alt.conspiracy.pynchon.waco

[Coffey, Mitchell R]

>-----Original Message-----
>From: David Morris [mailto:fqmorris at hotmail.com]
>Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2000 10:46 AM
>To: dmaus at email.unc.edu; pynchon-l at waste.org
>Subject: Re: alt.conspiracy.pynchon.waco
>
>
>>From: "Derek C. Maus"
>>
>>David Morris wrote:
>>
>> > Come on.  They were only trying to practice some of that "old-time 
>>religion."  Those children being "molested" by Koresh were 
>later Bar-B-Qued 
>>by the Feds...  I think I'd rather be diddled.
>>
>>I'm not sure what part of non-consensual sex with a minor on 
>the part of a 
>>self-proclaimed messiah earns quotes for "molested"
>
>Only casting a little doubt on alleged sins of the 
>self-proclaimed messiah 
>and his followers, as well as noting that the Fed's solution 
>to these sins 
>was akin to the fabled "cut the child in half" solution 
>Solomon offered the 
>two bickering mothers.
>
>DM

Your facts are wrong: no one was "Bar-B-Qued by the Feds."  The jerry cans
of gasoline were poured about Koresh's building by Koresh's command, and the
children and other innocents were prevented from leaving the building by
Koresh's command.  

Now, the Feds already knew Koresh was a homicidal maniac - he began the
episode by responding to a legal, open and probably expected attempt to
serve a warrant upon him by having two (or was it four?) Feds murdered
unprovoked on the spot.  It follows that the Feds and Reno erred in not
assuming that Koresh and his lieutenants would quite likely respond to a
rescue attempt by murdering all adults and children under his care, then
killing themselves.  It follows that the Feds and Reno are guilty of a
gross, even criminal, error of judgment.  

However, a error in judgment does not constitute intentionally inflicting
the results - which it is your claim it was in your unfortunate reference to
Solomon.  Thus, beyond your error of fact, your moral logic is also
mistaken.  


Mitchell Coffey
___________________________________________________
"... Lind, who had been taught to argue logically,
though unfairly, was at a disadvantage with a man
who simply argued ..."

     - Robertson Davies,
       "World Of Wonders"