Rating: 
Summary: A troubling but problem-ridden video; worth seeing.
Review: I just saw "Waco: The Rules of Engagement" for the first time, and thought it was well done, but it left me with a lot of questions -- not so much about the Waco incident itself, but about the film and who made it. The company that made it bills itself as "Fifth Estate Films." But if you look that up on the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB), you'll see that they have produced one film only, namely "Waco: The Rules of Engagement." Similarly, of the principal creators of the film (director, writer, editor, narrator), only one has any other film credits. I think his name is Gazecki, and he has several credits as a sound editor on other films in the '80s and '90s. The others all have worked only on "Waco." So this is a special project -- a labor of love, or hate, or politics, or personal dedication, I guess. I'm really curious about the backers of this film, and other stuff about who made it and why. Whether the creators and backers were members of the ACLU or members of Aryan Nation, they certainly put together an impressive video document which strongly seems to reveal government vindictiveness, brutality and lying. But it would be most interesting to know who they are and what their other interests are. As for the Waco events of 1993 themselves, it is pretty clear to me that what we had was typical cop behavior. Once the Branch Davidians had killed four agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and wounded others, the cops were out for blood and revenge. It would surprise me at that point if the confrontation ended without further bloodshed by the cult members. I use the word cult advisedly. I have seen cults -- Christian, spiritual, political -- and there's no doubt in my mind that the Branch Davidians were a cult: a group that seeks to exercise total control of the minds and lives of its members. While I blame the federal government for the murder of innocent people (children especially), I also hold David Koresh (and other cult leaders, if any) responsible for those deaths. With the risk of violent confrontation so high, Koresh certainly could and should have permitted or ordered the children to leave the Branch David compound. There's a lot of blame to go around in this sad and shocking episode.
Rating: 
Summary: This video will open your eyes to govt. deception
Review: This video exposes the hypocrisy of our govt., specifically the ATF & FBI regarding the WACO fiasco. It is extremely well researched and makes a convincing arguement for the side of the Davidians, who apparanty were fired upon first. The truth needs to be told, and every high school student should be made to view it.
Rating:
Summary: A shocking expose that will challenge your view of morality.
Review: If you believe 1/2 of 1 percent of this film your in for a very shocking experience. This is the kind of film that tests your value system. No matter what you thought about this event your going to have to come face to face with yourself and what is right and what is murder. Simple as that. Women and children were killed. They never had a chance.
Rating:
Summary: Ignored by the media
Review: Though ignored by most of the media, this film was reviewed positively by the NY Times and Siskel and Ebert. The description of the nerve gas causing muscle contractions so severe as to break the backs of the children is gripping. It is lamentable that it took years for the truth to emerge. Sadly, most Americans bought the government line and the story told by the television recreations of the event. It is odd that the same officials vilifying the Serbs gassed and burned children in Texas.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional!
Review: I recomend this video, because it shows you not only two sides to the story but three sides to a very controversial incident. This video is considered extremely controversial, so much that it has been pulled off the shelves at large video store chains, and can now only be found at some independent stores. I recommend seeing it while it can still be found. The government will never look the same again.
Rating:
Summary: Should be required viewing
Review: Waco: The Rules of Engagement should be required viewing by all seniors in every public high school in the land. This documentary may be the single most shocking evidence of the actual impact of a rougue government, bent on murdering it's own citizens. Using an impressive combination of video from the Waco site, congressional hearings, night vision, news camera film clips and actual testimony, this video leaves no doubt that the U.S. Government, under Janet Reno and William Jefferson Clinton murdered innocent civilians. One of the hidden stars in this movie is the arrogant, obnoxious, and totally disrepectful Charles Schummer, then a congressman. Of special interest is the infra-red film of the night sieges by the BATF and FBI where any compound resident attempting to stray outside of the buildings is summarily executed by agents equipped with night vision. The IR film conclusively shows this outright murder while the agents are shown recounting one falsehood after another. Lying, subterfuge, confusion, murder, violence against innocent citizens, all condoned by the Attorney General of the United States. It almost sounds like a made for TV movie that is too far-fetched to be true. Sadly, it is all documented, believable, and excessively frightening.
Rating:
Summary: This video leaves no doubt what our government is capable of
Review: This video shows what happened at WACO using the government produced forward looking infra-red film taken from a government plane over the installation. This video, along with videos produced earlier using television satelite feeds, shows that the BATF agents who were killed died by "freindly" fire. Three agents enter a room by climbing in a window, then a fourth agent throws in a handgrenade and opens fire with his fully automatic Heckler and Koch MP-5. He fires into the room on fully automatic without even looking where he is firing, in a room with women and children and other agents in the room. We later find the BATF used armor piercing rounds into a plywood structure, so those firing from below were hitting their own people on the roof. But the question not answered is "Why ?". Was the whole attack simply to kill the four BATF agents who were sent into the room? Four agents who were transfered from guarding President Clinton less than one month before? Four agents who had not been involved in any action like this, who were not involved in the practice raids using a full-sized mock up built by the Army 8 months prior to the raid? Why were these former Arkansas highway patrolman targeted? Did President Clinton arrange the whole scenario to silence these men? What did they know? Why was Koresh thought to have illegal weapons? He invited the ATF in to look at his operations, he might have had automatic weapons, but that in itself is not illegal. In 1995, Mr. Bussey, head of the ATF NFA section said their records were only about 50% accurate. No drugs and no automatic weapons were found at the site, except those automatic weapons brought to the site by the ATF. The grenades found on Branch Davidians were grenades thrown by BATF agents that failed to explode.What had these agents or the Branch-Davidians done to deserve this? That question is not answered. But that tape does show Attorney General Janet Reno lying under oath to Congress that the FBI did not return fire, when the FLIR tapes show they did, and testimony of agents present at the scene indicate they did, and government attorneys blocked filing of shooting incident reports because the reports would be "exculpatory".
Rating:
Summary: Extremely powerful
Review: I accepted the government line before I saw this documentary. Then I changed my mind. The video documentary of the murder of nearly 100 men, women and children will shock and disturb you. Yes, it can happen in America.
Rating:
Summary: Big Brother at his best!?
Review: We all know that the government has no qualms about lying. Especially to save their own butt. But rarely do we get the opportunity to see both what they said and what actually happened at the same time. If this film doesn't invoke emotions like horror,sadness, anger, outrage at the "people" we call the government, I would question whether there was anyone home. This film shows how far our government will go to make sure their power is not challenged. And I seriously doubt that anything that happened at Waco, outside of them losing the first fight, happened by chance. If after watching this film you still are not convinced how corrupt our government is and you justify what they did with the words "They're just doing their job". Consider this--The people we put on trial at Nuremburg were "just doing their job", professional hitmen are "just doing their job", drug dealers are "just doing their job". It may be a job, but that doesn't make it right. Maybe we all ought to listen a little more closely to our conscience. First they came for the Blacks, but I wasn't black so I said nothing. Then they came for the Jews, but I wasn't a Jew, so I said nothing. Finally they came for me, and there was no-one left to say anything.....
Rating:
Summary: See This Video, Then Share It
Review: A well made documentary that was nominated for an academy award in 1997, this video should be seen by all concerned citizens. When you get over the shock by the end of it's two hours, and your rage grows at the actions and attitude of these government thugs, make sure you pass the film on to someone you care about.
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