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A good shooter practices to develop consistency. Keenly attentive, he looks for ways to introduce consistency into every little task because he knows that consistency equals accuracy, and accuracy equals consistency.

Actually firing a rifle, and firing it with great accuracy, requires the simultaneous application of many component skills. These can generally be divided into the areas of breathing, trigger control, correct scope picture, and solid body position. With each shot you take, you synchronize this whole range of components until they combine to form the single integrated act of shooting.

By learning to control your breathing, you will impose an accurate shot. There is a definite technique to proper breathing. First, surge the oxygen in

your blood by taking one or two deep

breaths. Next, exhale normally, then hold your breath. Now while totally calm and steady, squeeze off the shot. Competitive shooters use this breathing technique for each shot they take because it makes possible the steadiest hold.

The second component of the integrated act of shooting is a correct scope sight picture, which must be just as synchronized as any other element. The most critical aspect of a consistent scope picture is perfect eye relief--holding your eye at the exact same distance from the eyepiece, shot after shot. This will minimize any parallax, yield the most light, and allow you to see widest field of view. The spotweld, which is the place where you hold your cheek against the stock, should become a muscle memory habit, so that your eye is automatically at the correct distance and you can fire as quickly as the rifle reaches your shoulder.

Whether you close the nonshooting eye is your preference. Some would argue that when you close the one eye, it will dilate, and thereby disrupt the open eye. I have shoot with one eye as does my former instructor (4 Sniper Schools) with no problems.

Simply put, trigger control is the ability to release the firing pin without imparting any movement to the rifle. All trigger-pull problems are caused by flinching or jerking the trigger, which usually results from anticipating the instant of firing--reacting from the shock of recoil even before any recoil is felt. The shooter has found the dreaded blast and push of recoil so painful that he unconsciously jerks his finger when he thinks the rifle is about to fire.

To overcome this, conventional infantryman are taught to become oblivious to trigger release and be surprised by the instant of firing. This may work for ordinary riflemen with M16A2, but will not work for snipers.

Quite the contrary, a good sniper sensitizes himself to the feel of his trigger and learns to know when it will fire so he can consciously plan that instant of shot release.

The best way to sensitize your trigger finger is through dry-fire exercises. In fact, it is only during dry fire that you assess trigger control without it being masked by recoil. The beauty of dry fire is that you can do it alone, in your barracks, between live shots at the range.

When it comes to the actual pressing of the trigger, only the fingertip should be in contact. The tip is far more sensitive than any other finger area, although that trigger seems almost intended for wrapping around it in the crease of the first knuckle-------the worst point for contact.

The fingertip should be at least two thirds of the way down the trigger to take advantage of leverage and to allow it the maximum arc while taking up slack. Once you have determined where to place your finger comfortably, do it this way consistently.

Other than its tip, your finger should not touch the rifle so that your pull is straight and unhindered and does not push the stock in any way.

Now we come to the last component of integrated act of firing, the correct and consistent assumption of a solid body position. Which position you use will be dictated by your target, ground clearance, and available support. Always exploit any kind of support within reach, whether you use a standing, kneeling, sitting or prone position.

The steadiest position is prone, followed by sitting, then kneeling. The least stable position is standing. All positions, though, have several principles in common. First, understand that your bones are the foundation for holding your rifle, not your muscles. The muscles add cushioning and allow you to

grasp the rifle firmly, but it is mostly the bones that will keep the rifle in place.

Second, you must make yourself comfortable in your position. This means deviating the position to fit your body and adjusting slightly to fit the surrounds. If you are comfortable, you will hold the rifle steadier.

Third, you will fire best by reshifting your body to fit your natural point of aim. To determine this natural point of aim, close your eyes and point the rifle in the general direction of the target. Now open your eyes and see if you are properly aligned. Shift your body around as required, then close your eyes and try again until you naturally point at the target. You can find a natural point of aim for each position.

Here is the problem you zero your rifle on flat ground so that the arc of the your bullet cuts into the bullseyes's perfectly---then you get into mountain country and engage a target that is significantly uphill or downhill and those bullet arcs get all confused. The arc your bullet traced to hit a bullseye on flat ground is very different from the one you create when aiming significantly up or down.

How much difference is there? When shooting .308 Federal Match at a target only 300 yards away, the same trajectory that allows an exact bullseye on flat ground leads to a shot that is 7.8 inches high if your target is 45 degrees uphill or downhill. And the problem gets worse with distance. Up and down shots require compensation with the same amount of degrees. You must always compensate by aiming low. Remember the limbo dancer----go low. The amount of compensation needed increases significantly with range and steepness of angle.

When you aim uphill or downhill 30 degrees, gravity pulls your bullet at the same rate. So your sight is still the exact same height above the bullet's path---but the vertical drop is now causing your round to impact a bit high. When you raise the angle to 45 degrees, this gap becomes much more apparent. By the time you are aiming at a target 60 degrees up or down, there is considerable gap between where you are aiming and where your bullet hits.

The simplest solution to up/down confusion is to keep the distance as close as possible, say no more than 100 yards. No matter what you are shooting or if the target is 30 or 60 degrees, by virtue of your short range, the maximum possible error is only about an inch when you aim dead-on.

The next possible solution is to figure out the bullet impact by shooting at the range and using a protractor. With a little work, you can test your skills of compensating by shooting on top of buildings etc.

This is an essential part of each shot you take, not for what you do during it, but what you prevent by going through the act of follow-through.

