EDITORIAL : THE BUMBLING FBI; NEW REVELATIONS CAST FURTHER DOUBT ON THE AGENCY'S TRUSTWORTHINESS.THE FBI is in danger of becoming like the LAPD in its worst days - no juror will believe what any of its agents say in a court of law court of law n. any tribunal within a judicial system. Under English common law and in some states it was a court which heard only lawsuits in which damages were sought, as distinguished from a court of equity which could grant special remedies. That distinction has dissolved and every court (with the exception of federal bankruptcy courts) is a court of law. (See: court, equity, chancery). After apparently lying for six years about its role in the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco Waco (wā`kō), city (1990 pop. 103,590), seat of McLennan co., E central Tex., on the Brazos River, just below the mouth of the Bosque; inc. 1856. It is a trading, shipping, and industrial center. Agriculture and livestock raising are important to the economy; tires, glass, paper, machinery, and clothing are among the manufactures., Texas, the agency has reversed course. Now it turns out, agents may have fired some potentially flammable tear gas tear gas, gas that causes temporary blindness through the excessive flow of tears resulting from irritation of the eyes. The gas is used in chemical warfare and as a means for dispersing mobs. Compounds that cause lacrimation (watering of the eyes) include bromoacetone, benzyl bromide, chloroacetophenone, ethyl iodoacetate, chloropicrin bromobenzyl cyanide, and bromine-substituted xylenes. canisters on the final day of the 1993 standoff. But they're pretty sure the canisters didn't touch off the deadly fire inside the cult's compound. So what if Attorney General Janet Reno pledges to ``get to the bottom'' of why it took the FBI so long to 'fess up? What exactly has she gotten to the bottom of during her tenure as attorney general? It's like asking Buster Keaton to investigate the Keystone Kops. The FBI should be above reproach. Instead, the current revelations, added to previous instances of problems and misconduct, further tarnish the agency's reputation and seriously call into question its ability to carry out its mission of upholding the law and catching the bad guys. Maybe there are too many bad guys among the G-men. That's certainly what conspiracy theorists and fringe groups believe. While they don't need much encouragement to keep going, this incident unfortunately lends credence to their cause. It's plausible that's why the FBI didn't release this information earlier - because they feared how people like the Timothy J. McVeighs of the world would react. McVeigh was so enraged by how the Branch Davidians were treated at Waco that he bombed the Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing 168 people. It's plausible, but it's not excusable. Even though Waco has become a rallying cry for anti-government and militia movements across the United States, that doesn't excuse the government for perpetuating the lying and the cover-ups. History has proved that truth wins out over the lie. When government is the bad guy, democracy is the loser. |
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