For Lefties too Stubborn to Quit
New Union Post Online 13:40 Fri Feb 19, 2010 | Garibaldy
Area man wins confidence vote and then resigns. Everyone in government hurt. Each time. 10:44 Fri Feb 19, 2010 | WorldbyStorm
This week at the Irish Election Literature Blog? 07:37 Fri Feb 19, 2010 | WorldbyStorm
60 seats for Fine Gael? Why let?s number crunch? 08:21 Thu Feb 18, 2010 | WorldbyStorm
DOCK WORKERS TO RESUME PICKETS 18:52 Wed Feb 17, 2010 | WorldbyStorm Cedar Lounge >>
It's a group blog. What more do you need to know?
CAPEL STREET HEAD SHOP FIRE 00:56 Fri Feb 19, 2010
SHELL TO SEA SOLIDARITY WITH PAT O?DONNELL 23:02 Thu Feb 18, 2010
SOMETHING HAPPENS! : DEMO, 1984 07:31 Tue Feb 16, 2010
CASABLANCA MOON: MOUNTAIN DEW MORNING, 1980S 00:03 Tue Feb 16, 2010
THE SECRET GOLDFISH: DEMO, MID-1980S 23:54 Mon Feb 15, 2010 Dublin Opinion >>
Joined up thinking for the Irish Left
EU calls for Greek population to tighten belts to support wealthy Greek tax dodg... Fri Feb 19, 2010 15:28 | donagh
Poverty in the South Fri Feb 19, 2010 11:14 | Justin Frewen
Global Auction of Public Assets: The Case Against PPPs Thu Feb 18, 2010 16:29 | John Bissett
Between a Rock Salmon and a Hard Plaice Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:10 | Manuel Estimulo
IPRT Welcomes the Extension of Community Service Orders Thu Feb 18, 2010 09:32 | Fíona Ní Chinnéide Irish Left Review >>
A shot at bias in the media
Favouring the Rich - A Media Prerogative? Wed Dec 16, 2009 17:30
Right turn ahead Thu Sep 10, 2009 13:38
Iran vs Honduras - A subtle difference Mon Aug 10, 2009 18:22
Irish media failing over Rossport Tue Jun 02, 2009 14:31
Don't Shoot the Messenger - Part 2 Thu May 28, 2009 14:32 MediaBite >>
|
<<<
BACKUP COPY
>>>
On the suicide plane attack on the IRS offices in Austin
international |
miscellaneous |
opinion/analysis
Friday February 19, 2010 11:27 by Gavin Gleeson - WSM - personal capacity
The Death of Joe Stack
Joe Stack recently committed suicide by crashing an airplane into the IRS offices in Austin, Texas. He left a manifesto describing the long path which had finally led him to this decision.
The note he left us is surprising in that it doesn't fit the caricature of the American anti-tax protester generally presented to the American public through the media. Instead it starts with a general anti-authoritarian outlook and proceeds to one that is opposed to the horrors of the profit motive. We can see these elements at play in this short excerpt:
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.
The perspective is one of someone lonely in their despairing of a system over which they have no control. However, while lonely, he was not alone. He is quite right in describing a system of immense power that literally kills people for profit: a health care system run by health insurers with no purpose except to take money and deny care, and an IRS that is sucking the money from the working class and handing it over to the Wall Street bankers and military contractors.
Joe Stark was driven to commit a horrible crime. It was terrible in that he endangered and possibly injured others, but also that he allowed himself to be victim.
He was not a political philosopher. This is apparent in his manifesto, which does not develop a coherent solution to what he viewed as a hopelessly corrupt system. Instead it displays a resolution to take some action - a drastic and final action. His decision isn't surprising as the only channels of communication to which most people have access is an endless cheer-leading session for the system that is chewing us up and spitting us out.
Such methods come to the fore when the populace is weak and the few are extremely powerful. It is the product of not just Joe Stark's defeat, but the defeat of the American wage-earning class.
"Propaganda by the deed" was once a common occurrence. It was in a time where power was focused and the workers and had little or no hope and very little organisation. It was through the organising of the working class that the conditions were changed, the scales tipped, and the working class was able to win the 8 hour day, the 5 day week, and living wages.
We are again in a period in which we can no longer afford to defer the question, but most seize the reins of destiny ourselves. The antidote to the spread of the poison of desperation is for the wage earning class to come together, organise, and once again present a real challenge to the stranglehold that capitalism now has on us.
|
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (3 of 3)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3"It is their right, their duty to throw off such off such government”.
Declaration of Independence 1776
Was Joe Stack crazy, a terrorist or was he a true hero striking back at a system which is little more than a form of slavery and tyranny? I’m sure the people of Iraq and Afghanistan will cheer this blue-eyed blonde-haired man because they know the sharp end of the same fascist system that oppressed him. Judging from his manifesto Joe Stark was an articulate, sane man of conviction who sought more truth in his death than he found in life.
“Tyranny is defined as that which is legal for the government but illegal for the citizanery”
Thomas Jefferson
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0219/...ia=mr
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WU0rG2q5bY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AecxvffndsM
I think its only a matter of time before incidents like this become a regular occurrence. There is only so much people can take. The American government are a tyrannical, imperialist, totalitarian establishment. What are people supposed to do... sign petitions??? Wave signs around outside the white house???
As this tragic, sad, and deeply disturbing event clearly helps to indicate, things seem to be going from bad to worse in the world; and, our "elected representatives" here in the Republic of Ireland all seem (to me) to be still casually going along with -- and still not questioning in any kind of responsible way -- the highly destructive social issue which appears to lay at the root of what has already developed into a full blown (albeit well hidden) global problem.
The following quote (made in 1906) is by former United States President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919):
"Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government, to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day". (Copied from http://www.rense.com/general61/quotes.htm )
Anybody who is willing to experiment with feeding the words "invisible government" into the Internet search engines will (I believe) very rapidly begin to get a very good idea of the general identity of the "invisible governments" behind the many "puppet governments" of the world (which we have just now, and which includes our own, in my view).