First, a definition. Follow-through is a process by which the shooter maintains continuous concentration and nonreaction after firing a shot so he develops a mental and physical habit of allowing no disruption whatsoever at the instant of shooting.

The significance of follow-through becomes more apparent when you realize that .022 of a second passes between the trigger releasing the sear and the firing pin actually striking the cartridge's primer. And a further .002 will pass while a .308 bullet travels down a 24-inch barrel. If there is any slight movement of the rifle during this period, the crosshairs will no longer be on the target as the bullet exits the muzzle.

Follow-through wraps up all the steps and components of the integrated act of shooting, which by now you should respect as a whole complex set of things to remember and apply during practice. To apply these in the correct place, and in perfect synchronization, is the mark of a precision rifle shooter. They are used for every shot you fire, time after time.

 PLEASE COPY & DISTRIBUTE THE FOLLOWING TO ALL OF YOUR CONTACTS:

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NOTICE: every individual living in this country should be aware of the fact that the Government, County, State and Federal, have created a COVERT financial reporting structure that has allowed for the financial takeover of this country outside of the view of the public as well as the majority of elected officials. The public's and most elected officials attention is directed to the "State" or "Federal" - "Budget Report" while the true "gross cash receipts for the year and total revenues " are listed in the report called "The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report". (this report, the "CAFR" is the whole pie of $$cash$$ receipts, and investments).

There is a TOTAL press black out on disclosure of, or confirming openly the existence of this report. The expense side of traditional Government for services is disclosed within the "Budget Report", of which the public pays for through tax, fines and fees, while the "created by statute" un-constitutional profit side of Government is disclosed and kept obscure for public viewing and disclosure through the "Comprehensive Annual Financial Report".

EXAMPLE: New Jersey, 1989 - as seen within the Service "Budget Report" = 17

billion, with the net available revenue = to 25.6 billion.

For the same year, 1989, - total cash receipts all agencies and departments for the year (cash additions), page 174 of the "CAFR", = $86,775,380,712.00. Additionally within the State of New Jersey's "CAFR" it shows: Insurance Company equity participation = to 12 billion, common stock ownership based on purchase price= to 32 billion "Market Value = to 70 billion", on loan to public and private Corporations= to 10 billion (Definition of syndicated Organized Crime??).

Arizona State "CAFR", 1997 shows a "Service Budget = to 5.5 billion and the

State's "CAFR" printed by the Auditor Generals Office shows total gross cash receipts = to 17 billion. NOTE: in 1987 Arizona had a Service Budget of 2.8 billion with total cash receipts = to 3.1 billion, a 300 million dollar diference compared to in 1997 an almost 12 billion dollar diference as seen in and through Arizona's "CAFR". ( a little ten year catch up game, I guess. Why should the boys in Arizona miss out on the take)

Composite totals of Government (Federal, State, County & City) as seen through all CAFR reports is: Stock ownership = to over 26 TRILLION dollars, (53% of the total ownership of all listed stocks) GET THE PICTURE... Insurance company equity participation is = to over 7 trillion dollars. (high priced mandatory auto insurance ring a bell, health care, etc..).. , Bond surety escrow accounts for future liability of existing or potential debt is = to over 5 trillion dollars + . ( a way of getting around that pesky little rule that government is not supposed to operate at a profit)..... As seen in the "CAFR" which show the pension funds is that: The Judges are guaranteed to be in the millionaire boys retirement club, being guaranteed from 3 to 5 million dollars after serving from 1 to 2 years tenure. (Now you know why the laws are as they are throughout the country)...

Wake up and smell the roses... Disclosure of the "CAFR" for viewing and comprehension by the public will end their game Cold in its Tracks.. When you see the total moneys, you can backtrack to see where they came from and where they are currently are being used... IMPORTANT: pay special attention to the "Notes" within the "CAFR" for spoting additional revenue funds kept off the balance sheet.

A Key word search on the internet now, after our efforts of over ten years, will generate several hits on the: Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. New Jersey is the first State to list the report. Several cities do also. Bottom line is that all States and the Federal Government should be mandated to refference the report for easy access by the public. Pass the word and make

it happen.

Insist "Mandate" that your local news media (TV, News Papers, Radio) make immediate and simple mention of this report to accomplish "Public Awareness"

and have the media mention, as disclosed within the report, the composite "total of cash receipts from all agencies, departments, investments, etc."

for the year and the "actual total composite revenues held or controlled" Note: "Insist on the mention of Total Revenues, whether Restricted by Statute

or the like".

REALITY WILL SPEAK FOR ITSELF AS THE PRESS CONTINUES ITS COOPERATION WITH THE NON-DISCLOSURE, AND THOSE IN THE PRESS THAT COME FORWARD MENTIONING THE "CAFR", IMEADIATE STEPS WILL BE TAKEN TO SILENCE THEM BY THE SYNDICATES IN CONTROL OF THE REVENUE, TRILLIONS OF DOLARS OF REVENUE.

If they, the media, refuse to make "simple" mention of the "Comprehensive

Annual Financial Report" they are in cooperation with criminal non-disclosure

inherent of treasonous, unconstitutional misconduct WHICH HAS ALLOWED, OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS, THE TOTAL FINANCIAL TAKE OVER OF THIS COUNTRY INTENTIONALLY DONE OUTSIDE OF THE VIEW OF THE PUBLIC.

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Don't be confused, as most of us have been in the past, by the methodical and intentional smoke screen of thousands of issues the government throws at you to distract and insult your intelligence from viewing the heart of the corruption, thus allowing them to continue "business as usual".

