DOCSLIB.ORG

Chapter 1 – the Prelude

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Chapter 1 – the Prelude Chapter 1 – The Prelude On the morning of February 28, 1993, seventy-six armed agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) attempted to serve a search warrant using a "dynamic entry" against Vernon Wayne Howell (who legally changed his name to David Koresh in 1990) for suspected weapons violations. The agents arrived under the cover of cattle trailers, and bailed out in force in front of the Mount Carmel Center, the residence and worship facilities of the group that has come to be known as the Branch Davidians. Although accounts of who fired first are conflicting, a gun battle ensued which left four BATF agents dead and twenty wounded, six Branch Davidians dead and four wounded. David Koresh was shot in the arm and stomach. As a result of the gunfight, the BATF was unable to conduct its search, and a protracted siege ensued. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrived on February 29 with its Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) and took over the operation, treating it as a "Complex Hostage/Barricade Rescue" situation. The "rescue" lasted for fifty-one days, when at six a.m., on April 19, 1993, FBI agents began inserting CS tear gas into Mt. Carmel through booms protruding from M-60 tanks and with Bradley Fighting Vehicles firing "ferret rounds" through windows. At around twelve noon, smoke was observed coming from windows in the Mt. Carmel center, and by twelve-forty, the structure was completely engulfed in flames. Seventy-four Branch Davidians lost their lives in the fire, including twenty-one children. When the initial February 28 raid occurred, Branch Davidian Wayne Martin, a Harvard educated attorney, called the local sheriff's department using "911." The discussions began with Lieutenant Larry Lynch of the sheriff's department and were continued by Jim Cavanaugh of the BATF. These conversations were recorded on audiotapes and later were transcribed into typed form. When the FBI took control, they set up a negotiation center at the McLennan County Airport, and conversed by telephone with the inhabitants of Mt. Carmel over the next fifty-one days. The FBI also recorded these negotiations and subsequently transcribed them in typed form. According to the FBI in the Justice Department Report on Waco, negotiators spoke by telephone with over fifty individuals in Mt. Carmel, for over 200 hours. The transcripts of these conversations were withheld from the public until August of 1995, when the trial of the surviving Davidians was over and the House of Representatives concluded its second set of hearings on "Operation Trojan Horse" as the siege was called. The transcripts of the negotiations conducted over the fifty-one days of the siege are the primary focus of this study. Importance of the Study There are two primary reasons for pursuing this course of study, one of them of practical and the other of theoretical importance. The basic practical rational is best summarized in the old adage, "Those who forget the mistakes of the past are bound to repeat them." No one has systematically explicated the “negotiations” that occurred over the fifty-one days. The government reports on the incident and the Congressional Hearings provide no detailed analysis of the negotiations or the negotiation process itself. Moreover, no academic exposition of the material has occurred either. However, as the year 2000 or "The Millennium" approaches, the potential for confrontations between alternative religious groups and Federal law enforcement will increase. Many groups are focused on eschatological religious writings, as were the Branch Davidians, and the year 2000 is prophetically important to their belief systems as ushering in a new era and possibly the "end of the world." There is also a rise in more secular anti- government sentiment, leading to the formation of numerous groups built around a variety of value based issues (taxes, guns, property rights, and so forth) that may lead to more confrontations, as the siege with the "Freemen" in Montana illustrated. Additionally, seventy-four people died in a fire while being ostensibly in “government custody,” and in constant contact with "government negotiators" throughout the 51 days. A thorough explication of the negotiations might provide an answer to the question, "What went wrong?" The more U.S. policy makers and law enforcement officials can understand what worked and what did not work in dealing with the people in Waco, the better able they will be to prevent fiery endings in the future. But the Waco incident also provides useful material of theoretical importance for communication scholars. The negotiations with the Branch Davidians created a unique rhetorical problem for the negotiators that at least initially they were ill-equipped to deal with. David Koresh told the negotiators that he was the “Lamb” spoken of in Revelation who was given the knowledge by God to unlock the "mysteries" of the Seven Seals that marked the “end of time” and ushered in God’s final judgment on the world. Koresh had agreed to leave Mt. Carmel with his followers if the FBI would play his one hour declamation of the Seven Seals on the radio. The message was played and 2 preparations were made on both sides for the Davidians to leave. As the Davidians, with coats on, were about to begin exiting the building, Koresh broke down with a "religious experience" in which he claimed to have received an “audible message from God” who told him to “wait.” Koresh and the other Davidians told the negotiators that they feared the wrath of God for disobedience of his "wait" edict more than they feared firepower of the FBI HRT. So the wait began. For the majority of the standoff, the negotiators had to try and talk “a prophet of God” and his followers out of their divinely sanctioned stronghold. On April 14, Koresh claimed to have received