Brett Bellmore
New member
www.nationalreview.com/nota_bene/nota_bene072400.html
7/24/00 9:55 a.m.
An End to Waco Wackiness?
A sensible report from John Danforth.
A media grab bag from Mike Potemra <mailto:%20mikepotemra@mindspring.com>, NR's deputy managing editor.
On Friday, one of the most respected public servants in America issued a complete exoneration of the U.S. government in the tragic 1993 fire at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. Former senator John Danforth, according to the New York Times account, "did not mince words. He declared that agents did not shoot at the Branch Davidians and did not start the fire that destroyed the compound on April 19, 1993, claiming the lives of about 80 people. He said the military was not used improperly and that the government ‘did not engage in a massive conspiracy and cover-up.’
Mr. Danforth placed blame and responsibility for the deaths on members of the religious sect, particularly the group's leader, David Koresh. . . .‘I give you these conclusions with 100 percent certainty. The blame rests squarely on the shoulders of David Koresh.’
"But as Mr. Danforth exonerated the government, he also rebuked it. He spoke pointedly and passionately about how public confidence in government had eroded because certain officials failed to speak candidly about aspects of the case. . . . ‘All of us should be more skeptical of those who make sensational accusations of evil acts by government. At the same time, government personnel, especially government lawyers, owe the American people an openness and candor that was lacking in response to the tragedy at Waco. Although the government did nothing evil on April 19, 1993, the failure of some of its employees to fully and openly disclose to the American people the use of pyrotechnic devices undermined public confidence in government and caused real damage to our country.’"
It is perhaps too much to hope that this report will put an end to all the conspiracy-mongering about Waco. There will always be a market for people who claim that space aliens killed JFK, and stuff like that. But Danforth was the right guy for this job: In the decade or so I worked in the Senate, the only bad thing detractors could come up with to say against him was that he was too self-righteous; which means, I guess, that he stepped on some toes. But that’s exactly what you want in this kind of special counsel; if he sees wrongdoing, you know he’s going to blow the whistle. He won’t hush it up just to be a "team player."
Danforth’s conclusions are serious and balanced, and deserve respect: What the government did wrong in the Waco case was on the order of bungling and defensiveness — not evil, not malice. That’s important to remember, at a time when we’re about to have a national election to transfer power to a new administration, whether it be Bush’s or Gore’s. To be effective in doing the work of government, that new administration will need to count on a public sense of its legitimacy. It’s important, therefore, that we not encourage the fantasies of those who want to believe the worst about our American institutions; and it’s equally important that government officials try not to act in such a way as to feed legitimate suspicion.
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Of course, the real source of "Waco Wackiness", aside from minor matters like the destruction of evidence, lies at the BEGINNING of the standoff, not it's end. It's to be found in the fundamental illegitimacy of the laws the BATF is charged with enforcing, and their resort to violence in enforcing laws against non-violent, victimless conduct. These are issues the government and our elected officials won't touch with a ten foot pole.
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Sic semper tyrannis!
7/24/00 9:55 a.m.
An End to Waco Wackiness?
A sensible report from John Danforth.
A media grab bag from Mike Potemra <mailto:%20mikepotemra@mindspring.com>, NR's deputy managing editor.
On Friday, one of the most respected public servants in America issued a complete exoneration of the U.S. government in the tragic 1993 fire at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. Former senator John Danforth, according to the New York Times account, "did not mince words. He declared that agents did not shoot at the Branch Davidians and did not start the fire that destroyed the compound on April 19, 1993, claiming the lives of about 80 people. He said the military was not used improperly and that the government ‘did not engage in a massive conspiracy and cover-up.’
Mr. Danforth placed blame and responsibility for the deaths on members of the religious sect, particularly the group's leader, David Koresh. . . .‘I give you these conclusions with 100 percent certainty. The blame rests squarely on the shoulders of David Koresh.’
"But as Mr. Danforth exonerated the government, he also rebuked it. He spoke pointedly and passionately about how public confidence in government had eroded because certain officials failed to speak candidly about aspects of the case. . . . ‘All of us should be more skeptical of those who make sensational accusations of evil acts by government. At the same time, government personnel, especially government lawyers, owe the American people an openness and candor that was lacking in response to the tragedy at Waco. Although the government did nothing evil on April 19, 1993, the failure of some of its employees to fully and openly disclose to the American people the use of pyrotechnic devices undermined public confidence in government and caused real damage to our country.’"
It is perhaps too much to hope that this report will put an end to all the conspiracy-mongering about Waco. There will always be a market for people who claim that space aliens killed JFK, and stuff like that. But Danforth was the right guy for this job: In the decade or so I worked in the Senate, the only bad thing detractors could come up with to say against him was that he was too self-righteous; which means, I guess, that he stepped on some toes. But that’s exactly what you want in this kind of special counsel; if he sees wrongdoing, you know he’s going to blow the whistle. He won’t hush it up just to be a "team player."
Danforth’s conclusions are serious and balanced, and deserve respect: What the government did wrong in the Waco case was on the order of bungling and defensiveness — not evil, not malice. That’s important to remember, at a time when we’re about to have a national election to transfer power to a new administration, whether it be Bush’s or Gore’s. To be effective in doing the work of government, that new administration will need to count on a public sense of its legitimacy. It’s important, therefore, that we not encourage the fantasies of those who want to believe the worst about our American institutions; and it’s equally important that government officials try not to act in such a way as to feed legitimate suspicion.
******************************************
Of course, the real source of "Waco Wackiness", aside from minor matters like the destruction of evidence, lies at the BEGINNING of the standoff, not it's end. It's to be found in the fundamental illegitimacy of the laws the BATF is charged with enforcing, and their resort to violence in enforcing laws against non-violent, victimless conduct. These are issues the government and our elected officials won't touch with a ten foot pole.
------------------
Sic semper tyrannis!
