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This is a scalable context timeline. It contains events related to the event September 7-8, 1999: Attorney General Names Special Counsel to Investigate Waco Tragedy. You can narrow or broaden the context of this timeline by adjusting the zoom level. The lower the scale, the more relevant the items on average will be, while the higher the scale, the less relevant the items, on average, will be.
Combat engineering vehicles (CEVs) lined up outside the blazing Branch Davidian compound. [Source: PBS]The FBI and local law enforcement officials begin their planned assault on the besieged Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas (see 5:00 A.M. - 9:30 A.M. February 28, 1993, March 1, 1993, and April 17-18, 1993), despite indications that the Davidians inside the compound will retaliate either by firing on the gathered law enforcement officials, by torching the main residential building, or perhaps both (see April 18, 1993). [PBS Frontline, 10/1995] Warning - At 5:55 a.m., Richard Rogers, the commander of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team (HRT), orders two combat engineering vehicles (CEVs, unarmed modifications of Bradley fighting vehicles and the primary means for deplying CS "riot control agent" into the main building) deployed to the main building. One minute later, senior negotiator Byron Sage telephones the residence and speaks with Davidian Steve Schneider. At 5:59, Schneider comes to the phone. Sage tells him: "We are in the process of putting tear gas into the building. This is not an assault. We will not enter the building." Schneider replies, "You are going to spray tear gas into the building?" Sage says, "In the building… no, we are not entering the building." At the conclusion of the conversation, Schneider or another Davidian throws the telephone out of the building. [PBS Frontline, 10/1995; House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, 8/2/1996; House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, 8/2/1996] Minutes later, Schneider slips out, retrieves the phone, and ducks back inside. [Time, 5/3/1993] Combat Vehicles Begin Deploying Gas, Davidians Open Fire - At 6:02 a.m., the two CEVs begin inserting CS gas into the compound, using spray nozzles attached to booms. The booms punch holes through the exterior walls of the building. The FBI uses unarmed Bradley Fighting Vehicles to deploy "ferret rounds," military ammunition designed to release CS after penetrating a barricade such as a wall or window. As the CEVs and the Bradleys punch holes into the buildings for the deployment of the gas, Sage makes the following statement over the loudspeakers: "We are in the process of placing tear gas into the building. This is not an assault. We are not entering the building. This is not an assault. Do not fire your weapons. If you fire, fire will be returned. Do not shoot. This is not an assault. The gas you smell is a non-lethal tear gas. This gas will temporarily render the building uninhabitable. Exit the residence now and follow instructions. You are not to have anyone in the tower. The [guard] tower is off limits. No one is to be in the tower. Anyone observed to be in the tower will be considered to be an act of aggression [sic] and will be dealt with accordingly. If you come out now, you will not be harmed. Follow all instructions. Come out with your hands up. Carry nothing. Come out of the building and walk up the driveway toward the Double-E Ranch Road. Walk toward the large Red Cross flag. Follow all instructions of the FBI agents in the Bradleys. Follow all instructions. You are under arrest. This standoff is over. We do not want to hurt anyone. Follow all instructions. This is not an assault. Do not fire any weapons. We do not want anyone hurt. Gas will continue to be delivered until everyone is out of the building." Two minutes later, Davidians begin firing on the vehicles from the windows. The gunfire from the Davidians prompts Rogers and FBI commander Jeffrey Jamar to decide to change tactics; at 6:07 a.m., the assault forces begin deploying all of the gas at once instead of dispersing it in a controlled manner over the course of 48-72 hours as originally envisioned. [Dean M. Kelley, 5/1995; PBS Frontline, 10/1995; House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, 8/2/1996; House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, 8/2/1996; USMC Weapons, 2002] (Jamar will later testify that before the assault even began, he was "99 percent certain" that the FBI would have to escalate its assault because the Davidians would open fire.) [House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, 8/2/1996] As a CEV demolishes the back wall of the gymnasium area of the compound, negotiators broadcast: "David, we are facilitating you leaving the compound by enlarging the door.… Leave the building now." [Cox News Service, 1/30/2000] Jamar will later explain that the Bradleys do not carry military weaponry. "Of course we had all the firepower removed," he will say in a 1995 interview. "There were no cannons or anything on them. We used them for transportation. And they're more than a personnel carrier—they're a track vehicle. I mean it's mud, just thick mud there the whole time. And the agents learned how to drive 'em. But the idea was to protect them as best we could. And we didn't know—they talked about blowing a 50—did they have rockets? Who knows? Did they have explosives buried in various vicinities? Are they prepared to run out with Molatov cocktails? What's in their mind?" Jamar is referring to threats made by Koresh and other Davidians to blow up FBI vehicles. As for the CEVs, they are tanks modified for construction and engineering purposes, and are often used as bulldozers. Observers watching the events live on television or later on videotape will sometimes mistake the CEVs for actual tanks, though two M1A1 Abrams tanks are actually on site and take part in the assault. [PBS Frontline, 10/1995; PBS Frontline, 10/1995] House Report: Davidians Would Certainly Consider FBI's Actions an Assault - A 1996 report by a House of Representatives investigative committee (see August 2, 1996) will note that it is almost impossible for the Davidians not to consider themselves under assault, with tank-like vehicles tearing holes in the building, CS being sprayed everywhere, grenade-like projectiles crashing through windows, men in body armor swarming around the compound, and the sounds of what seems like combat all around them. "Most people would consider this to be an attack on them—an 'assault' in the simplest terms," the report will find. "If they then saw other military vehicles approaching, from which projectiles were fired through the windows of their home, most people are even more likely to believe that they were under an assault. If those vehicles then began to tear down their home there would be little doubt that they were being attacked. These events are what the Davidians inside the residence experienced on April 19, yet the FBI did not consider their actions an assault." Moreover, the FBI did not consider the close-knit, home-centered community the Davidians have long since formed. "Their religious leader led them to believe that one day a group of outsiders, non-believers, most likely in the form of government agents, would come for them," the report will state. "Indeed, they believed that this destiny had been predicted 2,000 years before in Biblical prophecy. Given this mindset, it can hardly be disputed that the Davidians thought they were under assault at 6 a.m. on April 19." [House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, 8/2/1996] Monitoring from Washington - At 7:00 a.m., Attorney General Janet Reno and senior Justice Department and FBI officials go to the FBI situation room to monitor the assault. [PBS Frontline, 10/1995] Buildings Breached - At 7:30 a.m., a CEV breaches the side of one of the main buildings and injects large amounts of tear gas into the interior of the compound. At 7:58 a.m., gas is fired into the second floor of the back-right corner of the building. The FBI asks for more ferret rounds, and by 9:30 a.m., 48 more ferret rounds arrive from Houston. The assault is hampered by the FBI's dwindling supply of ferret rounds, a CEV with mechanical difficulties, and high winds dispersing the gas. Another CEV enlarges the opening in the center-front of the building, with the idea of providing an escape route for the trapped Davidians. A third CEV breaches the rear of the building, according to a later Justice Department report, "to create openings near the gymnasium." [PBS Frontline, 10/1995] Clinton Told Assault Progressing Well - At about 11 a.m., Reno briefs President Clinton, tells him that the assault seems to be going well, and leaves for a judicial conference in Baltimore. During this time, a CEV breaches the back side of the compound. At 11:40 a.m., the FBI fires the last of the ferret rounds into the building. At 11:45 a.m., one wall of the compound collapses. [PBS Frontline, 10/1995] Transcriptionist Escapes - Ruth Riddle, the typist and transcriptionist sent inside the compound by the FBI to help Koresh finish his "Seven Seals" manuscript (see April 18, 1993), escapes the compound before the fire. She brings out a computer disk containing the unfinished manuscript. [Dean M. Kelley, 5/1995] Davidians Set Fires throughout Compound - At 12:07 p.m., according to the Justice Department and House reports, the Davidians start "simultaneous fires at three or more different locations within the compound." An FBI Hostage Rescue Team member reports seeing "a male starting a fire" in the front of the building. Later analyses show that the first fire begins in a second-floor bedroom, the second in the first floor dining room, and the third in the first floor chapel. Evidence also shows that the fires spread according to "accelerant trails," such as a trail of flammable liquid being poured on the floor. Some of the Davidians' clothing found in the rubble also shows traces of gasoline, kerosene, Coleman fuel (liquid petroleum, sometimes called "white gas"), and lighter fluid, further suggesting that the Davidians use accelerants to start and spread the fires. [PBS Frontline, 10/1995; House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, 8/2/1996] Within eight minutes, the main building is engulfed in flames. One explosion, probably from a propane gas tank, is observed. Later investigation will find a propane tank with its top blown off in the debris. [House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, 8/2/1996; House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, 8/2/1996] After the compound burns to the ground, FBI agent Bob Ricks tells reporters, "David Koresh, we believe, gave the order to commit suicide and they all willingly followed." [New York Times, 4/20/1993] Some of the Davidians who survive the conflagration later claim that the Davidians did not start the fires, but arson investigators with the Justice Department and the Texas Rangers, as well as an independent investigator, will conclude that Davidians did indeed start the fires in at least three different areas of the main building. [PBS Frontline, 10/1995] A 1993 Treasury Department report (see Late September - October 1993) will produce audiotapes of Davidians inside the compound and transcripts of conversations, secured via electronic surveillance, discussing the means of setting the fires. Voices on the tapes and in the transcripts say such things as: "The fuel has to go all around to get started." "Got to put enough fuel in there." "So, we only light 'em as they come in," or as a slightly different version has it, "So, we only light 'em as soon as they tell me." Once the fires begin, high winds and the breaches in the walls cause the flames to almost immediately begin consuming the compound. [Dean M. Kelley, 5/1995] In 1999, Colonel Rodney Rawlings, the senior military liaison to the HRT, will tell reporters that he heard Koresh give the orders to start the fires over FBI surveillance "bugs" (see October 8, 1999). Sage later describes the horror that goes through him and his fellow agents when they realize that the Davidians have torched the compound. He will recall "pleading" with the Davidians to leave the compound, and say: "I can't express the emotions that goes through you. I had to physically turn around away