The Man Furious at the IRS Crashes into the IRS Building in Texas

Joseph Andrew Stack, a software engineer who was perturbed at the IRS, launched a suicide attack Thursday by crashing his small plane into an office building containing nearly 200 IRS employees, setting off a raging fire that sent workers running for their lives. The FBI tentatively identified the pilot as Joseph A. Stack, 53. Before taking off, Stack apparently set fire to his house and posted a long, anti-government screen on the Web. It was dated Thursday and signed, "Joe Stack (1956-2010)". In it the author cited run-ins with the IRS and ranted about the tax agency, government bailouts, and corporate America's "thugs and plunderers." "I had all that I can stand", he wrote adding: "I choose not to keep looking over my shoulder at 'big brother' while he strips my carcass." Stack had a manifesto on his website begun on Tuesday night. It was typed on Microsoft Word and revised over 27 times. I don't know what his manifesto contained in regard to his political beliefs and ideology. He uttered the statement, "Violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer." That's very scary to say the least.

The pilot took off in a single-engine Piper Cherokee from an airport in Georgetown, about 30 miles from Austin, Texas, without filing a flight plan. He flew low over the Austin skyline before plowing into the side of the hulking, seven-story black-glass building just before 10:00 a.m. with a thunderous explosion that instantly stirred the emotions of September 11." Flames shot from the building, windows exploded, a huge pillar of black smoke rose over the city, and terrified workers rush to exit the building. The Pentagon scrambled two F-16 fighter jets from Houston to patrol the skies over the burning building before it came clear that it was the act of a lone pilot. One IRS revenue officer stated it felt like a bomb had exploded. The ceiling caved in and the windows blew in.

I first heard about this incident yesterday afternoon when I was watching the Glenn Beck Show on the Fox news channel. He was saying when he first heard about the plane crash it sounded like another 9/11. It seemed the same way to me. As Beck was giving the details about the incident, I had the usual questions coming to my mind when this terrrorist incident took place. I was wondering what was his race, religion, etc. I was wondering whether he was a Muslim or was he sympathetic to Muslim extremists. Was Stack behind this terrorist plot himself or was he the vehicle? Did someone or some group construe this plot? These are pertinent types of questions to ask. After the plane crash occurred, the government took down Stack's manifesto on the Website. I'm curious what that website contained. I'm curious what his ideological bent is. I have no idea what political party he was a member of nor whether he was a political liberal or conservative. It doesn't make any difference. There's no justification for his carrying out a suicide mission to crash into an IRS building. The Constitution of the United States provides a means for a redress of grievances. I know our national government is very unresponsive to its citizens in this day we're living in; but suicide missions are evil. God is not behind them. There's a proper way to channel one's anger. You don't use unmitigated violence to address problems. Instead, it will give our federal government an excuse to clamp down on the private citizens of America. The federal government will use Joe Stack as an excuse to denigrate the Tea Party movement or those that are disgusted over how the government is being operated. President Obama and the Democratic Congress will call those type of people right-wing extremists or revolutionaries and declare them dangerous. That was an idiotic act that Joe Stack performed. There's more to this incident that what we already are being told.

It is true that some of the allegations that Joe Stack made in regards to "Big Brother" and the U.S. tax code are true. I'm not dismissing any frustration he may have had over our government. However, committing acts of murder is NEVER JUSTIFIED! The citizens don't have a right to take the law into their own hands. Crashing a plane into a building is not going to straighten out Washington. There were innocent employees that were murdered in this plane crash. I don't know what possessed him or what his motivations were. I'm sure we'll learn more in days to come. However, it's never justifiable or right to take the law into your own hands. There are things that the American citizen can do besides committing atrocious acts such as voting out the incumbents, becoming politically involved in our local communities, citizens lobbying for true reform such as eliminating campaign financing of our politicians by various special interest groups toward both political parties etc. We need to remove these traitorous incumbents from Washington. However, there are proper ways to address political grievances without committing violence.