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Publicly and aggressively boycott any media that refuses to make "immediate"

and "simple" mention of this report. Have your friends and business associates do the same. " THIS IS THE JUGULAR VEIN OF THE EVIL AND CORUPTION",

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Do you want to see the "big boys" run real scared in a panic..by jepordising through disclosure of the game they have gone to great lengths to keep secret from the public and of which totals trillions of dollars AS SEEN THROUGH THE "CAFR".

The "CAFR" shows the created through restriction by statute revenue structure which allows the Wolves to walk among the sheep in obscurity, as they devour the sheep, fulfilling their appetite in a orgy of Neo-Capitalistic gluttony. With the surviving sheep saying "what happened", "who were they", "is something wrong", "there is a problem here but we just can't put our finger in

it"...

I guess they can't see the trees through the forest, or is it they can't see the forest through the trees.

The "Budget Report" shows and is the expense side of traditional governmental

services WHICH THE MAJORITY OF THE PUBLIC IS AWARE OF, while the "CAFR contains the profit side of Government owned busnesses/Agencies and investments which outside of the "budgetary Agencies" are restricted by

statute for no tie or direct revenue accountability to the "Bugetary Basis".

(WAKE UP)....

The intentional refusal of the Media to make simple mention of this report could be classified under the Rico act as perpetuating and assisting a criminal syndicate.. Some case law from Arizona which shows law pertaining to disclosure and evidences silence for nondisclosure as being fraudulent misconduct is as follows;

A. "Silence can only be equated with fraud when there is a legal and moral duty to speak or when an inquiry left unanswered would be intentionally misleading." U.S. vs Prudden, 424 F. 2d 1021, U.S. vs Tweel, 550 F. 2d 297, 299-300.

B. "Fraud may be committed by failure to speak, but a duty to speak must be imposed." Dunahay v. Struzik, 393 P.2d 930, 96 Ariz. 246 (1964).

C. "Fraud" may be committed by a failure to speak when the duty of speaking is imposed as much as by speaking falsely." Batty v. Arizona State Dental Board, 112 P.2d 870, 57 Ariz. 239. (1941).

D. "When one conveys a false impression by disclosure of some facts and the concealment of others, such concealment is in effect a false representation that what is disclosed is the whole truth." State v. Coddington, 662 P.2d 155, 135 Ariz. 480. (Ariz. App. 1983).

E. "Suppression of a material fact which a party is bound in good faith to disclose is equivalent to a false representation." Leigh v. Loyd, 244 P.2d 356, 74 Ariz. 84. (1952).

F. "When one conveys a false impression by disclosure of some facts and the concealment of others, such concealment is in effect a false representation that what is disclosed is the whole truth." State v. Coddington, 662 P.2d 155, 135 Ariz. 480 (Ariz. App. 1983).

G. "Fraud and deceit may arise from silence where there is a duty to speak the

truth, as well as from speaking an untruth." Morrison v. Acton, 198 P.2d 590, 68 Ariz. 27 (Ariz. 1948).

H. "Damages will lie in proper case of negligent misrepresentation of failure to disclose." Van Buren v. Pima Community College Dist. Bd., 546 P.2d 821, 113 Ariz. 85 (Ariz.1976).

I. "Where one under duty to disclose facts to another fails to do so, and other is injured thereby, an action in tort lies against party whose failure to perform his duty caused injury." Regan v. First Nat. Bank, 101 P.2d 214,

55 Ariz. 320 (Ariz. 1940).

J. "Where relation of trust or confidence exists between two parties so that one places peculiar reliance in trustworthiness of another, latter is under

duty to make full and truthful disclosure of all material facts and is liable for misrepresentation or concealment." Stewart v. Phoenix Nat. Bank, 64 P.2d

101, 49 Ariz. 34. (Ariz. 1937).

K. "Concealing a material fact when there is duty to disclose may be actionable fraud." Universal Inv. Co. v. Sahara Motor Inn, Inc., 619 P.2d 485, 127 Ariz. 213. (Ariz. App. 1980).

Gods Speed and a wake up call to you....

Sincerely,

Walter J. Burien, Jr.

M.O.A.

P.O. Box 11444

Prescott, AZ 86304

The following text comes from Title 18 of the Unites States Code, Section 4125, dated 16 January 1996. Some say it is directly related to all the alleged secret internment camps we've been hearing about. Perhaps there is nothing insidious about this federal code, but time will tell.

Title 18 USC Section 4125

January 16, 1996

Public works; prison camps

(a) The Attorney General may make available to the heads of the several departments the services of United States prisoners under terms, conditions, and rates mutually agreed upon, for constructing or repairing roads, clearing, maintaining and reforesting public lands, building levees, and constructing or repairing any other public ways or works financed wholly or in major part by funds appropriated by Congress.

(b) The Attorney General may establish, equip, and maintain camps upon sites selected by him elsewhere than upon Indian reservations, and designate such camps as places for confinement of persons convicted of an offense against the laws of the United States.

(c) The expenses of transferring and maintaining prisoners at such camps and of operating such camps shall be paid from the appropriation "Support of United States prisoners" which may, in the discretion of the Attorney General, be reimbursed for such expenses.

(d) As part of the expense of operating such camps the Attorney General is authorized to provide for the payment to the inmates or their dependents such pecuniary earnings as he may deem proper, under such rules and regulations as he may prescribe.

