Ruby Ridge & Waco Fiasco's Re-visited.

[mortensen]

Please Note:

This is not new new's. This is old news for many of us. But it is still a reminder for us and a wake-up call for those not famaliar with this story.

THE RANDY WEAVER CASE

By Jim Oliver

Another Federal Fiasco!

BATF's entrapment of Randy Weaver led to the violent deaths of three people. Says his defense attorney, Gerry Spence: "What happened to Randy Weaver can happen to anybody in this country."

Seeing his dog Striker, shot to death by masked intruders clad in camouflage, Sammy Weaver, 14, fired back in fear for his life. The 4 ft., 11" tall youngster was hit in the arm, then shot in the back as he turned to run home. He died instantly, killed by an agent of the federal government.

Cradling her 10-month-old daughter in her arms, Vicki Weaver stood in the doorway of her home, mourning her slain son, unaware that she herself had only seconds to live. In an instant a bullet tore into Vicki Weaver's face, blew through her jaw and severed her carotid artery. The bullet was fired from 200 yds. away by an agent of the federal government.

What had the Weaver family done to bring FBI snipers and submachine-gun-toting U.S. marshals to the woods around their cabin on Ruby Ridge in Northern Idaho? Why did the government act as though the Weavers had forfeited the protections guaranteed all Americans by the United States Constitution? Who made the decisions that led to their unjustified deaths and also to the death of deputy U.S. Marshall William Degan?

For the six men working near Weaver's plywood cabin on Ruby Ridge, Aug 21, 1992, was another day on the job that had been going on more than 16 months. Their employer, the U.S. government, was spending $13,000 a week, and there had been no end in sight to the work.

The cabin, really a shack, was home to 44 year old former Green Beret Randy Weaver and his family, wife Vicki and son, Sammy, and daughters, Sara, Rachel and Elisheba. It was also home to their young friend, Kevin Harris. They were subsistence hunters, and tended a garden, putting up vegetables. A generator produced occasional electricity. They had no TV, no radio.

For nearly a year and a half, federal agents had roamed the area, picking locations for surveillance and for snipers. Degan belonged to the Special Operations Group, the Marshals national SWAT team. The six on-site this day were deputy U.S. Marshals.

The target of all of this and of a Federal law enforcement effort would eventually total approx $ 3 million was Randy Weaver. What kind of criminal was he to demand this kind of attention? Was he a major drug dealer? Serial killer? Was he a terrorist bomber?

On Oct 24, 1989, Weaver sold two shotguns whose barrels arguably measured 1/4 inch less that the 18 inch length determined arbitrarily by Congress to be legal. The H&R single-barrel 12 gauge and Remington pump were sold to a good friend who instructed Weaver to shorten the barrels. The "good friend" was an undercover informant working for the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (BATF), who later told reporters he was in it "mainly for the excitment."

Kindly read this complete insightful article by Jim Oliver. And thank God for defense attorney Gerry Spence who could see through all the lies, distortion and fabrication presented by law enforcement and government employee's regarding this case when it went to trial.

Reference:

The Randy Weaver Case - The Lawful Path

[mortensen]

Branch Davidian Compound, Waco, Texas.

Federal agents raided the Branch Davidian compound near Waco. The armed standoff ended violently on April 19, 1993, when the compound burned to the ground. At the of that day, 76 Branch Davidians, including 21 children, were dead.

We know that David Koresh was a nut case. But was the means by which law enforcement and government officers took justify the death of children and their parents in the explosive fire that took their lives. It's been said that David Koresh would go to town different times and bring back supplies for the compound. If that was the case, then why wasn't he arrested on those occasions?

[COEngineer]

These are both horrific stories that could have been avoided altogether with a little common sense. They are tragic. Fortunately, they are rare.

[mortensen]

Thankyou for your comment COEngineer.

Hopefully they are rare and hopefully Janet Reno will be rare as well.

[wtnhunt]

Got to wonder sometimes about some of these federal investigations and the way things go down. What rationale/motivations were there for the feds spending that kind of money on someone who sold a couple "sawed off" shotguns. Either a lot more to the story or gross negligence, likely some of both.

[LETMGROW]

It has been nearly 20 years since the last incident mentioned. No official word of what any (if in fact there were any) investigation showed as a cause for the actions.

Whether we like it or not we have become nothing more than pawns in a game.

Have you heard about Eric holder's grand plan to supply Mexican Cartels with weapons lately?

What happened there? You don't just suppose the current administration is using Sandy hook to get off the hook do you? Shameful IMO!

Lynn