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From: cdt@sw.stratus.com (C. D. Tavares)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns
Subject: Re: Dealing with cults - a few thoughts
Date: 22 Apr 1993 17:23:49 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc.
Lines: 33
Distribution: world
Message-ID: <1r6kb5$64f@transfer.stratus.com>
References: <OAF.93Apr21181038@klosters.ai.mit.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: rocket.sw.stratus.com

In article <OAF.93Apr21181038@klosters.ai.mit.edu>, oaf@zurich.ai.mit.edu (Oded Feingold) writes:

> Look at history.  Rep Leo Ryan (and some staffers) visited Jonestown,
> at the request of constituents who had relatives there.  Once
> Jonestown was discovered, and even though they killed Ryan and his
> entourage ... they all killed themselves, because Jim Jones knew he'd
> be busted...

> The only way to prevent such a problem would be never to investigate
> reports of child abuse or sexual mistreatment, or organizations buying
> full-auto conversion kits or shipping hand grenades via UPS, on the
> off chance of stumbling across cults that would kill themselves. ...
> 
> So, the only way the BATF/FBI could "save" those people, and future
> cults, is by ignoring such signs.

The paucity of this line of argument is that it is provably false.

Texas state officials COULD and DID investigate child abuse charges.
They COULD and DID apprehend Koresh peaceably.  The COULD and DID
impound his weapons for the duration.  And Koresh was NOT CONVICTED.

Note that child abuse and similar accusations are STATE matters, not
federal.  The state COULD and DID handle them properly and peaceably,
and furthermore violating no one's constitutional rights in the process.

So maybe the best way for BATF/FBI to save people is to mind their 
own fucking business.
-- 

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