(e) All other laws of the United States relating to the imprisonment, transfer, control, discipline, escape, release of, or in any way affecting prisoners, shall apply to prisoners transferred to such camps.

National Instant Criminal Background Check System Fact Sheet Brady Act Requirements] [NICS Operations Center] [POC States] [NICS Background Checks] [Privacy and Security of NICS Information][NICS Appeals]

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Brady Act Requirements

The Brady Act, Public Law 103-159, requires that a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) be established by November 30, 1998. In accordance with the Brady Act, the NICS shall allow Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) to contact the system by telephone or by other electronic means in addition to the telephone, for information, to be supplied immediately, on whether receipt of a firearm by a prospective transferee would violate section 922 (g) or (n) of title 18, United States Code, or State law.

The NICS will be a national system that will check available records on persons who are disqualified from receiving firearms. The FBI developed the system through a cooperative effort with the ATF and state and local law enforcement agencies. The NICS is a computerized background check system designed to respond within 30 seconds on most background check inquiries so FFLs will have an almost immediate answer. Depending on the willingness of their state governments to act as a liaison for the NICS, FFLs will contact either the FBI or a designated state point of contact (POC) to initiate background checks on individuals purchasing firearms. The background check process, as performed by the FBI and by state POCs, is described below.

The NICS Operations Center

The FBI will operate a national center to perform NICS background checks for gun dealers in the states that decline to serve as POCs for the system. Gun dealers will contact the Center either by telephone, or by means of an electronic device such as a personal computer. Either means of contact will result in a NICS check with an almost instant response to the gun dealer. The NICS response will consist of a notice to the FFL that the transfer may proceed, may not proceed, or is delayed pending further review of a matching record(s). If no disqualifying record is found in the NICS, the FFL will be advised that the transfer may proceed and will be given a NICS Transaction Number (NTN). The FFL must record the NTN on the ATF Form 4473 and retain the form for auditing purposes.

If the FBI determines that disqualifying information exists on the prospective purchaser, the FFL will be advised that the transfer may not proceed and will be given an NTN to record on the ATF Form 4473 and retain the form for auditing purposes.

If the FBI determines that more information is required in order to make a determination, the FFL will be advised that the transfer is delayed and will receive an NTN. The FFL must record the NTN on the ATF Form 4473 and retain the form for auditing purposes. If subsequent research indicates the transfer would not violate state or federal law, the FBI will notify the FFL that the transfer may proceed. If no further information is received by the FBI within three business days, and there is reason to believe that receipt of the firearm by the prospective purchaser would violate federal or state law, the FBI will notify the FFL that the transfer may not proceed.

FFLs will be charged a user fee by the FBI for checks performed by the NICS Operations Center.

POC States

In states that agree to serve as POCs for the NICS, the functions performed by the NICS Operations Center will be performed by a state or local law enforcement agency which will service the FFLs. The FFLs will call these state or local agencies, which will perform the check, make the decision whether the check shows that an individual is disqualified from possessing a firearm, and notify the FFL of the results of the check. All other aspects of the background check process will remain the same -- the difference will be that the state, instead of the FBI, will be processing the check.

FFLs in POC states will not be charged the FBI user fee.

NICS Background Checks

As shown above, FFLs will have the following three methods of performing background checks depending upon the state in which the FFL is conducting business:

1) In states where the state government has agreed to serve as a point of contact for the system, FFLs will contact the NICS through the state POC for all firearm transfers. The state POC will make the NICS check and determine whether the transfer would violate state or federal law.

2) In states where the state government has declined to serve as a POC, FFLs will initiate a NICS background check by contacting the FBI s NICS Operations Center in West Virginia for all firearm transfers. The FBI will make the NICS check and determine whether or not the transfer would violate state or federal law. The FBI will charge FFLs a fee for each background check.

3) Finally, in states where the state government has agreed to serve as a POC for handgun purchases but not for long gun purchases, FFLs will contact the NICS through the designated state point of contact for handgun transfers. The FFLs will have to contact the NICS Operations Center for long gun transfers. The FBI will charge FFLs a fee for the long gun checks.

Each state government will decide whether the FFLs in its state will call a state point of contact or the FBI to find out whether a firearm transfer will be allowed by the NICS.

Privacy and Security of NICS Information

The privacy and security of the information in the NICS is of great importance. Before the end of March 1998, the Attorney General will publish proposed regulations on the privacy and security of NICS information, including the proper and official use of this information. Copies may be requested from the FBI s West Virginia facility. Data stored in the NICS are documented federal data, and access to that information is restricted to agencies authorized by the FBI. Extensive measures are taken to ensure the security and integrity of the system s information and agency use. The NICS will not be used to establish a federal firearm registry; information about an inquiry resulting in an allowed transfer will be destroyed.

NICS Appeals

Individuals who are denied the purchase of a firearm may request that the NICS provide the reasons for the denial. The regulations will address the process for filing an appeal. The NICS shall provide such reasons to the individual, in writing, within five (5) business days after receipt of the request.

Additional Information

For an FFL to initiate NICS background checks with the FBI s NICS Operations Center beginning on November 30, 1998, the FFL MUST BE ENROLLED WITH THE FBI BEFORE NOVEMBER 30, 1998. The FBI will be contacting each FFL in states that do not designate POCs for all firearm transfers for enrollment information.

Persons holding firearms permits which qualify as alternatives under the permanent provision of the Brady Act will not be required to undergo a NICS check.