from the monitor to keep my mind focused on what I was trying to broadcast to those people." He will recall being horrified by the failure of people to flee the compound. "I fully anticipated those people would come pouring out of there," he says. "I'd been through CS teargas on numerous occasions [in training exercises]. And I would move heaven and earth to get my kids out of that kind of an environment. And that's frankly what we were banking on. That at least the parents would remove their children from that kind of situation." Of Koresh, he will say: "By him intentionally lighting that place afire and consuming the lives of 78 people, including over 20 young children, was just inconceivable to me. In 25 years of law enforcement I've never been faced with someone that was capable of doing that." [PBS Frontline, 10/1995] Six years later, the FBI will admit to releasing two pyrotechnic grenades into the compound, but insists the grenades did not start the fires (see August 25, 1999 and After). Plea for Release - At 12:12 p.m., Sage calls on Koresh to lead the Davidians to safety. Nine Davidians flee the compound and are arrested [PBS Frontline, 10/1995] , including one woman who leaves, attempts to return to the burning building, and tries unsuccessfully to fight off a federal agent who comes to her aid. [New York Times, 4/20/1993] One of the nine runs out of the building at around 12:28 p.m., indicating that even 21 minutes after the fire, it is possible for some of the inhabitants to make their escape. However, most of the Davidians retreat to areas in the center of the building and do not attempt to get out. [House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, 8/2/1996] 'Systematic Gunfire' - At 12:25 p.m., FBI agents hear "systematic gunfire" coming from inside of the building; some agents believe that the Davidians are either killing themselves or each other. The House committee investigation later finds that FBI agents hear rapid-fire gunshots coming from the compound; while many of the gunshots are probably caused by exploding ammunition, "other sounds were methodical and evenly-spaced, indicating the deliberate firing of weapons." Fire Department Responds; Search for Survivors - At 12:41 p.m., fire trucks and firefighters begin attempting to put out the flames. HRT agents enter tunnels to search for survivors, particularly children. [Dean M. Kelley, 5/1995; PBS Frontline, 10/1995; House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, 8/2/1996] No fire trucks are at the scene when the assault begins, and it takes around 25 minutes for the first fire department vehicles to respond to emergency calls from their stations in Waco. Bob Sheehy, mayor of Waco, later says the city fire department "first got a call after the fire had already started." Ricks explains that fire engines were not brought to the compound earlier for fear that firefighters might have been exposed to gunfire from the compound, and because FBI officials did not expect a fire. "We did not introduce fire to this compound, and it was not our intention that this compound be burned down. I can't tell you the shock and the horror that all of us felt when we saw those flames coming out of there. It was, 'Oh, my God, they're killing themselves.'" [New York Times, 4/20/1993] Death Toll - In all, 78 Branch Davidians, including over 20 children, two pregnant women, and Koresh himself, die in the fire. Nineteen of the dead are killed by close-range gunshot wounds. Almost all of the others either die from smoke inhalation, burns, or both. [PBS Frontline, 10/1995; House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, 8/2/1996] The number is improperly reported in a number of media sources, and varies from 75 to 81. Even the House committee report does not cite a definitive total. [House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, 8/2/1996] Some of the FBI negotiators involved in the siege later say that they feel continued negotiations might have saved many, perhaps all, of the lives of those inside the compound. In an interview later in the year, one negotiator tells a reporter, "I'll always, in my own mind, feel like maybe we could have gotten some more people out." [New Yorker, 5/15/1995] But HRT member Barry Higginbotham, one of the snipers who observes the Davidians throughout the siege, will later state that neither he nor anyone on his team believed the Davidians would ever willingly surrender. Higginbotham will say: "We just felt that if you make them suffer a little more, deny them perhaps a little more food, lighting, power, things like that inside, that would cause more pressure on their leadership inside. And perhaps their leadership would go to Koresh and pressure him to start negotiating in good faith. It was hard to believe that Koresh was ever negotiating in good faith." [PBS Frontline, 10/1995] In the hours after the conflagration, Ricks tells reporters: "We had hoped the women would grab their children and flee. That did not occur and they bunkered down the children and allowed them to go up in flames with them.… It was truly an inferno of flames." Ricks says that authorities receive reports, perhaps from some of the survivors, that the children had been injected with some kind of poison to ease their pain. This claim is never confirmed. [New York Times, 4/20/1993] In the Bunker - FBI investigators combing the building after the conflagration find an enormous amount of guns and other weaponry inside. Dr. Rodney Crow, the FBI's chief of identification services and one of the officials who examine the bodies of the Davidians, spends much of his time in the compound's underground bunker, where many of the bodies are found. Crow later says: "There were weapons everywhere. I don't remember moving a body that didn't have a gun melted to it, intertwined with it, between the legs, under the arm, or in close proximity. And I'd say 18 inches to 20 inches would be close proximity.… The women were probably more immersed in the weapons than anyone else, because there was so much weaponry inside the bunker. It was like sea shells on a beach, but they were spent casings and spent bullets. If you had rubber gloves and tried to smooth it away, you'd tear your gloves away from the bullet points that are unexploded, or unspent ammunition. Then as you went through layer after layer, you came upon weapons that were totally burned. Until we got down to the floor, and it was mint condition ammunition there. Ammunition boxes not even singed." The most powerful weapon Crow finds is a .50-caliber machine gun. Some of the bodies have gunshot wounds. Crow will say: "My theory is there was a lot of euthanasia and mercy killing. That group probably were just about as active as anywhere in the compound, mercifully putting each other out of misery in the last moments." In total, 33 bodies are found inside the bunker; almost all the women and children found inside the compound are in the bunker. Many are found to have died from suffocation or smoke inhalation (two died from falling debris), but some died from gunshot wounds, and one woman was stabbed to death. [PBS Frontline, 10/1995; PBS Frontline, 10/1995] Local medical examiner Nizam Peerwani later says he does not believe the people in the bunker committed suicide, saying: "There has been a lot of speculation if this is a mass suicide or not. And—did they all go there to die? Ah, we don't really think so. What I feel personally is that they tried to escape. A bunker was perhaps the safest area in the compound." [PBS Frontline, 10/1995] Sage will say that he knew the children were dead sometime around 12:30 p.m. He recalls terminating the negotiations at that time, "because I didn't want the loudspeaker bank to interfere with instructions being given on the ground. At that point in time, I walked over to the site in shock, basically. And, uh, the first thing I asked is, 'Where are the kids?'" He is told, "Nowhere." Sage will say: "They had not come out. They had been consumed." [PBS Frontline, 10/1995] Koresh's Fate - Koresh and Schneider are found in a small room the authorities call "the communication room." Koresh is dead of a single gunshot wound to the forehead. Schneider is dead from a gunshot wound in the mouth. Peerwani later says: "Did David Koresh shoot himself and Schneider shoot himself? Or did Schneider shoot David Koresh and then turn around and shoot himself? Certainly both are possible. We cannot be certain as to what really transpired." [PBS Frontline, 10/1995] No Ill Effects from Gas - Peerwani and his colleagues examine the bodies for damage caused by the CS gas used in the assault, and find none. While many of the Davidians were exposed to the gas, according to tissue and blood studies, none inhaled enough of it to cause anything more than short-term discomfort. Concurrently, Peerwani and his colleagues find no damage from the propellant used in the ferret rounds. A fire report later written by Texas-based investigators will call the tear gas operation a failure at dispersing the Davidians. [PBS Frontline, 10/1995; PBS Frontline, 10/1995] Medical examinations show that some of the children may well have been overcome by the gas, and rendered unable to escape, but the compound had not been gassed for an hour before the fires began, and CS has a persistence factor of only 10 minutes—in other words, the effects should have worn off by the time the fires broke out. The gas proves ineffective against the adults, because the adult Davidians are equipped with gas masks. [PBS Frontline, 10/1995] Wrongly Executed Plan - The plan as signed by Reno called on law enforcement forces to deploy tear gas into the compound at stated intervals, then have agents retreat to await evacuees before approaching again. This "passive," "restrained" approach was to have been followed for up to 72 hours before using assault vehicles to force entry. Instead, the agents wait only 12 minutes before beginning a motorized vehicle assault. [New Yorker, 5/15/1995] Taking Responsibility - One of the unlikely "heroes" of the debacle is Reno. She signed off on the attack (see April 17-18, 1993), and within hours of the attacks, she holds a televised press conference where she says: "I made the decision. I am accountable . The buck stops here" (see April 19, 1993). She repeats this statement over and over again on national television. [New Yorker, 5/15/1995]
Entity Tags: Bob Ricks, Bob Sheehy, Branch Davidians, David Koresh, FBI Hostage Rescue Team, Barry Higginbotham, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Janet Reno, Jeffrey Jamar, Byron Sage, US Department of Justice, Nizam Peerwani, William Jefferson ("Bill") Clinton, Richard Rogers, Rodney Rawlings, Rodney Crow, Ruth Riddle, Texas Rangers, Steve Schneider
Timeline Tags: 1993 Branch Davidian Crisis
