Posted on 08/21/2002 7:35:39 AM PDT by xsysmgr
"Ruby Ridge" used to refer to a geographical location in the state of Idaho, but after an incident that took place there ten years ago today, the phrase has come to refer to a scandalous series of events that opened the eyes of many people to the inner workings of the federal government, including the vaunted Federal Bureau of Investigation. Now that ten years have passed, the feds will accelerate their ongoing effort to "move forward" and have the scandal declared "ancient history." But the Ruby Ridge episode should not be soon forgotten.
On August 21, 1992 a paramilitary unit of the U.S. Marshals Service ventured onto the 20-acre property known as Ruby Ridge. A man named Randy Weaver owned the land and he lived there with his wife, children, and a family friend, Kevin Harris. There was an outstanding warrant for Weaver's arrest for a firearms offense and the marshals were surveilling the premises. When the family dog noticed the marshals sneaking around in the woods, it began to bark wildly. Weaver's 14-year-old boy, Sammy, and Kevin Harris proceeded to grab their rifles because they thought the dog had come upon a wild animal.
A firefight erupted when a marshal shot and killed the dog. Enraged that the family pet had been cut down for no good reason, Sammy shot into the woods at the unidentified trespasser. Within a few minutes, two human beings were shot dead: Sammy Weaver and a marshal. Harris and the Weaver family retreated to their cabin and the marshals retreated from the mountain and called the FBI for assistance.
During the night, FBI snipers took positions around the Weaver cabin. There is no dispute about the fact that the snipers were given illegal "shoot to kill" orders. Under the law, police agents can use deadly force to defend themselves and others from imminent attack, but these snipers were instructed to shoot any adult who was armed and outside the cabin, regardless of whether the adult posed a threat or not. The next morning, an FBI agent shot and wounded Randy Weaver. A few moments later, the same agent shot Weaver's wife in the head as she was standing in the doorway of her home holding a baby in her arms. The FBI snipers had not yet announced their presence and had not given the Weavers an opportunity to peacefully surrender.
After an eleven-day standoff, Weaver agreed to surrender. The FBI told the world that it had apprehended a band of dangerous racists. The New York Times was duped into describing a family (two parents, three children) and one adult friend as "an armed separatist brigade." The Department of Justice proceeded to take over the case, charging Weaver and Harris with conspiracy to commit "murder." Federal prosecutors asked an Idaho jury to impose the death penalty. Instead, the jury acquitted Weaver and Harris of all of the serious criminal charges. Embarrassed by the outcome, FBI officials told the world that there would be a thorough review of the case, but the Bureau closed ranks and covered up the mess. FBI director Louis Freeh went so far as to promote one of the agents involved, Larry Potts, to the Bureau's number-two position.
When Weaver sued the federal government for the wrongful death of his wife and son, the government that had tried to kill him twice now sought an out-of-court settlement. In August 1995 the U.S. government paid the Weaver family $3.1 million. On the condition that his name not be used in an article, one Department of Justice official told the Washington Post that if Weaver's suit had gone to trial in Idaho, he probably would have been awarded $200 million.
With the intervening events at Waco, more and more people began to question the veracity of Department of Justice and FBI accounts and whether the federal government had the capacity to hold its own agents accountable for criminal misconduct. Like the Watergate scandal, however, the response to the initial illegality turned out to be even more shocking and disturbing.
When an FBI supervisor, Michael Kahoe, admitted to destroying evidence and obstructing justice, he was eventually prosecuted but only after being kept on the FBI payroll until his 50th birthday — so that he would be eligible for his retirement pension. And when Larry Potts was finally forced into retirement, FBI officials flew into Washington from around the country for his going-away bash. Those officials claimed to be on "official business" so they billed the taxpayers for the trip. After the fraud was leaked to the press by some anonymous and apparently sickened FBI agent, the merry band of partygoers were not discharged from service. Instead, a letter was placed in their personnel file, chiding them for "inattention to detail."
An Idaho prosecutor did bring manslaughter charges against the FBI sniper who shot Vicki Weaver. That move really outraged the feds because they insisted that they were capable of policing their own — so long as they did not have any outside "interference."
The Department of Justice was so disturbed by the indictment of its agent that they dispatched the solicitor general to a federal appellate court to argue that the charges should be dismissed. (The solicitor general ordinarily only makes oral argument to the Supreme Court). The solicitor general told the judicial panel that even if the evidence supported the charges, the case should be thrown out because "federal law enforcement agents are privileged to do what would otherwise be unlawful if done by a private citizen." The appeals court rejected that sweeping argument for a license to kill, but by the time that ruling came down last June, a new local prosecutor was in office in Boundary County, Idaho, and he announced that it was time to put this whole unpleasant episode behind us and to "move on." Thus, the criminal case against the sniper was dropped.
A new generation of young people who have never heard of Ruby Ridge are now emerging from the public-school system and are heading off to college and will thereafter begin their careers in business, education, journalism, government, and other fields. This generation will find it hard to fathom that the federal government could have killed a boy and an unarmed woman and then tried to deceive everyone about what had actually occurred and, in some instances, rationalize what did occur. That is why it is important to remember Ruby Ridge. Someone needs to remind the young people (and everyone else) that it really did happen — and that it will happen again if the government is not kept on a short leash. No one will learn about the incident when they tour the FBI facility in Washington. It goes unmentioned for some reason.