The current pawn shop exemption for background checks on individuals who are redeeming firearms will cease to exist on

November 30, 1998. NICS background checks will be required for the transfer of redeemed firearms, including both handguns and long guns.

The FBI will be attending ATF regional firearms seminars in selected states around the country beginning in March, 1998 to provide a NICS overview, answer questions and discuss enrollment procedures for those FFLs who will be using the NICS Operations Center.

ARE YOU BEING DELPHIED ???

The Rand Corporation in the early 1960's developed the Delphi technique for the purpose of maneuvering segments of the public into accepting predetermined government policies. In the 1970's and 1980's it was widely used to convince land owners of the merits of accepting zoning and general plan maps. Now it is being employed to persuade the public to accept Outcome-Based Education and the licensing of all employees, via Advanced Mastery programs, aka School-To-Work.

The goal of the Delphi technique is to lead a targeted group of people to a predetermined outcome while giving the illusion of taking public input and under the pretext of being accountable to the public. For the Delphi to work, it is critical that the targeted group be kept away from knowledgeable people who could lead them away from the Delphier's predetermined outcome.

One variation of the Delphi technique is to use a series of meetings. The attendees are often given a number or a colored card when they enter the room, to determine at which table they are to sit. The purpose of this is to break up groups of potentially knowledgeable people who arrive together so that they will be sitting with strangers and therefore will be subdued.

Typically, at each table is a facilitator, someone who will know which way to help steer" the group. Usually the people at each table are instructed to answer among themselves some questions and arrive at a table consensus. Someone is chosen to speak for the table, most of the time it is the person who has been secretly pre-briefed about the desired Delphi outcome. The table spokesperson is the only one allowed to address the podium and the others have little opportunity to address the podium or the crowd directly.

Anyone knowledgeable enough, or brave enough, to speak out in opposition will not be welcomed. Often they are told from the podium, "We don't have time to discuss that now." or "We discussed that on another date." or "We can discuss that after the meeting." or "You must not be serious, ha ha." They will attempt to quiet, isolate, and discredit dissenters. After attending the Delphi meeting participants may feel uneasy that they are in disagreement with the apparent majority. The Delphi technique is often successful in bluffing people into submission.

HAVE YOU BEEN DELPHIED ?

The Delphi technique often uses a series of surveys to bring about "consensus". The surveys are promoted as information gathering regarding the wishes of the targeted public, but in reality they are designed to manipulate the desired outcome. The survey will sometimes use a grading like: "Agree all the time, Agree most of the time, Agree some of the time, Agree not much, Agree never." Or the survey grading will ask the respondents to use ratings like: "Most important, Somewhat important, Least important."

The questions are typically "loaded" questions. An example is the question

asked of Oregon teachers on a Delphi Technique survey, "Do you agree or disagree that the following elements of H.B. 3565 [The Oregon Education Act for the 21st Century] will lead to improved student learning if implemented." Then the survey listed such items for the teachers to agree or disagree with: "Site Councils", "Increased accountability for school sites and districts", "Full funding for preschool programs to enable all student to enter school ready to learn", "Extended school year", Certificate of Initial Mastery", etc. The question is patently "loaded". For example, site councils are not charged with improving student learning, their goal is to implement the state law, dole out professional development courses and money to selected teachers, and apply for grants from foundations and the general government, which adds to the national debt. For the teachers to answer "agree" or "disagree" that the site councils will lead to improved student learning is misdirecting the respondent.

The Delphi surveys serve to "educate" the people taking the survey. It's to tell them what they should think about something. After the first survey is taken the respondents are given an analysis and told

that most of the people agreed or somewhat agreed on the predetermined outcomes. Then usually they are given another survey and asked if they can be flexible and try to rethink the "few remaining" areas of disagreement. When the series of surveys are accomplished, the respondents are told that the majority of respondents achieved "consensus" with whatever direction the pollers wanted in the first place.

These techniques were developed decades ago. The Rand Corporation has more recently been developing games that groups of business people, site council members, organizations, etc. can use to help "sell" people on collectivism and consensus rather than majority rule.

What You Can Do If You Find Yourself In A DELPHI Meeting

1. If you have an opportunity to speak, turn around and address the crowd, do not address the podium.

2. If you suspect it will be a Delphi meeting ahead of time, come with knowledgeable friends who sit in the diamond formation with the most talkative person center front and others in the back and sides of the

room to give moral support.

3. If possible, make copies of this sheet ahead of time and pass them out to the crowd. They, too, deserve to know about the Delphi technique.

4. Never get angry or emotional. Ask clear, simple questions. Remain calm.

5. Consider announcing to the crowd, another meeting time and place on the same topic, which you host, where they will be given a real chance to be heard. Or suggest meeting after the Delphi meeting to discuss

the meeting.

Another tactic the federal government used to demonize the Davidians was to accuse them of child abuse. These accusations originally arose from Marc Breault, a former follower of Koresh who had a bitter falling out with him. Breault quit the sect at the end of 1989 and moved to Australia. He then threw himself into a campaign to discredit his former mentor, in the process leading away most of the Australian members of the sect.

In March 1990 Breault, his wife and a number of his Australian followers swore out more than 30 pages of affidavits claiming that Koresh was abusing children. A second set of affidavits was sworn out for use in a child custody hearing in early 1992, in which a Michigan man named David Jewell petitioned to gain custody of his daughter, then living at Mt. Carmel with Jewell's ex-wife. However, the allegations were mostly general and lacking in detail [48] .