In interviews conducted for the Justice Department's probe of the FBI's 51-day siege of the Branch Davidian compound (see October 8, 1993), several FBI agents present during the siege and/or final assault say the bureau abandoned negotiations much too early and instead implemented aggressive measures that were counterproductive (see March 23, 1993). The interviews will not be included in the Justice Department's report, and will not be released until December 1999, when they are made available to the special counsel investigating the FBI's conduct during the final assault (see September 7-8, 1999). Negotiators 'Had the Rug Pulled Out from under Them' - Some negotiators say during their interviews that because the FBI used punitive paramilitary actions (see March 12, 1993, March 14, 1993, March 17-18, 1993, March 21, 1993, March 22, 1993, March 23-24, 1993, March 25-26, 1993, April 7, 1993, April 10, 1993, and April 17-18, 1993), many Davidians chose to remain inside the compound rather than leave. Gary Noesner, the FBI's negotiation coordinator for the first weeks of the siege, says, "The negotiators' approach was working until they had the rug pulled out from under them" by aggressive tactical actions. Noesner's replacement, Clint Van Zandt, agrees, saying the negotiators' position was "akin to sitting on the bow of the Titanic and watching the iceberg approach." Former FBI profiler Pete Smerick, who warned early in the siege that the aggressive tactics being used by the FBI might backfire (see March 3-4, 1993 and March 7-8, 1993), says that the FBI "should not send in the tanks, because if they did so, children would die and the FBI would be blamed even if they were not responsible.… The outcome would have been different if the negotiation approach had been used. More people would have come out, even if Koresh and his core never did." Negotiators Submitted Own Plan for Tear-Gas Assault - Noesner says that on March 22, he and other negotiators submitted their own plan for gassing the compound, in hopes that their more moderated plan would be chosen over a more aggressive plan from the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT). "This showed a clear realization… that the negotiations were basically over. They knew they were at an impasse," Noesner says of FBI negotiators. "They recommended that tear gas be used because they realized this was going to happen anyway and they wanted to control it, to use it with leverage in the negotiations. The tactical interests just wanted to throw the gas in." The negotiators' plan became the blueprint for the plan accepted by Attorney General Janet Reno. "It would be allowed to work by letting them sit in it. The idea was to increase pressure but not in a way to provoke a violent response," Noesner says. Negotiators' Positions Disputed - FBI agent Byron Sage, one of the senior agents present during the siege, disagrees with some of his colleagues' comments. In an interview repeatedly cited in the Justice Department report, Sage says: "Could we have gotten a few more people out [had the FBI used different tactics]? Maybe so, and God knows, any life that we could've saved would've been important. But it's a total what-if. The fact remains that we did everything we could." According to former White House counsel Webster Hubbell, also interviewed for the Justice Department report, Sage told him in a phone call that further negotiations were useless, and that some kind of assault on the compound was the only way to resolve the situation. Sage disputes Hubbell's recollections, saying, "I never said negotiations were abandoned or at a total impasse." Van Zandt, speaking to reporters in 1999, will say that he is not surprised to learn that Sage, and not Van Zandt, received Hubbell's phone call. "I probably would've told him a lot different," Van Zandt will recall. "When anyone from Washington asked who should we talk to, [on-site commander Jeffrey] Jamar strongly suggested Sage because he would speak the company line.… I don't say [Sage] was Jeff Jamar's man in a negative sense. But Jamar trusted him and knew he'd be working for Jamar when this was all over." Van Zandt will recall warning "whoever would listen" that the plan was too risky and wouldn't work. "That fell on deaf ears. I said we're playing into Koresh's prophecies. We're doing what he wants." Van Zandt will say that shortly before the assault he told the other negotiators what was coming. "It was a very deep, sobering time," he will recall. Sage will dispute Van Zandt's recollections also. "I don't remember anyone jumping up and disagreeing," he will say. "Hindsight is 20/20. We all agreed that we had reached a point where we would try to force the issue. If that meant the exercise of some force, then tear gas was the lowest level of force available." [Dallas Morning News, 12/30/1999; USA Today, 12/30/1999]
Entity Tags: Peter Smerick, FBI Hostage Rescue Team, David Koresh, Clinton R. Van Zandt, Byron Sage, Branch Davidians, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jeffrey Jamar, Gary Noesner, Janet Reno, US Department of Justice, Webster Hubbell
James B. Francis Jr., the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety and a fundraiser for the presidential campaign of Governor George W. Bush, convinces federal judge Walter Smith to order that government vaults containing 12 tons of evidence from the Branch Davidian compound near Waco be opened, and the contents reexamined. The Davidian compound was destroyed six years ago as the culmination of a 51-day standoff between the residents and the FBI (see April 19, 1993). Smith orders the reopening of the vaults after inquiries from an independent filmmaker, Michael McNulty (see July 29, 1999), and a lawyer, David Hardy, who has long challenged the government's account of events. There are three kinds of evidence to be examined, Francis has said: "One is shells, shell casings, physical things. The second type of evidence is video and still photographs. The third type are interviews done there on the spot at the time." Smith's order reads in part: "First and foremost, the parties to civil litigation pending in this court have the right to seek access (see April 1995). Second, the events that took place between Feb. 28 and April 19, 1993, and thereafter, have resulted in sometimes intense interest from the national media and the members of the public. There may come a time when persons other than the current civil litigants would be allowed access to the materials." [Associated Press, 8/10/1999; Associated Press, 9/10/1999; Associated Press, 9/17/1999] One document that will prove to be extremely significant is the 49th and final page of a December 1993 lab report that has long ago been made available to lawmakers and attorneys. The 49th page had been removed. It states that FBI investigators who examined the scene at Waco found a "fired US military 40mm shell casing which originally contained a CS gas round," and two "expended 40mm tear gas projectiles." (The Justice Department will later claim that the prosecution and defense lawyers in the civil trial received the 49th page as well.) [Associated Press, 9/11/1999] The Texas Rangers review the contents, and find a spent military tear-gas canister, which forces the FBI and the Justice Department to admit that their agents fired incendiary gas canisters into the compound during the final assault (see August 25, 1999 and After). The government has previously denied firing any weapons into the compound that might have caused the conflagration that consumed the building and killed almost all of the residents. As a result of the investigation, the federal government names a special prosecutor to investigate whether there was a government cover-up (see September 7-8, 1999 and July 21, 2000), and Attorney General Janet Reno (see July 29, 1999) has to weather calls from Republican lawmakers to resign. Later, Francis denies reopening the case for political reasons. His decision "unleashed a series of forces that were apparently a lot bigger than what I recognized," he will say. "I never dreamed that it would turn into something like this." He will claim that he is "doing everything in my power to not politicize this" controversy. Governor Bush himself refrains from commenting on the issue, though his chief of staff helped bring McNulty and Hardy to Francis's attention. Hardy will say of Francis, "I don't think there's any question that he is the shining light of this entire inquiry." Hardy used his friends in the Texas gun lobby to contact former Texas Senator Jerry Patterson; Patterson contacted Bush's chief of staff Clay Johnson, who in turn referred him to Francis. "I think what happened to Jim Francis is he initially wanted to be very low-key and then as more and more revelations began to surface, he became angry and disgusted, as all of us are," Patterson will say. "This was not a role that he sought." As for his own role, Francis will say: "It's important that the facts come out, whatever those are. I'm not a hero, but I have done the right thing." [Excite, 7/28/1999; Excite, 7/29/1999; Associated Press, 8/10/1999; Associated Press, 9/10/1999; Associated Press, 9/17/1999] In July, the Justice Department called Francis's allegations of mismanagement and possible cover-ups "nonsense." [Excite, 7/28/1999; Excite, 7/29/1999]
Entity Tags: Branch Davidians, George W. Bush, David Hardy, Clay Johnson, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Walter Smith, Texas Rangers, James B. Francis Jr, US Department of Justice, Janet Reno, Michael McNulty, Jerry Patterson
Pyrotechnic CS gas canisters. [Source: Law Enforcement Equipment Distribution]According to newly presented documents, the FBI used two or three pyrotechnic tear gas canisters during the raid on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas (see April 19, 1993). The documents contradict earlier FBI and Justice Department claims that law enforcement officials did nothing that could have contributed to the fire that killed over 80 sect members. Former senior FBI official Danny Coulson begins the revelations by admitting to the Dallas Morning News that the FBI had indeed used pyrotechnic grenades, though he says the grenades did not start the fires that consumed the building. Texas Department of Public Safety Commission Chairman James Francis says the Texas Rangers have "overwhelming evidence" supporting Coulson's statement. "There are written reports by Rangers, there is photographic evidence, there is physical evidence, all three of which are problematic," Francis says. Coulson, the founder of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team and a former assistant deputy director, says that two M651 CS tear gas grenades were fired into the building, but they were fired hours before the blazes erupted. Attorney General Janet Reno, who tells reporters she knew nothing of the grenade usage and is "very, very frustrated" at the knowledge, appoints former Senator John C. Danforth (R-MO) as the head of an investigatory commission (see September 7-8, 1999); Danforth will find that, regardless of the use of the pyrotechnic gas canisters, law enforcement officials were not responsible for the fire, and neither the FBI nor the Justice Department tried to cover up any actions (see July 21, 2000). [PBS Frontline, 10/1995; Dallas Morning News, 8/25/1999; Salon, 9/9/1999] The military M651 canisters, which burn for about 30 seconds to heat and release the solidified tear gas inside, were fired from a Bradley fighting vehicle at a bunker near the main building (see September 3, 1999). After the assault, a Texas Ranger found a spent 40mm gas canister shell lying on the ground and asked a nearby FBI agent, "What's this?" The agent promised to find out, but never returned with an answer; the shell went into evidence containers (see August 10, 1999 and After). Two weeks after the FBI acknowledges the use of incendiary gas canisters at the Waco assault, Reno testifies on the matter to the House Judiciary Committee. She says that, based on the briefings she had been given (see April 17-18, 1993), "It was my understanding that the tear gas produced no risk of fire.… That fire was set by David Koresh and the people in that building." After her testimony, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) calls on Reno to resign. [Newsweek, 9/6/1999; Associated Press, 9/10/1999] FBI agent Byron Sage, the chief negotiator during the Davidian standoff, will say in 2003 that the incendiary gas canisters could not have set the fires. "This is the critical point, the M651 rounds were never directed towards the wooden structure," he will say. "They were used in an area yards away from the building. Also, they were used earlier in the day. The fire didn't start until four hours later. They had absolutely nothing to do with that fire." Sage will say that the canisters were fired only at a construction pit near the compound where other gas-discharging devices had been smothered in mud. The pit was targeted because some Davidian gunfire during the ATF raid had come from that area, he will say. [Waco Tribune-Herald, 3/16/2003] Charles Cutshaw, an editor of Jane's Defense Information and an expert on this kind of weapon, says these military tear gas cartridges are not intended to start fires. He says he knows of no studies or reports on how often such cartridges may have caused fires. [Washington Post, 9/4/1999] Shortly after the admission, federal prosecutor Bill Johnston, one of the lawyers for the government in the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by surviving Davidians (see April 1995), informs Reno that government lawyers had known for years about the use of pyrotechnic tear-gas rounds (see August 30, 1999). Johnston will be removed from the lawsuit and replaced by US Attorney Michael Bradford. [Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7/21/2000] He will also plead guilty to concealing evidence from investigators concerning the canisters (see November 9, 2000).
