April 19th, 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the (debatably) tragic end of an event known as the Waco Siege, a 51 day standoff between the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and the Branch Davadians, a religious cult occupying a compound known as Mount Caramel just outside of Waco, Texas — this end coming as an inferno which engulfed the compound and killed 72 of its occupants including the cult leader, David Koresh (real name Vernon Howell.) This coming after the deaths of 6 other members when the Siege began on February 28th of 1993. I won’t tell the whole story here — it’s been well documented to say the least, and much like any event in history most everyone has an opinion on it, as do I, which I’m sharing here for those interested.
Still, it’s an event you can’t discuss without at least covering the root cause, and in this case that cause was the suspected illegal modification of firearms to make them fully automatic. This is a gross oversimplification, I will fully admit, and there were many other allegations (with strong supporting evidence) of sexual misconduct between Koresh and multiple underage females in the compound — actions he believed were an edict from God since Koresh was, like all cult leaders, a “prophet” of God.
A core principle of this particular group, the Branch Davidians, cannot be ignored — that is, that they, like so many other cults, was obsessed with “End Times” prophecy — Koresh feeling it was his role to build up an “Army of God” and prepare for some kind of soon to come holy war: an event that for many of these groups in the United States, happens to be built up around the idea of that war being against the Federal Government.
This all came to a head on February 28th of 1993 when ATF agents began a raid on the compound. It’s a bit of a fascinating story how the Davidians got advanced knowledge that the event was about to happen, and prepared accordingly to their world view — that is, by preparing to fight back if attacked. Granted, this is me grossly giving them the benefit of the doubt, as I personally fully believe they shot first. The reality, however, is not truly known and of course after the initial conflict on the 28th the Davidians would say that ATF agents fired first and that the Davidians were defending themselves — a stance which still doesn’t really make sense to me, as what do you think you will get from firing back (were that even true) but an even more hostile response?
After the ensuing firefight, which had fatalities on both sides, came the 51 day standoff which captivated the nation. I was 8 at the time, and have some memories of the events unfolding by virtue of me being awake late enough to catch family watching the news. Obviously I didn’t care at the time, but it’s weird that this is one of those events that happened recently enough for me to have experienced, but long enough ago to still feel like it was from another time, you could say…
Anyway, move to April 19th, 1993. For lack of a better phrasing, the Government is tired of waiting and begins a process of forcing the compound occupants to vacate — this involves pumping tear gas into the building. At some point while this operation was being conducted, a fire breaks out and engulfs the compound. The nation, and indeed, the world, watched as the large complex was quickly consumed.
While a few people left the burning complex, most stayed behind, found dead in a central bunker all huddled around their leader, Koresh.
This is where things get complicated. There has, and will forever be, those who claim that the ATF started the fire, while others and the United States Government state that the Davidians began the fires.
My perspective? It’s obvious. This was a religious cult with a focus on the “End Times.” They had prepared for exactly this situation as it was the entire focus of their particular core theology. I feel it absolutely a fact that they started the fires as the necessary conclusion to their story, if you will — unable to defeat the enemy, they sacrificed themselves as martyrs to their cause.
Sadly, this action seems to have been a success — the Waco Siege remains, to this day, a facet in the ever-present discussion on firearms laws and religious liberty in the United States.
It should be noted that I do quite enjoy firearms. I think guns are amazing tools and beautiful machines which should be used responsibly and appropriately. That being said, the laws of the time dictated that firearms as evidently in the possession of the Branch Davidians were illegal, and the ATF were doing their duty to the nation to investigate and conduct operations they deemed necessary.
Beyond the firearms issues, reports of sexual abuse of minors should always, and I mean ALWAYS be taken seriously — this should be a no-brainer, but I’ve seen people even defend this in a great many cases when it has to do with religious groups, and it is beyond sickening to even dare think that anyone would try to defend such actions.
Still, there are people who feel the Branch Davidians were victims — that they did nothing wrong in this. While obviously the ATF and the United States Government made some, for lack of a better phrasing, shitty choices during this event, the fact remains that this wasn’t an “attack on religion” like so many want to make it out to be — this group was suspected of actively violating a multitude of laws and, when the investigation quite literally came to their door they reacted not with openness but with hostility, creating a situation that I feel is exactly what they wanted — self fulfilling prophecy at its finest.
Waco has cast quite the shadow over our nations history, as two years later the Oklahoma City Bombing would happen as a direct response to the Waco Siege. The discussion on firearm laws is as hot as it ever was, and likely will never get resolved in this country.
Regardless, I see the Waco Siege as the inevitable outcome of some religious methodologies, and as a pristine example of the damage that such ideologies can cause. While a relative footnote in the post 9/11 world, it still should not be forgotten and should be learned from on all fronts.
Next time something a little happier, but I couldn’t let today pass without saying something about this event.
More to come, as always.