Waco: The Aftermath

Once negotiations broke down,

we were left with little choice.

The decision was made for us to insert gas

in an effort to coerce those on the inside to come out.

We followed protocol to a T.

The Davidians were raining down gunfire on my men.

It looked like Christmas out there with bullets hitting

our tanks, and my men showed such restraint.

Not a single shot was returned from the FBI.

Now with that being said, are there tactics

or decisions that you would've made differently?

Not a one.

Not a one, huh?

This is not an assault.

The siege is over now.

The gas you will be smelling is a non-lethal tear gas.

- -Exit the compound.

...M60 vehicle,

this combat engineering vehicle,

uh, pumped tear gas...

Gary, the Davidians had a death wish.

That's not on the FBI.

This thing was never gonna turn out any different than it did.

If anything, we should've gone in sooner,

once we realized that negotiations

weren't yielding any results.

-No results? - Yeah.

You know I seem to recall negotiating 35 people out

of that building safely, including 21 children.

You're acting like we rushed in.

We waited 51 days, we gave you 51 days

to try to talk 'em out, and you couldn't do it.

- -

Why isn't anyone coming out? They should be coming out.

- No! -

...inside this building.

Seventeen of those 95 people, children.

Some 30...

-We give up. We give up. - Okay.

Somebody help me!

We got people down here!

Wait! Wait!

You failed, you didn't do your job, so we had to do ours.

Gentlemen, why don't we all take a break?

Hmm?

Give everyone a chance to cool down.

Gary, you need to get your shit together.

We need to come clean, Alan.

-Oh. -People are angry

about what happened in Waco, and they're scared

because they think that we did it on purpose.

And we're too scared

to tell them the truth, that they're wrong.

It wasn't part of some master plan.

It was just a bunch of bad decisions and incompetence.

Speak for yourself, Gary.

Your men, they may have been incompetent.

Mine sure weren't.

Oh, yeah.

Well, the medal is in the mail, Mitch.

Sunny day today. We can expect

much, much more of the same over the next few days.

You might wanna do some of those outdoor activities

-you've been saving up for. -Thanks, Sammy.

Coming up next,

the trial of the Waco Five

begins in San Antonio this week

as a federal grand jury indicted five of the surviving

Branch Davidians for unlawful possession of firearms,

and aiding in the murder of federal officers.

You ask me,

it's the FBI that should be standing trial,

not those religious nuts.

Our government just went in there,

burned those people alive, women and children.

I think every ATF and FBI agent

at Waco should go to jail.

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- -

- Noesner. - Yeah.

It's been awhile.

Oh yeah, sure has, since what?

The, uh, Atlanta Prison Riots?

No, I feel like I've seen you since.

Oh, yeah? So, uh, what's on the menu today?

Well, we got four guys wearing ex-presidents masks.

Oh, like that movie Point Break?

Never said they were original.

No, these guys have been running around all over,

robbing banks in Oklahoma,

Arkansas, 21 in all.

They're efficient, you know, smart, in and out, 90 seconds,

so local authorities had had a hard time figuring out

where they are until today when we got a last-minute tip

that bank was gonna be their next target.

Now, we managed to grab three of the guys,

but one of them has barricaded himself inside,

and he has hostages.

We feel all four of these guys are members

of the Aryan Republican Army.

Oh, great. Nazis.

What?

Hi, my name's Gary.

Who am I speaking with?

People call me "Wild Bill".

Well, Wild Bill, I'm here to help you.

Yeah? Well, you can help me

by getting me a helicopter,

and I want it now

or I'm gonna start killing people.

And don't even think about trying to come in here

because I got a pipe bomb and I will blow

this place sky high if you try it.

Let me look into getting you that helicopter.

I'm serious!

I'm taking you seriously, Wild Bill.

-Is Bomb Squad present? -Uh-hmm.

Good. Keep 'em ready.

All right. So, uh, they're gonna need

a little time getting you that helicopter.

-No. I want it now! - I do, too.

But right now, the only available helicopter

is 50 miles away.

In the meantime, maybe you can tell me

how you got into this mess?

Yeah. I got into this mess

because somebody has to fight back.

You can only push people so far.

That's very true.

Who gave you permission to use that thing in here?

I'm a big boy, I gave myself permission.

Machines are not allowed in here without a court order.

Okay. Here's my court order.

Funny.

I don't see my signature on that.

Judge Smith.

I'm Dan Cogdell. I represent Clive Doyle.

You're not defending anybody with that thing in here.

I want it gone by the time we begin.

Uh, but, Your Honor, I have all my notes in it.

Then I suggest you find a way

to get your notes out of it.

Oh, shit.

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Baby killers!

How come they hate us so much?

They don't even know us.

We'll be okay...

somehow.

You wanted to present a motion?

I did, Your Honor.

I would ask to predefine inflammatory words.

Inflammatory words?

Yes, Your Honor, we would move

to make certain words inadmissible.

Which words would you recommend we ban, Mr. Cogdell?

Well, for example,

we would motion to exclude the word "compound"

when referring to the home at Mount Carmel,

as the word "compound" has militaristic connotations.

At this point the word "compound" has been used

a million times to refer to Mount Carmel.

But to the defendants this was not a compound,

this was their home

where they lived and raised children,

where they had a God-given right to practice their--

Save it for the trial, Mr. Cogdell.

Denied. Next.

We would like to exclude the term

"Branch Davidians".

They never call themselves by that name.

Objection.

If we can't call them Branch Davidians,

then what are we supposed to call them?

-Out to lunch? - Well, I think

we can all agree that moniker

has been thoroughly tarnished by the media.

The term "Branch Davidian"

was tarnished by their own actions.

But, Your Honor, they are not on trial

for their religious beliefs.

The defense used the term "Branch Davidians"

in their own filings.

I have a motion here filed

by Rocket Rosen of the defense.

Who's Rocket Rosen?

I am, Your Honor.

Your name is Rocket?

Yes, Your Honor.

I was born on the 4th of July,

so my daddy named me Rocket.

Well, I was born on October 26, so my daddy named me Walter.

-Did you file this motion? -I did.

-But that was a mistake. - Motion denied.

Next.

The word "cult".

Do they not yet realize that this was a cult?

This was no cult.

It was a communal church