— Timothy Lynch is director of the Cato Institute's Project on Criminal Justice.
Still, they are not to be trusted.
(He was never charged with a crime, but he was investigated, went before Congress, and the shooting was ruled Constitutional
You have a real problem with facts. Lon Horiuchi was charged in Idaho State court with manslaughter. The trial never occured because the Feds claimed soveriegn immunity.
The U.S. Marshals were not on the Weaver’s property,
Lie.
(I mean the BATF agents that successfully arrested Randy initial with no problems for a crime he did in fact commit)
Were you on the Jury? They felt differently. Weaver was acquited on the gun charge.
Here is a hint, if police officers are aiming guns at you or attempting to place you under arrest, and if you refuse, or shoot at them, you are waving your right to a trial and placing yourself in immediate danger.)
Familiarize yourself with US. v Cruikshank. The killing of Marshall Dugan was ruled justifiable by the Jury.
Government agents are no different than their fellow citizens
Sure they are. They have 'sovereign immunity' from prosecution for their illegal actions.
Ruby Ridge was tragic, but it is important not to lose sight of the fact that the law enforcement officers were there doing their jobs
So were the guards at Dachau.
L
Good use of name calling to prove your points (newbie, troll). It was equally impressive when I responded to all of your points, but you didn't respond to mine other than to call me a liar (the shot out was not on the Weaver's land, but the Marshalls previously were. I was not trying to lie, I was simply pointing out that the gun fight did not involve trespassing.) I will be glad to let the tread die, I was only responding to your reply because you spoke of my multitude of errors, and I wanted to clarify my statements so that you would understand what I meant. I am not interested in getting into a name calling match. If you wish to believe your government is a monsterous organization seeking to kill its citizens for no reason, you have that right.
I support our country's law enforcement agencies that are working to prevent its citizens from being murdered by gang members carrying sawed-off shotguns, white supremacists blowing up gay bars, children being kidnapped from bording schools, and dams being blow up to damage cities and not out power stations(which are the issue involved in this case).
Hey noob....
If you are going to accuse someone of something, at least ping the person who CALLED you a troll....
that would be me and yes you are STILL a troll.
Why was Weaver even targeted?
I agree these people were government hating kooks, but I also think shooting the kid and the wife was out of line.
The feebs burn you for corruption or civil rights violations?
I do not agree with how the FBI conducted themselves, but I wouldn't be in a big hurry to cite the 9th circuit(the most liberal, and overturned court in the U.S.)as my main foundation for my argument.
Lurker,
I Apologize for mistakenly thinking you were an immature name caller. I am not use to this forum, and will be more careful in the future.
He was targeted because he was associating with criminal groups. The Aryan Nations was a meeting point for many white supremacist groups such as the KKK, the National Alliance, and smaller groups such as the Order. The Order was inspired by William Pierce's (of the National Alliance) the 'Turner Diaries' (as Timothy McVeigh would later be). The committed a series of crimes including a multi-million dollar armored car robbery. Randy Weaver hung around with these groups and was good friends with Butler (the Aryan Nations preacher) when he was arrested for attempting to conduct a terrorist attack against a gay bar (shortly before Weaver was arrested). The government informat was investigating the Aryan Nations, and although Weaver was not an offical member, he had deep ties to the group. He met with a government informat and spoke of starting a 'patriot' group similar to the Order.
The informant wanted Weaver to introduce him to one of Weaver's contacts in the KKK of a different state that was involved in a number of bank robberies (that is where the bank robbery connection got mix in with the FBI intelligence report). After the informant was exposed, they asked Weaver to make the introduction to the Klansman in exchange for dropping the gun sell charges Weaver had previously committed. Weaver refused, was arrested, didn't attend his court date (whether changed or not), and then made threats against anyone that might attempt to arrest him.
Adios Pal.
You need to read your history of these two events.
And get some professional help, you have issues.
Tell us more about the "Informant". How much and for how long was he being paid? Had he any other 'information' on any of the Arian, Order, KKK kooks other than Weaver?
Bottom line --- can we even trust what he said? Or was it possibly the local ATF folks looking to justify expenses by at least making one score?
That said, the gun charge was BS and the federal response was brutal and illegal.
Yes, they do have me pegged. I am ready to admit it now. I am as a matter of fact, a troll, a newbie, and a noob. However, I am not one of those types of trolls that live in caves; I am one of those plastic toys with fuzzy hair. I am also a new B, I am neither an uppercase "B" nor a lower case "b", I am a new kind of 'B' that does not yet have a graphical representation. I am also willing to admit to being a noob. I am a door knob as a matter of fact. I am sorry I attempted to challenge liberal and conspiracy theories with facts taken from sources other than liberal news sources or conspiracal websites, when in fact I am a door noob, plastic toy, and new type of letter. They had me pegged all of the time. I am unable to debate this matter any further, because I am not experienced at coming up with such creative names to call another person.
Touche
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.