Long ago and far away, Euripides said, “Man’s most valuable trait is
a judicious sense of what not to believe.” And he never heard of Bill
Clinton, Janet Reno, or Chuck Schumer. …
Defenders of the indefensible can’t understand why so many of us
don’t trust our government to be honest, fair, or reasonable. Gee, it is
well documented our president has repeatedly lied; our attorney general
is either incompetent, or chin deep in multiple, major cover ups;
Congress had displayed the strength of a cobweb in a tornado; and
chronic violation of oaths has become standing operating procedure.
Twenty-nine members of Congress have been accused of spousal abuse,
seven have been arrested for fraud, 19 have been accused of writing bad
checks, 117 have bankrupted at least two businesses, three have been
arrested for assault, 71 have credit reports so bad they reportedly can
not qualify for a credit card, 14 have been arrested on drug-related
charges, eight have been arrested for shoplifting, 21 are current
defendants in lawsuits, and just in 1998, 84 were stopped for drunk
driving, but released after they claimed congressional immunity. Such
are the men and women who have sworn a sacred oath to “… preserve and
protect the Constitution. …”
The unnecessary tragedy of Waco is unraveling like a cheap rug. Janet
Reno is metamorphosing from “I take full responsibility” to “Gosh, my
subordinates lied to me. … It’s not really MY fault.” Reno’s pursuit
for the truth of Waco is rivaled only by O.J.’s search for the “real”
killers of Nicole and Ron. So how come a federal judge was required to
resolve a dispute with the Texas Rangers over evidence? As the New York
Times reported, “A federal judge was forced to intervene Friday after
federal officials tried to block Texas Rangers from entering a Waco
storage facility to search for evidence that pyrotechnic devices were
fired at the Branch Davidian complex. That brief skirmish came the same
day FBI officials in Washington released the second of two newly
discovered aerial videotapes that include conversations between FBI
commanders about the use of combustible teargas canisters.”
Janet Reno should resign, be fired “with prejudice,” impeached for
either incompetence or conspiracy, or sued under Title 18, Chapter 13,
Section 242, which addresses the subject of deprivation of rights under
color of law:
- Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation,
or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory,
Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights,
privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or
laws of the United States, or to different punishments, pains, or
penalties, on account of such person being an alien, or by reason of his
color, or race, than are prescribed for the punishment of citizens,
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or
both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in
violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted
use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or
fire, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than
ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed
in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an
attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to commit
aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under
this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or
may be sentenced to death.
The above is not the rantings of any radical right wing nut —
it is verbatim from United States Code Title 18, Chapter 13, Section
242. Gosh oh gee golly … maybe it’s just me, but it does kind of sound
like it was specifically written for the kind of gross abuse of power
under the color of authority that resulted in the Waco tragedy.
Last week the FBI finally uncovered a Feb. 15, 1996 internal memo
acknowledging they DID use a few military gas rounds. An anonymous FBI
mouth said the memo stated no military teargas was fired “directly” at
the compound “due to the potential for causing a fire.” According to the
General Accounting Office, the FBI had 50 40mm “illumination rounds”
(flares) and 250 40mm “high explosive” rounds from the U.S. Army. What
the hell was the FBI doing with H-E (high explosive rounds)? One
official who spoke only on the condition he would not be identified
said, “But why they had the H-E rounds, I don’t know. …”
Reno is now trying on the hat of victim. She said, “What I asked for
were assurances — and I received assurances — that we would not use
incendiary devices or pyrotechnic means of delivering incendiary
devices.” According to a tape released last Thursday, a radio
transmission in which the FBI’s hostage rescue team commander, Richard
Rogers, granted permission for an agent to fire military tear-gas rounds
at the bunker. Whoops! A second tape released the next day again
confirmed the use of military canisters.
The Texas Rangers apparently have been trying to uncover facts, but
although “One Riot … one Ranger” may be sufficient, when taking on the
obstructionists in Reno’s Justice Department, a reasonable judge helps.
“Agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
assigned to maintain custody of the evidence stockpile told the Rangers
that their lawyers in Washington had ordered them to deny the Rangers
entry.”
Now the New York Times reports, “The Pentagon’s elite Special
Operations Command sent observers to the siege at the Branch Davidians
compound in Texas more than a month before the final assault on the
compound, suggesting that military commandos had a far longer and closer
involvement in the disastrous operation than previously divulged.”
President Bill Clinton and his cover-up queen Reno are once again in
deep kimchee. For years many of us have been suggesting Clinton/Reno
specifically either violated Posse Comitatus (which prohibits the U.S.
military from active involvement in domestic law enforcement), OR
covertly issued a presidential waiver. Now the White House has
consistently denied Clinton ever issued any such waiver. I don’t buy it.
I spent 20 years in the military, active duty, National Guard, and
reserve. I have commanded a Special Forces Operational Detachment and a
Military Police Company. I’ve served on staffs at Battalion, Brigade and
Division levels. I encountered a wide spectrum of officers, some with
huge egos and poor judgment. However, even the most arrogant, myopic,
venial, and intellectually challenged officer would never do what was
done at Waco without a “get out of jail card” from some higher up. Maybe
in an isolated jungle, or remote mountain, but not in Waco, Texas with
TV cameras pointed at them.
It has been said that newspapers offer the first draft of history.
The Waco tragedy will eventually become a significant scar on the
history of the ’90s. The second draft of the Waco incident will differ
from the first product. When Congress sticks its finger into the wind of
popular sentiment they may well discover what many of us have known for
years. Obstruction of Justice, abuse of power under the color of
authority, media manipulation, obfuscation, and lies are five dogs that
won’t hunt.
In the coming months you can anticipate scapegoats, whistleblowers,
assorted resignations, attempts to delay, stall, divert, and perhaps,
maybe, even an eventual epiphany or two.
Syria and America’s bloody diplomacy
Mike Pottage