Entity Tags: FBI Hostage Rescue Team, Bill Johnston, Danny Coulson, Byron Sage, Branch Davidians, Federal Bureau of Investigation, James B. Francis Jr, Trent Lott, Janet Reno, US Department of Justice, John C. Danforth, Texas Rangers, Charles Cutshaw, Michael Bradford
The FBI launches an internal inquiry into why it took six years to admit that agents may have fired potentially flammable tear gas canisters on the final day of the 1993 standoff with the Branch Davidian cult near Waco, Texas (see August 25, 1999 and After). Attorney General Janet Reno and FBI Director Louis Freeh order 40 FBI agents led by an FBI inspector to re-interview everyone who was at the Waco scene. James Francis, the chairman of the Texas Department of Public Safety who pressed for evidence to be reexamined (see August 10, 1999 and After), says federal officials must explain why Delta Force members were at the scene of the final assault (see August 28, 1999). "Everyone involved knows they were there. If there is an issue, it was what was their role at the time," Francis says. "Some of the evidence that I have reviewed and been made aware of is very problematical as to the role of Delta Force at the siege." A Defense Department document shows that a Special Forces unit was at the assault; the US military is prohibited from involvement in domestic police work without a presidential order. FBI spokesman James Collingwood says the bureau continues to insist that it did nothing to start the fires that consumed the Davidian compound and killed almost 80 Davidians (see April 19, 1993). "Freeh is deeply concerned that prior Congressional testimony and public statements [about the use of flammable devices] may prove to be inaccurate, a possibility we sincerely would regret.… [A]ll available indications are that those [pyrotechnic gas] rounds were not directed at the main, wooden compound. The rounds did not land near the wooden compound, and they were discharged several hours before the fire started." Dan Burton (R-IN), chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, says: "I am deeply concerned by these inconsistencies.… I intend for the committee to get to the bottom of this." Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) says that the new evidence indicated "further erosion of the FBI's credibility." Privately, Justice Department officials are said to be furious that Reno was allowed to maintain for years that no such incendiary rounds were used during the assault, when some FBI officials presumably knew otherwise. [Associated Press, 8/26/1999] Reno has publicly said she is "very, very upset" at the sequence of events, and Collingwood describes Freeh as "incredulous." [Newsweek, 9/6/1999]
Entity Tags: James B. Francis Jr, Branch Davidians, Charles Grassley, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louis J. Freeh, US Department of Justice, James Collingwood, Janet Reno, Dan Burton
The FBI releases a newly discovered videotape that shows FBI agents using incendiary, or pyrotechnic, tear-gas canisters during the April 1993 assault on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas (see April 19, 1993). The audio portion of the videotape, taken by an FBI surveillance aircraft using infrared radar during the first hours of the assault, shows that agents were unable to breach the concrete wall of a bunker near to the main compound with the gas canister; the tape has an agent saying: "Yeah, the military gas did not penetrate that, uh, bunker where the bus was. It bounced off." Another agent then suggested moving to a different position where a gas canister could be fired into the bunker through a doorway. The day before, the FBI released an earlier portion of the same videotape that shows the head of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) giving permission for agents to use the incendiary gas canisters on the bunker (see September 2, 1999). The canister bounced off the bunker wall at 8:08 a.m.; the tape runs through 8:24 a.m., when an agent asked that it be shut off. The videotape is more evidence that, contrary to six years of denials from the FBI and the Justice Department, the FBI did use two and perhaps three incendiary devices during the final assault (see August 25, 1999 and After). Four hours after the events of the videotape, the compound erupted in flames that killed almost 80 Davidians; both the Justice Department and the FBI insist that the Davidians, not the FBI, caused the fires that consumed the compound. Attorney General Janet Reno describes herself as "very troubled" over the new evidence. "Over the past two weeks, I, along with many Americans, have been troubled, very troubled, over what has transpired," she says during a press converence. Reno says her orders to assault the compound (see April 17-18, 1993) were very specific in banning the use of incendiary devices on any portion of the compound. Reno says she will appoint an outsider to head an independent investigation to "get to the truth" of what happened during that assault (see September 7-8, 1999). Reno says she has asked why it took so long for the FBI to inform the Justice Department about the tapes: "I questioned that. I think this is a matter the outside investigator should look at." [Reuters, 9/4/1999; Washington Post, 9/4/1999]
Entity Tags: US Department of Justice, Branch Davidians, Janet Reno, FBI Hostage Rescue Team, Federal Bureau of Investigation
John C. Danforth. [Source: Huffington Post]Attorney General Janet Reno names former Senator John Danforth (R-MO) as a special counsel to investigate the events of the April 1993 tragedy outside of Waco, Texas (see April 19, 1993), and specifically to determine whether actions by the FBI led to the fire that destroyed the Branch Davidian compound and killed almost 80 Davidians. Reno opens the investigation after learning that the FBI concealed evidence of the use of incendiary gas cartridges during the assault on the Davidian compound, actions that some believe may have started some of the fires (see August 10, 1999 and After, August 25, 1999 and After, and August 26, 1999). Danforth is a former US attorney general and an Episcopal priest. According to an Associated Press report, "both admirers and detractors have noted his emphasis on morals as well as his stubborn independence." Former Senator Thomas Eagleton (D-MO), who served in the Senate with Danforth for 10 years, says: "He calls them like he sees them. Members of the Senate or House will have full faith in his finding." [Associated Press, 9/7/1999; Associated Press, 9/9/1999; Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7/21/2000] Republicans in Congress have called on Reno to resign, while Democrats defend her tenure and say her actions during and after the Waco assault have been "commendable." House Judiciary Chairman Henry Hyde (R-IL) says that he will hold off on attempting to launch a five-member commission to probe the Waco debacle. He will allow the Danforth investigation to proceed unimpeded, unless he feels the Justice Department is not cooperating with the probe. "Should events prove otherwise, we will reconsider this decision," Hyde says. [Associated Press, 9/9/1999] Danforth's investigation will clear the FBI and the federal government of any wrongdoing (see July 21, 2000).