another message from God, when he was instructed to write down the interpretation of the Seven Seals and then surrender. However, decisions were made by the FBI to continually increase the pressure on those inside Mt. Carmel (cutting electricity and water, playing loud sounds and shining spot lights all night, having tanks "bump" the buildings, etc.) with the intention of causing the group to fracture and for Koresh to lose “control” over his “followers.” Arguably these pressure tactics not only failed, but had the opposite result of increasing both group cohesion and loyalty to Koresh. The pressure culminated in the tear gas attack, which resulted in the fiery deaths of the inhabitants. Several important theoretical questions are raised by this incident. Were some negotiation strategies more effective than others as measured in concessions on the part of the Davidians? How do those strategies comport with the behavioral science literature and recommendations on crisis negotiations? Which tactics employed stiffened the resolve of those inside to remain for a protracted period of time? Was there a potential solution to the standoff absent a final confrontation? Did ambiguities exist in the narrative scripts adopted by either side that would allow for a peaceful resolution? Is there any evidence that Koresh was serious in his promise to write his interpretation and then surrender, or was this simply a "stalling" tactic as the FBI claimed? Were the Davidians simply a group of "brainwashed" individuals who intended to commit suicide from the beginning? What happens in the "real world" when two worldviews collide into a showdown of faith versus force? What really occurred in negotiations between federal law enforcement and the Branch Davidians? These are some of the questions that this study hopes to provide more documented answers to based upon actual conversations between participants. 3 Review of Literature The relevant literature for this study falls into four categories, which are subdivided by type in the included bibliographies. 1). News stories of the siege that provide contextual material of the rhetorical situation, 2). both academic and popular works that provide information on the history and beliefs of the Mount Carmel Branch Davidians, 3). academic works concerning law enforcement hostage negotiations theory and practice in general, 4). academic works on the rhetoric and beliefs of apocalyptic groups in general. Academic works on the Waco negotiations also would be useful, but they do not exist at present. There was major press coverage of the Waco siege, both in print and on television. Much of the coverage originated with almost daily press briefings by the FBI at the Waco Convention center, and consequently there was extensive duplication in material in most of the newspaper accounts. In order to simplify the research burden, this study draws newspaper material from the New York Times, the paper of record for the United States. In addition, the Waco Tribune Herald also did extensive coverage of the group and the siege, and it is included where appropriate. Interestingly, its initial "Sinful Messiah" series has been charged with warning the Davidians that the BATF raid was imminent. Other press material, such as magazine, television, and popular book coverage, is incorporated where relevant and available. This material is relevant for contextual understanding, but is largely irrelevant for the actual analysis of the negotiation texts. Prior to the raid, there was a general lack of material about the history of the Branch Davidians. Few people even in Central Texas knew of the group’s existence, and only a handful of scholars had written about the group. Since the fire, several works have been written that provide useful material about the historical roots of the group and their doctrinal beliefs. One work of note is Why Waco?, by James Tabor, a professor of New Testament studies at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • By and One of the Most Significant Trends of Federal Law Enforcement In
    [Copyright © 1997 Akron Law Review; David B. Kopel; Paul M. Blackman. Originally published as 30 AKRON L. REV. 619-659 (1997). Permission for WWW use at this cite generously granted by the authors. For educational use only. The printed edition remains canonical. For citational use please obtain a back issue from William S. Hein & Co., 1285 Main Street, Buffalo, New York 14209; 716-882-2600 or 800-828-7571. David Kopel is author of the book THE SAMURAI, THE MOUNTIE, AND THE COWBOY: SHOULD AMERICA ADOPT THE GUN CONTROLS OF OTHER DEMOCRACIES? available from Amazon.com. He is also Research Director for Independence Institute where numerous other resources may be found.] CAN SOLDIERS BE PEACE OFFICERS? THE WACO DISASTER AND THE MILITARIZATION OF AMERICAN LAW ENFORCEMENT by DAVID B. KOPEL* and PAUL M. BLACKMAN** I. INTRODUCTION One of the most significant trends of federal law enforcement in the last fifteen years has been its militarization. The logical, perhaps inevitable, consequence of that militarization was seen in the disaster at Waco, Texas, resulting in the deaths of four federal agents, and seventy-six other men, women, and children. In this article, we use the Waco tragedy as a starting point to examine the militarization of federal law enforcement, and similar trends at the state and local level. Part Two of this article sets forth the details and rationale of the Posse Comitatus Act—the 1878 law forbidding use of the military in law enforcement. Part Three explicates how that Act was eroded by the drug war in the 1980s. The article then discusses how the drug exception to the Posse Comitatus Act was used to procure major military support for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) raid against the Branch Davidians—even though there was no real drug evidence against them—and how the drug exceptions to the Posse Comitatus Act have made such abuses endemic.
