WACO: THE POLICY
Howdy,
The Forest Service wants to pass a regulation that would
change freedom of assembly and expression into a crime,
punishable by fine and/or imprisonment.
Some folks think the problem is just a few wild
bureaucrats who've run amok. Others think the problem is
that government thrives on power, power corrupts, the
more power government obtains, the more it wants, and
that this regulation is the "logical" extension of the
government's continuing drive for power. What hasn't the
government already regulated? What valid interest can
the government possibly have to regulate freedom of
thought and assembly?
The Wild Bureaucrat theory relies on the courts to halt
desecration of the First Amendment. Power-Hungry-
Government theorists fervently pray the courts will
squash the regulation, but think that even if the rule is
-- ONCE AGAIN -- struck down the Feds will soon be back -
- same regulation, slightly different words -- until they
finally get some court to agree that permits are "law."
If government is the problem, then the only solution
might be to change the government.
What about the Koresh massacre? For fifty one days the
FBI arrested any media person who came within two miles.
Each morning Special FBI Agent Bob Ricks held a press
conference to assure the world that David Koresh was
irrational. The FBI blasted the Koresh people with
amazing stereo equipment and flooded them with blazing
lights. Then, fearing the bright lights and loud music
might cause psychological damage to "the children," the
FBI rammed main battle tanks into the Koresh compound
"poking holes" and spraying "non-flammable" teargas
inside. "The next logical step." Agent Ricks said.
Coincidently -- Agent Ricks, Attorney General Reno, and
President Clinton tell us -- the Koresh people chose that
moment to commit suicide by setting their house on fire.
Recently we've seen a video, entitled "The Big Lie."
Among other disturbing scenes is one showing that one of
the tanks, "poking
holes in the wall," was actually equipped
with a flamethrowing device, and was throwing flame
into the Davidian compound.
Imagine, the "Rainbow Gathering" becomes a "crime,"
but, theorizing that ten thousand hippies, united,
can never be defeated, The People gather anyway.
Given an outlaw Gathering, what's poor Uncle Sam
supposed to do? Most economical solution might be
to just surround the Gathering with a chainlink
fence. These CFR regulations, called "citation
offenses," provide that when an agent accuses a
person of a violation, the accused may post a $50
bond. Anybody who wanted to get past the Rainbow
fence could just put up 50 bucks and make it back to
Babylon.
To facilitate "due process" the Feds could just
bring a gigantic T.V. screen down to the Main
Circle, set up two-way video and audio equipment,
and offer to hold court -- like those closed circuit
courts they've already got going in Florida and some
other places.
Anybody who wanted could go to the video court and
plead the First Amendment, or try to cut a deal with
the magistrate for an intermediate sentence, trade
time served for community service, or something. On
the other extreme, anybody who wanted to hang out
for six months could just hang tight, The federales
could send in supplies. After six months, sooner if
they want, they could take down the fence and
everybody could go their way. Of course, at smaller
gatherings, a hundred or so folks, the feds might
think it was more economical just to round everybody
up and farm them out to surrounding county jails.
After Waco, one of the first things U.S. Attorney
Reno suggested was looking at new laws and
regulations to control "cults."
Waco was a "proactive" enforcement approach. So is
this rule. Thought needs to be focused on a broad
unified opposition to proactive enforcement.
In service to understanding,