Entity Tags: Janet Reno, Henry Hyde, John C. Danforth, Branch Davidians, Thomas F. Eagleton, US Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Investigators say that a spent illumination flare found in evidence stored after the Branch Davidian tragedy (see April 19, 1993 and September 7, 1999) may have been one of two such devices fired by FBI agents to stop an intruder from entering the sect's compound during the early days of the standoff (see 5:00 A.M. - 9:30 A.M. February 28, 1993). At least two such flares were fired during the 51-day standoff, which ended in flames that killed almost 80 Davidians. Some believe the FBI started the fires, either deliberately or accidentally, that consumed the compound. FBI spokesman John Collingwood says, "From talking to people in our Hostage Rescue Team, at one time, when your floodlight illumination was not active, they shot two parachute illumination rounds because of concern about people trying to sneak into the compound." Rangers discovered the spent remains of one of the devices, a star parachute flare, when they recently searched a Waco storage facility for missing pyrotechnic tear-gas grenades (see August 10, 1999 and After). Currently, the government is enacting an investigation to determine if the FBI fired flammable devices into the compound, and why it took six years to acknowledge the use of military tear-gas canisters (see September 7-8, 1999). [Associated Press, 9/9/1999]
Entity Tags: Federal Bureau of Investigation, John Collingwood, Branch Davidians, FBI Hostage Rescue Team
Former Senator John Danforth (R-MO), the newly empaneled special counsel who will head a government investigation of the FBI's actions that led up to the 1993 debacle at the Branch Davidian compound near Waco (see April 19, 1993 and September 7-8, 1999), says his investigation will answer "the dark questions" still pending six years later. "Was there a cover-up? Did the government kill people? How did the fire start? And was there shooting?" Danforth asks, ticking off the issues he hopes to resolve. "Those are questions that go to the basic integrity of government, not judgment calls." Danforth says the investigation will focus primarily on the events of April 19, 1993, the final day in a 51-day standoff between the FBI and the Davidians, including allegations that FBI agents fired at the compound during that final assault and military personnel took part in the assault (see August 28, 1999). As a "special counsel," Danforth can impanel a grand jury and seek federal charges. "I come into this with a totally open mind," Danforth says, with Attorney General Janet Reno standing at his side. "I come into this with the notion that the chips should fall where they may. And that's going to happen." Congressional Republicans praise Danforth's appointment, while President Clinton calls him honorable and intelligent, and says, "Based on what I know of him, it [Danforth's selection] was a good move by the attorney general." Reno says she will turn over future decisions on Danforth's investigation to her deputy, Eric Holder, in the interests of impartiality. Danforth says he will use private-sector investigators rather than FBI agents to do the actual investigating. US Attorney Edward Dowd of St. Louis, a Democrat, will resign his position to join Danforth as his chief assistant. [Knight Ridder, 9/10/1999; Associated Press, 9/10/1999]
Entity Tags: Janet Reno, Branch Davidians, Edward Dowd, Federal Bureau of Investigation, William Jefferson ("Bill") Clinton, John C. Danforth, Eric Holder
Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) discloses that internal FBI documents that show information about the FBI's use of incendiary tear-gas canisters during the 1993 Branch Davidian siege near Waco, Texas (see April 19, 1993), have been available in Justice Department files for years and were given to Congress no later than 1995. The FBI was embarrassed by recent revelations that its agents fired such canisters near the Davidian compound during the assault (see August 25, 1999 and After), though the bureau and the Justice Department both deny that the canisters had anything to do with the fires that consumed the compound and killed almost 80 Davidians. Two weeks ago, the Justice Department sent US Marshals to the FBI's headquarters in Washington to seize infrared videotapes that contain references to the tear-gas rounds, but did not reveal that it contained FBI records in its own files regarding the use of those rounds. Attorney General Janet Reno ordered the seizure, saying she was angered by the revelations after spending six years denying the FBI ever used such incendiary devices. Reno says she did not see the internal FBI documents until two weeks ago. From the documents that have been made public, there is no indication that FBI officials explained to Reno or other Justice Department officials the potential dangers surrounding the use of such canisters (see April 17-18, 1993). A senior Justice Department official says the documents will likely be scrutinized by investigators with the Danforth inquiry (see September 7-8, 1999). Waxman, the ranking minority member of the House Oversight Committee, says he released the documents because the committee chairman, Dan Burton (R-IN), has said Reno failed to tell Congress about the incendiary canisters. Burton accused Reno of failing to inform Congress about the canisters after learning that an incomplete copy of a FBI lab report was sent to his committee in 1995 (see August 10, 1999 and After). [New York Times, 9/14/1999]
Entity Tags: Janet Reno, Branch Davidians, Henry A. Waxman, Dan Burton, Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Department of Justice
Special counsel John Danforth, heading the government's probe into the 1993 Branch Davidian tragedy (see April 19, 1993 and September 7-8, 1999), asks the judge presiding over a civil lawsuit filed by some of the Davidian survivors (see April 1995) for a delay in the suit's proceedings. In a filing for Judge Walter Smith, Danforth explains that the government inquiry seeks to depose witnesses who will also testify in the civil suit, and wants to interview those witnesses before they testify for the lawsuit, saying: "It is my firm belief that our inquiry will benefit by interviewing witnesses prior to their preparation for testimony in a civil trial. Because a civil trial inherently involves advocacy, testimony tends to be very well-rehearsed and coordinated with the testimony of other witnesses." Danforth wants to find out if the FBI deliberately covered up its use of incendiary gas grenades during the April 19, 1993 siege (see August 25, 1999 and After), and whether agents fired shots during the assault on the Davidian compound. One of the plaintiffs' attorneys has volunteered to postpone taking depositions from Attorney General Janet Reno and two key FBI agents for two weeks, but is reluctant to delay the depositions for 30 days; another lawyer intends to resist the request completely. [Associated Press, 9/17/1999]
Entity Tags: Janet Reno, Branch Davidians, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Walter Smith, John C. Danforth
US Postal Inspection Service logo. [Source: Center for Regulatory Effectiveness]Special counsel John Danforth, heading the government's probe into the 1993 Branch Davidian tragedy (see April 19, 1993 and September 7-8, 1999), names a group of US postal inspectors to investigate claims that the FBI tried to cover up its use of incendiary devices during the final assault on the Davidian compound. Preferring not to use FBI agents to investigate allegations against the bureau, Danforth said from the outset that he would use investigators from outside the Justice Department. "My basic thought is, the FBI should not be investigating the FBI," Danforth said. Reporters laughed when someone suggested—facetiously—that US Postal Service "cops" could conduct the investigation. Now Danforth is bringing aboard some 80 postal inspectors to look into the allegations. The use of postal inspectors may indicate Justice Department officials could be targeted by the probe. Postal Inspection Service spokesman Robert Bethel acknowledges the choice of postal inspectors may seem odd to Americans unfamiliar with the agency. "A lot of people don't know what a postal inspector is," he says. "If they hear of postal inspectors, they think, is that someone who inspects post offices?" Postal inspectors have been investigating federal crimes involving the mails since 1772, and often investigate crimes such as extortion, child pornography, and on occasion murder, if they involve Postal Service employees. "We've always been called the 'silent service,' because we go about our business and don't seek publicity," Bethel says. The specific inspectors have not yet been chosen. In 1996, postal inspectors helped FBI investigators look into the events of the 1992 Ruby Ridge standoff (see August 31, 1992) and found evidence that an FBI official had obstructed justice. [All Points Broadcasting News, 10/2/1999]
Entity Tags: US Department of Justice, Branch Davidians, Robert Bethel, Federal Bureau of Investigation, John C. Danforth, US Postal Inspection Service
Copies of FBI infrared surveillance tapes taken during the first hours of the FBI assault against the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas (see April 19, 1993), clearly show repeated bursts of rhythmic flashes from agents' positions and from the compound; two experts hired by the surviving Davidians say the flashes must be gunfire. A third expert retained by the House Government Reform Committee, Carlos Ghigliotti, an expert in thermal imaging and videotape analysis, says he, too, believes the flashes to be gunfire. "The gunfire from the ground is there, without a doubt," he says. FBI officials have long maintained that no agent fired a shot during either the 51-day standoff or during the final assault. Michael Caddell, the lead lawyer for the Davidians in their lawsuit against the government (see April 1995), says he has shown the tapes and the expert analysis to John Danforth, the former senator who is leading a government investigation into the FBI's actions during the siege and the assault (see September 7-8, 1999). Caddell says his two experts are former Defense Department surveillance analysts. One of Caddell's two experts also says the FBI's infrared videotapes that have been released to the public, Congress, and the courts may have been altered. "There's so much editing on this tape, it's ridiculous," says Steve Cain, an audio and video analysis expert who has worked with the Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service. Cain says his analysis is preliminary because he has not been granted access to the original tapes. But, he says, the tapes appear to have been erased. There are significant erasures during the 80-minute period before the compound began burning. Cain says: "It's just like the 18-minute gap on the Watergate tape. That was erased six times by Rose Mary Woods (see November 21, 1973). That's why we're trying to get to the originals." Cain also says that he believes images were inserted into the videotapes, perhaps from different video cameras. Caddell says, "I think at this point, it's clear that the whole investigation, and particularly the fire investigation, was garbage in-garbage out." The videotapes were used in a 1993 Treasury Department review of the siege (see Late September - October 1993) and as evidence in a 1994 criminal trial against some of the surviving Davidians (see January-February 1994), both of which concluded that the Davidians themselves set the fires that consumed the compound. [Associated Press, 10/6/1999; Dallas Morning News, 10/7/1999]
Entity Tags: John C. Danforth, Branch Davidians, Carlos Ghigliotti, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Steve Cain, Michael Caddell, Federal Bureau of Investigation
A newly released surveillance photograph taken during the FBI's final assault on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas (see April 19, 1993), casts doubt on theories that FBI agents opened fire on the Davidians during the assault (see September 14, 1999, October 1999, October 7, 1999, November 5, 1999, and November 15, 1999). The photo is part of a batch submitted to the Danforth investigation (see September 7-8, 1999) and to Judge Walter Smith, who is presiding over the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Davidian survivors against the government (see April 1995). The photograph was taken on April 19, 1993, within seconds of the time when a flash appears on an infrared surveillance videotape at 11:24 a.m. Experts have claimed that such flashes indicate gunfire from FBI agents; however, no one is in the vicinity of the flash as shown in the photograph. Smith has ordered tests to be done to determine if the flashes on the videotapes are, indeed, gunfire. Lawyer Michael Caddell, speaking for the Davidians, says the photograph proves nothing: "Seeing one or two or 10 photographs doesn't tell you a whole lot." Two FBI planes were flying over the compound during the attack. One, an FBI Nightstalker, took infrared videotape of the scene and the other took still photographs on film. Until recently, the two had not been compared to one another. The infrared tapes show a tank destroying the back wall of the Davidians' gymnasium just before 11:30 a.m.; at 11:24, the tape shows a flash off the right rear corner of the tank. The photo was taken almost at that same instance; no one can be seen in the photo, casting doubt on claims that someone was near the tank firing into the compound. Caddell notes that the photographs are not time-stamped, and the times of the photos must be estimated based on the amount of damage done to the gymnasium. "Being able to identify what time it is and whatever the precise moment when someone was firing from the rear of the tank is very suspect unless you've got a complete roll of film and you can see the entire sequence," he says. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1/12/2000; Associated Press, 1/13/2000]
