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LIES FROM THE MEDIA "We started sending out videos to churches and groups around the country. We sent a copy to every member of the House and What is most disturbing about this entire Waco episode is the Senate Judiciary Committee in the US Congress and they denied utter complicity of the media in characterising Koresh and his fol- _ getting them. We called behind them to ask if they got them. lowers as suicidal apocalyptic psychopaths. Now, one Congressman—Sam Nunn of Georgia—said on TV the For example, Steven V. Roberts, a senior writer at US News & _ other night, ‘Please, don't anybody send me another copy of this World Report, wrote the following commentary in its 3 May 1993 _ tape!’ We've got to inundate them with this, so please don't let my issue: copyright on the video throw you off because I really could care "Waco and Bosnia, David Koresh less if you copy it. In fact, I want you and Slobodan Milosevic. One driven to copy it! I am an attorney and I real- by religious zeal, the other by nation- ly put that copyright on there to offend alist bloodlust. But these two places, ‘ . . the people that put this coverage out and these two men, present civilised What is most disturbing about originally so that they would sue me, people with basically the same ques- - . ‘< and nobody has! Make copies, lots of tion: How does society deal with a this entire Waco episode Is the copies and get them out there. Send messianic personality who resists all wytter complicity of the media in them to Congress. Get the cheapest attempts at persuasion and pressure?" deal you can get. Make as many as How? In a country that believes in characterising Koresh and his you can—get them out there! This is religious freedom, you leave him and P ich : the only way we're going to convince his followers alone, all 85 of them. followers as suicidal anybody to do a genuine investiga- That's how. Koresh represented no apocalyptic psychopaths. tion.” danger to anyone. The government's It is also important to get this video suspicions of illegalities were simply discussed by the media which so hap- that. Suspicions founded on hearsay, pily played the Rodney King tape over noises, and the tales of vindictive and over again. What about 60 individuals and cult deprogrammers. The question the writer Minutes, 20/20, Prime Time Live, and other such TV magazine should ask is how does an individual protect himself from false shows? For a media that devoted volumes to Watergate and witnesses when the government has decided that it is out to get Irangate, where is the curiosity over Wacogate? Where are all you? Mr Roberts continues: those well-paid investigative reporters? Where are all those "As President Clinton put it, after Koresh and his followers _ Pulitzer Prizewinners? Only a massive effort on the part of thou- burned themselves at the stake of Ranch Apocalypse, "There is sands of Americans will be able to break through the wall of cen- unfortunately a rise of this sort of fanaticism all across the world. _sorship and disinformation erected by the Clinton government and We may have to confront it again." its accomplices. Whose fanaticism was more dangerous: the ATF's fanatic (The video, Waco: The Big Lie, was produced by Linda determination to get its man no matter the cost, or Koresh's belief | Thompson of the American Justice Federation, 3850 S. Emerson in his own religious calling? The latter claimed the loyalty of Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana 462103, USA; phone (317) 780 about 130 people, while the former represents a gross perversion 5204, fax (317) 780 5209. A new video, E ig Lit of the American legal system. Were the technical gun violations 2, has recently been made available. This includes some eye- the Branch Davidians were accused of worth the 85 lives opening behind-the-scenes footage supplied by renegade FBI and destroyed by the government's relentless and merciless pursuit ATF agents. These videos can be obtained on one-two hour video after an eccentric religious visionary? Why didn't the writer in US from NEXUS Magazine. For details, refer to the advert below.) News question the government's wisdom and/or legality in Waco? He writes: "The most painful question is this: To stop insanity, do civilised NEW VIDEO FROM NEXUS people have to become insane themselves? Do they ultimately » . have to kill and maim in order to thwart a greater evil? Finally, in WACO: The B I L I e Waco, the patience broke, and the result was tragedy.” » g Obviously, the writer in US News hasn't the slightest idea how (includes The Big Lie — Part 2) to tell fact from fiction, Was it "civilised" to attack a compound of 85 men, women and children with helicopters and automatic ‘ (ates FAL WHS) - weapons for the purpose of serving a search warrant? Only an Attorney Linda Thompson compiled these two documentaries insane or evil government would do what was done in Waco. And using footage from both satellite feeds to TV networks and from comparing David Koresh to Slobodan Milosevic is about the clos- ___ videos taken during the siege itself. ; est thing to insanity I can think of. Koresh did not attack the ATF. Most of this material was not made available to the public, and They attacked him first, killing six of the people in the compound. when you see it you'll know why! During World War II, there were Germans who used tortured Price: $39.95 within Australia logic to justify what Hitler was doing to the Jews, and Mr Roberts or AUD$46.00 airmail to NZ is using the same strained logic to justify what this goverment did to the Davidians. Has Mr Roberts or any of his colleagues seen the Thompson video? Are they even interested in knowing the truth? Has anyone in Congress seen the video? Ata speech Linda Thompson gave to an audience of 3,000 in Milwaukee on 23rd October 1993, she Said: NEXUS MAGAZINE PO Box 30, Mapleton Qid 4560 Phone: (074) 42 9280; Fax: (074) 42 9381 Master/Visa/Bank Cards Accepted NEW VIDEO FROM NEXUS WACO: The Big Lie (includes The Big Lie — Part 2) (2hrs PAL VHS) Attorney Linda Thompson compiled these two documentaries using footage from both satellite feeds to TV networks and from videos taken during the siege itself. Most of this material was not made available to the public, and when you see it you'll know why! Price: $39.95 within Australia or AUD$46.00 airmail to NZ NEXUS MAGAZINE PO Box 30, Mapleton Qid 4560 Phone: (074) 42 9280; Fax: (074) 42 9381 Master/Visa/Bank Cards Accepted VACO: The Big Lie (includes The Big Lie — Part 2) (2hrs PAL VHS) WACO: PO Box 30, Mapleton Qid 4560 Phone: (074) 42 9280; Fax: (074) 42 9381 Master/Visa/Bank Cards Accepted NEXUS¢19 © JUNE - JULY 1994 LIES FROM THE MEDIA NEW VIDEO FROM NEXUS NEXUS MAGAZINE