Originally Posted by merrylander (Post 71676)

All this weeping and wailing for a bunch of heavily armed nutcases is getting old.

Originally Posted by Oerets (Post 71761)

To simplify this argument some, couldn't they have just given up? Then
have their day in court to air any grievances with the government.

But they instead held out wanting some kind of apocalyptic ending to the situation.



Barney

Originally Posted by Oerets (Post 71761)

To simplify this argument some, couldn't they have just given up? Then
have their day in court to air any grievances with the government.

But they instead held out wanting some kind of apocalyptic ending to the situation.



Barney

Originally Posted by Oerets (Post 71761)

To simplify this argument some, couldn't they have just given up? Then
have their day in court to air any grievances with the government.

But they instead held out wanting some kind of apocalyptic ending to the situation.



Barney

Originally Posted by Charles (Post 71723)

When this 1st happened I felt the same way as you. Bunch of religious wackos shooting at the cops...what the hell did they expect?

Then as time went on, and I found out more about it, like Agent Aguilera's affidavit where he claimed that the legally possessed AR-15's of the Davidians "could" be modified to fire fully automatic, the inert grenades discovered by UPS, the fake meth lab charge made by the government in order to receive military assistance under the provisions of the War on Drugs, etc.

Then, after the fact, the front door to the compound was "lost" and the government bulldozed a crime scene.

Looks to me like someone was destroying evidence.

Maybe they were a bunch of strange ducks. But whenever the government can conduct a heavy handed raid such as this, based on fabricated evidence, and working on the assumption that while they really had no evidence of illegal behavior other than the fact that they "could" be breaking the law, then none of us are safe.

As I said before, the theatrics were not only unnecessary, but ill advised. And a lot of people got killed for no good reason, unless anyone considers a political agenda a good reason.

Chas

Originally Posted by diamondsoul (Post 71713)

The non-theistic religions can be just as silly, and triumphalistic, as the theistic ones. :D

Rob Preece, a practising Buddhist, wrote this insightful piece about this tendency in organized religion. The tendency to circle the wagons around an orthodoxy and to exclude all those who are progressive or innovators:

Originally Posted by Brett A (Post 72072)

Thanks for that. You help me make my case that we're all alone here. Just us humans trying to do our best and proving again and again that we're imperfect.

Also, if these transgressions illustrate the dangers of Buddhism, I think I'll take it over the crusades and inquisition.

Originally Posted by Charles (Post 72093)

Good or bad, right or wrong exists only in the mind of homo sapiens.

Originally Posted by Charles (Post 72093)

Does the beast consider these idealistic notions as he devours the flesh of his prey?

Originally Posted by Charles (Post 72093)

Thoughts on his order exceed my comprehension, being a quasi Methodist.

Our considerations are more pedestrian.

Should I sell a worthless insurance policy to the "vidder", or wait until her cousin the car dealer comes into my office?

Chas