    [Show full text]
  • A Guide to the Lee Hancock Collection
    A Guide to the Lee Hancock Collection, 1975 – 2004, Bulk: 1993-2000 Collection 099 Descriptive Summary Creator: Hancock, Lee Title: Lee Hancock Collection Dates: 1975 – 2004, Bulk: 1993-2000 Abstract: Documents, clippings, videos, and other research materials represent journalist Lee Hancock’s research into the events of the Branch Davidian standoff near Waco in 1993. The materials are arranged into the following five series: Non-Branch Davidian Incidents, Media Coverage, Investigations, House of Representatives Hearings, and Lawsuits. Identification: Collection 099 Extent: 20 boxes (10 linear feet) Language: Materials are written in English Repository: Southwestern Writers Collection, Special Collections, Alkek Library, Texas State University-San Marcos Lee Hancock Collection SWWC Collection 099 Historical Sketch On February 28, 1993 the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) attempted to issue an arrest warrant for Vernon Wayne Howell and a search warrant for the Mount Carmel Center near Waco, Texas on the basis of illegal weapons possession. The Branch Davidians in Mount Carmel and the ATF began a shootout that ended in the deaths of four ATF agents and six Branch Davidians. The occupants of Mount Carmel and government agencies remained in a standoff for fifty-one days until the FBI launched CS gas into the compound in an effort to make the Branch Davidians exit. The CS gas assault on April 19, 1993 ended in a fire in which seventy-six people inside Mount Carmel died, including twenty-three children. After the fire a series of lawsuits and investigations began, including the 1994 criminal trial of the Branch Davidians, the 1995 congressional hearings, and a wrongful-death civil trial in 2000.
    [Show full text]
  • Recommendations of Experts for Improvements in Federal Law Enforcement After Waco
    If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. U.S. Department of Justice Washington,D.C. 20530 Recommendations of Experts for Improvements in Federal Law Enforcement After Waco 145688 U.S. Department of Justice National Institute of Justice This document has been reproduced exactly as received from the person or organization originating it. Points of view or opinions stated in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the National Institute of Justice. Permission to reproduce thisllll~ material has been granted by Publ:Cc Domain U.S. Dep~nt of Justice ustice Re .......... of the N£ Recommendations of Experts for improvements in Federal Law Enforcement After Waco TABLE OF CONTENTS Mandate to the Experts Handling Hostage/Barricade Situations Robert J, Louden Ronald McCarthy Ariel Merari Dealing with Persons whose Motivations and Thought Processes are Unconventional \, Nancy T. Ammerman Robert Canero Lawrence E. Sullivan Coordinating Law Enforcement Efforts in Hostage/Barricade Situations Colin E. Birt Richard J. Davis William H. Webster O @ @ UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT MEMORANDUM J~e ~,1~3 TO: Dr. Nancy Ammerman Mr. Colin B/rt Dr. Robert Cancro Mr. Richard J. Davis Mr. Robert J. Louden Mr. Ronald M. McCarthy Dr. Ariel Merafi @ Dr. Alan A. Stone Dr. Lawrence E. Sull/van Mr..William H. Webster FROM: Philip B. Heymann ~.~. Deputy Attorney General Department of Justice Ronald IC Noble Assistant Secretary (Enforcement) Department of the Treasury Q SUBJECT: your R01e in M~g Recommendations Concerning the Handling of Incidents Such asthe Branch Davidian Standoff in Waco, Texas @ L MANDATE We would like you to assist us in addressing issues that federal law enforcement confi'0n~ ~ bani'cade/hos~g e situatiom such as the stand-off that occurred near Waco, Texas, ~tween February 28, 1993 and April 19, 1993.
