-Caveat Lector- >From http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/news/story75609.html - Wednesday, September 08, 1999 Restoring credibility Don't limit Waco probe to FBI's tear-gas use By ROWLAND NETHAWAY WACO, TEXAS -- A lot more needs to be answered than simply why it took FBI officials and Attorney General Janet Reno six years to report that agents fired flammable tear gas canisters during the deadly final assault on the Branch Davidians' compound in 1993. If that's the only question that this new investigation attempts to answer, the exercise will be another waste of paper and will make Americans even more cynical about their government. It's obvious why it took until now for Reno and FBI Director Louis Freeh to talk about the need to investigate the firing of incendiary military tear-gas rounds the morning that the compound was engulfed in flames. They had no choice. Right up until physical evidence to the contrary was dropped in their laps, they denied for six years that FBI agents fired pyrotechnic devices. Assuming the leaders of the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were misled by their own people, then they both are in charge of such slipshod operations that some of the nation's top law-enforcement officials are not above misleading their bosses, Congress and the American people. That's the charitable assessment. A recently discovered videotape shot from a surveillance aircraft that morning contains a soundtrack that clearly contains discussions among FBI Hostage Rescue Team members in which a team member asks a superior for permission to fire military tear-gas cartridges that release gas by burning. An FBI superior grants permission to fire the incendiary tear-gas cartridges. The radio traffic among assault-team members was monitored in real time throughout the FBI chain of command at the scene and by FBI officials in Washington, D.C., either simultaneously or with a slight time delay, according to an FBI official. After it was clear that the assault and subsequent inferno resulted in a historic tragedy, FBI officials in Waco held a press conference to make their first unequivocal denial that FBI agents fired incendiary or pyrotechnic devices during the assault. An outside investigation needs to answer a lot more than why Reno and FBI officials misled Congress and the American people about the pyrotechnic tear gas for the past six years. The purpose of a new probe should be to ensure American citizens that they can respect the fairness and honesty of their government. Another piecemeal investigation can never accomplish this goal. A new investigation into ""what happened in Waco'' should encompass the entire gamut of government involvement from beginning to end. Was there probable cause for the search warrant, for instance? Was military involvement in the raid, siege and final assault out of bounds? Were military officials misled? Why did the FBI refuse to cooperate with the Texas Rangers during the siege and go out of its way to destroy crucial crime-scene evidence? Why was an arson investigator hired with close ties to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms? For the sake of the credibility of the federal government, there should be an outside investigation of the entire Branch Davidian debacle. Malefactors should be held accountable. ROWLAND NETHAWAY is senior editor of the Waco (Texas) Tribune-Herald. COX NEWSPAPERS -- Dan S DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