Thus the allegations of child abuse sprung from two sources: (1) a man who hated Koresh and was obsessed with discrediting him; and (2) a child-custody dispute. Note that allegations of child abuse are a common tactic in child-custody disputes.

As a result of Breault's efforts, local authorities began an investigation of the child abuse charges. Officials of the Child Protective Services division of the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, and the McLennan County sheriff's office, visited Mt. Carmel in February and March 1992. They found no evidence of child abuse [46] .

On April 23, 1993, in response to the Clinton administration's continued claims of child abuse, the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services offered the following summary of its nine-week investigation: "None of the allegations could be verified. The children denied being abused in any way by any adults in the compound. They denied any knowledge of other children being abused. The adults consistently denied participation in or knowledge of any abuse to children. Examinations of the children produced no indication of current or previous injuries." Texas child protection officials also said they received no further abuse allegations after that time [48] .

Breault had also contacted the FBI, accusing Koresh of a number of other crimes besides child abuse. A February 23, 1993 FBI memo, obtained by the Dallas Morning News, stated that no information had been developed to verify the allegations of "child abuse and neglect, tax evasion, slavery and reports of possible mass destruction."

The Clinton administration alleged that the Davidians were abusing children during the siege of Mt. Carmel. This was contradicted by those who actually saw the children. During the siege a man named Louis Alaniz managed to sneak past federal officials to visit the Davidians (he was not a Davidian himself). After leaving, he reported that the children at Mt. Carmel appeared happy, playing and laughing continuously, and that there were no outward signs of child abuse [44] .

Sheriff Jack Harwell, who was the only outside negotiator brought into the Mount Carmel siege, said there was never any proof that children were being abused inside the compound. None of the children who were released from the compound, Harwell said, showed any signs of physical abuse [45] .

According to Texas child protective services officials, none of the 21 children released to the authorities showed signs of abuse, and none of them confirmed that any abuse was committed. The children were physically and psychologically examined [45] , [47] . Dr. Bruce Perry, the head of the team treating the children, stated flatly: "(N)one of the 21 children had been sexually abused or molested." [69]

After the blaze that killed most of the Davidians, the Clinton administration stepped up its "child abuse" offensive. White House communications director George Stephanopoulos claimed that "there was overwhelming evidence of child abuse in the Waco compound." [39] But this claim was contradicted by others within the federal government itself.

FBI director William Sessions said his agency had "no contemporaneous evidence" of child abuse in the compound during the siege [48] . "(T)here had been no recent reports of the beating of children." In response to Janet Reno's claim of reports that "babies were being beaten," Sessions said, "I do not know what the attorney general was referring to specifically." [37]

The Justice Department itself put the lie to Clinton's and Reno's wild accusations. In a report released in early October, the Justice Department said there was no evidence of child abuse at the compound during the siege or even enough evidence to arrest Koresh on such charges before the February 28 raid [5] .

The Gun Arsenal

The press and the federal government made much of the Davidians' collection of guns. President Clinton claimed the Davidians had "illegally stockpiled weaponry and ammunition." [1] But there is no law limiting the number of legal weapons one may accumulate. Furthermore, by Texas standards the Davidians' gun collection was rather small. After the siege investigators found only 200 firearms in the ruins of Mt. Carmel [57] , which amounts to about two guns per adult. But Texas' 17 million residents own a total of 68 million guns, for an average of four guns apiece, while 16,600 Texans legally own machine guns [33] .

The government also claimed that the Davidians were planning an assault on Waco. This claim was based on third-hand information related to ATF Special Agent Davy Aguilera, who filed the affidavit for the original raid on Mt. Carmel. Aguilera had interviewed ATF Special Agent Carlos Torres, who had interviewed Joyce Sparks, an investigator with the Texas Department of Human Services. According to Aguilera's affidavit, Torres told Aguilera that Sparks had told him that Koresh had told her "that he was the `Messenger' from God, that the world was coming to an end, and that when he `reveals' himself the riots in Los Angeles would pale in comparison to what was going to happen in Waco, Texas." Furthermore, this self-revelation "would be a `military type operation' and... all the `non-believers' would have to suffer." Koresh supposedly said this on Sparks' second and final visit to Mt. Carmel to investigate child-abuse charges, on April 6, 1992 [63] . But the LA riots broke out on April 29, more than three weeks after Sparks last visited Koresh!

Enter the ATF

In Feb. 1982, the Senate Judiciary Committee said in a report that the ATF had "disregarded rights guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States." Illegal ATF actions included entrapment and secret lawmaking via unpublished administrative interpretations of gun laws. The report noted that "expert evidence was submitted establishing that approximately 75 percent of BATF gun prosecutions were aimed at ordinary citizens who had neither criminal intent nor knowledge, but were enticed by agents into unknowing technical violations." In the wake of the report, plans to abolish the agency were shelved after neither the U.S. Customs Bureau nor the Secret Service would accept the transfer of the discredited ATF agents into their organizations [3] .

The ATF acted true to form in its investigation of the Davidians -- the purpose of the raid appears to have been to bolster the ATF's image, rather than any protection of the public safety. From Aguilera's affidavit it appears that the ATF collected no reliable new information for its investigation after June 23, 1992. But in mid-November "60 Minutes" began contacting ATF personnel about allegations of sexual harrassment in the agency [61] . In early December the investigation picked up again, after a lapse of 5-1/2 months [62] .

