News
and Manifesto
Andrew Joseph Stack III, was the software engineer and
amateur pilot who crashed a four-seat, single engineer
Piper Cherokee airplane into an office building in
downtown Austin, Texas. Inside that building, the
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had offices with nearly
200 employees. One IRS employee died in the attack.
Stack is believed to have set his own house on fire,
then drove to the local airport, where he then flew off
in a Piper aircraft. That airplane later crashed into the
Austin offices of the Internal Revenue Service.
The White House's first response was to say that this
was not an act of terrorism, which caused considerable
derision from all parts of the country. Rep. Michael
McCaul (R-Tex.), who is a member of the House Homeland
Security Committee, commented in response, "I think when
you fly an airplane into a federal building to kill
people . . . it sounds like it to me."
The FBI definition of Domestic Terrorism seems apt in
this case:
“the unlawful use, or
threatened use, of force or violence by a group or
individual based and operating entirely within the United
States or its territories without foreign direction
committed against persons or property to intimidate or
coerce a government, the civilian population, or any
segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social
objectives.” --FBI
Definition of Domestic Terrorism.
Stack was a software engineer who blamed the IRS and
what he saw as a corrupt governmental and financial
system for his personal financial problems. In the days
after the attack, debates began over whether or not to
label the assault on the IRS as domestic terrorism, or as
a criminal act. Also, some anti-tax activists, such as
Conservative talk show host Jon Alvarez of WFBM-AM 1390
in Syracuse, New York, saw Stack's actions as an
appropriate response to pent-up anger and frustration
with the IRS and the Federal government. Alvarez went so
far as to create a Facebook page lauding Stack's actions.
Facebook took the page down, citing its policy against
using the social networking site for hateful speech.
Sources:
Facebook
pulls plug on Tax-icide tribute to Joseph Stack, pilot
who crashed plane into Austin office--New York Daily
News, Feb. 20, 2010
Plane
Crash Suspect's Online Diatribe: Posting rages at IRS,
claims, "I have had all I can stand"--Drudge Report,
Feb. 18, 2010
Man
Angry at IRS Crashes Plane Into Building:Man with a
grudge against the IRS crashes plane into Texas office
building in suicide attack--ABC News, Feb. 10,
2010
Are
There Terrorists in Texas?--New Yorker, Feb. 10,
2010
Domestic
Terrorists and Assassins--History Guy Biofiles
Joe
Stack Joins Other Domestic Terrorists on the Dark Side of
History--History Guy Commentary, posted Feb. 19,
2010
Soon after the plane crash and publicized reports
identified the pilot as A. Joseph Stack, a written
diatribe against the governement was found online at
embeddedart.com. The text of that anti-governement,
anti-Catholic,manifesto is below.
The coloration and bolding of text is meant to match
that found in Stack's original text.
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. The writing process, started many months ago, was
intended to be therapy in the face of the looming
realization that there isn't enough therapy in the world
that can fix what is really broken. Needless to say, this
rant could fill volumes with example after example if I
would let it. I find the process of writing it
frustrating, tedious, and probably pointless…
especially given my gross inability to gracefully
articulate my thoughts in light of the storm raging in my
head. Exactly what is therapeutic about that I'm not
sure, but desperate times call for desperate
measures.
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. 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.
While very few working people would say they haven't
had their fair share of taxes (as can I), in my lifetime
I can say with a great degree of certainty that there has
never been a politician cast a vote on any matter with
the likes of me or my interests in mind. Nor, for that
matter, are they the least bit interested in me or
anything I have to say.
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? 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.
And justice? You've got to be kidding!
How can any rational individual explain that white
elephant conundrum in the middle of our tax system and,
indeed, our entire legal system? Here we have a system
that is, by far, too complicated for the brightest of the
master scholars to understand. Yet, it mercilessly "holds
accountable" its victims, claiming that they're
responsible for fully complying with laws not even the
experts understand. The law "requires" a signature on the
bottom of a tax filing; yet no one can say truthfully
that they understand what they are signing; if that's not
"duress" than what is. If this is not the measure of a
totalitarian regime, nothing is.
How did I get here?