Entity Tags: Walter Smith, Branch Davidians, Michael Caddell, Federal Bureau of Investigation, John C. Danforth
Six postal inspectors and two Army soldiers, all dressed in a variety of FBI-standard assault garb, reenact key scenarios from the 1993 FBI assault on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas (see April 19, 1993). The purpose is to recreate "flashes" observed in 1993 infrared videotapes made by FBI observers during the assault, and determine if they were indeed gunfire from FBI agents, as some have alleged (see November 15, 1999). The exercise is done at the behest of District Judge Walter Smith, who ordered it as part of the proceedings of a civil suit by surviving Davidians against the federal government (see April 1995); additionally, the scenario is part of the evidentiary gathering by federal special counsel John Danforth, investigating the role of the FBI in the burning of the Davidian compound (see September 7-8, 1999). FBI officials who view the infrared tapes say they bear out their long-held assertions that none of their agents fired their guns during the April 19 assault on the Davidian compound. Michael Caddell, the lead lawyer for the Davidians in the lawsuit, says he believes the simulations will prove that the FBI shot at the compound, which is what his own experts reviewing the videos have said. US Attorney Michael Bradford, one of the government's lead lawyers in the case, disagrees. "What we're trying to do here… is get this issue hopefully put to rest so that the American public will not continue to hear what we consider a baseless allegation without foundation that the FBI was out in the back of that compound shooting that day," he says. "It didn't happen." [New York Times, 3/20/2000; Washington Post, 3/20/2000] Public Precluded from Seeing Videotapes - The exercise takes place at Fort Hood, Texas, under Danforth's supervision. Initially, the infrared videos of the exercises were to be released to the public, but Smith seals the videos from public view. And, siding with Danforth against the Davidian lawyers, Smith denies motions by several news media organizations to witness the test. The New York Times writes, "The lack of public access has created the possibility that both sides in the case would offer conflicting opinions without any public review of the videos." An independent analysis of the videos conducted by the private British company that conducts the simulations may be released to the public after they are turned over to the court some time in April. [New York Times, 2/17/2000; New York Times, 3/20/2000] Simulations Carried Out to Determine Whether Videotaped 'Flashes' Might Be Gunfire - Danforth, Smith, and a group of about 20 observers watch the simulations, including representatives from the Department of Justice, the FBI, the Texas Rangers, and private lawyers representing the plaintiffs. In the simulations, the eight participants fire different weapons from prone and kneeling positions. They then slowly advance to a prescribed firing line, where they fire a series of single shots followed by short bursts and then long bursts of automatic gunfire. They repeat the exercise four times, as an FBI "Nightstalker" surveillance aircraft and a British Navy helicopter take turns filming from different angles. Additionally, an armored vehicle is driven beside a field littered with debris like twisted aluminum, broken glass, and pools of water, to see if light flashes from the debris could have caused similar flashes on the infrared video that could be mistaken for gunfire. Bradford has said that no matter how the videos are interpreted, they cannot be taken as proof that agents fired guns during the assault. "If there's a flash in the testing, you can't just conclude that means there was gunfire on April 19th," Bradford said. "To me, that would mean the opposite. It would indicate it's not a gun flash because you can't see a person there. There's more to be analyzed than just the flashes." The private British firm, Vector Data Systems, was chosen in part because it owns FLIR, or "forward-looking infrared," video cameras similar to those used by the FBI in 1993; the bureau has since abandoned those video cameras for more current technology. [New York Times, 2/17/2000; New York Times, 3/20/2000] Davidian Lawyer: No Broad Conspiracy by FBI, Justice Department to Conceal Truth - Caddell disagrees with some Davidian supporters in discounting the broader conspiracy theories they advocate. "I know that may disappoint some people," he says. "But this is not a big conspiracy, it's a small conspiracy. There were a handful of people on April 19 who took matters into their own hands and disobeyed the orders of the attorney general and the FBI leadership. Those people have to be held accountable." Of the Danforth investigators, Caddell says: "I think they'll issue an honest report, a fair report. And I think it will be critical in many respects." [Waco Tribune-Herald, 2/18/2000; Washington Post, 3/20/2000]
Entity Tags: Branch Davidians, John C. Danforth, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Michael Bradford, Michael Caddell, Vector Data Systems, Walter Smith, New York Times, US Department of Justice, Texas Rangers
An investigative commission headed by former Senator John C. Danforth (R-MO) finds no wrongdoing on the parts of the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF), or the Justice Department in their actions during the Waco standoff between law enforcement officials and the Branch Davidians (see 5:00 A.M. - 9:30 A.M. February 28, 1993 and April 19, 1993). Attorney General Janet Reno appointed the commission after documents surfaced in 1999 that indicated an FBI agent fired pyrotechnic gas canisters near the Branch Davidian compound during the raid, possibily contributing to the fire that destroyed the compound and killed many sect members (see August 25, 1999 and After). Danforth's investigation also finds that, despite the documents, no government agency or individual contributed to any alleged cover-up, and emphatically clears Reno of any responsibility for the calamity. Danforth does find that a single FBI agent fired three flammable gas canisters into a concrete pit some 75 feet from the compound itself, as previously acknowledged. His report concludes that the FBI most likely mishandled that information, though the possibility exists of some sort of deliberate cover-up or falsification of evidence. Danforth's report also notes that he had encountered "substantial resistance" to his probe from Justice Department officials, in some cases resulting in a "tug of war" over requested evidence that required intervention by Reno's top deputy. [PBS Frontline, 10/1995; Dallas Morning News, 7/28/2000] Asked whether she feels vindicated by the report, Reno says: "One doesn't think in terms of exoneration when you look at something like that. That was a terrible tragedy. And what I have always said was we have got to look to the future to see what we can do, what we can learn about human behavior to avoid tragedies like that." The final report sums up 10 months of investigation, interviews, and evidence assessment; the investigation cost $12 million. [Dallas Morning News, 7/28/2000]
Entity Tags: John C. Danforth, Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Branch Davidians, US Department of Justice, Janet Reno
Former federal prosecutor William "Bill" Johnston is indicted for obstructing the investigation of special counsel John Danforth, who led a government probe into the Branch Davidian debacle near Waco, Texas (see April 19, 1993, September 7-8, 1999, and July 21, 2000). Johnston, a former US attorney in Waco, is accused of concealing information about the FBI's use of pyrotechnic CS gas rounds during the final assault on the Davidian compound (see August 25, 1999 and After). Danforth, a former Republican senator, says he preferred to release the investigation report without prosecuting anyone, but says the charges against Johnston are too severe to ignore. "I couldn't just shrug it off," Danforth says. Johnston is accused of hiding his notes about the use of incendiary tear gas rounds from the Justice Department and Congress. He is also accused of later lying about the notes to Danforth's investigators and to the grand jury. Johnston has admitted to hiding his notes, but also helped bring the information about the incendiary gas rounds to the public. "My actions were foolish, regrettable, and wrong, but they were not criminal," Johnston says. "I can't confess to concealing the pyrotechnics when I was the government employee most responsible for disclosing them. And I can't take full blame when there is so much blame to be spread around." Danforth's report found no evidence of a widespread government conspiracy to cover up the use of the pyrotechnic gas rounds, but asserted that members of the Justice Department's prosecution team had failed to give information about the rounds to Davidian defense lawyers during a criminal trial in 1994 (see January-February 1994). The report also criticized two FBI evidence technicians, Richard Crum and James Cadigan, who checked the crime scene for failing to keep notes and giving evasive statements on their findings. Johnston says he hid his notes to protect himself from "enemies" in the Justice Department. "Certain people leaked a memo to the news media making it appear—falsely—that I attended a 1993 meeting at which the term 'pyrotechnic' was used," Johnston says. "In any event, when I uncovered the notes, only days after the memo was leaked, I panicked, because I had just been ordered to place all my trial material in the hands of the people behind the smear campaign. I should have turned those notes over anyway and suffered the consequences, but I didn't." Danforth says that two other prosecutors on the trial, Ray Jahns and LeRoy Jahns, knew about the pyrotechnic gas rounds but did not disclose their knowledge. However, Danforth says there is not enough "tangible" evidence against the two to file charges. "There is a difference between what I believe and conclude and what I can prove beyond a reasonable doubt," he says. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11/9/2000] Johnston will accept a plea-bargain deal that gives him two years' probation and 200 hours of community service in return for an admission of guilt. He will tell the court: "Whatever my reason [for withholding his notes], it was wrong. It will never be right to withhold something in fear or panic or whatever reason." [Associated Press, 6/7/2001] In August 1999, Johnston wrote to Attorney General Janet Reno that he believes unnamed Justice Department officials were concealing evidence from her (see August 30, 1999).
Entity Tags: LeRoy Jahns, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Branch Davidians, James Cadigan, John C. Danforth, William ("Bill") Johnston, US Department of Justice, Richard Crum, Janet Reno, Ray Jahns
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- About Institute
- Management
- Departments and Laboratories
- Collection of scientific papers
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- Projects
- News
- Software Products
ąĪąÉSE-technologies and reusable components
According to the concept of an integrated software environment software is a collection of electronic versions of training, interacting with each other to provide the effective work of the main participants of the process of studying. In the framework of this concept developed e-learning tools, general: textbooks, problem books, directory, Workbook. Especially for PP on mathematics developed by subject-oriented e-learning tools: Solver tasks, among the tasks Graphs. For the PP programming developed Programming Environment, Wednesday demonstration (performance algorithms). For PPP Library electronic visual "Algebra 7.9" realized teacher workplace and workplace student, implemented training facilities: Library reference summaries, library lessons, library tasks Terminological Dictionary. The architecture and functionality of the network version of the IDE boule developed in the PPP "Algebra, Grade 7," Algebra, Grade 8 "to support the practical part of the lesson and thematic appraisals, which was developed by the subsystem for transmission and verification of practical tasks. An important object-oriented component of the support of mathematical activity is a mathematical editor. Common components of mathematical pattern - graphics. Algebraic calculator Subject-oriented automation developments are specialized editors, which are implemented for almost all electronic instructional materials. This editors textbooks, library reference summaries, problem books, the Handbook, other CASE-tools. In connection with the improvement of ideas on emerging applications in our software products are constantly emerging new services requiring the use of new technologies.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Such Pretty Pictures
Today we would like to share one of our favorite design books, a monograph on Marian Bantjes: one of our absolute design idols. The Canadian designer specializes in typography, ornamentation and has a recognizable-but-not-repetitive style that really speaks to our sensitivities. This large-scale books showcases her work and is just such a beauty to look at, a true sensual pleasure. As if that wasn't enough, the works are annotated with witty, honest stories about how they came – or didn't come – to be.
