OPINIONS - COLUMNS
ATTACK WAS ACTIONS OF A KILLER, NOT A PATRIOT
2010-02-24 13:09:58
Andrew Joseph Stack III was not a hero. He was simply a killer. The Austin, Texas, man, last week, f... read more
FISCAL REALITIES OF BUDGET REQUIRES HARD CHOICES BY STATE
2010-02-10 13:46:53
The 2010 legislative session begins with an immediate focus: the budget shortfall. Lawmakers must gr... read more
CITIES ATTEMPT TO ELIMINATE ACCOUNTABILITY
2010-02-10 13:46:53
Little things can make a big difference. Printed public notices in newspapers are little things, but... read more
CONSOLIDATION TALK NEEDS TO BE ABOUT MORE THAN WORDS
2010-02-05 16:09:16
On Monday, Gov. Brad Henry proposed in his State of the State address that Oklahoma could save $5 mi... read more
SCENES AROUND COMMUNITY NOT VERY MERRY FOR MANY
2009-12-23 14:25:54
I have grown accustomed to just walking by, not slowing my gait for a second so I can get back to th... read more
CITY OF MUSTANG WORKING TO LIVEN HOLIDAY LIGHT DISPLAYSCITY OF MUSTANG WORKING TO LIVEN HOLIDAY LIGHT DISPLAYS
2009-12-23 14:16:19
Merry Christmas Mustang. I hope this week finds you with your loved ones, joy in your heart and a ... read more
SCHOOLS READY TO HELP IN TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES
2009-12-23 14:16:19
During this holiday season, I am reminded of all the blessings that I have. I could not ask for mor... read more
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT LIVES IN ACTS OF COMMUNITY KINDNESS
2009-12-23 14:16:19
Smiles replaced worried looks on the faces of Mustang firefighters last week as residents rallied to... read more
FEAR AND LOATHING NOT SUPERFICIAL AT TOWN HALL
2009-08-27 12:12:15
If someone believes the anger and fear expressed at the town hall meetings across the United States ... read more
WHISPERS AND RUMORS OVER LEADERS’ DEPARTURES A DISSERVICE
2009-07-22 16:52:13
There are a lot of comments going around town about the loss of key leadership in the city. Severa... read more
COCKRELL’S LEGACY AND ADVICE DESERVE REFLECTION WHEN CHOOSING REPLACEMENT
2009-07-09 15:13:53
We need to keep growing. That was the advice of outgoing City Manager David Cockrell last week jus... read more
MAYOR'S CORNER: RECENT RASH OF VANDALISM NO LAUGHING MATTER FOR VICTIMS
2009-05-27 14:33:16
I hope everyone had a good holiday and took time to remember our soldiers. Mustang is very fortun... read more
TRAILER DECISION IS NOT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL ANSWER
2009-04-29 12:59:59
The City Council recently modified an ordinance, which as drafted, will make changes to the number o... read more
DISTRICT FACING ‘HISTORIC’ CHALLENGES
2009-04-15 12:23:13
Nine days after patrons voted overwhelmingly in support of school bond issues totaling an estimated ... read more
EASTER EGGS AND OPPORTUNITIES MARK COMING DAYS FOR CITY
2009-04-02 15:22:38
Next week is exciting for voters as they will determine the future of the Ward 1 City Council post a... read more
ATTACK WAS ACTIONS OF A KILLER, NOT A PATRIOT
BRETT JONES
Edition:Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Andrew Joseph Stack III was not a hero. He was simply a killer.
The Austin, Texas, man, last week, flew a Piper Cherokee into an IRS office building, killing himself as well as Vernon Hunter, a 68-year-old IRS collection agent and a Vietnam veteran. A second man was badly burned.
The death toll could have been far higher as more than 200 people worked out of the Austin Echelon 1 office building that housed an IRS field office.
Stack's deadly attack apparently came after he wrote a post on a Web site about the threats he believed were coming from the IRS, Wall Street, the Catholic Church and corporate “thugs.” He would later burn down his own house and then drive to a nearby airport to climb into the plane.
Such rants against government are hardly anything new in our increasingly polarized political climate. Turn on any of the 24-hour news channels, and objective reporting has been replaced by pundits who rail against one cause or another, casting those who disagree as unAmerican or even evil.
These nutcase rationalizations have long populated the radio waves where there is always some “hero,” claiming to be the one unmasking the boogeyman who has been busy beating up on the average Joe and threatening to steal away the country we all love. Often that boogeyman is never identified — they are just an evil, faceless specter hiding in shadows.
Fear is big business in America in 2010, and it seems every entrepreneur worth his salt is finding a way to do it. What I find frightening is that this lunacy is gaining a foothold in America.
Following Stack's attack, there were more than a few comments on Web sites from Facebook to Craigslist to major news organizations where people were siding with what Stack had done and promising more such actions were on the way. Never mind that the people in the building never passed a tax law themselves. They had just gone to work like any other day.
To approve of such an evil act is to give a pass to Timothy McVeigh, who blew up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. He, too, claimed to be fighting the outlaw federal government. He, too, killed innocent people including children to make a political statement.
Such actions have no justification in rational political debate, and to give it credence, is to give aid and comfort to the lunatic fringe on both sides of the political spectrum in our country.
Stack was no more of a hero than those who attacked the World Trade Center towers, sent anthrax-laced letters to Congress and news organizations, or killed innocents in Oklahoma City. It is time for common sense to return to public debate. It is time to shout down those who would yell fire in a crowded theater. If we refuse to say “enough,” we are co-conspirators to this evil.

Jones is general manager and editor of the Mustang News.

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