    [Show full text]
  • Deaths in the Fire at the Branch Davidians' Mount Carmel
    'HDWKVLQWKH)LUHDWWKH%UDQFK'DYLGLDQV 0RXQW&DUPHO:KR%HDUV5HVSRQVLELOLW\" $XWKRU V &DWKHULQH:HVVLQJHU 6RXUFH1RYD5HOLJLR7KH-RXUQDORI$OWHUQDWLYHDQG(PHUJHQW5HOLJLRQV9RO1R 1RYHPEHU SS 3XEOLVKHGE\University of California Press 6WDEOH85/http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/nr.2009.13.2.25 . $FFHVVHG Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at . http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ucal. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. University of California Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. http://www.jstor.org NR1302_03 9/4/09 4:31 PM Page 25 Deaths in the Fire at the Branch Davidians’ Mount Carmel Who Bears Responsibility? Catherine Wessinger “Everything is in the hands of God right now and we are just waiting on God.
    [Show full text]
  • Healing 25 Years After Waco – the Meeting of a Child Survivor of Waco with an FBI Agent Who Was Present During the Siege
    MEDIATION ACADEMY Specialized Mediation Training The Mediation of Ethnic and Religious Conflicts Mediation Project Mediation Case Study (developed by Viki Assegued, October 22, 2018) Healing 25 Years After Waco – The Meeting of a Child Survivor of Waco with an FBI Agent who was Present during the Siege What Happened? Historical Background to the Conflict The Branch Davidians are a religious group that originated in 1955, who eventually settled at a Ranch just outside of Waco, Texas. Based on information the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) received that the group was stockpiling illegal weapons and ammunition, they obtained a search warrant for the compound, called Mount Carmel Center, and obtained arrest warrants for their leader, David Koresh, and a few other Davidians. On February 28, 1993, when the ATF raided Mount Carmel, four federal agents, and six Branch Davidians were killed in intense gun fighting. The FBI took over, and for the next 51 days, a siege ensued, with 25 different FBI agents brought in to negotiate with the Davidians to get them to surrender. During that time, some children were sent out from the compound. On April 19, 1993, the FBI attacked the compound with tear gas and a fire broke out, killing 76 people, including David Koresh. The people who had been released prior to the fire, and some who ran out during the fire, survived. Each Other’s Stories – how each person understands the situation and why Child Survivor of the Branch Davidians – 25 Years Later Position: The FBI killed my parents and my community. We had every right to be living together, studying the bible, under our wise and esteemed leader, David Koresh.
    [Show full text]
  • From the Ashes
    From the Ashes Making Sense of Waco / James R. Lewis, Editor Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. t,ua'1v ROWMAN & LfITLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC. q16. ~22 l) Contents Published in the United States of America by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. r q3 t Acknowledgments ix 4 720 Boston Way, Lanham, Maryland 20706 Introduction: Responses to the Branch Davidian Tragedy 3 Henrietta Street, London WC2E SLU, England xi Introductory Essays: Copyright © 1994 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Chapter 1 The Crime of Piety: Wounded Knee to Waco 1 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may Chas S. Clifton be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, Chapter 2 Misinterpreting Religious Commitment 7 photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior Timothy Miller permission of the publisher. Chapter 3 Tailhook and Waco: A Commentary 11 British Cataloging in Publication Information Available Franklin H. Littell Understanding the Branch Davidians Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Chapter 4 The Waco Tragedy: An Autobiographical Account From the ashes : making sense of Waco I James R. Lewis, of One Attempt to Avert Disaster 13 editor. James D. Tabor p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. Chapter 5 The Davidian Dilemma-To Obey God or Man? 23 1. Waco Branch Davidian Disaster, Tex., 1993. 2. Branch J. Phillip Arnold Davidians. 3. Koresh, David, 1959-1993. BP605.B72F76 1994 976.4'284063-dc20 93-48400 CIP Chapter 6 The Davidian Tradition 33 Bill Pitts ISBN 0-8476-7914-4 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 0-8476-7915-2 (pbk.