Bantjes has a wonderful sensitivity for non-traditionally understood calligraphy which she combines with more geometric letterforms.
She has also a true talent (and patience) for filigree ornaments, partly Arabic, partly historic but overall modernized.
And, of course, her work on tangible typography is one of the most impressive out there and inspired our own search many times. Here, for instance, sugar lettering.
We're not sure if this book is still in stock (probably?) but if you like to look at gorgeously designed letters, this is definitely the coffee table book for you.


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text:
A funeral
Another day, another drive, another funeral.
Life is very fragile. I don't think I appreciate the very miracle of being alive. How many close calls have you had? I remember very distinctly in Iowa once as an intersection turned into slow motion as a car flew through a red light. I remember distinctly looking at a pole thinking I'm going to hit that only to swerve at the last minute.
If I think of my life I think of many times when it was close, very close. I don't think I appreciate life enough. It is not whether or not we die but that more of us don't die I suppose.
Another day, another drive, another funeral. Too many friends and family passing away it seems. Please pray for the May's.
June 10, 2008 3:38 pm
They will be in my thoughts and prayers.
I have had numerous close calls.
I thank God for giving me each day.
Thanks Darin for this great post and making us think about life.


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The Union GetUp funded Labor/Green Loons betrayal of Australians goes on unabated,like druggies giving head jobs down Kings Cross alley ways,these pathological liars and Socialist sociopath's continue on their course to destroy Australians and Australia.
These Socialist swine make Paul Keating look like a conservative.
Never before in our Nations history have we had a government at any level,so totally devoted to the destruction of the Nation and it's people as these swine are. Aussie.


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A talented artist will be literally building upon the success of an award-winning Aberdeen street art festival.
Jan Vormann is bringing his Dispatchwork project, which uses LEGO bricks to repair damaged walls and structures, to the Nuart Festival in April.
He has appealed to the public to donate bricks and join him in making a colourful claim on Aberdeen's public space.
Vormann is the first artist announced for the festival, which is spearheaded by Aberdeen Inspired and Aberdeen City Council.
Adrian Watson, chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired, said: "This is a wonderful invitation for children and adults alike to engage with their city in a fun and interactive way and we can't wait to see the results.
"It is an honour to have Jan Vormann to bring his Dispatchwork project to Nuart Aberdeen and we are sure that the public will be very eager to get involved."
Since 2007, Jan Vormann has used tens of thousands of the colourful bricks to patch crumbling holes in architectural structures around the world.
While some pieces have just a few dozen LEGO bricks incorporated into an installation, others cover zig-zagging expanses that reach across entire walls.
The bricks imitate the brick or cobblestone-constructed buildings he often "repairs", but on a miniature scale.
Watch: Aberdeen's Nuart Festival hailed success as plans for next year's even kick off
Having started spontaneously patching-up surfaces in Bocchignano, Italy, Vormann has since employed the technique on walls in nearly 40 cities across Europe, Central America, Asia and the United States.
The full line-up of artists and guests involved in the festival, taking place from April 18 to 21, will be announced over the next few weeks.


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Biography: Sylvie is a tarot card reader who is also empathic and clairaudient. She is good in all areas and gives lots of details. She is especially good with relationships and how people feel. She is also able to focus on business and career concerns. Sylvie does well with short term timing and is able to help you sort out what is really going by picking up the energy that is surrounding you. She has over 20 years of experience.
Specialties: Clairvoyant, tarot, clairaudient
Reading Style: Her energy is very calming and she works best with an area of focus.
Other Notes:
Sylvie's Schedule
4:00pm - 12:00am
6:00pm - 12:00am
5:00pm - 12:00am


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HARTFORD, Conn. -- Zion Williamson has a co-star in this NCAA tournament, at least through the first weekend.
His name is Ja Morant, and his triple-double effort (17 points, 16 assists, 11 rebounds) in 12-seed Murray State's 83-64 win over 5-seed Marquette in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday confirmed the hype -- "I have him No. 2 on my personal board," said one NBA scout who watched the game -- that hovered above an Ohio Valley Conference superstar many had only heard about but not witnessed on the grand stage.
"I really don't pay too much attention to the hype," Morant said after the game. "I just try to go out and play the same game every night."
Ja Morant becomes the 8th player to record a triple-double in a NCAA tournament game.— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 21, 2019
He joins Shaq, Draymond and D-Wade ... some great company 👏 pic.twitter.com/178syN4Xe6
His performance, just the eighth triple-double in NCAA tournament history and the first since Draymond Green's in 2012, can be summarized in a handful of videos -- you might want to cover your eyes as you watch his two-handed dunk over Joey Hauser -- circulating on social media. But Morant's performance generated sounds that detailed his excellence throughout the captivating victory for Murray State, which will advance to face Florida State on Saturday in the second round.
As Marquette swarmed the Murray State sophomore guard at the XL Center, you could hear the rapid squeaks from the shoes of freshman Brendan Bailey, who chased Morant throughout the game, and the stomps of Hauser as he sprinted to help.
Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski screamed instructions to a desperate team as he squatted on the sideline.
Marquette fans cheered for a miracle. Murray State, explosive throughout the matchup, praised the one they had.
And whenever the 6-foot-3 Morant seemed stuck, he paused, usually somewhere near the "March Madness" logo in the middle of the court, and dribbled. But the pace of his dribbling never changed. Marquette zoned, pressed, doubled and shadowed Morant.
Yet, the rhythm of Morant's dribbling persisted.
Thump ... thump.
Bailey and Hauser trapped him at the top of the key.
Thump ... thump.
Morant dribbled himself into a tough spot along the baseline.
Thump ... thump.
The shot clock approached expiration and no smart play appeared imminent.
Thump ... thump.
"I have a ton of respect for him," Wojciechowski said after the game. "I mean, the triple-doubles, 16 assists in an NCAA tournament. It's crazy. You can't speed him up. You can run two people at him, you can switch, try to get the ball out of his hands. There is nothing that we found that could speed him up or shake his decision-making."
Wojciechowski won the Defensive Player of the Year award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches as a senior at Duke during the 1997-98 season. His Golden Eagles finished second in defensive efficiency in Big East play after holding league opponents to a 45.8 percent clip inside the arc. But nothing seemed to work on Thursday.
Sacar Anim stuck to Morant in the opening minutes and tried to limit his shot attempts. But he zipped his Patrick Mahomes-like passes through traffic and produced five assists before the first TV timeout.
Bailey, a 6-8 freshman, seemed to frustrate Morant in spurts. But Morant just used the pressure -- Bailey always had help whenever the NBA prospect drove -- to shift the balance of the court and find shooters on a team that made 50 percent of its 3-pointers.
And then, Morant hit a step-back 3-pointer over Theo John toward the end of the first half.
That's when Morant knew he had them. A Marquette team that wasn't sure if Morant would penetrate, pass or do both grew hesitant and cautious as Murray State's lead grew.
A dunk over Hauser off a backdoor cut -- which seemed to illustrate the problem teams had all season against a player who could go around them or over them -- seemed otherworldly.
In the locker room after the game, Marquette's players sat on their stools, stunned and saddened by the loss. Both Anim and Bailey smirked -- not because the loss didn't matter but because they knew they'd done all they could -- when they were asked to describe their experiences against Morant.
"It was pretty frustrating," Bailey said. "You think you got him stopped and then he just passes to one of his teammates in the paint."
Anim said Morant put his "passes on the money."
"He was getting them boys open shots," he said.
Prior to Thursday's game, Morant had been streamed, tweeted, packed into 10 o'clock news packages and analyzed by national analysts despite doing his best work on the mid-major circuit. His performance on a national stage -- the first time many had actually watched him play -- prompted one person in the XL Center to call a friend and say, "Ja Morant is the real deal, huh?"
The answer is yes. In real life, Morant looked the part of a future NBA star.
"Think about him when he gets strong," one NBA scout said.
He wasn't the only storyline. Murray State is blessed with other athletes whom Florida State must consider on Saturday. Tevin Brown's 5-for-9 clip from the 3-point line helped Morant operate. Shaq Buchanan put up double figures and corralled a frustrated Markus Howard, who struggled in the second half.
But Morant was just sparring with a team that competed for the Big East title.
When he plays on Saturday, you'll want to watch because he might be the most entertaining player in America.
"You know, Ja Morant makes a lot of plans look bad," Wojciechowski said. "I mean, I've been in this for a while. He's as good as any guard that I've coached against, or played against, and I've coached against and played against some outstanding ones."


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Published : Monday, July 31, 2017 | 3:09 PM
Blast off with Mr. Stone's Space Engineering class at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Summer Enrichment program. These kids really had the right stuff. Watch their rockets soar!
Pasadena Educational Foundation (PEF), 351 South Hudson Avenue, Room 153, Pasadena, (626) 396-3625 or visit www.pasedfoundation.org.


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Christmas is about family. Our family likes to cook…and eat. Family night consists of making your own pizza and watching the Food Network.
Happiness Project: Fruits and Veggies As A Snack
I want to eat more fruits and vegetables as a snack. This is why I forced myself NOT to make peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies last week even though I was craving it.
I have friends who swear by smoothies…including green smoothies. I love mango smoothies and peanut butter, banana, and oatmeal smoothies. But I found the calorie content is much higher than I would normally eat for a snack. I am also keeping a food diary on My Fitness Pal again.
So I tried to make a carrot/apple/banana green smoothie and I even followed a recipe.
