When the government kills
Twenty-nine years ago, the government murdered a fourteen-year-old boy in Idaho because it didn't like his father's politics.
On the morning of August 21st, 1992, a fourteen-year-old boy left his family's remote cabin to investigate why his dogs were barking. Because he suspected that the dogs alerted to game, he was armed and followed one of the dogs into the woods accompanied by his father and family friend, Kevin Harris. A short time later, armed men would kill his dog and then kill him. The men were with the US Marshal Service and were engaged in one of the most inept episodes in that agency's long history. When it was over, Sammy, his Mother, and a Marshal Service deputy were dead, and the government scrambled to cover up the incident.
The boy, Sammy Weaver, was the son of Randy Weaver, a man with abhorrent racial views that had retreated with his family into the remote wilderness. Instead of finding solitude and security, Weaver was entrapped by the government to coerce him into becoming an informant. When Weaver refused, the government attempted to prosecute him.
Weaver had acquaintances in local white supremacist groups. An informant among the members persuaded Weaver to alter two firearms in such a manner to make them illegal. The ATF then attempted to turn Weaver into an informant using the gun charge as leverage. Weaver refused, and a bungled prosecution commenced. Either through malice, incompetence, or both, the government lost the confidence of Weaver and escalated the situation. Instead of resolving the issue through local officials that Weaver had some trust and familiarity with, the case was transferred to the Marshal Service, which conducted a lengthy and expensive surveillance operation that increased Weaver's distrust. It was deputy marshals trespassing on Weaver's property to conduct surveillance that led to the death of Sammy Weaver and an armed standoff between his family and the US Marshal Service, the ATF, the FBI, and numerous state and local law enforcement agencies.
It is hard to fathom just how extravagant the Marshals Service use of resources was in their surveillance of Randy Weaver. Deputies applied long-range spy cameras, intercepted Weaver's mail, and used military reconnaissance aircraft. You would think that the Chief Deputy of Idaho would have inquired about the nature of the ATF interest in Weaver in the first place. Once he learned of the botched entrapment plot, he should have told the ATF to negotiate a settlement since this was the last thing on his priority list.
The Marshal Service compounded the blunder by establishing rules of engagement that were defacto shoot on sight permission. FBI sniper Lon Horiuchi acting on these rules, killed Weaver's wife Vicki when he opened fire on Randy Weaver, Kevin Harris, and Weaver's 16-year-old daughter, Sara. It took until August 26th for the government to rescind the illegal order and revert to standard rules of engagement.
Weaver paid a terrible price for his defiance of the government. He lost his son, his wife, and he spent time in jail for missing his court date. Kevin Harris was acquitted of killing Deputy US Marshal Bill Degan. Lon Horiuchi escaped prosecution for the killing of Vicki Weaver. Even after the questionable shooting of Weaver, Horiuchi was behind a sniper scope at the Branch Davidian standoff, where he may have shot into the compound (there is evidence that someone fired from his position but no documentation of when it happened or who did the shooting). No other ATF, Marshal Service, or FBI personnel were prosecuted for the Ruby Ridge Seige. The U.S. Marshals Service gave its highest award for valor to five U.S. marshals involved in the initial gunfight.
The entire event shows that while the government has the resources to prosecute a small number of people, it can bring to bear tremendous resources against specific individuals it wants to pressure. The Ruby Ridge Seige demonstrates the importance of the rule of law, jury nullification, divided powers among federal, state, and local governments, and holding government officials responsible for their actions.
In a free society, people can associate with anyone of their choosing, no matter how objectionable. Fear, loathing, and contempt of the government and gathering together to change the government, even in ways that offend most people's sensibilities, is not a crime. Inducing people to break laws that have no victims is a crime when the government does it. Issuing "shoot on sight" orders is a crime. Killing bystanders is a crime. The government proved that the fear of the government that drove Randy Weaver to isolation was well-founded and not paranoia. While the government searches for those responsible for the January 6th "Insurrection", let's not forget the lessons of Ruby Ridge.