Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc
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From: rja@mahogany126.cray.com (Russ Anderson)
Subject: Re: Cults, Waco & Insanity
Message-ID: <1993Apr23.104222.3949@hemlock.cray.com>
Originator: rja@mahogany126
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Sender: rja@mahogany126 (Russ Anderson)
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Organization: The 1991 World Champion Minnesota Twins!
References: <C5w51C.H39@srgenprp.sr.hp.com> <C5wA2G.1CC@apollo.hp.com>
Date: 23 Apr 93 10:42:21 CDT


In article <C5wA2G.1CC@apollo.hp.com>, nelson_p@apollo.hp.com (Peter Nelson) writes:
> In article <C5w51C.H39@srgenprp.sr.hp.com> patk@sr.hp.com (Patrick Kearney) writes:
> >
> >I ask this question because there is a tradition, and one that
> >is highly regarded by many people, that several hundred Jews
> >elected to throw themselves off a cliff at Masada rather than
> >submit to Roman rule. The circumstances at Masada and those at
> >Waco would seem in general terms quite similar, and yet so far
> >as I'm aware nobody has seriously suggested that the Jews were
> >insane.
> 
>   As has already been pointed out, the Jews faced a totally
>   different fate at the hand of the Romans than did Koresh 
>   at the hand of the feds.  The Jewish men would most likely
>   have been crucified, the the women and children sold into
>   slavery.   One can well argue that Koresh may have *thought*
>   that a similar fate awaited him, but there was scant rational 
>   basis for that fear, so "insane" seems to describe any such
>   belief.

What is the penalty if convicted of murdering 4 Federal agents
in Texas?  The death penalty.

>   None of which excuses the reckless action of the feds, who
>   allegedly believing they were dealing with a nut, should 
>   have exercise much more restraint.  Indeed, given their 
>   *stated* goals of saving the children, one might also apply
>   the moniker "insane" to the feds' actions.

Yup.
-- 
Russ Anderson    |  Disclaimer: Any statements are my own and do not reflect
------------------              upon my employer or anyone else.  (c) 1993
EX-Twins' Jack Morris, 10 innings pitched, 0 runs (World Series MVP!)
