultist"? Isn’t there at least an outside chance that some Sunday morning it might be the First Baptist Church, Assembly of God, or even the Mennonite congregation down the street who’ll receive a taste of what the Branch Davidians got? It can’t happen quite yet you say? Just remember, the media and government care not who has "good" theology. They apparently have little respect for decency and the citizenry as well. The globalists will allow nothing to impede the progress of the New World Order - especially Bible believing, fundamentalist Christians, who love their country and disdain collectivism, socialism and the idea of a one-world government. Unless we elect leaders at all levels who will uphold the ageless rights upon which our nations were founded, there is no doubt that we are seeing the first taste of what the Germans saw in the 1930’s.

An Important Point During The Trial...

The prosecutor and defense attorneys wrangled much over the idea that David Koresh had brainwashed his followers into believing that the government was evil and would someday attack their home outside of Waco. The government said Koresh’s teaching induced the Davidians to murder the ATF agents. The defense implied (contrary to the desires of some of the accused) that the defendants couldn’t help doing so because of the still present control which David Koresh had over them.

Perhaps the Davidians are, to some extent, guilty as charged. Though the trial is over no one knows as of yet what the final outcome may be. (Randy Weaver was acquitted by a Boise jury last year.) Regardless of how you feel about these cases, if you love religious freedom and liberty these events should concern you. No doubt, many of us are in a quandary about the outcome of the case. If the Davidians had been convicted, it would surely add fuel to the government steamroller. If the Davidians were totally acquitted, it may have laid the blame squarely on David Koresh’s so-called "cult brainwashing", his religious teaching, and ensuing mentality (anti-government, apocalyptic ideas). We can be almost certain (short of divine intervention) that the government will admit no wrong doing and it seems unlikely that any court will sight such directly. The fact that the federal agents served their subpoena on Mt. Carmel in a most unusual fashion - with their guns blazing - just doesn’t matter. Why? Because the government is doing just about whatever it wants these days or haven’t you noticed?

In reality, there may have been violations on behalf of the Davidians. I believe only those involved know for certain. Simply firing on a federal agent - even in self defense - is a federal crime and now the huge sentences attached to weapons violations await several of the accused. It doesn’t matter if a government agent is trying to rip you off and rape your wife, it is still an offense. With tens of thousands of seizures of private property by the government each year we are already living in a sort of police state, where the burden of proof is on the private citizen - not the state. This must weigh very heavily on the hearts of the solid, honest, patriotic men and women who work for the government agencies carrying out missions such as the tragedy at Waco. I’ve always contested that should a global governing body become more financially and militarily powerful than individual nations - and then become corrupt itself - who will overthrow it? Given this, on a smaller scale, that same nightmare is happening to American and Canadian citizens now - selectively rolling over people using unjust laws and outright lies.

No doubt, the Branch Davidians had a sizable cache of weapons and ammunition. Whether or not those tried in the shoot-out had access to any illegal weapons or not is something else again. The Dallas Morning News (Jan. 9, 1994) reported that the government will contend that there were "hundreds of machine guns and other weapons". The government certainly appeared to have overwhelming evidence but considering the manner in which the siege was handled, the standoff was run, and the crime scene was tampered with (i.e.. leveled...), one has to at least question what the government introduced as evidence. After all, Janet Reno’s reputation has been greatly tarnished by her outrageous handling of the whole affair. There is most assuredly within the Justice Department the perception that "these dirty cultists have to be convicted of something." Surely, this is one of the most important cases for the government to have ever won in this century.

Just as unsettling as any "doctored" evidence, there could be a very threatening precedent set in this case. As of yet the actual defense that convinced the jury to return innocent verdicts for the murder and conspiracy charges has not surfaced publicly. However, if the defense succeeded based on the supposition that by returning fire upon the federal troops the eleven defendants were only reacting as their leader had schooled them to, think of the possible future consequences for any who teach or minister about social issues. Did the Davidians’ act against the troops through a predisposition, believing the Feds were evil and had come to persecute them? Though this may appear to be a victory for freedom you can rest assured it will not go unnoticed by those in government who orchestrate the likes of Waco. If this was the kicker that persuaded the jury you can expect undo pressure to be felt against those who preach the unadulterated gospel which includes warning congregations and individuals about the current events and trends of our day (or government) in relation to Bible prophesy. The lawyers for the defendants may not have believed, given the current attitude in the nation, that a standard self-defense angle was in and of itself a viable defense to use. The prosecution definitely introduced thinking that paints a picture of a band of mesmerized zombies carrying out the preconditioned will of their leader. However, zombies or not, the Davidians were still willing participants - murderers, in the governments’ view. Do you see the implication? If your spiritual leader supposedly gets out of line (according to this convention) and you follow him, it will be his hide and yours if the government decides for some reason to single you out. With many people running from any spiritual authority figure, including almighty God and His word, the government’s actions at Waco may act as one more detriment in the lives of cultists - but at the expense of God-fearing Christians and the cause of Christ.

In the future, might we face a "Koresh syndrome" statute inhibiting or outright preventing the speaking of the truth? Before you say "no way", read on. By speaking out against the New World Order, am I committing a crime? After all, I am a public figure speaking to many people about my religious and social convictions. It is my responsibility to warn others about the advances of globalism. Though we know from Scripture that it is going to come, we are to oppose the spirit of antichrist wherever and whenever we see it. As one called to minister in this area, I must document and reveal how this is becoming reality through increased government intrusion into our lives and freedoms. With the fulfillment of prophetic events all around us, certainly we are experiencing the systematic set up of the New World Order/antichrist system. How then can I be silent? Many people agree with what I say and write. Am I a far-out cult leader? Though I am not asking anyone to "follow me", some anti-religious judge somewhere might buy that I am. After all, I read the Bible and believe it and adhere to the Scripture’s teaching about Christ being the only Savior of the world and the message of end-times prophesy. I also give to my church regularly. To cap it all, I believe in corporal punishment, as well as Christian and home schooling! According to the mainstream press these days - I am a cultist. A dangerous one at that!

Is free speech only free as long as you aren’t a religious person and don’t speak against political/economic policies? What if you, one of my "followers", believe what I (or others) contend about the New World Order? What if, in the future, government agents invade your home looking for, let’s say, Bibles (or this article!)? If you should you get arrested for resisting or possibly a more serious charge stemming from your belief in the Bible, Constitution, etc.- acting upon some of the information you’ve gained from me, would I be accountable for inciting your actions because I spoke what I believe to be the truth? In this light can you see why the "Koresh Syndrome" may haunt the church in the years ahead?