My introduction to the real American nightmare starts
back in the early '80s. Unfortunately after more than 16
years of school, somewhere along the line I picked up the
absurd, pompous notion that I could read and understand
plain English. Some friends introduced me to a group of
people who were having 'tax code' readings and
discussions. In particular, zeroed in on a section
relating to the wonderful "exemptions" that make
institutions like the vulgar, corrupt Catholic Church so
incredibly wealthy. We carefully studied the law (with
the help of some of the "best", high-paid, experienced
tax lawyers in the business), and then began to do
exactly what the "big boys" were doing (except that we
weren't steeling from our congregation or lying to the
government about our massive profits in the name of God).
We took a great deal of care to make it all visible,
following all of the rules, exactly the way the law said
it was to be done.
The intent of this exercise and our efforts was to
bring about a much-needed re-evaluation of the laws that
allow the monsters of organized religion to make such a
mockery of people who earn an honest living. However,
this is where I learned that there are two
"interpretations" for every law; one for the very rich,
and one for the rest of us… Oh, and the monsters are
the very ones making and enforcing the laws; the
inquisition is still alive and well today in this
country.
That little lesson in patriotism cost me $40,000+, 10
years of my life, and set my retirement plans back to 0.
It made me realize for the first time that I live in a
country with an ideology that is based on a total and
complete lie. It also made me realize, not only how naive
I had been, but also the incredible stupidity of the
American public; that they buy, hook, line, and sinker,
the crap about their "freedom"… and that they
continue to do so with eyes closed in the face of
overwhelming evidence and all that keeps happening in
front of them.
Before even having to make a shaky recovery from the
sting of the first lesson on what justice really means in
this country (around 1984 after making my way through
engineering school and still another five years of
"paying my dues"), I felt I finally had to take a chance
of launching my dream of becoming an independent
engineer.
On the subjects of engineers and dreams of
independence, I should digress somewhat to say that I'm
sure that I inherited the fascination for creative
problem solving from my father. I realized this at a very
young age.
The significance of independence, however, came much
later during my early years of college; at the age of 18
or 19 when I was living on my own as student in an
apartment in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. My neighbor was an
elderly retired woman (80+ seemed ancient to me at that
age) who was the widowed wife of a retired steel worker.
Her husband had worked all his life in the steel mills of
central Pennsylvania with promises from big business and
the union that, for his 30 years of service, he would
have a pension and medical care to look forward to in his
retirement. Instead he was one of the thousands who got
nothing because the incompetent mill management and
corrupt union (not to mention the government) raided
their pension funds and stole their retirement. All she
had was social security to live on.
In retrospect, the situation was laughable because
here I was living on peanut butter and bread (or Ritz
crackers when I could afford to splurge) for months at a
time. When I got to know this poor figure and heard her
story I felt worse for her plight than for my own (I,
after all, I thought I had everything to in front of me).
I was genuinely appalled at one point, as we exchanged
stories and commiserated with each other over our
situations, when she in her grandmotherly fashion tried
to convince me that I would be "healthier" eating cat
food (like her) rather than trying to get all my
substance from peanut butter and bread. I couldn't quite
go there, but the impression was made. I decided that I
didn't trust big business to take care of me, and that I
would take responsibility for my own future and
myself.
Return to the early '80s, and here I was off to a
terrifying start as a 'wet-behind-the-ears' contract
software engineer... and two years later, thanks to the
fine backroom, midnight effort by the sleazy executives
of Arthur Andersen (the very same folks who later brought
us Enron and other such calamities) and an equally sleazy
New York Senator (Patrick Moynihan), we saw the passage
of 1986 tax reform act with its section 1706.
For you who are unfamiliar, here is the core text of
the IRS Section 1706, defining the treatment of workers
(such as contract engineers) for tax purposes. Visit this
link for a conference committee report
(http://www.synergistech.com/1706.shtml#ConferenceCommitteeReport)
regarding the intended interpretation of Section 1706 and
the relevant parts of Section 530, as amended. For
information on how these laws affect technical services
workers and their clients, read our discussion here
(http://www.synergistech.com/ic-taxlaw.shtml).
