“...They didn’t realize that Weaver hated the government more than he loved his family.
One of many poor judgments during the entire case.”
I follow you up to this point. Then - - -
You seem to say that if Weaver loved his family, he would have cooperated with, in some manner, the government. That he was selfish (in his beliefs?) and sacrificed his family.
I will posit that he hated the government because he loved his family. They were pursuing him where he lived with his family, thus they were also pursuing his family (which they did).
I belabor this point because the government is now pursuing me (taxation, obamacare, EPA regulation, and finally gun registration and fingerprinting). At what point do I cave because my wife and kids depend on my income? Do I sacrifice my convictions for their security.
Oops, I started to sound like Ben Franklin there for a moment. Maybe I have answered myself.
He was surrounded by armed federal agents and he decided to use his family as human shields.
He was either going to surrender or die.
If he was a true diehard, he would have drawn fire away from his family and gone out in a blaze of "glory."
If he was a rational person he would have told the agents: "If you bring my lawyer here to observe, I will come quietly."
But he did neither: he used his family as human shields, watching two of them die, until he was sure that he was next - then he gave up.
At what point do I cave because my wife and kids depend on my income?
It isn't a matter of caving. Fight them in court (which was one of Weaver's options and which he eventually did, and came out pretty well).
As a man of honor, you would not use your family as pawns.
Not so Weaver.