Both Sides Wrong At Ruby Ridge

Randy Weaver is concerned about who’s going to be on trial Wednesday when congressional hearings begin on the Ruby Ridge shootout: The federal government or him?

Both sides should be.

There’s now little question that federal agents, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, improperly used deadly force three summers ago at Weaver’s cabin and then tried to cover up their fatal blunders.

On the other hand, Weaver knows his stubborn failure to appear in court on a minor firearms charge led to the death of his wife, Vicki, and 14-year-old son, Sammy. No amount of money or vindication will replace the emptiness he’ll carry inside himself the rest of his life.

Weaver’s no hero. He’s a bigoted oddball who stumbled into his 15 minutes of fame because the federal government was as paranoid of Weaver and his separatist views as he was of it.

Yet our pop culture, which is hopelessly fascinated with celebrity, has elevated Weaver and his family to the level of legend. When Weaver returned to North Idaho recently with ABC-News anchorman Sam Donaldson and a “PrimeTime Live” film crew, tavern patrons lined up to shake hands with him. We hope Weaver isn’t lionized further by the “PrimeTime” piece, which will air tomorrow as Ruby Ridge hearings begin.

But Donaldson hinted that the story line will slant against the government. He told The Spokesman-Review: “Our story looks at the use of force which was, at best, far disproportionate to any provocation. At worst, (it) was simply a group of federal agents who had decided to take the law into their own hands.”

Immodestly, Donaldson said the “PrimeTime” documentary will be the “most comprehensive, lengthy and … most dramatic” telling of the Weaver case. It also will be so much baloney if it doesn’t shine a light on Weaver’s culpability.

Spokesman-Review reporter Jess Walter probably has the best take on the “hero” of Ruby Ridge. In compiling his just-published book, “Every Knee Shall Bow,” Walter conducted 300 interviews and sifted through 13,000 pages of trial transcripts, wiretap records, Justice Department reports and Vicki Weaver’s letters.

Walter concluded that Weaver’s “a racist, and if you got to know him, you wouldn’t like him. He’s a tragic figure in a lot of ways, but I can’t think of heroic things he did. Standing up to the government - was it worth having his wife and son killed?”

The Senate hearings should reach many conclusions, but one fact stands out: There weren’t any good guys at Ruby Ridge.

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