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PaperclipPerfector  8mo ago (text post)   26606 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of September 4, 2023

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Because Waco was considered an ur-example of a poorly run operation that resulted in more carnage than was really necessary and the exact sort of collateral damage (women, kids) that should be avoided whenever possible.

It lasted 51 days on top of it all, so for a long time they DID repel the government's ability to serve the warrant.

At least, consider how the most recent popular documentary about it was received. I don't think public opinion on the situation was favorable to the state, and would the President really want to have that kind of massacre on their hands?

I dunno, there was no major upside for the Government regarding how that turned out. It is fathomable that they might risk that sort of event again for a sufficiently important goal, but I doubt they'd be eager to do so.

I don't think public opinion on the situation was favorable to the state.

Pretty sure you’re wrong. Violent persecution of religious sects is surprisingly popular.

Because Waco was considered an ur-example of a poorly run operation that resulted in more carnage than was really necessary and the exact sort of collateral damage (women, kids) that should be avoided whenever possible.

Citation needed, I think. The government investigated and repeatedly cleared itself of wrongdoing. Nobody was held accountable in any way or suffered any consequence. The government won every lawsuit filed against it. The most they would admit is that some information about the use of incendiary devices was withheld, for which unspecified disciplinary action was pursued against unspecified individuals, with undisclosed outcome. The government's position was and remains that they did a pretty good job and that bad PR is a result of disinformation and conspiracy theories.

Public opinion at the time was absolutely favorable to the state; the general sentiment was the Branch Davidians were a bunch of religious wackos who molested kids and shot at the government and deserved what was coming to them. ATF ended up looking utterly incompetent, but that was the worst of it for the government.

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