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Extremism Doesn't Pay

      On Thursday, February 18th, Joseph Stack deliberately crashed his small plane into a building housing IRS offices in Austin, Texas. Before taking off he set fire to his own home.
      On his web site Stack left a long tirade, in which he managed to blast just about every organization he could think of: the government, the Catholic Church, and of course, the IRS among others.
      He had apparently gotten himself into trouble with the IRS several times in the past, and of course the complexity of the Tax Code came in for particular attack, along with the "political representatives (thieves, liars, and self-serving scumbags is far more accurate)” who “don’t see [simplifying it] as important as bailing out a few of their vile, rich cronies.”
      Stack saves some of his invective to lambast “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.”
      During the course of his harangue he has words to say, none of them complimentary, about both the political left and the political right.
      Because of his inclusion of just about everyone in his manifesto, Stack could hardly be wrong on everything he said, but what was to be gained by his suicidal action? Stack said he is dying for freedom. He hopes that others will follow his lead until the numbers add up to the point where the “American zombies” will wake up and revolt for freedom.
      His explanation was, “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.” And with his vindictive mission he proceeded to carry the insanity to extremes; as a result any worth while points in his message will be ignored.
      Although working within the system to change it is a Promethean task, it is the only way it can be accomplished. And as long as our representatives vote against the other party instead of for what is right for the country, it is probably an impossible job.

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