Let me begin by offering my condolences to the victims of this mad man and their families, as well as his wife and daughter. This is a tragedy.
Joseph Stack, the 53-year-old software engineer who piloted the plane that slammed into an IRS building in Austin this morning, posted an online suicide note railing against the federal government. The note, unearthed by the Statesman.com, blasts taxes, the legal system, corporate execs, and the bailout.
“If you’re reading this, you’re no doubt asking yourself, “Why did this have to happen?” The simple truth is that it is complicated and has been coming for a long time.” writes Stack.
“We are all taught as children that without laws there would be no society, only anarchy. Sadly, starting at early ages we in this country have been brainwashed to believe that, in return for our dedication and service, our government stands for justice for all,” he continues.
“We are further brainwashed to believe that there is freedom in this place, and that we should be ready to lay our lives down for the noble principals represented by its founding fathers. Remember? One of these was “no taxation without representation”. I have spent the total years of my adulthood unlearning that crap from only a few years of my childhood. These days anyone who really stands up for that principal is promptly labeled a “crackpot”, traitor and worse.”
Stack goes on to condemn the federal bailout, writing, “Why is it that a handful of thugs and plunderers can commit unthinkable atrocities (and in the case of the GM executives, for scores of years) and when it’s time for their gravy train to crash under the weight of their gluttony and overwhelming stupidity, the force of the full federal government has no difficulty coming to their aid within days if not hours?”
Stack also takes a shot at the health care system, and the Washington stalemate that has
hindered reform:
Yet at the same time, the joke we call the American medical system, including the drug and insurance companies, are murdering tens of thousands of people a year and stealing from the corpses and victims they cripple, and this country’s leaders don’t see this as important as bailing out a few of their vile, rich cronies. Yet, the political “representatives” (thieves, liars, and self-serving scumbags is far more accurate) have endless time to sit around for year after year and debate the state of the “terrible health care problem”. It’s clear they see no crisis as long as the dead people don’t get in the way of their corporate profits rolling in.
What appears to be a right-wing Facebook group [delinked – facebook has axed the group] celebrating Stack has 198 members. The site features the Gadsden flag [Don’t tread on me] and the following description:
Finally an American man took a stand against our tyrannical government that no longer follows the constitution and is turned its back on its founding fathers and the beliefs this country was founded on.
Two people have been hospitalized, and one is unaccounted for… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Alternet>
Before I left yesterday, I read Stack’s manifesto in its entirety. The man was clearly a wing-nut. From the text I could not tell whether he was one of ours or one of theirs. Once is that far gone, it’s difficult to tell the difference. I only hope this serves to remind us all that, when people, such as Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh, call for violence as a solution for our nation’s ills, there are people in our society, who are so imbalanced that, on occasion, one will act out those calls.
The teabagger types, who formed and joined the facebook group lionizing this nut case should be ashamed. They are so warped that I feel sick just thinking about it.
10 Responses to “Austin and Beyond”
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I too read the whole complaint of this guy and understood, though did not agree with his rant. If you read it, the troubles he enumerated were all of his own making or him feeling he was not properly represented in front of an IRS audit.
His major diatribe complaining against non profits (faced by the Catholic Church)and his being disgruntled with not being able to have the same status under the law. I wonder if the FB nuts realize that though he was demonstrating his point with Catholicism, he was talking about their churches as well?
I personally don't think he should have been given non profit status but rather the non profits now that they are the same as humans should be taxed as such.
But then that is really off topic, because for sure the focus should be on who and what undercurrent in this new swamp society we see rising around us forced the thought that, "violence is not the solution but the only solution."
Of course though them who pander to the easily led for their own paycheck and profit will never be able to recognize that they have any culpability in this and all of the ensuing actions of them walking a knife's edge and find themselves free falling.
None of them have conscience about what they are doing because their masters pay them not to think but to parrot and they willingly speak words put in their mouths.
Smells like the teabaggers brewing has worked!
here's a link describing the part of the IRS code he has been ranting against for almost 2 dozen years:
http://www.taxfoundation.org/blog/show/25870.html
When I had first saw this story, I was under the impression that it was an accident until somebody told me the part regarding the suicide and the rant against the government. And I came to one thought:
First, will the guys and gals at Fox News, as well as other conservative news outlets, speak out against this act of terror, much like they did regarding the Fort Hood shootings?
I also think it is interesting because his rant touches on a lot of the points you hear coming from the tea party, which is scary, but this event also illustrates the danger of fanning the tea party flames…
This is a terrible tragedy. I agree with TC though – any non-profit, such as the Catholic Church and the Mormons specifically – that inserts itself into politics should pay the price of having their non-profit status removed. You're in the business of saving people – stay there.
The move from the Malkin, Ingraham, Right Blogs is to quickly shunt Stack into the Liberal category. Which is what they always do when someone takes their violent anti-government rhetoric to it's conclusion.
Having read Joe Stack's hate-mongering Manifesto, it matches the Teabaggers' Declaration of Purpose … well, to a "Tea".
Makes you wonder how much more is simmering beneath the surface. How many people are ordinarily upset, but egged on by insensitive bureaucrats and hateful media types, became a raging inferno.
people are trashing their houses before foreclosure all the time; heres an example:
Frustrated Owner Bulldozes Home Ahead Of Foreclosure
[Terry Hoskins] used a bulldozer two weeks ago to level the home he'd built, and the sprawling country home is now rubble, buried under a coating of snow.
"As far as what the bank is going to get, I plan on giving them back what was on this hill exactly (as) it was," Hoskins said. "I brought it out of the ground and I plan on putting it back in the ground."
Hoskins' business in Amelia is scheduled to go up for auction on March 2, and he told Fuller he's considering leveling that building, too.
There is a video and slide show at the link above.
Yes, Mark. It seemed like he kept trying to find ways not to pay his taxes and kept failing. To what extent the right wing love of violence effected him, I can't say. But he sure sounded like the media morons I mentioned.
Right to the point as usual, Mac. 🙂
Thanks, RJ. I read it, and nothing in it seemed particularly devious. But then I wasn't trying to evade paying my taxes.
Kevin, he also blasted the former Fuhrer, GW Reichmeister, in addition to what appeared to be toxic tea.
Lisa, I didn't say it this time. But I've said it many times.
Thanks Gene. I figured they would, based on his Marx quote, but other than that he seemed more right wing.
It does, Tom, but I think he was sicker that ideological.
Holte, I am confident we have not seen the last of nut cases acting out rabid right fantasies.
I understand that, RJ, but even something as extreme as bulldozing a home does not hold a candle to this.