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While I‘m still waking up & not reading yet, I thought I‘d do my #TopReadsOf2019 This one is my #TopTenNFReadsOf2019 No1 is Ruby Ridge by Jess Walters, 2. Midnight In Chernobyl. 3. Five Days At Memorial. 4. Dead wake. 5. Chernobyl:History of a Tragedy. 6. Devil In The White City. 7. Holloway. 8. Bad Blood:Secrets & Lies In A Silicon Valley Startup. 9. A Mothers Reckoning & 10. The Arsonist. It was a great year for NonFiction!

I‘d only heard of Ruby Ridge as being one of the catalysts,along with Waco, of McVeighs bombing in Oklahoma. But I didn‘t know any of the details until watching a doc on PayTV, which led me to this book. I feel frustrated & angry on finishing this,at the stupidity shown by the Weavers, but mostly at agencies that felt above reproach. Both ended in the deaths of two people. What a waste. #Booked2019 #RelatedToAPodcast #NonFiction2019 #LitsyAtoZ2019

“It‘s a bullet from Cooper‘s gun” Sprungl said “and it‘s conclusive.”

Five years after the shooting, after the US Marshall‘s involved told story after story about how they didn‘t do it, Cooper at one point, during the Government inquiry into Sam & Vicki‘s deaths, even accused Randy of the shot in Samuels back that killed him, finally there was proof that the bullet came from Coopers gun.

I don‘t think we‘ll ever know the whole truth of what happened in that clearing.

“You bastards!” Vicki yelled. And then there was another shot.

The moment an FBI sniper shoots an unarmed woman with a baby in her arms. I realise the Weavers were mostly to blame for the circumstances that led to the stand off. But when armed government agents have shoot to kill orders on their own citizens, this is the kind of mistake that happens.

“revising the FBI‘s rules of engagement-which stipulated that agents could fire only if someone‘s life was in danger- to allow snipers to shoot at the Weavers without provocation.”
This is after the agents have shot Sam Weavers dog, which provoked him to fire at them, after they‘ve shot and killed a 14yr old boy. After shooting that boy in the back(found by autopsy)After claiming the agent shot fired no rounds, though 7 were gone from his weapon.

I went to stop the clock for a rest break & realised I‘ve already hit just over 24hrs! With 12hrs to go!! Awesome💃🏻 I probably have an advantage over most coz my kids are grown & I‘m pretty much housebound with a library to disappear into & not be disturbed. Still not stopping though, if you guys are here, I‘ll be here. Plus, I‘ve got to finish this book! And the next one... #24in48 #readathon #readingmachine🤖

Still going strong with this enthralling non fiction about the standoff between a family of armed Christian survivalists & the FBI in 1992. It ended 11 days later with 3 people dead, including a teenage boy & his mother. I watched the PBS doc a few weeks ago & thought there was more to be told than was on the tv. Hoping to finish this before the end of the #24in48 #readathon #NonFiction2019 #SomethingWithPolitics #Booked2019 #RelatedToAPodcast

Ended up going back to #Bk3, a non fiction about Ruby Ridge. It‘s very good, the author has covered everything, from Vicky‘s childhood, how she met Randy & how they became convinced Armageddon was coming & ran to the Idaho Mountains. It‘s also about how those in power can get arrogant & believe the end justifies the means. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. #24in48 #readathon #NonFiction2019 #SomethingWithPolitics

Can‘t keep my eyes open any longer, it‘s 7.15am Sunday here, so will listen to an audiobook before a few hrs sleep. Loving this book so far, very in depth look at the Weaver family. Night all!🙋🏻‍♀️. #24in48 #readathon

It‘s 3.30am here in Sydney, I‘m on Bk3 1/2way thru Hr12 and starting to flag a bit, so I‘m having a quick rest break with chamomile honey & vanilla tea plus some Salted Caramel with Hazelnuts ice cream. It was a scorcher today with over 42C so a perfect time to bunker down in the aircon & read. So far, the tagged book is really good, it‘s full of facts but written well so it‘s a fascinating read about a tragic subject. #24in48 #readathon

Wow...the ATF and FBI do not come out looking good in this one. But to be fair, with the lack of communication and professional ethics combined with religious extremism and mental illness, the result was inevitable. It's no surprise that the tragedies of Waco/Branch Davidians, Elian Gonzalez and the OKC bombing soon followed. This book discusses the Weaver family history, the shootout, and the legal aftermath. Fascinating. #nonfiction

This sh*t is bananas......B-A-N-A-N-A-S!!! On almost every page, there's a new fringe religious group mentioned. But yeah, let's focus on refugees and Muslims, and ignore the fact we have homegrown terrorists protected by "religious freedom" right here in the US. ?

For instance, here's some of the nutty beliefs: http://www.thechristianidentityforum.net/downloads/Verboten.pdf

Wow. I thought I knew most of the details surrounding this tragedy, but it turns out I knew very little. Such a level of religious fanaticism combined with delusional thinking created a powder keg that only needed a spark. Fascinating and terrifying. #nonfiction

Watched the Oklahoma City documentary and now falling down this oddly timely rabbit hole.