    [Show full text]
  • The Branch Davidian Siege and Its Impact on the Media and Scholarship
    THE BRANCH DAVIDIAN SIEGE AND ITS IMPACT ON THE MEDIA AND SCHOLARSHIP by AMY MARIE FLYNN (Under the Direction of Sandy Dwayne Martin) ABSTRACT Reviewing trends in the academic study of religion and examining media reports, attitudes towards new religious movements in American religious history shifted dramatically after the siege on the Branch Davidian compound. Surveying how scholars of religion and those in the media approached new religions, there is a notable shift in attitudes after the second raid on Mount Carmel. After the second raid in 1993, scholars published more work on new religious movements, and the media questioned its responsibility when chronicling such events. INDEX WORDS: American Religious History, New Religious Movements, David Koresh, Cults, Waco, Branch Davidian, Religion and Media, Religion and Politics, Discrimination, Religious Freedom THE BRANCH DAVIDIAN SIEGE AND ITS IMPACT ON THE MEDIA AND SCHOLARSHIP by AMY MARIE FLYNN B.A., Mary Washington College, 2003 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS ATHENS, GEORGIA 2006 © 2006 Amy Marie Flynn All Rights Reserved THE BRANCH DAVIDIAN SIEGE AND ITS IMPACT ON THE MEDIA AND SCHOLARSHIP by AMY MARIE FLYNN Major Professor: Sandy Dwayne Martin Committee: Carolyn Jones Medine William L. Power Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2006 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the students, staff, and faculty in the Department of Religion for their unwavering support and friendship. In particular, I would like to thank Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • INTRODUCTION to Say That This Book About Messianism Is Being
    INTRODUCTION To say that this book about messianism is being published toward the end of the second millennium because something apocalyptic is expected by many to take place around the year 2000 would be stretching things too far. The fact that many messianic phenomena have "made the news" in recent years, or that fundamentalism, often tinged with messianism, is "in the air" as we approach the end of the millennium, is probably also a coincidence. But, even if on the sym­ bolic level, the conjuncture bears reflection. Take the case of Waco. In April 1993, United States government authorities ended a fifty-one-day standoff at Mt. Carmel, a religious center near Waco, Texas, that housed a millennial Christian sect called the Branch Davidians. During the final, violent assault, most members of the sect remaining in Mt. Carmel died in a flaming inferno, along with their leader, David Koresh. Ne Vernon Howell, Koresh had assumed a double messianic name~David, the future Messiah-King of Israel, and Koresh, Hebrew for Cyrus, king of ancient Persia and conqueror of Babylon, whom God (through his prophet Isaiah) had called his "annointed" (Hebrew: mashiah, whence the word "Messiah"). Koresh preached an apocalyptic message based on the "seven seals" of the Book of Revelation and on the Book of Daniel. His zealous messianic convictions and their biblical founda­ tions were grasped by several religious scholars, though they were not well understood by the beleaguered and suspicious FBI. The Branch Davidians of Waco died in the flames sincerely believing they were taking part in the apocalyptical End of Days.
    [Show full text]
  • Why Waco? Cults and the Battle for Religious Freedom in America
    Why Waco? Cults and the Battle for Religious Freedom in America http://content.cdlib.org/xtf/view?docId=ft196n99ws&chunk.id=0&doc.... Preferred Citation: Tabor, James D., and Eugene V. Gallagher Why Waco?: Cults and the Battle for Religious Freedom in America. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1995 1995. http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft196n99ws/ Why Waco? Cults and the Battle for Religious Freedom in America James D. Tabor and Eugene V. Gallagher UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Berkeley · Los Angeles · Oxford © 1997 The Regents of the University of California For David P. Efroymson in friendship and gratitude for a quarter century of intellectual guidance and for Jonathan Z. Smith, who taught both of us the importance of seeing ourselves in the light of the other and the other in the light of ourselves Preferred Citation: Tabor, James D., and Eugene V. Gallagher Why Waco?: Cults and the Battle for Religious Freedom in America. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1995 1995. http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft196n99ws/ For David P. Efroymson in friendship and gratitude for a quarter century of intellectual guidance and for Jonathan Z. Smith, who taught both of us the importance of seeing ourselves in the light of the other and the other in the light of ourselves Preface So thoroughly negative is the public perception of groups labeled as "cults" that any attempt to balance the picture may be seen as misguided, if not downright threatening, to the best interests of society. In the case of the Branch Davidians, the news media were saturated with reports of gun stockpiling, sexual misconduct, and child abuse.
