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Because i read somewhere that he often went to a general store or such and the feds could have done a arrest then and not have lead to all the bloodshed.
Because they wanted a pretext to get into the compound.
This is incorrect.
ATF had obtained search warrants for the premises of Koresh and others. The warrants were focused on weapons violations and drug trafficking, with the intent of obtaining evidence of both. There was no guarantee that Koresh would be carrying an unlawful weapon when venturing out, and it seems highly unlikely that he would have had drugs or drug paraphernalia on him.
Note 1:
This is not to say that failing to arrest Koresh when he went into town was a good decision, but simply that there was not a need for a pretext to arrest him on his premises because the warrants provided legal cause for ATF to search the compound.
Note 2:
Notwithstanding my last comment, there is no assurance that arresting Koresh would have aborted the standoff. And it's not just the feds - the local sheriff thought that Koresh or no Koresh, those in the Branch Davidian leadership weren't going to go down without a fight. Of course, we'll never know for certain if that assessment was accurate.
Because i read somewhere that he often went to a general store or such and the feds could have done a arrest then and not have lead to all the bloodshed.
Yes, poor tactics were used both during the initial assault and then the resulting mess that followed.
Yes, poor tactics were used both during the initial assault and then the resulting mess that followed.
There was only one basic fork in the outcomes: Any kind of assault/invasion/takeover, which was almost certain to produce the same results; or sit back and wait them out, which would have likely ended the same way.
It was 100% Koresh's doing; the only variation was whether the government would end up being blamed for being too aggressive or too passive. I'm not sure "Janet Reno just sat there and let Koresh burn up all those poor kids" is in anyway preferable.
There was only one basic fork in the outcomes: Any kind of assault/invasion/takeover, which was almost certain to produce the same results; or sit back and wait them out, which would have likely ended the same way.
It was 100% Koresh's doing; the only variation was whether the government would end up being blamed for being too aggressive or too passive. I'm not sure "Janet Reno just sat there and let Koresh burn up all those poor kids" is in anyway preferable.
I have no reason to believe your representations are accurate. It is impossible to examine the actions of the federal authorities in this matter and not come away with the conclusion that the outcome of this debacle could have been a far more positive one.
Rich
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