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| Melbourne Age December 18, 1998 'WACO: RULES OF ENGAGEMENT'... LUMIERE
In February !993 the small town of Waco, Texas, hit the world's headlines when a violent stand-off developed between the Branch Davidians and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms at their Mount Carmel compound. The BATF was supposedly investigating the sect, a spin off movement from the Seventh Day Adventists, for stockpiling automatic weapons and alleged sexual abuse of children. When the BATF arrived at the compound to serve a warrant they were fired upon. A siege developed that lasted for 51 days, and was eventually resolved when the compound burned to the ground, killing some 76 men, women and children. The media reports portrayed sect leader David Koresh as a religious fanatic who "preached the Bible through the barrel of a gun," and was prepared to let his followers burn to death in the name of his religious beliefs. As usual, the victors write the history books. This shocking, painstakingly constructed and meticulously researched documentary from director William Gazecki and producer Dan Gifford paints a vastly different and far more chilling picture of events. This Oscar nominated doco paints a disturbing picture of the flagrant abuse of' government power that should rattle our conscience. Gazecki depicts the BATF as a rogue agency acting well outside its jurisdiction in its efforts to destroy the sect. Gazecki also alleges that the US Government and its many agencies conspired to cover up. the facts; with the complicity of the media. He has assembled a wealth of evidence, including video tape of the siege, television coverage of the subsequent Congressional hearings into Waco, and interviews with many of the key participants and survivors, to raise serious doubts about the credibility of the official story. The thrust of Gazecki's analysis is that the BATF and the FBI deliberately set out to resolve the siege by force. Some of the more compelling-footage comes from the FBI's own heat sensitive infra-red video, which shows soldiers firing automatic weapons at the compound to ensure that no--one was able to escape the deliberately set conflagration. In presenting his arguments and calling into question the integrity of the government, Gazecki eschews the use of overly emotional rhetoric. However, the compelling conclusions he draws will move many within the audience to a sense of anger that a supposedly democratically elected government could ruthlessly enforce its own will in such a heavy handed fashion. Gazecki takes many opportunities throughout the film to remind us that freedom of religion is enshrined in the American Constitution. Waco: Rules Of Engagement is one of the most thought-provoking documentaries to emerge for years, and has become a staple at civil liberties functions in America. It is requisite viewing for any one anxious to learn more about what happened in that siege five years ago. |
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