My own view is that Koresh was still ambivalent. Part of him wanted to live, and part of him was attracted to martyrdom. Despite his attorneys’ efforts to convince him otherwise, he must have known that he was unlikely to avoid the death penalty for killing the ATF agents. This knowledge may have set the stage for the mass suicide he seemed to be planning.
"My own view is that Koresh was still ambivalent. Part of him wanted to live, and part of him was attracted to martyrdom. Despite his attorneys’ efforts to convince him otherwise, he must have known that he was unlikely to avoid the death penalty for killing the ATF agents. This knowledge may have set the stage for the mass suicide he seemed to be planning."
As I read Gary's words, I am reminded of the parable of the scorpion and the fox who both want to get across a river. The scorpion tells the fox he will not sting the fox if the fox allows the scorpion to ride on his back as he swims across the water. Half way across the river the scorpion stings the fox and the poison slowly causes the fox to lose his ability to swim. Both knowing that the other immeniently will die the fox asks why? The scorpion replies, "It is in my nature."
I am not sure why Gary believes Koresh is "ambivalent." Despite what the FBI did or failed to do, at this point David Koresh was responsible for the deaths of four federal law enforcement officers and, indirectly, some of the Davidians; he repeatedly lied to negotiators; he was sleeping with underage girls; and was violating weapons ordinances. By all accounts he was manipulative, not ambivalent.
