The scene outside Waco, Texas, on February 28, 1993 - when dozens of federal law enforcement agents in full combat gear stormed the Branch Davidian compound - could have been cast in England before the Quakers and Pilgrims fled to America, or in the colonies at Salem, or in the new Republic during the nineteenth century, when descendants of the Quakers and Pilgrims turned their suspicions on the early Mormons. The elements that these very American crusades had in common were, on one hand, a group of people with beliefs incomprehensible to the majority of the population, and on the other, police agencies whose operatives could not distinguish custom from law, idiosyncrasy from threat. The line between churches, which Americans believe should be protected from government interference, and cults, which most Americans hold in disdain, has nothing to do with the Constitution-the First Amendment in theory shields both-and everything to do with the prejudices of a nation that has grown fearful of the diversity that made it unique. The residents of Mt. Carmel were instantly convicted of sin and lawbreaking by the kind of gossip that unites remote hamlets and electronic villages alike.

This is the story the daily press didn't give us, the definitive book about what happened at Mt. Carmel, near Waco, Texas, examined from both sides-the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the FBI on one hand, and David Koresh and his followers on the other. Dick J. Reavis points out that the government had little reason to investigate Koresh and even less to raid the compound at Mt. Carmel. The government lied to the public about most of what happened - about who fired the first shots, about drug allegations, about child abuse. The FBI was duplicitous and negligent in gassing Mt. Cannel - and that alone could have started the fire that killed seventy-six people.

The press only made things worse. The feds said that Koresh and his cult held dangerous beliefs as well as dangerous guns, and the press passed on the charge without criticism or independent judgment. Its stories set up a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy in which the accusation - heresy - both predicted and justified the sect's demise, as if every Jeremiah were a Jim Jones, every Mt. Carmel inevitably a Jonestown.

Drawing on interviews with survivors of Koresh's movement (which dates back to 1935, long before Koresh was born), on published accounts, on trial transcripts, on esoteric religious tracts and audiotapes that tell us who Koresh was and why people followed him, and most of all on secret documents that the government has not released to the public yet, Reavis has uncovered the real story from beginning to end, including the trial that followed. It is a story about the very American, nineteenth-century roots of Koresh's theology, and it includes previously unpublished biographical details. Reavis quotes from Koresh himself at great length to create an extraordinary portrait of a movement, an assault, and an avoidable tragedy.

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Now, if you are pro-ATF/FBI then you will not like this book. The author does have a decidedly pro-Davidian bias to his writing so it is not an evenhanded version of the story but it stops short of being an ultra-right wing diatribe. It is what I believe to be basically the truth concerning the matter and that is that despite the technicalities of the alleged wrongdoing of the Davidians the government grossly overstepped its authority and trampled the Constitution that they are sworn to uphold in order to get their way.

The real issues here are not whether the Davidians broke some relatively minor firearms law or even whether they committed suicide by setting the fire that killed them or whether the government set the fire accidentally or deliberately. It is about a government that has a warped sense of what's right and basically makes war on its own citizens in order to prove that it is in control. It is about the frightening trend of our government to think of themselves as our rulers and above the law that they are sworn to uphold and it is certainly a chilling realization of that old saying about absolute power corrupting absolutely.

The bottom line for me is that the ATF planned this raid as an attack from the get go to make itself look good for their upcoming budget review and chose a fringe religious group to exploit because they thought that they would be good fodder for them from a political perspective. Then when their home invasion tactics blew up in their face they and the FBI basically systematically assassinated those people because they had the temerity to stand up to the federal government's thuggery. In the end they tried to cover up their wrongdoing and punish the survivors for embarrassing them. Even if you believe that David Koresh and his people were a bunch of kooks it shouldn't matter: what the government did to those people is just wrong.

If you have any interest in hearing the non-government version of what went on during this business then give this book a try, but read other versions too. I also recommend "No More Wacos: What's Wrong with Federal Law Enforcement and How to Fix it".

Law enforcement should not be about using tanks to smash down walls to force people to submit; those are war tactics that have no place in how a government treats the citizens of a free society.

