http://www.kvue.com/news/local/Plane-crashes-into-Northwest-Austin-building-84704727.html
We have seen in past recent years that when a tragedy hits America the media plays a major part in broadcasting events. Whether it's publishing the story in newspapers or broadcasting telecasts on the news, the public is usually thoroughly informed if not over-informed by the events taking place. Last week a man by the name of Joseph "Joe" Stack crashed his small private plane into an Internal Revenue Service office in Northwest Austin, Texas, my hometown and not more than five miles away from where I live. After posting a lengthy anti-IRS note on his website and setting his house on fire, he flew a plane into this IRS building where nearly 200 employees work. 2 employees were taken to the hospital with critical burns and another employee was found dead. Does this plane crash count as an act of terrorism? The FBI defines domestic terrorism as a violent act directed at elements of the government or population by groups or individuals who are based and operate entirely within the U.S. without foreign discretion. Most say that Stack's crash had elements of terrorism but didn't have the element of political change as a goal. My main question though is not if this really an act of terrorism, but does media have a role in helping this man commit suicide and harm people? His obvious intention of posting his anti-government note online (which can be found here:
http://www.t35.com/embeddedart.txt) was for millions of people to read his message. And crashing his plane into an IRS building? That seems a little extreme for a suicide, unless one is trying to get there death broadcasted on the media all over the nation... Did Joseph Stack plan ahead to use the media to get his message across? And do you think he meant to hurt innocent people along the way? Though nothing can be known for sure, this is a tragedy for the austin area and I believe that a day or two worth of coverage is enough, but after that, respect needs to be brought for the families of those affected by this plane crash and news broadcasts should cease.
5 comments:
i honestly had not heard about this incident. If this isn't an act of terrorism, it sure comes close. The media is supposed to cover events that affect the community, and I think this qualifies. Now when the 9/11 attacks occurred, the media was all over it. Was it not respectful to the families for them to cover the story so extensively? It's always touchy to cover tragedies, but they are stories that need to be covered, especially something of this caliber.
never saw it that way but now that i do i think i definitely agree with that.
Yeah, I think that if he was looking for media attention then that's what he got. They can't deny giving it attention just because he died and possibly did it for the media exposure, it affects a lot of families and the community.
Although I did not read the note written by Joe Stack (and I do plan to) I imagine his message is regarding the corruption of the federal income tax. The IRS is unconstitutional and one of the biggest abominations in the american government system (along with the federal reserve). I do not agree with the actions taken at all, but his media displaying his message is a good thing.
Hopefully, because of his drastic actions people will research the IRS and its formation and learn how there is NO law that requires you to pay an income tax.
I don't know why this wouldn't be called an act of terror. If anything else was an act of terror, like the Nigerian bomber, this sure as hell is. A lot of people get frustrated with the IRS, and I'm sure I don't have to say it, but this is the wrong way to go about proving your point! If he was looking for media attention, there are a million other ways to go about it. As annoying as income tax is, I do believe it is necessary, and I'm not sure how I feel about the actions of the IRS, but this is not going to bring any glory to his cause at all.
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