On January 12, 1993 the segment aired. It presented allegations by female ATF agents that they had been sexually harrassed on the job and that the agency intimidated victims and witnesses who had pressed sexual harrassment claims. Among the charges was one of near-rape: agent Michelle Roberts charged that another agent had pinned her against the hood of a car while two others tore at her clothes. ATF agent Bob Hoffman told "60 Minutes" that he had verified the complaints of one female agent, and said, "In my career with ATF, the people that I put in jail have more honor than the top administration in this organization." Shortly afterwards, there was also a front-page article in the The Washington Post about racial discrimination in the ATF.

The "60 Minutes" story devastated both the public image and morale of the ATF. ATF Director Stephen Higgins must have been in a panic. A Republican appointee, he stood a good chance of losing his job with a Democratic administration coming in. Even if he didn't, he was going to have a rough time at the congressional budget hearings coming up on March 10. Said one high-level former ATF senior official who requested anonymity, "The show had great repercussions within the bureau... (S)ome (within the ATF) concluded that he (Higgins) was... looking for a high-profile case to counteract the negative image and enable him to go to the budget appropriations hearings with a strong hand." [52]

This analysis was supported by a followup "60 Minutes" report on May 23. Based on statements from ATF agents, Mike Wallace concluded the report by saying, "Waco was a publicity stunt, which was intended to improve the ATF's tarnished image." Consistent with this interpretation, the ATF notified the media before the raid [50] , [56] , [35] , and there were a large number of television and newspaper reporters at the site on the morning of the raid [50] .

Appendix G of the Treasury Department report on Waco suggests another, more disturbing motive for the raid. The appendix, entitled "A Brief History of Federal Firearms Enforcement," contains the following statement:

In a larger sense, however, the raid fit within an historic, well-established and well-defended government interest in prohibiting and breaking up all organized groups that sought to arm or fortify themselves... From its earliest formation, the federal government has actively suppressed any effort by disgruntled or rebellious citizens to coalesce into an armed group, however small the group, petty its complaint, or grandiose its ambition.

Children, home, car, bank accounts.

In other words: regardless of whether you break any law, if some federal official doesn't like your politics and thinks you have too many weapons, you will be exterminated.

Serving the Warrant

On February 25 ATF Special Agent Davy Aguilera filed for and received a warrant to search the premises of Mt. Carmel, claiming evidence of illegal conversion of (legal) semiautomic weapons to automatic. Contrary to early ATF claims, there was no arrest warrant for Koresh. The affidavit supporting the warrant was seriously flawed, containing many inaccuracies and patently false statements (such as the "LA riots" quote). According to several legal experts, including a former ATF senior enforcement official with more than 20 years' federal firearms experience, it is questionable that the affidavit demostrated probable cause for a search [51] , [58] .

Steve Holbrook, an attorney in Washington, D.C. area, whose law practice specializes in gun-related offenses, was unequivocal: "Probable cause did not exist. There was evidence cited of a large quantity of legal firearms and parts, including interchangeable parts... Nowhere in the affidavit is it said all necessary parts and materials to convert semiautomatic weapons into machine guns were obtained (by Koresh)." [51]

The claimed violation itself is a tricky area of the law. "This is a very, very convoluted, technical, angels-dancing-on- the-head-of-a-pin kind of argument," says Robert Sanders, former enforcement chief of the ATF. "And there are no published rulings telling you what is and isn't (a violation)." [62]

Importantly, this was not a no-knock search warrant, in which agents may knock down doors and burst in heavily armed without prior warning to occupants; such warrants must be specifically applied for, which the ATF failed to do [53] . Nor was a no-knock approach necessary. As we have seen, Koresh and his followers had peacefully cooperated with law enforcement officers on at least three occasions in the past (once after the Roden gunfight, twice during the child-abuse investigation). And in July 1992 Koresh had actually invited ATF investigators to come out to Mt. Carmel and inspect the Davidians' guns [4] , [6] , [55] , but he was angrily told "we don't want to do it that way." [6]

Furthermore, the ATF knew that nearly all the guns at Mt. Carmel were locked up and only Koresh had a key [63] . To avoid any possibility of armed resistance from the Davidians, they could have simply detained Koresh during one of his frequent excursions outside of Mt. Carmel [18] , [29] and had him unlock the store of guns in their presence.

Absent a no-knock warrant, U.S. law (Title 18, U.S.C. 3109) states that an officer must give notice of his legal authority and purpose before attempting to enter the premises to be searched. Only if admittance is refused after giving such notice is it legal for an officer to use force to gain entry. Said one former senior ATF official, "Irrespective of the situation inside, the notice of authority and purpose must be given... Unless the occupants of a dwelling are made aware that the persons attempting to enter have legal authority and a legal warrant to enter, the occupants have every right to defend themselves..." [54]

Dick DeGuerin, a well-known Houston lawyer, put it more bluntly: "...if a warrant is being unlawfully executed by the use of excessive force, you or I or anybody else has a right to resist that unlawful force. If someone's trying to kill you, even under the excuse that they have a warrant, you have a right to defend yourself with deadly force, and to kill that person." [4]

It appears that the ATF never intended to serve the warrant in a lawful manner. ATF agents told the Houston Post that before the raid they had practiced to where it took 7 seconds to get out of their tarp-covered cattle trailers and 12 seconds to get to the front door. It is absurd to imagine that after such a mad dash to the door, the ATF agents intended to stop, knock, calmly state their legal authority and purpose, demand entry, and wait for a response, all before taking further action.