28 of 30 found the following review helpful:

eye openingOct 28, 1999

I am a new york times bestselling author of a business book that came out this year. I had to comment on this book because Mr Reavis brings so much to light about what happened in Waco - I was shocked and I had no idea that this went on - the press didn't go near it - this is America - whether you or I agree with their "cult" views or not, it doesn't change the fact that these were American citizens protected by American laws, and they were butchered by our own tanks, tear gas, and machine guns - funded by our own tax dollars - no trial, no evidence, no nothing - women and children were literally run over by tanks and died in brutal and violent tear gas raids - if they weren't shot first - it makes me sick to my stomach - and it should make every consicious american sick as well - the FBI and the ATF had no business being there - the day Waco burned is a very dark day for our Constitution and for American history - and it is on Janet Reno's watch - the founding fathers would turn over in their graves.....

17 of 17 found the following review helpful:

An objective and readable sift through Waco's ashes.Apr 23, 2000
By Kenny Unferth
This book covers the events that led to the Waco disaster as well as the disaster itself. It starts with the Millarites and proceeds all the way up through the raid, the siege and the trial of the surviving Davidians. It also covers the life of David Koresh from his birth to his death, and provides some interesting information about the lives of some of the other Davidians, and a very brief summary of the religious views of the community. Its description of events is both very readable and clear.

Perhaps the aspect of this book that I like the most is its even handedness. Many people seem to have a sense that a useful lie is often better than an inconvenient truth. To them making your case is what's important, and getting at the facts is secondary. Dick Reavis clearly rejects this and believes in bringing forth the truth, even when it does not support his own sympathies. I find this very refreshing. He covers both the seamy side of David Koresh, and the evidence of both illegal and immoral activity on the part of the Davidians and of law enforcement officials. Where evidence is inconclusive or conflicts with other evidence he lets us know what evidence there is, and lets us decide.

Perhaps more importantly than the catalog of events this book also gives us a look at the Davidians as people. It tries to tell us who these people were. We are presented information about life in Mt. Carmel, how they lived and how they viewed the world. This is at least as interesting as the presentation of the facts.

I do have some criticisms of this book. For one this book does have a tendency to waste its already too few pages on what amounts to side issues that seem to me irrelevant to an understanding of what happened at Waco. Examples of these include arguments about the constitutionality of gun control, and a digression on other apocalyptic groups with rather tenuous relationships with the events at Waco. Also, I would have liked to see more of the negotiation tapes. Apparently Dick Reavis had access to all of them, but in his book we get only brief glimpses at what was going on in the negotiations.

In all these complaints should be seen as very minor. This is an excellent book and a great summary of the events at Waco, from an author who deserves our thanks for sticking with the story for long enough to get at the facts, and for presenting them to us so clearly and objectively.

11 of 11 found the following review helpful:

The Ashes of Waco.....Dec 13, 2003
By blackaciddevil
Out of all the books I've read on the Waco Incident(and I've read quite a few), The Ashes of Waco has to be the most informative, in-depth book on the subject. I think, mostly being, because Dick Reavis stuck with the story long after all the others gave up on it after the fire occurred. He also gives an honest look at both sides of the coin and that's what makes good journalism. That, in turn, makes a great book.
The Ashes of Waco is a compelling read that you'll definitely get into and finish til the end.

17 of 19 found the following review helpful:

A Real Journalist Investigates Waco FiascoApr 17, 1997

Dick Reavis has done what no other journalist has dared. He has written a thoughtful, fair, and detailed account of the events that took place in Waco. Mr. Reavis researched the Davidian movement and in the process revealed the fact that these people were not "nuts" but very religious people, who read and studied the bible.

Mr. Reavis did not make excuses for David Koresh's behavior, but rather explained the rationale motivating the Davidian Leader.

Mr. Reavis did not make excuses for the BATF, the FBI, or Janet Reno either. "Funding" was revealed as the original culprit leading to the fiasco. The government bungling that followed and helped lead to the final tragedy was laid out with precision.

Anyone interested in the subject of Waco, needs to read this book. I heard once that the closer you get to "good guys" and "bad guys," the further you get from the truth. Mr. Reavis steers clear of the good-guy, bad-guy syndrome, therefore bringing truth and light to a subject the national media continues to ignore

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