    [Show full text]
  • Brett Gould the Waco Siege
    Brett Gould The Waco Siege Gould 1 Few events in history garner so much attention and speculation that they live infamously throughout the ages. One of these events is known as the Waco Siege. The events at Waco captured media attention for months as the battle between the Branch Davidians and the federal government raged. It was just one event in a string of many in the early 1990’s setting the stage for a new wave of things to come in the realm of domestic terrorism in the United States. The day of the FBI raid on April 19th has been used by many other groups as a symbol for their attacks or actions. Unlikely predicted at the time, Waco ignited a firestorm that most people could not have predicated within the United States. The actions taken by government agencies at Waco has led to the inspiration of thousands of people across the nation. In fact, many domestic terrorist groups, specifically those belonging to militia movements and neo-Nazi groups, used the event as a tool for recruiting new members. The Oklahoma City Bomber, Timothy McVeigh, cited the Waco Siege as one of his many grievances with the federal government. These are just a few of the various legacies that Waco would become the face of or extremely important to. It would also become one of the most debated, misunderstood, and controversial events in U.S. history. Vernon Howell, more well known as David Koresh, was the infamous leader of the Branch Davidians during the Waco Siege. He changed his name after taking control of the group, naming himself after prominent biblical figures.
    [Show full text]
  • The Contested Legacies of Waco
    Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 Symposium: Waco: Twenty Years Later The Contested Legacies of Waco Irfan Khawaja Felician College 1. Introduction In the spring of 2003, I asked the editor of a well-known online publication whether he’d be interested in an essay I wanted to write on the topic of “Waco, Ten Years Later.” He wasn’t. Waco, he told me, was one of those topics that fell between the proverbial high stool and the low stool: it wasn’t quite history, and it wasn’t quite current—and so, it was irrelevant to his readership. I resolved at that point to wait ten years when Waco would finally become “history,” and try again. As it happens, I’ve waited eleven years, and ultimately decided to run my own symposium on the subject. “Waco,” as I’ll refer to it here, is popular shorthand for what the U.S. Treasury Department Report refers to as “the Firearms Investigation of Vernon Howell, Also Known as David Koresh,” what the U.S. Justice Department Report refers to as “the Events at Waco, Texas,” and what the Danforth Report calls “the 1993 Confrontation at the Mt. Carmel Complex.” 1 In the year 2014, however, the quoted phrases neither clarify very much nor refresh memories in any helpful way. When I taught the topic of Waco to undergraduates in an upper-level seminar called “Philosophical Issues in 1 See Report of the Department of the Treasury on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Investigation of Vernon Wayne Howell also known as David Koresh (September 1993), accessed online at: https://archive.org/details/reportofdepartme00unit; U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • 50545756 Published Article
    Strange Gods in a Great Southern Land A Preliminary Survey of the Australian Downloaded from http://online.ucpress.edu/nr/article-pdf/24/1/5/406844/nr.2020.24.1.5.pdf by The University of Queensland user on 21 December 2020 “Cult Controversies” 1960–2000 Bernard Doherty ABSTRACT: Between 1960 and 2000 Australia witnessed four waves of “cult controversy.” This article provides a historical overview of these con- troversies. The four historical vignettes presented demonstrate the signifi- cance of Australia in the wider global history of the “cult wars” and some of the local societal reactions occasioned by various home grown and inter- national new religious movements that have proved controversial. This article identifies a series of the key episodes and periods that might serve as historical landmarks for the writing of a more fulsome history of new reli- gions in Australia, introduces to a scholarly audience some of the important individuals involved in these Australian controversies, and highlights the key new religions and cult-watching groups whose interactions have col- lectively shaped the Australian societal response over this period. KEYWORDS: New Religious Movements, Australia, Cult Awareness Movement s has been the case in other countries, over the past half-century Australia has played host to a series of “cult controversies” about new religions, yet these remain a surprisingly understudied phe- A 1 nomenon. Since the early 1980s a handful of sociologists and religious studies scholars have written periodic surveys of contemporary research Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions, Volume 24, Issue 1, pages 5–30.
    [Show full text]