So how did the ATF serve its warrant? On Sunday morning, February 28, 1993, 100 federal agents arrived at Mt. Carmel in cattle cars and helicopters. About 30 agents dressed in black commando uniforms and armed with machine guns stormed the complex [9] , [19] . According to an Associated Press report, "Witnesses said the law officers stormed the compound's main home, throwing concussion grenades and screaming `Come out,' while three National Guard helicopters approached." [2]

Who Shot First?

The question of who shot first is in a sense irrelevant, as the ATF agents clearly attacked first when they threw grenades at the Davidians' home. Once the ATF used unlawful force, the Davidians had the legal right to resist them with deadly force.

Nevertheless, the Davidians insist that ATF agents shot first. "They fired on us first," Koresh told CNN. "...I fell back against the door and the bullets started coming through the door... I was already hollering, `Go away, there's women and children here, let's talk.'" [19] Davidians in another part of the city-block-sized complex said the battle began when the helicopters circling overhead fired on them without warning [13] .

David Troy, ATF intelligence chief, said a videotape was taken of the entire mission [36] . But although parts of this tape were released to the media, one important part was not: the start of the raid. It seems unlikely the ATF would have withheld this footage if it supported the ATF's contention that the Davidians fired first.

There is evidence to support Koresh's version of events. Federal law enforcement sources told Soldier of Fortune magazine the following:

* One ATF agent had an accidental discharge getting out of one of two goose-necked cattle trailers used to transport and conceal agents -- he wounded himself in the leg and cried out, "I'm hit!" [14] Unless you have a very disciplined group, you can expect all hell to break loose once any shot is fired; and according to Charles Beckwith, a retired Army colonel and founder of the military's antiterrorist Delta Force, the ATF's raid was "very amateur." [28]

* Steve Willis, one of the ATF agents killed in the raid, was assigned to "take out" Koresh if necessary. When Koresh came out, Willis began firing a suppressed MP5 SD submachine gun at him from the passenger side of the leading pickup. Reporters kept some distance away from the action would not have heard a silenced MP5 SD, while the cattle trailer would likely have blocked their view [14] , [15] .

The Assault

Concurrent with the attack on the front of the Mt. Carmel complex were two other attacks on the Davidians.

According to Davidians who surrendered during the siege, the helicopters circling overhead fired down through the roof into the complex, killing one man and two women as they lay in their beds [64] [72] . The children, whose dormitory was on the second floor, crawled under their beds as bullets ripped through the walls above them [15] , [25] . Houston attorney Dick DeGuerin viewed the inside of the complex after the raid, when federal officials allowed him to meet with the Davidians and try to persuade them to surrender. He reported seeing bullet holes on the second storey, clearly coming from the outside in, at such an angle that they could only have come from above the complex [64] .

Moments after the assault began, an 8-man ATF team began ascending the roof near an upstairs window which they believed to be in the vicinity of Koresh's bedroom and weapons locker [12] , [15] . Video footage of the raid shows the agents breaking the window, tossing grenades inside, and indiscriminately spraying gunfire within.

A well-placed federal official told the Houston Post that at least 10 Davidians were killed in the battle. One of those confirmed dead was Koresh's two-year-old daughter [24] . Another was Winston Blake, a 28-year-old printer, painter, and welder; he was shot to death as he stood unarmed by the complex's water tank [40] .

Four ATF agents were killed in the gunfight, and numerous wounded. Dan Hartnett, associate director of the ATF, claimed that the ATF suffered heavy casualties because of strict rules of engagement that prohibit shooting without a definite target. "We had to wait for a target because there are so many women and children inside," he said. But broadcast video of the raid shows agents exercising poor fire control, firing over vehicles with little or no view of what they were shooting at, at a rate of two rounds per second [11] , [27] .

The ATF's concern for the women and children inside was further demonstrated by their use of the "9 mm. Cyclone" round in their submachine guns. This highly-penetrating round is available only to law-enforcement special operations teams and the military, and is specifically designed to cut through body armor [17] .

Two separate federal sources told Soldier of Fortune magazine that such a round was removed from a wounded ATF agent, and that many, if not most, of the ATF casualties resulted from "friendly fire." [17] Newsweek also reported that a federal source involved in the Waco situation said that "there is evidence that supports the theory of friendly fire," and that during the assault "there was a huge amount of cross-fire." [8] Furthermore, in the released video footage of the raid, there is little or no evidence of return fire from the Davidians.

The attack terrified the Davidians, and they were eager for a cease-fire. Wayne Martin telephoned his friend, Waco city councilman Lawrence Johnson. According to Johnson, Martin said "they were in a firefight, they were taking casualties, and a lot of people were hurt. He asked me to contact the media." [42] The New York Times reported that after capturing four federal agents, the Davidians disarmed and released them during the firefight. And both Martin and Koresh phoned 911 about the attack.

ABC broadcast portions of the 911 tapes on its Nightline program. Martin phoned first and spoke with Lieutenant Lynch of the Waco Sheriff's Department. He told Lynch, "There's about 75 men around our building and they're shooting it up in Mt. Carmel... Tell them there are women and children in here and to call it off!" Calling it off took some time. During a later return phone call, even as Lynch and Martin were trying to arrange the cease-fire, Martin's location was receiving heavy gunfire and Martin himself was hit. When requested not to return fire, an unidentified Davidian replied in a disgusted tone, "We haven't been." [7]

In the end, it was not humanitarian concerns or negotiations that brought an end to the hour-long assault; it was lack of ammunition. The 100 agents who participated in the assault had a total of only 40 rounds left among them when they finally backed off [16] .

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