SEC. 1706. TREATMENT OF
CERTAIN TECHNICAL PERSONNEL.
(a) IN GENERAL - Section 530
of the Revenue Act of 1978 is amended by adding at the
end thereof the following new subsection:
(d) EXCEPTION. - This section
shall not apply in the case of an individual who
pursuant to an arrangement between the taxpayer and
another person, provides services for such other
person as an engineer, designer, drafter, computer
programmer, systems analyst, or other similarly
skilled worker engaged in a similar line of
work.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE. - The
amendment made by this section shall apply to
remuneration paid and services rendered after December
31, 1986.
Note:
· "another person" is the client in the
traditional job-shop relationship.
· "taxpayer" is the recruiter, broker, agency, or
job shop.
· "individual", "employee", or "worker" is
you.
Admittedly, you need to read the treatment to
understand what it is saying but it's not very
complicated. The bottom line is that they may as well
have put my name right in the text of section (d).
Moreover, they could only have been more blunt if they
would have came out and directly declared me a criminal
and non-citizen slave. Twenty years later, I still can't
believe my eyes.
During 1987, I spent close to $5000 of my 'pocket
change', and at least 1000 hours of my time writing,
printing, and mailing to any senator, congressman,
governor, or slug that might listen; none did, and they
universally treated me as if I was wasting their time. I
spent countless hours on the L.A. freeways driving to
meetings and any and all of the disorganized professional
groups who were attempting to mount a campaign against
this atrocity. This, only to discover that our efforts
were being easily derailed by a few moles from the
brokers who were just beginning to enjoy the windfall
from the new declaration of their "freedom". Oh, and
don't forget, for all of the time I was spending on this,
I was loosing income that I couldn't bill clients.
After months of struggling it had clearly gotten to be
a futile exercise. The best we could get for all of our
trouble is a pronouncement from an IRS mouthpiece that
they weren't going to enforce that provision (read harass
engineers and scientists). This immediately proved to be
a lie, and the mere existence of the regulation began to
have its impact on my bottom line; this, of course, was
the intended effect.
Again, rewind my retirement plans back to 0 and shift
them into idle. If I had any sense, I clearly should have
left abandoned engineering and never looked back.
Instead I got busy working 100-hour workweeks. Then
came the L.A. depression of the early 1990s. Our leaders
decided that they didn't need the all of those extra Air
Force bases they had in Southern California, so they were
closed; just like that. The result was economic
devastation in the region that rivaled the widely
publicized Texas S&L fiasco. However, because the
government caused it, no one gave a shit about all of the
young families who lost their homes or street after
street of boarded up houses abandoned to the wealthy loan
companies who received government funds to "shore up"
their windfall. Again, I lost my retirement.
Years later, after weathering a divorce and the
constant struggle trying to build some momentum with my
business, I find myself once again beginning to finally
pick up some speed. Then came the .COM bust and the 911
nightmare. Our leaders decided that all aircraft were
grounded for what seemed like an eternity; and long after
that, 'special' facilities like San Francisco were on
security alert for months. This made access to my
customers prohibitively expensive. Ironically, after what
they had done the Government came to the aid of the
airlines with billions of our tax dollars … as usual
they left me to rot and die while they bailed out their
rich, incompetent cronies WITH MY MONEY! After these
events, there went my business but not quite yet all of
my retirement and savings.
By this time, I'm thinking that it might be good for a
change. Bye to California, I'll try Austin for a while.
So I moved, only to find out that this is a place with a
highly inflated sense of self-importance and where damn
little real engineering work is done. I've never
experienced such a hard time finding work. The rates are
1/3 of what I was earning before the crash, because pay
rates here are fixed by the three or four large companies
in the area who are in collusion to drive down prices and
wages… and this happens because the justice
department is all on the take and doesn't give a fuck
about serving anyone or anything but themselves and their
rich buddies.
To survive, I was forced to cannibalize my savings and
retirement, the last of which was a small IRA. This came
in a year with mammoth expenses and not a single dollar
of income. I filed no return that year thinking that
because I didn't have any income there was no need. The
sleazy government decided that they disagreed. But they
didn't notify me in time for me to launch a legal
objection so when I attempted to get a protest filed with
the court I was told I was no longer entitled to due
process because the time to file ran out. Bend over for
another $10,000 helping of justice.