And it was nasty. I tried to give it a fair shot and drink the whole thing to which my husband replied: "How are you enjoying your seaweed?"
My kids tried it and said it was gross. I cannot say I really blame them.
What I learned from this whole experiment is I like fruits and vegetables. I just do not prefer them all blended together. I have had a couple salads this week. I also have had banana halves, fruit and lowfat yogurt, and raisins. I will continue to eat more fruits and veggies with my meals and as a snack. I am a little afraid to venture into the green smoothie territory again.
My husband's dessert blog
Some people make a New Years resolution to lose weight. My husband's resolution was to make a new dessert every week. I told him since he was taking the time to try brand new recipes and take pictures of every single one (and I still laugh when my nephew said–"Why do you have all these pictures of food on your computer?) he really ought to create a blog.
So Weekend Dessert is officially launched. You will find some gourmet delicious desserts on it. I have always been a hot fudge sundae type person. My husband has helped me expand my horizons.
My Real News Years Resolution: Trying To Focus
Here is January 24th and I have taken almost a whole month off from blogging. That was not really planned. No, there was not any major crisis that occurred the last two weeks and I am not any more busy than I am other times of the year (less so, actually).
I was reflecting on Everyday Mom and my life in general. I subscribe to many blogs and read wonderful posts. I have seen stay-at-home moms like myself turn blogging into a full fledged career with book deals, interviews, seminars etc. I had no aspirations when I started this blog. I wanted an outlet to write and remember some of the creative activities I do with my children. If I could get some perks along the way or reach out to other moms along the way…win, win.
Some blogs I read are focused. They center on frugal living, crafting, food, homeschooling, or couponing. Mine covers all these things (well except for maybe the couponing). Sometimes I feel like it is a potluck of too many topics. A blog with ADD.
But yet that is me. I love organized people. I adore them. I married one. Schedules, lists, cleaning jobs, laundry routines–I crave it. Yet a part of me fights it. That part is strong and she usually wins. Too often my life looks like how my attic does right now…a somewhat organized mess.
Back in October I tried to have a "Going Dark" day one day a week as I am very distracted by facebook, e-mail, and the computer in general. It proved to be a good thing–I got housework completed in record time. But I realized how much I use the computer for day to day things like looking up addresses, researching news articles, ordering products etc. Did it make sense to put all these things off for a day? Not when I need to look up an address for someone's house because I have to be there in a few hours or that I have to register my daughter for swim lessons on a certain day?
Through this experiment and learning more about my anxiety, I discovered that I put off doing what I SHOULD be doing (like laundry, vacuuming etc.) and do what I WANT to do. I am relaxed by things I WANT to do (like facebook, running, reading a good book) versus what needs to be done.
Before I do anything I don't want to do (or am unsure about) I fight a little bout of anxiety. Sometimes when I need to write an article it takes me 45 minutes to focus and get in the zone before I can begin. Once I get into it, I fly with it. Word and phrases come naturally. It is the initial "start-up" where I am trapped.
And it's not solely with writing. It with other things…such as housework, craft projects, making dentist/doctor appointments, meal planning, etc. Sometimes it is the simple task of beginning a new day. Some mornings I get out of the bed at the latest possible minute I can without causing everyone to run late on my account. It's not the "my bed is warm and cozy and I want to stay in it" nor is it "I'm so tired because I'm not getting enough sleep." It is that I don't want to start the day because it is uncertain. What will it bring? Once I get a chance to wake up, get my morning coffee and bowl of oatmeal–I'm fine. Again it is the initial "start up."
The past two weeks I have been praying fervently that God would cast away that "morning anxiety" and give me a spirit of motivation. I am happy to say the past couple mornings I have awoken before the alarm ready to start the day. I have even gone to morning classes at the gym and maintained my triathlon training routine. I know we cannot base everything on feelings because they change quite often. I am continuing to pray that I find healthy ways to combat my anxiety and push through it even on bad mornings.
One of my New Years resolutions was to be more disciplined and organized…and waste less time. For me that is not maintaining a sparking clean house (it's just not possible with little ones running around) but rather fight distractions so I can do what needs to be done FIRST. Here it is Day #24 of the year and I have probably failed more days than I have succeeded. Understanding how easily distracted I am and accepting it is helping me deal with it. I find myself throughout the day saying, "OK I am doing Task #1 right now, then what will I do next? What needs to be done this afternoon–what can wait until tonight?" It does not come naturally to me at all. LIke I said, I love the scheduled people who sees it and does it.
With running, you train and train until you can accomplish long races. It doesn't come with the first run. I hurt all over and want to quit. As your muscles get stronger, you learn proper form, and your brain tells your body to keep moving–it becomes automatic. I am hoping my disorganized, out of focus routines can become a little more structured in 2013.
New Recipes To Try
This past weekend I had some extra time in the kitchen to try out some new recipes. If you still have garden fresh tomatoes (and we are about done), this soup is wonderful! It is easy to make. Put it with a grilled cheese sandwich and you have the perfect lunch.
I also LOVE to bake and keep coffee cakes and quick breads in my freezer. I attend both a MOPS group and a Women's Bible Study called Coffee Break. I have to bring brunch to each every few months. It saves time to simply pull something out of the freezer.
I had overripe bananas laying around. Instead of making banana bread or muffins like I usually do, I made this delicious coffee cake. I had planned on freezing it. It looked so good coming out of the oven that the kids and I ate it over a couple of days. I will have to wait until my bananas are overripe to make another one.
What recipes do you like to try in the fall? I hope to do some more baking this week with the apples I recently picked.
Menu Plan Monday – September 3/12
I officially ended my summer tonight with a bike ride by sunset. It was a bittersweet feeling seeing all the kids skateboarding and playing soccer in their front yards, the adults walking dogs, and the bikers like myself taking advantage of the beautiful evening. It is hard to believe in a few short weeks it is going to be dark at 5:00 PM, probably rainy, and cooler. I LOVE summer! I do like fall too. I don't like the summer to fall transition.
To make things easier, I have spent the last few weeks getting my son's preschool schedule together (I'm homeschooling him just for preschool), buying school supplies for my daughter, making some freezer meals for busy fall afternoons, and filling my freezer with muffins and breads. And of course a more organized meal plan.
Here's our meal plan for the first week of school!
Monday: Tortilla casserole
Tuesday: Country Chicken Rice Soup (In the fall/winter I do a soup about once a week as it is quick and easy and can cook in the Crock Pot all day)
Wednesday: My husband's meatloaf
Thursday: Zucchini Boats
Friday: Out to eat (?)
Saturday: Homemade Pizza
Thankfully after some failures in past, we have a good corn crop this year! So hopefully garden fresh corn on the cob with one or two of these meals!
I'm linking this up with MPM
Favorite zucchini recipes
I never thought I would become a fan of zucchini bread and muffins until last fall when a friend gave me several large zucchini to take home.
Here is what I have made so far this season…
These are the best zucchini chocolate chip muffins! I bake them and they are instantly gone within 24 hours. My kids love them! I also bake a gluten-free batch and they turn out great.
Zucchini Chocolate Bread with Chocolate Chips. Very easy to make! My oldest daughter brought this as a birthday treat last year and the first graders ate it up.
Zucchini carrot bread. My first time making it. Two out of three children plus myself enjoyed it. Great way to use some of the carrots in your garden or fridge.
Zucchini chips. Easy to make but you need to allow yourself some time. Slice the zucchini very, very thin. I had to use a food processor. I tried to prepare a batch slicing by hand and they did not turn out. Cover parchment paper over a cookie sheet and lay slices on the paper. Spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle with sea salt.
Do NOT use aluminum foil. I did this on my first attempt and it was like peeling stickers off a paper–most of the slices broke.
Bake at 225 degrees for 45 minutes. Turn the cookie sheet around and bake an additional 30-45 minutes.
They should look like potato chips. And they taste delicious!


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2013 Robot
Meet robotics version of Donkey Kong! 2013 robot brought climbs to the top of pyramids!
2014 Robot
Meet the Half-Life bot! This bot was able to play defense against other robots and score balls in a small goal on the ground!
team goals
To educate high school students in problem solving and development of leadership, engineering, and business skills.
"Total Effort in Every Endeavor"
To educate the community's youth and promote a passion for science and technology while instilling values such as teamwork and gracious professionalism.
2015 Robot
Standing at a whopping 6 and half feet tall, Otis was the 2015 Robot for the TigerBytes
2012 Robot
Meet Pac-Bot! His ultimate goal was to shoot basketballs and cooperate with other teams to lower bridges.


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The anthrax scare gripping America and causing disruption in the UK is giving the terrorists what they want - fear, the Government said today.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Liam Donaldson said there had been more false alarms and hoaxes in Britain today, causing ''great difficulties'' for the emergency services.
He said images of fire crews in space suits ''give the terrorists what they want - creating fear''. He added: ''Anthrax is not a particularly good biological weapon but a hugely successful psychological weapon.''
Prof Donaldson stressed there was no specific evidence of an attack on Britain but was outlining how the Government was preparing in case of one.
He said extra supplies of antidote drugs were in place, and guidance had been issued to doctors and public health officials.
But he said he and Health Secretary Alan Milburn had been struck by a famous quotation while in America recently. The Washington Memorial to former President Franklin D Roosevelt was inscribed with his words: ''We have nothing to fear except fear itself.''
Prof Donaldson said: ''We both thought this summed it up. If it is bio-terrorism behind these attacks, then it's the fear they are producing, rather than the illness, that is their success.''
Prof Donaldson urged the public to report hoaxes.
He said: ''There have been a lot more hoaxes and scares today and this is a situation that's very unfortunate indeed.
''I hope the public will be alert if they know of anybody who is doing this sort of hoaxing, because it's causing great difficulties for the emergency services.''