I Wish Joe Stack Had Not Killed Himself

Let’s send a message, in no uncertain terms, that if they want our pound of flesh, they are going to have to come and get it–and if they do, it’s going to cost them a whole lot more than a pound of theirs!

All of us are now aware of the Texas man who yesterday flew his private plane into a 7-story Austin office building. Apparently, he intentionally crashed his plane into the building to target the IRS offices that were housed inside the facility.

As I am writing this column just hours after the event took place, there has not yet been a lot of time for the major news media talking heads to spin the story. By the time this column is released on Friday, however, I’m sure we will all have been inundated with copious references to this man, Joe Stack (right), as being “off his rocker,” or similar assertions. Perhaps our friends at DHS will label Stack a “right-wing domestic terrorist.” However, Mr. Stack apparently left behind a “suicide manifesto” explaining his actions. After carefully reading Stack’s manifesto, I am quite convinced that he was not crazy, and he was not a “terrorist.”

However, he was angry.

He goes on to say, “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. 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 [principles] represented by its founding fathers. Remember? One of these was ‘no taxation without representation’ . . . These days anyone who really stands up for that [principle] is promptly labeled a ‘crackpot,’ traitor and worse.”

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2010-02-20