So now we come to the present. After my experience
with the CPA world, following the business crash I swore
that I'd never enter another accountant's office again.
But here I am with a new marriage and a boatload of
undocumented income, not to mention an expensive new
business asset, a piano, which I had no idea how to
handle. After considerable thought I decided that it
would be irresponsible NOT to get professional help; a
very big mistake.
When we received the forms back I was very optimistic
that they were in order. I had taken all of the years
information to Bill Ross, and he came back with results
very similar to what I was expecting. Except that he had
neglected to include the contents of Sheryl's unreported
income; $12,700 worth of it. To make matters worse, Ross
knew all along this was missing and I didn't have a clue
until he pointed it out in the middle of the audit. By
that time it had become brutally evident that he was
representing himself and not me.
This left me stuck in the middle of this disaster
trying to defend transactions that have no relationship
to anything tax-related (at least the tax-related
transactions were poorly documented). Things I never knew
anything about and things my wife had no clue would ever
matter to anyone. The end result is… well, just look
around.
I remember reading about the stock market crash before
the "great" depression and how there were wealthy bankers
and businessmen jumping out of windows when they realized
they screwed up and lost everything. Isn't it ironic how
far we've come in 60 years in this country that they now
know how to fix that little economic problem; they just
steal from the middle class (who doesn't have any say in
it, elections are a joke) to cover their asses and it's
"business-as-usual". Now when the wealthy fuck up, the
poor get to die for the mistakes… isn't that a
clever, tidy solution.
As government agencies go, the FAA is often
justifiably referred to as a tombstone agency, though
they are hardly alone. The recent presidential puppet GW
Bush and his cronies in their eight years certainly
reinforced for all of us that this criticism rings
equally true for all of the government. Nothing changes
unless there is a body count (unless it is in the
interest of the wealthy sows at the government trough).
In a government full of hypocrites from top to bottom,
life is as cheap as their lies and their self-serving
laws.
I know I'm hardly the first one to decide I have had
all I can stand. It has always been a myth that people
have stopped dying for their freedom in this country, and
it isn't limited to the blacks, and poor immigrants. I
know there have been countless before me and there are
sure to be as many after. But I also know that by not
adding my body to the count, I insure nothing will
change. I choose to not keep looking over my shoulder at
"big brother" while he strips my carcass, I choose not to
ignore what is going on all around me, I choose not to
pretend that business as usual won't continue; I have
just had enough.
I can only hope that the numbers quickly get too big
to be white washed and ignored that the American zombies
wake up and revolt; it will take nothing less. I would
only hope that by striking a nerve that stimulates the
inevitable double standard, knee-jerk government reaction
that results in more stupid draconian restrictions people
wake up and begin to see the pompous political thugs and
their mindless minions for what they are. Sadly, though I
spent my entire life trying to believe it wasn't so, but
violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer.
The cruel joke is that the really big chunks of shit at
the top have known this all along and have been laughing,
at and using this awareness against, fools like me all
along.
I saw it written once that the definition of insanity
is repeating the same process over and over and expecting
the outcome to suddenly be different. I am finally ready
to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man,
let's try something different; take my pound of flesh and
sleep well.
The communist creed: From each according to his
ability, to each according to his need.
The capitalist creed: From each according to his
gullibility, to each according to his greed.
Joe Stack (1956-2010)
02/18/2010
Sources:
Plane
Crash Suspect's Online Diatribe: Posting rages at IRS,
claims, "I have had all I can stand"--Drudge Report,
Feb. 18, 2010
Man
Angry at IRS Crashes Plane Into Building:Man with a
grudge against the IRS crashes plane into Texas office
building in suicide attack--ABC News, Feb. 10,
2010
Are
There Terrorists in Texas?--New Yorker, Feb. 10,
2010
Domestic
Terrorists and Assassins--History Guy Biofiles
Joe
Stack Joins Other Domestic Terrorists on the Dark Side of
History--History Guy Commentary, posted Feb. 19,
2010
