A 53 year old computer softeware programmer and part-time musician (identified as Joseph Andrew Stack--pictured here-- and living near Austin, Texas) apparently set fire to his house early this morning then jumped into a small private plane. He then crashed the plane into The Eschelon building in Austin and, kamikaze style, killed himself and at least one other person.
Why did he do this? Apparently he owed the IRS some money and decided he wanted to make a "statement". He left behind a 3,000 word essay about how bad the government is and how they have been taxing him unjustly and so on and so on.
I know some far-far-right conservatives will say this guy is a hero; to me he is a desperate and messed-up human being who didn't or wouldn't get psychological help in time for himself.
That he tried to take other people's lives in this terrorist manner only goes to prove not how bad things are in America, but how a few people refuse to live decent lives and let anger and rage draw them to the mouth of madness.
I report this not just because of the obvious links to terrorist events in the recent past, but because I personally find it disturbing to see so many people on the Internet reacting to this twisted dementia as a positive political statement. Political it may have been, but the cause was not ethical, just, righteous or remotely in keeping with the idea of seeking redress from the government guaranteed in the Constitution. No one likes to pay taxes; no one likes all the things their taxes go to; no one completely trusts government. But attempted mass murder is not the answer!
Stack forfeited the right to be anything but a terrorist when he drew blood against innocent people in a personal vendetta I'm not even sure was as hopeless as he made it out to be. Violence is only the course of last resort; Mr. Stack, a man with a house and a family and friends, was far from that "last resort". This, to me, was ego-driven insanity.
Well said Doug, I have nothing to add save to say that such actions often then conform to the law of unintended consequences. Certaily in the UK the authorities would probably decide to restrict peoples access to light aircraft to prevent a repeat, such is the paranoia of authority these days.
ReplyDeleteExcellent blog, and I agree entirely. Terrorism of any kind invalidates it's "cause" when innocent people become it's victims. It then becomes mere bigotry.
ReplyDeleteIt is appalling that a man should make his statement in this way. He couldn't possibly have known how many innocent people he was going to take with him, or how many in the fire services may have died bringing the fire under control. I also think mimicking the "Twin Towers" attack is unforgivable.
ReplyDeletethe suicide note is already on you tube. what a crazy world. the guy evidently let his hatred take over. and what about world that can not wait to read his suicide note? its bad enough that we have to watch reruns over and over until some other crazy does some other crazy thing and then we can watch that over and over. It goes on ad nausuem
ReplyDelete"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent"
ReplyDelete- Isaac Asimov
Sadly proven once again.
I have no problems with civil unrest and protesting politics or what you perceive as unjust acts. I draw the line at violence. We have the right to assemble and free speech. We do not have the right to takes others life of inflict bodily harm. This man was not a should not be considered any kind of hero. He is no better than the men who flew airplanes into the Twin Towers!!! He is a domestic terrorist plain and simple.
ReplyDeletetrue
ReplyDeleteDoug, this is not the last incident of its type we're going to see.
ReplyDeleteRegrettably.
Yep! He couldn't be more insensitive and self-involved.
ReplyDeleteIt happened....and it's a tragic event but so be it as what can one do within all areas Doug. No one could predict this, yet it happened and I think that security is still at an optimum. These things happen unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that issue will be raised over here Jim. I find it interesting that he was so mad at the Internal Revenue for taking a "pound of flesh" from him, yet he owned his own plane!
ReplyDeleteGood point Oakie. That legitimacy he wanted to get from this act puzzles me--but I do know terrorism and, from his screed, a unchecked egotism when I see it. He must have been a brigth guy at his chosen field--but then something was still wrong "upstairs" in the head.
ReplyDeleteYou're right Cassandra. It is very fortunate more people weren't killed---his attack was well beyond the realm of protest. The saddest thing besides the deaths and severe injuries of those who did nothing to thjis man, nis that some in the blogosphere see him as a type of hero. That's an ugly side of America I'm afraid--somehow its okay to hate the government and declare its functionaries in some circles expendable in some weird cause.
ReplyDeleteIt's a cliche of course, but according to interviews many of his friends didn't suspect he was capable of such violence.
Yes, what is the point of putting his note up. The Unabomber guy from the 1990's was threatening to kill most people if some newspaper didn't print his rant. But this guy is gone so why grant him an audience? Prine something written by a survivior of this attack instead.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you agree Fred. I can understand frustration and protests and such--believe me I've been there as far as dealing with agencies public and private that wore my patience and kept me up nights. But violence?--hell no.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid you're right, Astra. I thought about that probability myself last night. People are stirred up in ways I cannot remember them being---and and amny of them seem to be so inarticulate as to what exactly they are mad about so any group or person could sadly be victimized.
ReplyDeleteYou're right Jack. I do not know how this could have been prevented--thank God it wasnt another commercial airliner crash, but that's little comfort to those who were hurt or terrorized by this nut.
ReplyDeleteThis was my thought as well...so much anger and frustration (with legitimate cause) that seems to be misdirected. Add to that a culture in which if I disagree with you then you must be "evil" (and vice versa) and you have a breeding ground for more troubles like this...
ReplyDeleteYes, its all this vindictiveness I find disheartening Shedrick.
ReplyDeleteCan we just disagree with people without comparing them to Hitler and Stalin or just pure "evil"? Can we remember we are people of one nation now and then and as a republic we don't need to be all in lockstep agreement over domestic and foreign issues?
He probably had other problems in his life, but made the IRS his main focus and tried to make it "pay" for all of his disappointments.
ReplyDeleteAfter all, people only tend to commit suicide when they are unhappy with their lives as a whole.
Maybe he felt that he would become the hero in death that he wanted to be, but couldn't achieve in life.
I think as more of his life emerges from the media report , that personal-dysfunctional background is more likely to come out.
ReplyDeleteAlways seems to go that way.
ReplyDeleteArrogant, pointless and terminally self-centred, not many impoverished people have access to a light aircraft, pity about the innocent victim, but Stack is no loss, the world is better off without him.
ReplyDeleteI think that sums it up quite well AA.
ReplyDeleteYou know Doug - that security we so often question these days ever within the Olympics between the RCMP, CSIS, and as well some other international security unite and all the money spent there was one mentally ill chap that tried to get to VP Biden....we still have a long ways to go with security at the same time I don't think that we can prevent all situations. So as a society we feel that we should but there is no perfect within any given country. Yet we try our best.
ReplyDeleteThere is always that balance between not harassing the citizenry with undue authority and protecting innocent lives. And, no, we can't prevent all situations unless we accept an unacceptable police state.
ReplyDeleteAnd there will always be SOMEONE to circumvent anything done. It's the nature of the beast, really, the challenge that needs answering.
ReplyDeleteWell said Jacquie.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Psych 101!!! lol
ReplyDelete