-Caveat Lector- forwarded from U.S. House Rep. Bob Barr.... Dave Hartley http://www.Asheville-Computer.com http://www.ioa.com/~davehart -----Original Message----- From: Barr, Press [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 1999 4:09 PM To: Barr, Press Subject: Media Played Dumb on Official Waco Dissent Three Years Ago > NewsMax.com > Inside Cover > Wednesday September 22, 11:33 AM > "Media Played Dumb on Official Waco Dissent Three Years Ago" > > As Congress and the press take a second look at Waco, mainstream > journalists and administration spokesmen (if that's not redundant) > regularly remind us that all previous investigations are in basic > agreement on one key point: the Branch Davidians were at fault. > > The Davidians shot first in the initial Feb. 28, 1993 BATF assault on Mt. > Carmel and they started the fire that consumed their compound 51-days > later, according to every investigation with legal jurisdiction to examine > the matter. At least that's what the press is telling us now. > > But the notion that there hasn't been any official disagreement by Waco > probers over the last six years has one serious flaw. It's not true. > > In fact, in a four page dissenting opinion to the House's August 2, 1996 > report on the "Investigation into the Activities of Federal Law > Enforcement Agencies Toward the Branch Davidians," many of the same > nagging questions that have driven a month's worth of recent headlines on > Waco were presented quite starkly. > > The extraordinairly prescient report, submitted under the name of the late > Rep. Steven Schiff (R-NM) and actually authored by Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA), > critiques the findings of the majority of a joint House committee that > probed Waco in 1995, asserting that the official conclusions failed to > address "several extremely important matters that came to light during the > hearings and which deserve far more scrutiny than accorded heretofore." > > Here are a few excerpts, which the establishment press didn't see as > particularly newsworthy when Barr's report was first released. > > MILITARIZATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT > > "Unfortunately, we saw in the Waco tragedy the blurring of the lines > between domestic law enforcement and military operations: an operation > carried out pursuant to a strategy designed to demolish an 'enemy,' > utilizing tactics designed to cut off avenues of escape, drive an enemy > out, and run roughshod over the 'niceties' of caring for the rights of > those involved. The protestations of the Attorney General to the contrary, > that she authorized > the injection of debilitating CS gas into closed interior quarters with no > ventillation where dozens of women and children were concentrated out of > concern for the children, do not match the Government's actions....." > > POSSE COMITATUS AND MILITARY INVOLVMENT > > "I seriously question the role of military officers being involved in > strategy sessions, as on sight 'observers' and the presence of foriegn > military personnel, and the use of military equipment such as armored > vehicles. Contrary to the conclusion of the (majority) report, I am not > convinced that the separation between military operations and domestic law > > enforcement, codified in the U.S. Code's 'Posse Comitatus' provisions, was > not violated in the Waco operation." > > FLIR TAPES AND WHAT THEY SHOW > > "The Government used the (Forward Looking Infrared Radar) tapes to > buttress their arguments that no shots were fired on April 19 from the > outside of the compound into the compound, and that the fire that > destroyed the compound was not started from the outside or by the > Government vehicles....On further examination of the FLIR tapes, after the > hearings and in discussions with private parties who have reviewed the > tapes, I believe sufficient questions have been raised to warrant further > study of these two issues: were there shots fired from outside the > compound into the compound on April 19th, and > were the fires started -- intentionally or unintentionally -- by the > armored military vehicles or personnel therein." > > THE FIRE > > "While the (majority) report concludes that the evidence clearly > establishes that the fire that eventually consumed the Branch Davidian > structure was started inside by the Davidians, I think that the most that > can be said is that the fire may have been started inside, and even if it > did, the evidence that it was deliberately set is inconclusive.....At > least some of the fires may have been caused as a result of the > demolishing efforts of the armored military vehicles." > > BREACH OF ETHICS AND POSSIBLE OBSTRUCTION > > "Government documents clearly show deliberate efforts by Government > attorneys to stop the collection of evidence and possibly cover-up > evidence the Government did not want to be available later on....I > consider it extremely serious, especially when considered with evidence > that two of the ATF agents (were) first disciplined and fired and then > later reinstated and (had their) records sealed.....Documents explicitly > showed that -- 'DOJ (Department of Justice) does not want Treasury to > conduct any interviews...(that might) > generate....material or oral statements which could be used for > impeachment' -- of Government witnesses....In handwritten notes, taken at > some point during the seige, Government attorney Ray Jahn directs that > interviews are to stop because exculpatory statements may be generated." > > COMMITTEE RULES AND RESTRICTIONS > > "Important evidence was not available (to the committee) because of > tactics by the Government and minority members of the subcommittees to > keep evidence out of our hands; such as the weapons taken by the > Government from the burned Davidian compound. We were never able to test > the weapons to determine whether they were in fact unlawful weapons as > the Government charged (which provided a primary justification for the > Government's initial action against (David) Koresh and the Branch > Davidians)." > > There it was in black and white, an official report issued by Congress > three years ago with all the "dark questions" about Waco laid bare for the > world to see. Yet the the establishment press didn't breathe a word. > > If the Waco cover-up survives intact after this latest round of > Congressional scrutiny, it will be because the mainstream press has a > vested interest in keeping their own laziness and bias on Waco under > wraps. > > For additional information on Waco and other issuses please visit our > website at http://www.house.gov/barr > > To be removed from this mailing list please reply with REMOVE in the > subject line. > > DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. 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